BASE: Restoring and Repurposing Abandoned Structures

One feature I would love to see in Subnautica 2 is the ability to repair, power up, and repurpose the abandoned structures found throughout the ocean, such as the Old Habitat, Alien Research Station, Research Outpost, and major landmark ruins like the Axum Observatory. Rather than these locations only serving as story points or exploration areas, players could be given the option to restore them over time and turn them into functional base sites.

This could allow players to repair damaged doors, restore power systems, seal breaches, reactivate old equipment, and connect new base-building pieces directly onto the existing structures. For example, a player might restore power to the Alien Research Station, bring its fabricator and storage systems fully online, then expand from it using their own corridors, moonpools, scanner rooms, observatories, gardens, or living quarters. The same idea could apply to the Old Habitat, where sections of the abandoned settlement could be gradually repaired and transformed into a working regional base camp.

This would add a strong sense of discovery, progression, and ownership to the world. Instead of simply passing through old ruins, players could reclaim them, learn from their original purpose, and breathe new life into them. It would also create interesting choices: do you build a completely new base from scratch, or invest resources into restoring an old structure that already has history, layout, and environmental advantages?

The system could also fit beautifully into Subnautica’s themes of survival, exploration, and mystery. Restoring these sites could reveal hidden logs, old colonist systems, alien technology, sealed rooms, or environmental hazards. Some structures might require special materials or upgrades before they can be fully repaired, giving players a reason to return later in the game. It would make abandoned locations feel less like static ruins and more like living parts of the world that can evolve with the player’s journey.

Overall, being able to repair, power, connect to, and build around abandoned structures would make base-building feel more meaningful and immersive. It would turn places like the Old Habitat, Alien Research Station, and Axum Observatory into memorable long-term locations rather than one-time exploration stops, while giving players a creative way to blend new construction with the history of the world around them.

For people like me who get decision fatigue from deciding where to build bases (and how to design them), this would remove a really large source of friction from the game (large enough that i decided to pause playing the game in hope for it being improved) while also adding a nice reward for exploration, because i find the process of restoring stuff like this really satisfying.

The idea of bootstrapping myself with every base i find is sufficiently appealing that it would be a defining feature of the game for me.