Dive elavator centric gameplay

Currently, the Dive Elevator doesn’t seem to have a meaningful role in the game. Other tools solve most situations more conveniently, even though the Dive Elevator has a lot of potential.

When you first find the blueprint, it feels like it is meant to be used to explore the trench where it is discovered. However, there is currently little practical reason to use it beyond revisiting the area where the game starts.

To make better use of the Dive Elevator, I would add areas that can only realistically be explored on foot, such as deep trenches or cave systems that extend below the Tadpole’s depth limit. Another option would be environments that are hostile to vehicles. For example, bloom-infested caves that interfere with the Tadpole’s systems and force players to rely on free diving supported by a Dive Elevator.

I think the Dive Elevator should be integrated into some parts of the game’s progression. Important progression items could be placed in areas that require its use. For example, a blueprint for the next depth module could be found in a location only accessible via a Dive Elevator expedition. You can later freely visit this area with a tadpole once youve made the depth module found there.

This would also create a meaningful use case for other currently underutilized equipment, such as the Oxygen Supply and Worklight. These items can already be mounted on hardpoints and seem like they were designed to support longer free-diving excursions, but there are currently few situations where they are truly necessary because you can just use the tadpole.

Another benefit is that it would help preserve the sense of vulnerability that is so important to Subnautica. Once the Tadpole and its depth upgrades are introduced, which tends to be around the time you start exploring the deeper areas, much of the tension from exploring dangerous biomes is reduced. This is because outside of large predators and leviathans, players are generally very safe inside their Tadpole. (Dont even get me started on strike armour)

Areas that require the Dive Elevator would temporarily remove that safety net, bringing back the tension and uncertainty that make exploration exciting and rewarding. I consider this very important, especially when entering a new Area, it should not just be cool, new and interesting. In some cases it should genuinely feel like a risk to enter, which makes it all the more satisfying once you can freely navigate it with all the new tech from the materials there.

Finally, I would like to see improvements to the construction system. It would be great if Dive Elevators could be extended after placement, allowing players to add additional segments as needed, with the resource cost scaling based on the total length, just like they did with room pieces.

Would love to see more use of those utility items. But a one time cave exploration is not a scenario where i would build a dive elevator for. if it were a path i might take more then once becuase e.g. it leads to something worth revisiting, it becomes interesting: https://subnautica2.nolt.io/12658

Yeah, same feeling abou the tadpole - and it feels a bit like cheating. honestly, i would like a separate game mode where the tadpole does not trivialize all of the game as suddently: https://subnautica2.nolt.io/10069

100%
I was excited to build and use the dive elevator, but once I did it felt really pointless. Part of this is because it doesn’t go that deep. Because of the way it’s constructed, it makes it difficult to actually build it to the bottom of an area. I think I saw somewhere else somebody recommend that it’s constructed modularly where you can add on to the pole to make it longer. Maybe the area has strong currents forcing you back up and the only way to pass it is with the dive elevator.