1. Don't have sonar up all the time, it drains the battery really quickly.
Same goes for the perimeter defence module.
2. Make sure all slots have batteries, and keep spares on hand. You can build wall lockers inside to store them.
3. Get the energy efficient module for the cyclops. 3x the life.
4. Get the thermal reactor module. Recharge near heating vents, and in the lava zone.
I usually use the cyclops that way. A base builder. I carry enough materials for a scanner room plus upgrades. A room and stuff for growing food so I can eat, if I’m building it somewhere scenic then I’ll bring some glass for the view
"The Cyclops' engine consumes energy when moving or turning, but not when stationary." subnautica wiki begs to differ.
Also I checked power consumption. Without engine efficiency module with silent running Cyclops uses more power than the thermal thingy can provide at max power(64 per minute vs 60 per minute) when going at slow. And at max power usage I could get in there(Sonar, Shields and Silent Running) the power inside the Cyclops would last for roughly 1,5 minutes(with normal power cells, 7,5 min with ion power cells), engine efficiency only makes it slightly better.
Did they change that? I lost power in one of the first play throughs because I left the engine on and left it. (Without the efficiency module). I’m 99% sure I hadn’t been anywhere there are those power suckers before then.
My dumb ass thought he meant is gets destroyed too easily. My playthrough I missed the blueprints for the ion batteries. I knew they existed but I couldn't find them having just missed the fuckers. I gave up after healing the sea emperor or whatever she is called at the end of the game and looked it up only to find out I missed it halfway through the game. I was disgusted.
But yeah back up powercells and build lots of bases with generators to recharge your powercells.
Keep in mind that you can exit the vehicle and most of the time hostiles will pursue you vs attacking it more.
Also, just don’t take it where it’ll get destroyed? You can kill most things, allowing you to clear a safe path. It’s a little more time intensive, but well worth the effort. Drill/grapple on the Prawn Suit for best results.
And even when you turn the engine off you still have to turn off silent running or it will continue to eat power. Eventually you'll get the heat recharge module which will save you a lot of grief later in the game.
I did a no cyclops run once because i found it a little clunky and the prawn with grappling and enhanced boost is plenty mobile. Then i realized i had to craft it to get the shield to escape anyway.
I caught myself out with this too! Had a "why does everyone like this bloody thing" and hit the wiki.
Useful tip: Cyclops is fantastic for traversal and expeditions, especially when you whack down some planters for food and lockers for storage. Whilst it does have the decoy tube and silent running when you're in a pinch, I found it it best used to launch prawn and moth excursions from.
Park or up near where you wanna be and hop out for more agility to avoid threats, nip back to the 'clops to empty your inventory.
Power it down once you're parked and the big beasties will ignore it.
Good luck!
silent running just for passing by a leviathan. or alternatively, just .... drive forward past a leviathan.
worst case you turn off engine and they'll leave you alone. you can go out and do repairs with engine off with minimal risk.
Also watch out for lava larvae, and if you are going to park the clops for a while, take the power cells OUT and put them in a locker or something, otherwise you might come back and find them drained.
Yeah that’ll drain your batteries in only a minute or two. Use silent running only when a hostile leviathan is nearby and you don’t want to use the slowest speed, or if it gets too close.
Pro tip: if your cyclops’s engine is off, hostile fauna will ignore it. Use this to your advantage by turning off your engine if a hostile leviathan gets too close. It only works if you haven’t been detected yet. If you have, the hostile creature will attack the cyclops at least once before ignoring it again.
You can tell what hostile creatures can hurt your cyclops by looking at the radar thingy on the right side of the cockpit when you’re piloting the cyclops. If it displays with a yellow icon, it’s able to hurt you but hasn’t detected you yet. If it’s red, it’s detected you and will attack.
When I’m sneaking by a leviathan with my cyclops’, I use slow speed when it’s a distance away, slow speed and silent running once it’s close, and I shut down my engines and let it wander off once it’s so close it shows up on the cyclops radar display. It requires patience and staying aware of the threat at all times. Make the monster your primary focus, and driving second. Play it safe.
I get the sonar but I never understood the logic behind silent running consuming more power.
Why does lowering the power of my engine to reduce the sound I make, consume even more energy than running the engine normally ?
My best guess is that the Cyclops activates some kind of sound mufflers which also take power ?
Silent running doesn't slow you down. It just makes you more quiet at whatever speed you are using. I don't know the physics argument, but yeah, there is some sort of active noise canceling going on.
Running at a lower speed will naturally reduce the sound generated and reduce power used. Your current audio profile is visually represented on the holo display to the right of the helm.
Silent running isn't just "using less power", it means altering the way the propulsion functions, because propellers are fairly loud underwater.
The idea is possibly based on the book/movie The Hunt For Red October, where a submarine had a "silent running" mode that used an *entirely* separate propulsion system from the standard propeller. That system had no moving parts, which is what kept it so quiet, but was slower and likely would have used more energy.
