Guide Steps
Primary source: Cave deposits north of Lifepod
Swim approximately 290-350 meters north of your Lifepod at roughly 35 meters depth. Look for cave openings in this area — silver deposits are visible as metallic veins on cave walls and floors. The deposits are grayish-white with a metallic sheen. Unlike Subnautica 1, silver does NOT come from sandstone outcrops.
How to identify silver deposits
Silver deposits appear as flat, grayish-white metallic veins embedded in cave surfaces. They look different from copper (which is reddish). Bring a light source to spot them in darker cave sections. Pick them up directly — no tools required. Each deposit yields 1 silver.
Silver usage priority
Silver is an early bottleneck resource — you need more than you expect. Priority: (1) Standard Air Tank — 2 Silver (your most important early upgrade), (2) Wiring Kit — 1 Silver + 1 Copper Wire (needed for Habitat Builder and Rebreather), (3) System Chip — indirect silver via Wiring Kit. Farm 8-12 silver minimum.
Silver Ingot recipe
3 Silver = 1 Silver Ingot, crafted at the Processor. Ingots are used in some advanced recipes. Do not convert early silver to ingots — keep raw silver for tools and the Air Tank. Only smelt ingots once you have a surplus (12+ silver in storage).
Farming route for silver
From the Lifepod, swim north keeping the seabed at ~35m depth. Mark the cave area at 290-350m N with a beacon. Enter the cave system and collect all visible silver deposits. Return to surface for oxygen when needed. A focused silver run takes 15-20 minutes and yields 4-6 silver. You will likely need 2-3 dedicated runs for early gear.