Subnautica Items

Subnautica is integrated with the Steam Economy. It is possible to redeem, trade, sell and create items that can be used inside Subnautica. This guide explains how the system works.

Warning

The features described in this guide are experimental prototypes. Subnautica is an Early Access game, and the final version may or may not include these features. The features may change rapidly during development, and this guide may be outdated at the time of reading.

Redeem a Subnautica Item

Subnautica item keys are of the format “AAAA-BBB-CCCC-DDDD.” For example, “TF4M-3A8E-ZMZB-PKNT.” These keys can be entered in the “Redeem an Item Key” box found in the lower right of the main menu. Click the “Redeem an Item Key” button to hide the email-input box, and show the key redemption box.

Ctrl-V will work to paste copied keys inside Subnautica. Subnautica keys cannot be redeemed directly via the Steam client. For example, you cannot enter them into the Steam ‘Activate a Product on Steam’ section of the Steam client. They can only be redeemed in the Subnautica main menu.

Introduction

While playing Subnautica, an inventory system stores the loot, resources, and equipment that a player collects and crafts while exploring the ocean. The Steam Economy allows that inventory to partially extend outside Subnautica, into trading with other players, buying and selling in the Steam marketplace, and item showcasing and display.

For example, a player that purchased Subnautica Special Edition received a Hull Plate that can be placed on a Cyclops submarine in-game. They can also display this hull plate on their steam profile, trade it for other items, or offer it for sale on the marketplace.

Some items can be redeemed by entering a key in Subnautica’s main menu. For example, many YouTube personalities have custom Subnautica Hull Plates. When the key is entered, the item will appear both in the in-game Builder menu, and in the Steam Inventory.

Troubleshooting

Redemption Errors

Right now, the key redemption box will only spit out a generic red ‘Error’ if something goes wrong. In future we would like it to give more details. Until then, there are several possible causes of the error:

Invalid Key

Subnautica’s item servers did not recognise the key you provided. The most likely cause of this error is a typo in the key, either by you or by the person who provided it to you. Try using Ctrl-V to paste the key directly, and ask the person who provided the key to double check that they have provided a valid key.

Duplicate Key

Subnautica’s item servers have already received a request to redeem that particular key, and someone else already owns the item. This could happen if someone accidentally provides you with a key they already gave to someone else.

Timeout

Sometimes Subnautica’s item servers may experience a very large number of requests at once. They may not be able to keep up! In this situation, Subnautica may decide it has waited too long to talk to the item servers, and give up. This can usually be resolved by waiting a few minutes and trying again.

Alternatively, this error could occur if your own internet connection is experiencing difficulty. This will prevent Subnautica from talking to the item servers. Double check that your internet connection is ok.

No Steam Connection

Subnautica needs to be able to talk to Steam while redeeming an item. If your internet connection is experiencing difficulty, or Steam is down (for example, undergoing scheduled maintenance), item redemption will fail. Double check your internet connection, and see if Steam is down. This error can usually be resolved by waiting a few hours and trying again.

Can’t see item in Steam inventory

Sometimes Subnautica’s item servers and Steam take longer than expected to finish talking about your new item. During this time, the item may not appear in your steam inventory. Never fear – If Subnautica reported “success” then the item is safely tied to your account. Try waiting a few minutes, and then check your inventory again.

If the item does not appear after ten minutes, try closing and restarting Subnautica. This will often trigger the necessary communication between Steam and Subnautica’s item servers.

Original Link – Continuation of discussion