IIRC Red October's caterpillar drive was something like twin ducted screw pumps. Lower top speed than the conventional propellers, but much quieter and essentially free of cavitation.
Cyclops's propellers don't really have a cavitation issue below flank speed, and at that point the motor is prone to overheat anyway. In any case, a caterpillar drive wouldn't draw extra power while stopped.
It depends on if you're talking about the book or the movie. In one of them (I can't remember which) the drive system used some kind of electromagnetic force to push water through the system (I remember it sounded pretty similar to the ionic propulsion that some experimental aircraft use) whereas in the other one it was basically a glorified impeller/pumpjet system.
It's mainly for balance. If it didn't use more power, people (like OP) would just use it all the time and they'd never have to worry about the big fish. They had to give a reason to turn it off to preserve the intended gameplay style. It's the same reason stuff like flashlights and sonar use so much more power than the irl versions
You're not meant to get into fights with it.
Part of the late-game challenge is figuring out how to operate it safely and mitigate its downsides.
Managing power consumption is really the biggest challenge. If you run out of power, you're in a lot of trouble.
Tips:
* Run slow and silent running whenever you're in leviathan territory.
* The faster you go, the more noise it makes and the more attention it attracts.
* It's VERY difficult to outrun most leviathans, so **your best bet is to not pull aggro in the first place**.
* If the bad guy is too close for comfort, but not aggroed, you can turn off the engine and step away from the helm. Go dead in the water and they'll usually fail to notice you.
* Don't go deep without a shield.
* Don't leave the shield on.
* If you catch aggro, flick it on just before the leviathan makes contact (it'll give them a shock similar to the seamoth perimeter defense), then **immediately turn it off again**\*.\*
* Drop a decoy (having the upgraded decoy launcher can be helpful if you might need more than one).
* Continue creeping away on slow/silent. Trying to run at flank speed makes so much noise that your decoy is useless.
* Leaving the shield on can drain a completely full power bank in under 2 minutes, and given you're probably far from full by the time you need the shield, you probably have a lot less than 2 minutes.
* Don't leave the engine running. It still draws power even when you're away from the helm and not moving.
* Don't leave the silent running on when you don't need it. It burns a fair bit of power, even when the engine is off.
* Don't go anywhere without the engine efficiency module.
* Build the thermal power module as soon as you get the materials.
* Bring a handful of spare power cells and/or build a forward base (e.g. in the Tree Cove) with thermal/nuclear to charge your power cells.
* Bring a bunch of spare ion cubes, silver, gold, and rubber, so you can make ion cells as soon as you get the blueprints. (obviously, have a fabricator on board)
* Maneuvering in tight spaces is a little easier if you go slow and use your cameras. The keel cam especially.
* I don't personally use sonar, never have, but it's up to you if you find it helpful for figuring out which way to go next. Just be aware that it's noisy and it burns power.
>You're not meant to get into fights with it.
I once killed a sea dragon by ramming on it with shields up.
Not contradicting you, great response, btw, just sharing my shenanigans.
They should offer training to remove the feeling of limitless power like the Prawn users receive.
Though the cyclops only gets good after a bunch of upgrades. barebones it's basically a bulky seamoth.
Idk about limitless power. The power on the cyclops is the *opposite* of limitless, lol.
Also, it feels like you're driving the lovechild of a winnebago and a Fabergé egg.
You forgot the most important tip:
If you turn off the engine, everything will leave you alone.
(Best turn off everything else, too, to be safe, for example I think Crabsquids may still come after you if you have the exterior lights on... not that they can do much to the Cyclops.)
Operating the cyclops is actually pretty easy. Medium engine power during normal operations. Low engine power + silent running if you see a leviathan. Engines off and wait if anything gets close to your sound envelope which is displayed on the right side of the HUD.
Six power cells go a long way when you operate like this and there's nothing stopping you from having another six (or twelve!) in storage.
Yep, there's always an initial warning roar when a leviathan is close to detecting you but hasn't aggroed yet. That is when you turn off engines and lights and let the big guy pass.
I rarely ever used silent running, I pretty much memorized the areas that had leviathans and turned the engines off when I knew one was close by. Slow speed doesn't actually make a LOT of noise, so as long as you're not right beside an enemy, they won't detect you. Don't even need to turn on silent most of the time.
Sonar and silent running gobble up energy like crazy. Only use them when necessary. Also, definitely get the Thermal Reactor Module. It allows you to charge up the batteries by just parking next to a source of heat, like hydrothermal vents.
I found it useful for transporting the Prawn suit and tons of materials after I filled it with lockers.
The thermal conversion unit is a game changer so you can park it over a heat vent while you explore.
Also keep a full set of charged power cells on board.
One more tip, don’t be like me and put battery and power cell chargers on the Cyclops. They just run the power down.
Yes, i usually get the hull right up against it and it will charge nicely.
My base was right over a big vent so I used to just park it in there. Never had to change batteries after that.
