Subnautica 2 Strong Acid — How to Get Necrolei Cysts & Craft It
Craft Strong Acid in Subnautica 2: farm Necrolei Cysts from Stilt Orbs 300m north of Lifepod, convert 2 cysts per unit at the Fabricator, and key recipes.
Last updated: 2026-05-15
Strong Acid vs. Mild Acid
Subnautica 2 has two distinct acid resources — easy to confuse, but used in completely different recipes:
| Mild Acid | Strong Acid | |
|---|---|---|
| Game stage | Early-game | Mid-game |
| Station | Fabricator or Processor | Fabricator |
| Main ingredient | Acidic Raion Pouches | Necrolei Cysts |
Step 1: Craft Mild Acid (Prerequisite)
Mild Acid is required to build the Processor — a useful station for other recipes like Silver Ingot. Start by collecting it early.
Acidic Raion Pouches: Found in the cave ~30m directly east of your Lifepod — two fixed spawn points. Look for purple brain-shaped plants (Acid Raion) and harvest with the Survival Multitool.
⚠️ Harvest the pouches before the Medical Gel Sac on the same plant — doing it in reverse triggers a burning acid spray.
| Recipe | Materials | Station |
|---|---|---|
| Mild Acid | Acidic Raion Pouch × 2 + Copper Ore × 1 | Fabricator |
| Mild Acid (alt) | Acidic Raion Pouch × 2 | Processor |
| Mild Acid (alt) | Pent Flora × 2 | Processor |
Step 2: Build the Processor (Optional)
The Processor is useful for other recipes (e.g. Silver Ingot). Scan it inside the Old Habitat (~350m north of Lifepod) to unlock the blueprint — the main story "black box" quest leads you there. Strong Acid itself is crafted at the Fabricator.
| Material | Amount |
|---|---|
| Titanium Alloy | × 2 |
| Mild Acid | × 1 |
| Copper Wire | × 1 |
Step 3: Get Strong Acid
Primary Method: Necrolei Cysts → Fabricator
Necrolei Cyst location: ~300m north of Lifepod, near the Old Habitat
Look for small green bulbed plants with blue flowers growing among green and pink coral — these are Stilt Orbs. Break them with the Survival Multitool; each drops one Necrolei Cyst. Multiple Stilt Orbs spawn in this area, making it a reliable farm spot.
| Input | Amount | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Necrolei Cyst | × 2 | Strong Acid × 1 |
Alternate Method: Sulfur + Gold → Fabricator
Sulfur and Gold can also be crafted into Strong Acid at the Fabricator, but Gold requires the Heat Tolerance Adaptation to access the lava biome. Use Necrolei Cysts as your primary source until you have Heat Tolerance unlocked.
What Strong Acid Is Used For
| Item | Key Materials | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber Mesh | Fibrous Pulp + Strong Acid | Required for Rebreather and Improved Fins |
| Advanced Battery | Conduit Crystal + Strong Acid + Silver Ingot | Mid/late-game tool power source |
| Power Cell | Basic Battery + Strong Acid + Salt | Vehicle and equipment power |
| Entangled Power Cell | Conduit Crystal + Strong Acid + Gold Ingot + Troilite | High-efficiency power source |
| Dedicated Core | Advanced Wiring Kit + Quartz + Strong Acid | Advanced equipment component |
💡 Recommended flow: East cave → harvest Acidic Raion Pouches → craft Mild Acid → 300m north → farm Necrolei Cysts from Stilt Orbs → craft Strong Acid at Fabricator → craft Fiber Mesh first (unlocks the path to the Rebreather).