Guide Steps
Step 1: Gather materials for the Basic Battery
You need 2 Copper Ore and 1 Acidic Raion Pouch. Copper Ore is found embedded in cave walls within the Shallows Caves (3-224m depth) — look for reddish metallic deposits on cave surfaces, not on the open seafloor. Enter small cave openings near your Lifepod. Acidic Raion Pouches float in the water column of the Shallows; they are translucent sacs with a slight glow. Collect 1-2 pouches for the battery.
Step 2: Craft the Basic Battery
Open the Lifepod fabricator. Navigate to Resources then Basic Battery. The recipe is 2 Copper Ore + 1 Acidic Raion Pouch. The battery takes 3 seconds to fabricate. Unlike Subnautica 1, the Proteus battery uses two copper units and an organic pouch rather than one copper and one acid mushroom.
Step 3: Gather Quartz and Titanium for the Scanner
Quartz crystals are bright white jagged formations on the seabed and cave walls throughout the Shallows. Collect 2 Quartz. For Titanium, collect scrap metal on the seafloor and process it in the fabricator (1 scrap = 4 Titanium). You need 2 Titanium for the Scanner. Total materials: 2 Titanium + 2 Quartz + 1 Basic Battery.
Step 4: Craft the Scanner
In the fabricator, go to Equipment then Scanner. Craft using 2 Titanium + 2 Quartz + 1 Basic Battery. The Scanner is now in your inventory. Equip it immediately. You need to hold the scan button on fragments and creatures to register them. Multiple fragments of the same type are needed to unlock a full blueprint — the HUD shows your progress.
Step 5: First scan targets
The Welcome Center (85m SE of Lifepod) is your first scanning destination. Power it with a Basic Battery and scan both Habitat Builder fragments nearby. Next, scan any Wakemaker fragments you encounter — this is the Proteus equivalent of the Seaglide, found in the Shallows biome transitions. Also scan Tadpole fragments fragment (3 needed, closest at 115-280m ENE of Lifepod). Always scan every new creature you encounter to learn behavior and resource drops.