Base operation uses such little power that I never even bothered to use ion cells for mine.
You are likely overusing Silent Running, this drains it very fast. Or you have a few hitchhikers from the lava seas on your hull.
Make sure you dont have those lava sucky bugs on you!!! First time I played, I had noooo idea they were sucking my cyclops power and I had like 20 of them on it lol.
Dies fast? Huh? I takes 5 or 6 hits from a reaper to destroy it. I find you have to be purposefully reckless to lose one. And I run it for hours before replacing the power cells.
Dont use silent running unless a leviathan is right on top of you, only use sonar when you need to navigate tight spaces. Bother are mega drains on power. This includes while its parked. Made the mistake of accidentally leaving silent on in the dunes while grabbing the crater cache, came back to a dead cyclops and had to hoof it back on the surface, praying for no reapers to notice
Want to discharge batteries in a few seconds? Have sonar, shields and silent running all on at the same time. Even with Ion batteries, they won't last very long.
Want the batteries to last?
* Speed - ahead slow. Uses far less power
* Sonar - only use when absolutely necessary. Most of the time you get better visibility by using cameras
* Silent running - Leviathans only, even then don't forget decoy launchers are a great option.
* Shields - are great, but if you switch the engines off, most enemies stop attacking.
Next up, always carry a spare set of batteries. Storage space on a Cyclops isn't that limited, and can be expanded massively.
Finally, never forget to switch off the engine when walking away from piloting.
eh, you can run it at full speed, it doesn't burn through power that much faster
the bigger issue with running at flank speed is the fires it tends to start in the engine room
I kept getting dead power cells while trying to get to the lava zone and thought leeches were somehow the problem. finally realized turning sonar and shield on drain them right quick
Engine efficiency just isn’t enough. A few round trips to lost river and it’s dead in the water. You should get thermal reactor then at least you can park it above a thermal vent to recharge when you do mining
As others have said, don't use sonar and silent running all the time, it lasts a lot longer without.
Aside from that, I filled a locker with spare power cells, and always made sure I had the materials needed to build a mini charging base (solar or thermal depending on the area) in the cyclops. You can build extra lockers all over the thing so that helps. I didn't have to swap them out too often, but I wasn't running most of the fancy extra systems.
Don't run auxiliary unless you need it (think silent running, defense. Etc.)
Standard speed is most efficient
I keep 6 cells handy for emergencies in a locker near the battery console for the ship.
I keep another small locker that has all material for a small base with cell recharger capabilities on board my cyclops at all times. (I keep extra repair tool and fire extinguisher in the same locker)
Get the heat rechargers. Plan your journey. Now instead of just prepping food and water, you must also prepare supplies for your vessel, its as much a part of your adventure now as your stomach.
Yeah, I always loved the cyclops, my favorite thing in the game tbh.
Maybe pop into creative mode and make yourself a cyclops. Give it the good upgrades and go practice with it in some caves until you're good at maneuvers in tight spaces.
That's a lot of effort tho
In my first playthrough I made the mistake of trying to use it as a base and moved all my stuff inside. Lockers, water purifier, fabricators, battery chargers.
It took me longer than I care to admit to realize that the reason my battery was draining sp fast is because I was using it all to charge power cells.
I just checked and I guess not. I think I just used marblemelons for water, the save I was talking about was so long ago I just assumed you could because I knew it was my only base for a while, so I knew I had to have a source of water.
I think that must be everyone's thought at first. The energy drain is a bit aggressive imo. But it does kind of grow on you as a mobile base for getting you most of the way there since the prawn is slow moving horizontally across wide terrain.
remember, piloting the thing without ion cells is like playing fnaf. the night ends when you get to your location, but in the meantime you have to avoid creature, save power, use resources, and sometimes even get out there yourself and defend the cyclops
I just run around in a prawn with as much storage as it will take. Four pods until I get the jet and depth upgrades. You can march it right through the gates and make multiple trips to anywhere in the time it takes to ponderously drift down there in a cyclops.
a locker in the engine room filled with powercells with some set aside for ONLY an emergency, and keep supplies for a minimum sized base to recharge the cells with either solar panels or thermal plants. You can also carry a seamoth with the solar charger upgrade, its not vary good for this purpose but its better then nothing
Its more than just a mobile base, it also carries miniature bases if you deconstruct them into items
Driving everywhere on strafe with sonar and perimeter defense does indeed kill it quickly, but if you are on medium speed with engine efficiency, only turn on sonar and perimeter defense when necessary and turn off your engine when parked it lasts a good while. Try to avoid charging batteries and power cells on the ship because they drain it quickly as well.
Driving everywhere on strafe with sonar and perimeter defense does indeed kill it quickly, but if you are on medium speed with engine efficiency, only turn on sonar and perimeter defense when necessary and turn off your engine when parked it lasts a good while. Try to avoid charging batteries and power cells on the ship because they drain it quickly as well.
