You’re swimming around the Safe Shallows, choking on filtered water and wondering why your Seaglide is so slow. You need a Seamoth. To get that Seamoth, you need the Mobile Vehicle Bay Subnautica players often spend hours hunting for without even realizing it. It’s a floating platform. It’s yellow. It’s basically a giant 3D printer for your underwater garage, but honestly, finding the blueprints for it can be a total nightmare if you don't know where to look.
Most people think you just stumble upon it. You don't.
Subnautica is famous for its "soft gating." The game doesn't tell you where to go; it just stops you from progressing because you lack the tech to survive deeper pressures. The Mobile Vehicle Bay is the primary gatekeeper. Without it, you aren't building the PRAWN suit, and you certainly aren't building the Cyclops. You're just a guy in a wetsuit getting bullied by Sand Sharks.
The Fragment Scavenger Hunt is Real
So, how do you actually get this thing? You need three fragments. You’ll find them tucked away in small, white debris boxes scattered across the ocean floor. Most veterans will tell you to head straight for the Kelp Forest. That’s the biome with the long green vines and the Stalkers who keep stealing your camera drones. It’s annoying.
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Look for the "crevices" in the Kelp Forest floor. The fragments aren't always sitting out in the open; sometimes they're tucked behind a patch of seagrass or inside a cargo crate that’s half-buried in the silt. If you strike out there, the Grassy Plateaus—the areas with the red "grass" and those annoying Reefback calls—usually have a few fragments near the wreckages.
What You’ll Need to Build It
Once you have the blueprint, you have to actually craft the thing. You’ll need a Titanium Ingot, a Lubricant, and a Computer Chip.
Lubricant is easy—just grab some Creepvine Seed Clusters (the glowing yellow balls) and toss them in the fabricator. The Computer Chip is where people usually get stuck because it requires Table Coral Samples. You have to literally knife those flat coral growths on the side of rocks. It’s a simple step, but if you’re new, the game doesn't exactly hold your hand through the chemistry of it all.
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Deployment: Don't Lose Your Mind
Here is something nobody tells you: the Mobile Vehicle Bay Subnautica logic requires open water. You craft it in your Lifepod, but you have to release it on the surface. You "equip" it to a quick-slot, swim to the surface, and "use" it. It pops open and floats.
It’s cool. It’s satisfying. But it’s also buggy.
If you deploy it too close to your base or a piece of land, the physics engine can get... weird. I’ve seen players lose their entire platform because it clipped into a coral tube or got launched into the stratosphere by a stray Gasopod. Always deploy it in deep, clear water. Once it's floating, you climb the little ladders on the side, access the console, and that’s where the magic happens.
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Why the Seamoth Changes Everything
The second you use that bay to build a Seamoth, the game changes from a survival horror game into an exploration game. Suddenly, 200 meters of depth isn't a death sentence. You have a mobile oxygen tank. You have a way to outrun those loud, screaming things in the dark.
But remember, the Mobile Vehicle Bay isn't just for the early game. You’ll be coming back to this floating yellow square for the entire playthrough. Whether you're upgrading to the PRAWN suit for mining Kyanite or finally assembling the massive Cyclops submarine, this tool is your primary shipyard.
Pro Tips for the Frustrated Diver
- Check the Wrecks: Large debris fields in the Grassy Plateaus are gold mines. Don't just look for boxes; look inside the actual metal wreckage rooms that require a Laser Cutter.
- The Beacon Strategy: Once you deploy your bay, mark it with a Beacon. It’s yellow and bright, sure, but in a localized storm or at night, it’s surprisingly easy to lose track of where you left your floating shipyard.
- Storage: You can actually pick the Mobile Vehicle Bay back up. You don't have to leave it behind when you move bases. Just swim up to it, find the prompt to "Pack Up," and it goes right back into your inventory as a single item.
Honestly, the biggest mistake people make is overthinking the search. If you haven't found your fragments within the first two hours, you’re likely swimming over them. Slow down. Use your flashlight at night—the white boxes reflect light much better than the surrounding rocks.
Your Next Steps in the Deep
Stop swimming in circles in the Safe Shallows. To move forward, grab your Scanner and head to the border of the Kelp Forest and the Grassy Plateaus. Focus specifically on the cargo crates near small ship fragments.
Once you have your three pieces, prioritize the Computer Chip fabrication. Many players hoard gold and silver but forget that Table Coral is the literal "glue" for mid-tier electronics. Get that bay in the water, build your Seamoth, and start heading toward the Aurora. Just watch out for the Reaper Leviathan hanging out near the engines—he doesn't care how shiny your new vehicle is. Get your depth modules ready, because the game only gets deeper and darker from here.