How to – To build a Power Cell in Subnautica 2, players need Strong Acid—made through a Processor blueprint and harvested Necrolei Cysts from Stilt Orbs in the jellyfish forest.
When you’re trying to get a Tadpole mini-sub running in Subnautica 2, the bottleneck can feel painfully specific: Strong Acid. It’s not the kind of ingredient you casually grab on the way to something else.
Strong Acid is a key part of producing a Power Cell, and the game draws a clear line between easy and far-off chemistry. Mild Acid can be picked up using Acidic Raion organisms scattered around—but Strong Acid pulls you in deeper, to Necrolei Cysts.
You’ll also need a Processor facility to craft it. The good news is that the pieces are concentrated in one convenient area once you know where to look.
First, scan a Processor facility to unlock the blueprint for Strong Acid. One is located in the Old Habitat about 350 meters north of the Life Pod. The game also ties this location to a task: NOA will send you there to track down a black box, but only after you locate the other things it requests.
While you’re already near the Old Habitat, that’s your moment to farm the actual ingredient. Necrolei Cysts grow in the jellyfish forest, harvested from the tops of Stilt Orbs.
To reach the right spot, head north from the Life Pod until the underwater landscape shifts. You’ll start noticing a blue-ish hue, and tentacled Jelly Lei structures appear along either side.
At the Old Habitat, the route is straightforward: turn left toward the big plants with pink tendrils. Near them are Stilt Orbs—standing orbs on pink tentacles topped with flowers. Use your Survival Multitool to cut off the Necrolei Cyst from the top and collect it.
The crafting requirement is equally clear: you need two Necrolei Cysts for every Strong Acid. Since they’re gathered on-site, the smartest move is to leave with plenty, then haul them back to base to construct the Processor and start producing Strong Acid.
There’s another route if you don’t want to rely on Necrolei Cysts. Strong Acid can also be made with sulphur and gold. Sulphur is found in areas with big Coral Crabs, but gold requires unlocking the Heat Tolerance adaptation—making that option more time-involved than the Necrolei Cyst method.
Subnautica 2 Strong Acid Power Cell Processor facility Necrolei Cysts Stilt Orbs jellyfish forest Survival Multitool Tadpole
So basically you gotta go find weird jellyfish plant acid stuff just to power a submarine… why is that always the case lol
I swear I grabbed what I thought was Strong Acid already and it still wouldn’t let me make the Power Cell. Does it have to be from the jellyfish forest specifically? This game is like “go deeper” and then acts shocked when I panic
Old Habitat north of the life pod… wait isnt that where the black box stuff is? I went there once and got lost, then ended up just killing coral crabs for sulphur like a dummy. So does sulphur + gold skip the whole Processor blueprint part too, or no? Kinda confused
This is the most tedious scavenger checklist ever. Necrolei cysts on stilt orbs, cut them off with the multitool, 2 cysts per acid… like ok but where’s the part where it tells you you’ll be attacked by everything on the way there? Also “blue-ish hue”?? helpful thanks lol