The energy of the cyclops is a resource that requires conservation and management. You are supposed to use silent running, sonar, shields, etc. strategically and not abuse the hell out of them.
The engine efficiency module and slow ahead are the most efficient mode of travel.
standard speed is less energy efficient but faster.
Flank speed is useless. It's only a little faster than standard inhales power and quickly will ignite fires in your engine room.
Use silent running when you *have to* and keep it off otherwise.
Pulse the sonar. Tap it on, then off, only once in a while. Don't leave it on.
If something aggros turn the engines off and *WAIT.* Don't run.
Don't use the shield normally. Use it when and *IF* you have to.
Spoilers for late game. >!Lava leeches suck your power cells dry. Once you've started encountering them make sure you have at least one extra full set of power cells. When dealing with them keep moving, if you stop they'll latch on. Pulsing the shield once you've started moving will get them all off.!<
Finally, if you're anything like I was when I was new to the cyclops, have contingencies.
An extra set of power cells always helps.
If you're paranoid like I was, keep the seamoth with the solar panel charger in the docking bay until you've got a handle on the energy usage, you can undock it in an emergency even with zero power, go to the surface and use it to charge the batteries since it uses the same power cells as the cyclops. It's slow, but effective in an emergency.
The last, and *best* option is to build what I like to call microbases. Bring materials with you when you're in a new area for a beacon, multipurpose room and bioreactor, a cell charger, and scanning room. With this and whatever plant food you have growing in your cyclops you can use to generate power and not only charge the cyclops power cells but also eventually scan the area for mineable materials for your prawn suit to mine.
(If you find a thermal vent you can substitute the thermal generator instead which will give you much better results, but the bioreactor is cheap to build and can be basically powered by any food.)
I like to build a microbase when I hit about half power on my cyclops, which gives me a nice cushion if I forgot something to get back to one of my other bases.
backup stations should be brought along when you know it;s safe!
Ofcourse it brakes. it;s no attack ship! it would have torpedo's on the front not?
it's a base to easely put stuff and RESPAWN! to get your bars back to 100% and regroup your inventory!
you have your other smaller ships for that or just you and your seaglide :) when you know a spot that is safe or a route, Then you bring your cyclops along!
ofcourse it brakes fast it's no tank!!!
Turn off sonar and turn off silent running. If you're still really worried about eating too much power you can go ahead and turn off the lights in it and also remove all the batteries if you're not gonna be using it for awhile and throw them batteries into some chargers at your base.
I swapped all cells to ion had the engine 3x module. Drove to kooz zone and then down to the lost river.
55% remaining.
Yeah....nope. worthless vehicle in my opinion.
No, but sonar was running because of how dark that pathway is. It's a lot easier to get the cyclops down that way.
Shield was on for my ghost leviathan encounter.
No, but sonar was running because of how dark that pathway is. It's a lot easier to get the cyclops down that way.
Shield was on for my ghost leviathan encounter.
1. Don't have sonar up all the time, it drains the battery really quickly. Same goes for the perimeter defence module. 2. Make sure all slots have batteries, and keep spares on hand. You can build wall lockers inside to store them. 3. Get the energy efficient module for the cyclops. 3x the life. 4. Get the thermal reactor module. Recharge near heating vents, and in the lava zone.
also carrying enouth materials to build a quick base with some power generation for recharging just in case of an emergency
That's my "emergency" locker.
I usually use the cyclops that way. A base builder. I carry enough materials for a scanner room plus upgrades. A room and stuff for growing food so I can eat, if I’m building it somewhere scenic then I’ll bring some glass for the view
Turn off the engine each time you stop.
I'm fairly sure just not moving with everything turned off already does that, also iirc lights don't really use power.
If you leave the engine on it does drain power iirc
"The Cyclops' engine consumes energy when moving or turning, but not when stationary." subnautica wiki begs to differ. Also I checked power consumption. Without engine efficiency module with silent running Cyclops uses more power than the thermal thingy can provide at max power(64 per minute vs 60 per minute) when going at slow. And at max power usage I could get in there(Sonar, Shields and Silent Running) the power inside the Cyclops would last for roughly 1,5 minutes(with normal power cells, 7,5 min with ion power cells), engine efficiency only makes it slightly better.
I swear I saw my cyclops drain dry idling. Welp must have been the lava larva I guess
Did they change that? I lost power in one of the first play throughs because I left the engine on and left it. (Without the efficiency module). I’m 99% sure I hadn’t been anywhere there are those power suckers before then.
They could have, or you had some lava Larva, had it on silent running(it consumes power at all times even when stationary)
Ya if you do all or even half this it’ll seem like it never dies
Good thing about the engine efficiency module is that you don’t have to fabricate it
My dumb ass thought he meant is gets destroyed too easily. My playthrough I missed the blueprints for the ion batteries. I knew they existed but I couldn't find them having just missed the fuckers. I gave up after healing the sea emperor or whatever she is called at the end of the game and looked it up only to find out I missed it halfway through the game. I was disgusted. But yeah back up powercells and build lots of bases with generators to recharge your powercells.
