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How are the resources distributed in Subnautica? Do they respawn? If yes, at what rate?

I want to build several large bases all over the map but I'm not sure if there would be enough resources to actually do this.

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Resources like stone outcrops, salt, ores, metal salvage, and coral do not respawn. Fish respawn over time and can be bred in Alien Containment Tanks, and plants can be grown with seeds in growbeds.

Worthy of note are the Reefbacks, peaceful leviathans on the back of which grow plants, coral, and barnacles with common ores. The Reefbacks despawn and respawn like most other sea creatures, providing a renewable, if slow, source of some ores.

That said, resources are much more abundant than you will ever need, no matter the scale of your constructions.

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    I have noticed that if you cut a wild Creepvine completely it will regrow into the same type (seeded or plain), however I have never noticed a small plant (such as a mushroom, Brain coral or Sea Crown) regrow if cut down completely.
    – Alopex
    Commented Jun 18, 2021 at 8:58
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    This is not correct, at least not anymore. Small resources do respawn after a while. A scanner room will quickly reveal that you can go and collect them from exactly the same location multiple times. I'm currently over 30 hours in on a survival save and still collecting the same resources around the spawn area, and the locations are static. I'm still unsure about the large resource deposits you need the PRAWN for. I have mined a lot of them in a specific area to test, but not yet moved away from it for very long. Some say they do respawn when coming back.
    – TwoD
    Commented Jul 19, 2021 at 2:07
  • @TwoD I can't say I have experienced that, but I haven't played in a long while now. Feel free to post a new answer, maybe with some kind of proof.
    – Wrigglenite
    Commented Jul 19, 2021 at 13:12
  • I have a save with 300+hours played. No large resources have respawned and I have taken all the Titanium and Quartz from the Lost River and Inactive Lava Zone. I have also seen no respawn of small resources anywhere. I have not played that save in over a year so an update may have changed this.
    – Alopex
    Commented Apr 28, 2022 at 12:31
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I had a good experience with the wanderers Whenever I need copper, silver, gold or smthing like that, I always go where the wanderers walk, pretty close to the floating island. They reveal resources from the ground and are definitely worth checking out. I don't think it's a limit amount, either.

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  • The Sea Treaders' feet dig up Shale deposits which can be broken for their usual contents. These deposits slowly sink back down into the sand and, once completely covered, they de-spawn (they disappear from the HUD if the scanner is on).
    – Alopex
    Commented Jun 18, 2021 at 8:53

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