Last Beacon: Survival - Scavenging and Oxygen Guide

To gather resources efficiently in Last Beacon: Survival, target calm structural ruins near your raft, begin your surface ascent as soon as your oxygen gauge hits 30%, and spend early tech scraps on suit oxygen capacity before upgrading your tools.

Oxygen Thresholds and Dive Safety

Oxygen determines how far you can explore and how much loot you can bring back. Exceeding your dive limits risks forced respawns and lost inventory.

The 30% Ascent Rule: Cease harvesting and begin swimming back to the surface or your extraction point immediately when oxygen reaches 30%. This provides a safety buffer against unexpected snag hazards or nav errors.
Emergency Canisters: Keep a secondary oxygen canister in your quick-access inventory slot. Use it only when trapped by environmental hazards or unexpected navigation delays.
Suit Upgrades First: Invest your initial tech components into suit oxygen tank capacity rather than advanced tools. Higher suit endurance unlocks deeper ruins with better salvage returns.

Selecting Salvage Locations

Random floor searching wastes stamina and oxygen. Target intact underwater structures and localized metal debris fields visible from your raft.

Prioritize Shallow Ruins: Focus early dives on shallow structural ruins containing intact crates and metallic deposits.
Avoid High Currents: Skip high-current dive spots until you upgrade movement speed and buoyancy control. Countering strong tides drains stamina and limits total loot retrieved.
Watch Visibility Conditions: Avoid diving during weather shifts or low-visibility events unless your suit has an attached light source. Dark crevices make high-value scraps easy to miss and increase your chances of snagging gear on ruins.

Inventory Loot Priority

Inventory space fills rapidly during submerged runs. Use this tier priority to decide which items to keep when your pack is full:

Priority Level	Item Types	Action When Inventory Fills
Tier 1 (High)	Rare tech scraps, navigation chips, high-density metal alloys	Always keep; required for filtration and navigation modules.
Tier 2 (Medium)	Basic building materials, repair components, wood, plastic	Keep moderate amounts for raft maintenance; drop surplus if full.
Tier 3 (Low)	Decorative items, raw organic resources	Drop first; easily gathered near the surface.

Tool Maintenance

Check the durability of cutting and drilling equipment before every dive. Repairing equipment at your base raft costs significantly fewer resources than re-crafting a tool broken during a deep dive.