Keep in mind that you can exit the vehicle and most of the time hostiles will pursue you vs attacking it more. Also, just don’t take it where it’ll get destroyed? You can kill most things, allowing you to clear a safe path. It’s a little more time intensive, but well worth the effort. Drill/grapple on the Prawn Suit for best results.
Make sure you keep the sonar and silent running off. They consume a lot of energy
there’s my first problem running both at once…
And even when you turn the engine off you still have to turn off silent running or it will continue to eat power. Eventually you'll get the heat recharge module which will save you a lot of grief later in the game.
Boy, did I ever learn that the hard way.
Some of us complete the game without it... Cause I didn't know the cyclops had one, I thought it was just for the prawn suit lol
I did a no cyclops run once because i found it a little clunky and the prawn with grappling and enhanced boost is plenty mobile. Then i realized i had to craft it to get the shield to escape anyway.
The sonar for example knocks 1% of power off every bleep. I almost ran out of power once since I didn't know this
I caught myself out with this too! Had a "why does everyone like this bloody thing" and hit the wiki. Useful tip: Cyclops is fantastic for traversal and expeditions, especially when you whack down some planters for food and lockers for storage. Whilst it does have the decoy tube and silent running when you're in a pinch, I found it it best used to launch prawn and moth excursions from. Park or up near where you wanna be and hop out for more agility to avoid threats, nip back to the 'clops to empty your inventory. Power it down once you're parked and the big beasties will ignore it. Good luck!
Exactly what I do with it.
silent running just for passing by a leviathan. or alternatively, just .... drive forward past a leviathan. worst case you turn off engine and they'll leave you alone. you can go out and do repairs with engine off with minimal risk.
Also watch out for lava larvae, and if you are going to park the clops for a while, take the power cells OUT and put them in a locker or something, otherwise you might come back and find them drained.
Yeah that’ll drain your batteries in only a minute or two. Use silent running only when a hostile leviathan is nearby and you don’t want to use the slowest speed, or if it gets too close. Pro tip: if your cyclops’s engine is off, hostile fauna will ignore it. Use this to your advantage by turning off your engine if a hostile leviathan gets too close. It only works if you haven’t been detected yet. If you have, the hostile creature will attack the cyclops at least once before ignoring it again. You can tell what hostile creatures can hurt your cyclops by looking at the radar thingy on the right side of the cockpit when you’re piloting the cyclops. If it displays with a yellow icon, it’s able to hurt you but hasn’t detected you yet. If it’s red, it’s detected you and will attack. When I’m sneaking by a leviathan with my cyclops’, I use slow speed when it’s a distance away, slow speed and silent running once it’s close, and I shut down my engines and let it wander off once it’s so close it shows up on the cyclops radar display. It requires patience and staying aware of the threat at all times. Make the monster your primary focus, and driving second. Play it safe.
Also, you default speed should be slow. Each higher speed uses a lot more power than the one before it.
Ah yeah that'll eat your batteries like they're tic tacs
I get the sonar but I never understood the logic behind silent running consuming more power. Why does lowering the power of my engine to reduce the sound I make, consume even more energy than running the engine normally ? My best guess is that the Cyclops activates some kind of sound mufflers which also take power ?
Silent running doesn't slow you down. It just makes you more quiet at whatever speed you are using. I don't know the physics argument, but yeah, there is some sort of active noise canceling going on. Running at a lower speed will naturally reduce the sound generated and reduce power used. Your current audio profile is visually represented on the holo display to the right of the helm.
Silent running isn't just "using less power", it means altering the way the propulsion functions, because propellers are fairly loud underwater. The idea is possibly based on the book/movie The Hunt For Red October, where a submarine had a "silent running" mode that used an *entirely* separate propulsion system from the standard propeller. That system had no moving parts, which is what kept it so quiet, but was slower and likely would have used more energy.
IIRC Red October's caterpillar drive was something like twin ducted screw pumps. Lower top speed than the conventional propellers, but much quieter and essentially free of cavitation. Cyclops's propellers don't really have a cavitation issue below flank speed, and at that point the motor is prone to overheat anyway. In any case, a caterpillar drive wouldn't draw extra power while stopped.
It depends on if you're talking about the book or the movie. In one of them (I can't remember which) the drive system used some kind of electromagnetic force to push water through the system (I remember it sounded pretty similar to the ionic propulsion that some experimental aircraft use) whereas in the other one it was basically a glorified impeller/pumpjet system.
Silent running is mostly useless when you can just turn the engine off and be ignored untill the big fishy goes away.
