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  "description": "How each survival gauge works in Subnautica 2, what their caps are, and the fastest ways to refill them.",
  "path": "/subnautica-2-survival-stats-explained-health-oxygen-water-food/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-21T02:35:30.000Z",
  "site": "https://allthings.how",
  "tags": [
    "@TotalXclipse"
  ],
  "textContent": "Survival in Subnautica 2 runs on four meters sitting in the bottom-left corner of the screen: Health, Oxygen, Water, and Food. Each one drains under different conditions, and letting any of them bottom out either kills you outright or chews through your health until you do something about it.\n\n**Quick answer:** Health caps at 100 and is restored with First Aid Kits or Medical Gel Sacs. Oxygen starts at 45 and is upgraded with an Air Tank, refilled by surfacing or entering an air source. Water caps at 100, refilled by drinking Water or Isotonic Water. Food caps at 100, refilled with cooked fish or Nutrient Blocks.\n\nImage credit: __Unknown Worlds Entertainment (via YouTube/@TotalXclipse)__\n\n* * *\n\n### The four survival stats at a glance\n\nAll four meters tick down or react to specific conditions while you explore. Oxygen is the only stat that drains continuously the moment you submerge, which makes it the one to plan around first.\n\nStat| Max cap| What it does| How to restore\n---|---|---|---\nHealth| 100| Drops from damage, drowning, or starvation| First Aid Kit, Medical Gel Sac\nOxygen| 45 (upgradeable)| Drains while underwater| Surface, Lifepod, base, vehicle, Air Bladder, Oxygen Tunic, Portable Oxygen\nWater| 100| Hydration; hitting 0 kills instantly| Water, Isotonic Water, raw Water Slug\nFood| 100| Hunger; hitting 0 starts draining Health| Cooked fish, Nutrient Blocks\n\n* * *\n\n### Health (HP)\n\nHealth represents your overall condition and is capped at 100. It drops from hostile creature attacks, environmental hazards, drowning, and prolonged starvation. If it reaches zero, you die and trigger the reprinting penalty.\n\nTwo items restore Health directly. First Aid Kits can be crafted at the Fabricator or pulled from Supply Crates scattered near wrecks. Medical Gel Sacs work as a smaller emergency heal and can be eaten straight from your inventory.\n\n⚠️\n\nKeep at least one First Aid Kit on your hotbar before any deep dive. A single bad encounter with a hostile creature can drop you below half health before you can react.\n\nImage credit: __Unknown Worlds Entertainment (via YouTube/@TotalXclipse)__\n\n* * *\n\n### Oxygen (O2)\n\nOxygen starts at a base cap of 45 and drains the entire time you are submerged. Run out and your vision begins to fade before you drown. The starting capacity is intentionally tight to push you toward upgrades early.\n\nThe standard upgrade is the Air Tank, crafted at the Fabricator, which raises your maximum capacity. Higher capacity matters because the deeper biomes require longer travel time between safe pockets of air.\n\n### How to refill Oxygen\n\nSurfacing is the default refill. You can also restore Oxygen instantly by entering your Lifepod, a sea base, or any vehicle. For prolonged dives, the Oxygen Tunic releases bubbles you can swim into, the Air Bladder doubles as both a buoyancy device and an emergency reserve, and Portable Oxygen acts as a deployable air pocket in deeper water.\n\nImage credit: __Unknown Worlds Entertainment (via YouTube/@TotalXclipse)__\n\n* * *\n\n### Water (thirst)\n\nWater tracks hydration and caps at 100. Unlike hunger, hitting zero on the Water meter kills you immediately rather than draining Health gradually. Treat it as a hard timer on every long expedition.\n\nThe main refill options are Water and Isotonic Water, both crafted at the Fabricator. In a pinch, eating a raw Water Slug from your inventory gives a small hydration boost, but it also lowers your Food meter, so it is strictly an emergency option.\n\n* * *\n\n### Food (hunger)\n\nFood caps at 100 and slowly decreases as you move and explore. Hitting zero does not kill you instantly. Instead, Starvation kicks in, which steadily drains your Health until you eat something.\n\nCooked fish prepared at the Fabricator is the standard food source and restores more hunger than raw fish. Nutrient Blocks, found in Supply Crates near wrecks, are high-yield emergency rations and refill a large chunk of the meter in one use.\n\n💡\n\nCook fish in batches before long trips. Raw fish spoils faster and restores less hunger, while cooked stacks let you focus on Oxygen and Water management during the actual dive.\n\nImage credit: __Unknown Worlds Entertainment (via YouTube/@TotalXclipse)__\n\n* * *\n\n### Priority order while diving\n\nNot every meter is equally urgent. Oxygen and Water can both kill you on a hard timer, while Food and Health give you more leeway. A simple priority works for nearly every situation underwater.\n\nPriority| Stat| Reason\n---|---|---\n1| Oxygen| Drains constantly underwater; running out causes drowning\n2| Water| Reaching 0 causes immediate death\n3| Health| Damage can spike fast from creatures or hazards\n4| Food| Starvation only drains Health gradually\n\nPlan dives around your Oxygen cap, carry Water and a cooked food stack for longer trips, and keep First Aid Kits in reserve for surprise encounters. Once you have an upgraded Air Tank, an Oxygen Tunic or Portable Oxygen, and a steady supply of Isotonic Water, the survival layer becomes manageable enough to focus on actual exploration.",
  "title": "Subnautica 2 Survival Stats Explained (Health, Oxygen, Water, Food)",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-21T02:35:32.581Z"
}