Subnautica Nitrox

Subnautica Diamond Farming Guide: How to Get Diamonds & All Crafting Recipes

Posted on Jan 3, 2025 by cade-davie

Fighting for survival in Subnautica isn't only about swimming away from leviathan sea monsters. Sure, avoiding a grisly underwater death is at the top of your survival to-do list, but eventually, you'll also want to find diamonds to upgrade your situation. Here we cover where you can find Diamonds in Subnautica and all of the crafting recipes they're used for.

How to Get Diamonds in Subnautica (Best Locations)

When you're looking for diamonds in Subnautica, you'll want to find shale outcrops. Fortunately, these rocky formations are nearly everywhere in the game. You can even find them in the game's very first area! In order to find shale outcrops, constantly keep an eye out for them on the sea floor and sides of rocky formations. When you come across a chunk of shale, simply click on it to harvest it. You'll have a randomized chance of acquiring lithium, gold, or, our true goal, diamond. Additionally, diamonds can be found on its own sitting along the seabed, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled.

Early & Late Game Areas for Finding Diamonds

Despite the fact that shale outcrops can appear nearly anywhere, there is an ideal spot to look for them when you're starting out in Subnautica. From your lifepod spawning point of the game, set out toward the Aurora. That's the name of the enormous crashed spaceship. Your compass should show that you're traveling in a southeastern direction. Try to make sure you're heading toward the middle of the ship rather than its engines. There's a large and hostile fish around the ship's rear that you'll want to stay clear of. As you get closer to the Aurora, you should start to see the seafloor becoming more shallow. In these sandy shallows is where you'll want to start hunting for shale outcrops. Again, shale outcrops can be found almost anywhere in the game, but this is a great early spot to find a slightly higher concentration. Once you have a handful of diamonds, you can craft useful items such as the Laser Cutter and Reinforced Dive Suit much earlier. Later in the game, there's a great way to find shale outcrops thanks to a giant undersea critter known as a Sea Treader Leviathan. These long-legged monsters stomp the seafloor and kick up anywhere from zero to three pieces of shale with each step. Following a Sea Treader can reward you with loads of shale, but make sure you don't swim in front of these beasties. They're mostly passive, but they will attack if you get in their way. You can find Sea Treaders at the Grand Reef, Sea Treader's Path, and the Sea Treader's Tunnel Caves.

Diamond Locations in Subnautica

Here's a list of every area that can spawn shale outcrops for Diamonds in Subnautica:

Blood Kelp Caves
Blood Kelp Zone
Bone Fields
Bulb Zone
Bulb Zone Caves
Crag Field
Crash Zone Mesas
Deep Sparse Reef
Ghost Forest
Grand Reef
Grand Reef Caves
Inactive Lava Zone
Inactive Lava Zone Corridor
Jellyshroom Cave
Junction
Lost River
Mountains
Mountains Caves
Mountains Corridor
Mountains Island
Mushroom Forest
Mushroom Forest Caves
Sea Treader's Path
Sea Treader's Tunnel Caves
Sparse Reef
Underwater Islands
Underwater Islands Caves

The only locations you'll never find shale outcrops in are the Kelp Forests, Grassy Plateaus, or Safe Shallows.

Diamond Crafting Recipes & Required Stations

As we mentioned earlier, diamonds are necessary for some specific crafting recipes. The recipes that require diamonds are a bit more advanced, but, fortunately, there aren't too many of them. You won't need these recipes to keep yourself alive in Subnautica, but they can make survival much easier! Additionally, specific recipes can only be crafted at specific stations within Subnautica. Specifically, the Fabricator, Mobile Vehicle Bay, Vehicle Upgrade Console, and Habitat Builder. While you start the game with a Fabricator, you'll need to craft the other crafting stations yourself.