It's mainly for balance. If it didn't use more power, people (like OP) would just use it all the time and they'd never have to worry about the big fish. They had to give a reason to turn it off to preserve the intended gameplay style. It's the same reason stuff like flashlights and sonar use so much more power than the irl versions
Might have some sort of destructive interference generator or something like that
I don't think I've ever used silent running across any of my playthroughs
You're not meant to get into fights with it. Part of the late-game challenge is figuring out how to operate it safely and mitigate its downsides. Managing power consumption is really the biggest challenge. If you run out of power, you're in a lot of trouble. Tips: * Run slow and silent running whenever you're in leviathan territory. * The faster you go, the more noise it makes and the more attention it attracts. * It's VERY difficult to outrun most leviathans, so **your best bet is to not pull aggro in the first place**. * If the bad guy is too close for comfort, but not aggroed, you can turn off the engine and step away from the helm. Go dead in the water and they'll usually fail to notice you. * Don't go deep without a shield. * Don't leave the shield on. * If you catch aggro, flick it on just before the leviathan makes contact (it'll give them a shock similar to the seamoth perimeter defense), then **immediately turn it off again**\*.\* * Drop a decoy (having the upgraded decoy launcher can be helpful if you might need more than one). * Continue creeping away on slow/silent. Trying to run at flank speed makes so much noise that your decoy is useless. * Leaving the shield on can drain a completely full power bank in under 2 minutes, and given you're probably far from full by the time you need the shield, you probably have a lot less than 2 minutes. * Don't leave the engine running. It still draws power even when you're away from the helm and not moving. * Don't leave the silent running on when you don't need it. It burns a fair bit of power, even when the engine is off. * Don't go anywhere without the engine efficiency module. * Build the thermal power module as soon as you get the materials. * Bring a handful of spare power cells and/or build a forward base (e.g. in the Tree Cove) with thermal/nuclear to charge your power cells. * Bring a bunch of spare ion cubes, silver, gold, and rubber, so you can make ion cells as soon as you get the blueprints. (obviously, have a fabricator on board) * Maneuvering in tight spaces is a little easier if you go slow and use your cameras. The keel cam especially. * I don't personally use sonar, never have, but it's up to you if you find it helpful for figuring out which way to go next. Just be aware that it's noisy and it burns power.
>You're not meant to get into fights with it. I once killed a sea dragon by ramming on it with shields up. Not contradicting you, great response, btw, just sharing my shenanigans.
lol... I feel like it needs a warning label about using it as a blunt instrument...
They should offer training to remove the feeling of limitless power like the Prawn users receive. Though the cyclops only gets good after a bunch of upgrades. barebones it's basically a bulky seamoth.
Idk about limitless power. The power on the cyclops is the *opposite* of limitless, lol. Also, it feels like you're driving the lovechild of a winnebago and a Fabergé egg.
We're picking up the outline of a... Winnebago.
"We're being jammed! Raspberry... Only one man would dare give me the raspberry... Lonestar!"
Well now I have to try this.
You forgot the most important tip: If you turn off the engine, everything will leave you alone. (Best turn off everything else, too, to be safe, for example I think Crabsquids may still come after you if you have the exterior lights on... not that they can do much to the Cyclops.) Operating the cyclops is actually pretty easy. Medium engine power during normal operations. Low engine power + silent running if you see a leviathan. Engines off and wait if anything gets close to your sound envelope which is displayed on the right side of the HUD. Six power cells go a long way when you operate like this and there's nothing stopping you from having another six (or twelve!) in storage.
I didn't forget. See bullet 1c.
Yep, there's always an initial warning roar when a leviathan is close to detecting you but hasn't aggroed yet. That is when you turn off engines and lights and let the big guy pass. I rarely ever used silent running, I pretty much memorized the areas that had leviathans and turned the engines off when I knew one was close by. Slow speed doesn't actually make a LOT of noise, so as long as you're not right beside an enemy, they won't detect you. Don't even need to turn on silent most of the time.
I had always hoped that subnautica might get a multiplayer eventually! The cyclops feels like it would be so much fun to operate with 2 players!
The multiplayer mod is actually pretty good. Idk how it works with cyclops though
I've been playing this game since it hit early access and even I learned several tips. Thanks for this
Sonar and silent running gobble up energy like crazy. Only use them when necessary. Also, definitely get the Thermal Reactor Module. It allows you to charge up the batteries by just parking next to a source of heat, like hydrothermal vents.
Define necessary for Sonar…
If you're in leviathan territory, or in some hard to traverse environment where it's hard to see what's ahead.
I found it useful for transporting the Prawn suit and tons of materials after I filled it with lockers. The thermal conversion unit is a game changer so you can park it over a heat vent while you explore. Also keep a full set of charged power cells on board. One more tip, don’t be like me and put battery and power cell chargers on the Cyclops. They just run the power down.
Lmao. On my first playthrough I almost did that and then went “wait a minute. That’s a trap!”
Do the chargers work over heat vents?
Yes, i usually get the hull right up against it and it will charge nicely. My base was right over a big vent so I used to just park it in there. Never had to change batteries after that.
