Pathfinder Tool (Subnautica)
The Pathfinder Tool is a tool that the player can use to find their way back during cave exploration. It is crafted using the Fabricator once you cut some Creepvine with your knife.
Description
Deploys holographic pathfinder discs. Used to map a way back out of caves or hard to navigate spaces. Max 20 discs per path.
Stats
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Build Time | 3 seconds |
| Size | 1 |
| Debug Spawn ID | divereel |
Usage
The Pathfinder Tool consumes Energy from a Battery when placing pathfinder discs. The Pathfinder Tool uses 10 energy per 20 discs, making it able to dispense up to 200 discs (10 maximum uses) on a single full Battery charge (or 5 times that using an Ion Battery).
Note that the Pathfinder Tool can deploy only 20 discs per game; to mark a new path, the existing discs must be reclaimed.
Controls
| Action | Mouse & Keyboard | Xbox One | PlayStation 4 | Nintendo Switch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eject Disc | RMB | RT | R2 | ZR |
| Collect Disc | F | D-Pad Up | D-Pad Up | ZR + Y (Combined) |
| Change Battery | R | X | Square | Y |
The player can press the correct key to eject a disk from the Pathfinder Tool. The disc will emit a blue holographic projection. The first disk will emit a sphere; the other 19 disks will emit an arrowhead, which will point at the next disk in the line. Every five seconds, the first disk will pulse green, and the next one will pulse green after a half-second, and continue in this manner down the line of arrowheads. The player can press the applicable button to remove the disks from the environment.
Recipe
x1
x1
x1
Crafted in: 
Gallery
Front
Back
A Pathfinder Tool in the player's hand.
A Pathfinder Tool being crafted in the Fabricator
Former Pathfinder Tool's anchor
A trail made with the Pathfinder Tool
Old model from Sketchfab.
Trivia
- The Pathfinder Tool replaced an older item of equipment called the Dive Reel, which created a physical line in a similar manner to Pipes after the first section (the "anchor") was deployed. It was supposed to automatically create a path as the player moved, but the line tended to clip through walls and was difficult to follow, hence its replacement.
- The discs emit a decent amount of light, making them useful to illuminate small dark spaces, like the interiors of wrecks. Several discs together can provide a more effective hands-free temporary light source than a single Light Stick at no additional cost and without needing to be retrieved.
- The high visibility of the discs and the light they emit make them useful for temporarily marking locations or objects of interest.
- The bluish light emitted by the discs remains for several seconds after the discs have been cleared.
