How to clear an Angel Comb in Subnautica 2

Subnautica 2 Angel Comb — (Image credit: Unknown Worlds)

Clearing your first Angel Comb in Subnautica 2 is a multi-stage challenge, as you move from chamber to chamber, destroying viral blooms in order to heal this very sick undersea flower. Angel Combs offer Adaptations, and the first one grants Heat Tolerance, meaning, you guessed it, that you can enter the lava vent area without fear of underwater combustion.

You'll find other Angel Combs later in the game, but you can complete these the same way, so here's what you need to do.

How to complete an Angel Comb in Subnautica 2

Subnautica 2 Angel Comb in chamber — You need to follow each big tendril and destroy the viral flowers in the chambers they lead to (Image credit: Unknown Worlds)

As you progress through Subnautica 2, you'll find a number of Angel Combs infected by viral blooms. These pods are sealed shut, but contain Adaptations, such as the one to digest food you grab at the start of the game, and will help you cope better with increasingly hostile environments.

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The first Angel Comb you can heal of its viral infection is 200 meters northwest of the Lifepod, bearing about 300 degrees on the compass, in a cave. This Angel Comb contains the Heat Tolerance Adaptation, which is vital if you want to continue the story to investigate the Tadpole Pens and gather materials like gold.

First, though, you'll need to:

Unlock the Sonic Resonator tool
Improve your O2 capacity by crafting the Standard Air Tank and bringing at least one Air Bladder
I also suggest bringing some medical kits, a distraction flare, and to either craft the Wakemaker, or at least grab the Dash Biomod from the Welcome Center to the south-east of the Lifepod

Now to clear an Angel Comb, you need to follow each of the big tubes from the central comb chamber until you find the chambers with the viral growths. The water will be murky here, and each chamber will contain flower growths, plus larvae-like fish who will attack when you get close. You need to blast each flower with the Sonic Resonator to destroy it.

I recommend charging up, then using the Dash to quickly close the distance and remove each, since the worms will stop attacking after each flower is gone.

There are two chambers like this, and then you'll have to head back to clear the central one with the comb itself. If you find yourself running low on oxygen while doing this, look for funnels blocked with Bloom Sap—you can hack this away with your Survival Multitool to get oxygen.

Subnautica 2 Angel Comb open — The Angel Comb will open once you destroy the viral flowers in each chamber and then the ones around the comb itself (Image credit: Unknown Worlds)

Since the central chamber is much more challenging due to the patrolling big predatory fish, you'll want to toss out that distraction flare to occupy it and then quickly blast the flowers around the room.

Once done, the Angel Comb will open, letting you claim the Heat Tolerance Adaptation by interacting with it. Now you can head to the lava zone without fear of melting.

Sean's first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation and his taste has stayed much the same since. When not scouring games for secrets or bashing his head against puzzles, you'll find him revisiting old Total War campaigns, agonizing over his Destiny 2 fit, or still trying to finish the Horus Heresy. Sean has also written for EDGE, Eurogamer, PCGamesN, Wireframe, EGMNOW, and Inverse.