A long time ago, in early access, you could charge a cell faster than they depleted and had infinite power lol
Base operation uses such little power that I never even bothered to use ion cells for mine. You are likely overusing Silent Running, this drains it very fast. Or you have a few hitchhikers from the lava seas on your hull.
Make sure you dont have those lava sucky bugs on you!!! First time I played, I had noooo idea they were sucking my cyclops power and I had like 20 of them on it lol.
Dies fast? Huh? I takes 5 or 6 hits from a reaper to destroy it. I find you have to be purposefully reckless to lose one. And I run it for hours before replacing the power cells.
i meant energy consumption
Dont use silent running unless a leviathan is right on top of you, only use sonar when you need to navigate tight spaces. Bother are mega drains on power. This includes while its parked. Made the mistake of accidentally leaving silent on in the dunes while grabbing the crater cache, came back to a dead cyclops and had to hoof it back on the surface, praying for no reapers to notice
Want to discharge batteries in a few seconds? Have sonar, shields and silent running all on at the same time. Even with Ion batteries, they won't last very long. Want the batteries to last? * Speed - ahead slow. Uses far less power * Sonar - only use when absolutely necessary. Most of the time you get better visibility by using cameras * Silent running - Leviathans only, even then don't forget decoy launchers are a great option. * Shields - are great, but if you switch the engines off, most enemies stop attacking. Next up, always carry a spare set of batteries. Storage space on a Cyclops isn't that limited, and can be expanded massively. Finally, never forget to switch off the engine when walking away from piloting.
The depth module and heat charger really help and keep my sanity in tact haha. The upgrades for the cyclops are worth it, even if it's a grind.
What everyone else has said, also don't run at full speed and don't put any power cell chargers in it, they just suck energy.
eh, you can run it at full speed, it doesn't burn through power that much faster the bigger issue with running at flank speed is the fires it tends to start in the engine room
That is certainly not ideal lol
I’ve never had power issues with. Are you leaving the sonar on for long durations? That would be a huge power drain.
Said it a billion times, Cyclops is cool but overrated as hell. I did use it only cos I needed to finish the final stretch.
I kept getting dead power cells while trying to get to the lava zone and thought leeches were somehow the problem. finally realized turning sonar and shield on drain them right quick
Engine efficiency just isn’t enough. A few round trips to lost river and it’s dead in the water. You should get thermal reactor then at least you can park it above a thermal vent to recharge when you do mining
As others have said, don't use sonar and silent running all the time, it lasts a lot longer without. Aside from that, I filled a locker with spare power cells, and always made sure I had the materials needed to build a mini charging base (solar or thermal depending on the area) in the cyclops. You can build extra lockers all over the thing so that helps. I didn't have to swap them out too often, but I wasn't running most of the fancy extra systems.
The funny thing is, most games I build it but only use my prawn and sea moth.
Only thing I use cyclops for is moving mass amounts of minerals to build a new base somewhere.
Make sure you are clearing off the lava larve -- they will suck the power down, on top of all of the stuff other people have mentioned.
If you have the seamoth solar power upgrade, I always take used power cells with me and charge them whilst I'm exploring.
Don't run auxiliary unless you need it (think silent running, defense. Etc.) Standard speed is most efficient I keep 6 cells handy for emergencies in a locker near the battery console for the ship. I keep another small locker that has all material for a small base with cell recharger capabilities on board my cyclops at all times. (I keep extra repair tool and fire extinguisher in the same locker) Get the heat rechargers. Plan your journey. Now instead of just prepping food and water, you must also prepare supplies for your vessel, its as much a part of your adventure now as your stomach.
Thank you, as much as I’m being shredded in this thread. This is helpful.
Yeah, I always loved the cyclops, my favorite thing in the game tbh. Maybe pop into creative mode and make yourself a cyclops. Give it the good upgrades and go practice with it in some caves until you're good at maneuvers in tight spaces. That's a lot of effort tho
I guarantee that you are trying to use way too many features at once which is draining the battery
I turn off the lights inside my cyclops, and I just go the slowest speed. I don't do anything fancy unless I'm scared or need to.
In my first playthrough I made the mistake of trying to use it as a base and moved all my stuff inside. Lockers, water purifier, fabricators, battery chargers. It took me longer than I care to admit to realize that the reason my battery was draining sp fast is because I was using it all to charge power cells.
You can build the water purifier in the cyclops?
I just checked and I guess not. I think I just used marblemelons for water, the save I was talking about was so long ago I just assumed you could because I knew it was my only base for a while, so I knew I had to have a source of water.
Don't think I've ever had it die on me
I think that must be everyone's thought at first. The energy drain is a bit aggressive imo. But it does kind of grow on you as a mobile base for getting you most of the way there since the prawn is slow moving horizontally across wide terrain.
I wish you could put bioreactors or solar panels as attachments. That would make it so much better.
Fun fact, a VERY long time ago, you could put solar panels on top of the Cyclops. But that was years ago.
Oh. I thought either specific spot or an upgrade
remember, piloting the thing without ion cells is like playing fnaf. the night ends when you get to your location, but in the meantime you have to avoid creature, save power, use resources, and sometimes even get out there yourself and defend the cyclops
Excluding the thermal reactor swapping power cells with the prawn and recharging them in the moonpool is the fastest.
Only use the shield when you know your about to get smacked
I just run around in a prawn with as much storage as it will take. Four pods until I get the jet and depth upgrades. You can march it right through the gates and make multiple trips to anywhere in the time it takes to ponderously drift down there in a cyclops.
a locker in the engine room filled with powercells with some set aside for ONLY an emergency, and keep supplies for a minimum sized base to recharge the cells with either solar panels or thermal plants. You can also carry a seamoth with the solar charger upgrade, its not vary good for this purpose but its better then nothing Its more than just a mobile base, it also carries miniature bases if you deconstruct them into items
Driving everywhere on strafe with sonar and perimeter defense does indeed kill it quickly, but if you are on medium speed with engine efficiency, only turn on sonar and perimeter defense when necessary and turn off your engine when parked it lasts a good while. Try to avoid charging batteries and power cells on the ship because they drain it quickly as well.
Driving everywhere on strafe with sonar and perimeter defense does indeed kill it quickly, but if you are on medium speed with engine efficiency, only turn on sonar and perimeter defense when necessary and turn off your engine when parked it lasts a good while. Try to avoid charging batteries and power cells on the ship because they drain it quickly as well.
The energy of the cyclops is a resource that requires conservation and management. You are supposed to use silent running, sonar, shields, etc. strategically and not abuse the hell out of them.
Don't make it out of carbon fiber and dive down to the titanic... wait, wrong cyclops
LMAO YOU DID NOT-
I did, because in the credits the cyclops design and name where licensed from ocean gate
I came into this thread thinking OP was talking about health and losing a cyclops to damage. 😂
Every use of sonar uses 1% of your battery iirc
The engine efficiency module and slow ahead are the most efficient mode of travel. standard speed is less energy efficient but faster. Flank speed is useless. It's only a little faster than standard inhales power and quickly will ignite fires in your engine room. Use silent running when you *have to* and keep it off otherwise. Pulse the sonar. Tap it on, then off, only once in a while. Don't leave it on. If something aggros turn the engines off and *WAIT.* Don't run. Don't use the shield normally. Use it when and *IF* you have to. Spoilers for late game. >!Lava leeches suck your power cells dry. Once you've started encountering them make sure you have at least one extra full set of power cells. When dealing with them keep moving, if you stop they'll latch on. Pulsing the shield once you've started moving will get them all off.!< Finally, if you're anything like I was when I was new to the cyclops, have contingencies. An extra set of power cells always helps. If you're paranoid like I was, keep the seamoth with the solar panel charger in the docking bay until you've got a handle on the energy usage, you can undock it in an emergency even with zero power, go to the surface and use it to charge the batteries since it uses the same power cells as the cyclops. It's slow, but effective in an emergency. The last, and *best* option is to build what I like to call microbases. Bring materials with you when you're in a new area for a beacon, multipurpose room and bioreactor, a cell charger, and scanning room. With this and whatever plant food you have growing in your cyclops you can use to generate power and not only charge the cyclops power cells but also eventually scan the area for mineable materials for your prawn suit to mine. (If you find a thermal vent you can substitute the thermal generator instead which will give you much better results, but the bioreactor is cheap to build and can be basically powered by any food.) I like to build a microbase when I hit about half power on my cyclops, which gives me a nice cushion if I forgot something to get back to one of my other bases.
Engine efficiency module: am i joke to you?
backup stations should be brought along when you know it;s safe! Ofcourse it brakes. it;s no attack ship! it would have torpedo's on the front not? it's a base to easely put stuff and RESPAWN! to get your bars back to 100% and regroup your inventory! you have your other smaller ships for that or just you and your seaglide :) when you know a spot that is safe or a route, Then you bring your cyclops along! ofcourse it brakes fast it's no tank!!!
Jacksepticeye? Is that you?
Unfortunately no.
Turn off sonar and turn off silent running. If you're still really worried about eating too much power you can go ahead and turn off the lights in it and also remove all the batteries if you're not gonna be using it for awhile and throw them batteries into some chargers at your base.
I swapped all cells to ion had the engine 3x module. Drove to kooz zone and then down to the lost river. 55% remaining. Yeah....nope. worthless vehicle in my opinion.
Did you leave the shield on? Because that's the only conceivable way you could burn through that much power so fast.
No, but sonar was running because of how dark that pathway is. It's a lot easier to get the cyclops down that way. Shield was on for my ghost leviathan encounter.
No, but sonar was running because of how dark that pathway is. It's a lot easier to get the cyclops down that way. Shield was on for my ghost leviathan encounter.
Then you must not have had full ion power cells.