Uploaded October 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Update — There's one missing Ion Cube in this video, in the Disease Research Facility. Original video description below updated.

There are about 30 Ion Cubes that can be obtained before the Primary Containment Facility is unlocked, with its infinite source of Ion Cubes. 24 Ion Cubes are obtainable without the Prawn Suit’s Drill Arm. There is one Ion Cube deposit that requires the Drill Arm, which yields a random amount of Ion Cubes somewhere around 10. The Primary Containment Facility contains a further 2 Ion Cubes in its aquarium, bringing the total Ion Cubes that can be obtained without the Prawn Suit’s Drill Arm up to 26.
Tablets are required in order to get almost all Ion Cubes, bar 5 and one Ion Cube deposit. The first of these 5 is in the Enforcement Platform, one of the first Ion Cubes often discovered, 3 are in the Disease Research Facility all the way down in the Lost River, and 1 is freely obtainable without the Drill Arm in the Thermal Plant in the Lava Zone. The Ion Cube deposit in the Thermal Plant is also freely obtainable, but requires the Drill Arm. Beyond this, Tablets are required. 4 Purple Tablets and 1 Orange Tablet are required to get all Ion Cubes before the Primary Containment Facility. However, making Tablets requires Ion Cubes. Fortunately, there are 7 Purple Tablets freely obtainable — see the related video for their locations — youtu.be/ggLo1qcdtOg.
For those wondering what’s up with Lifepod 3, I often use that as a navigation beacon, since its near the center of the map and obtainable early. (And yes, I am aware of the Zero Point)
I decided to make this video after I couldn’t find one showing where all the Ion Cubes are, and only a few vague postings asking how to get Ion Cubes before the Primary Containment Facility and/or without having to get the Drill Arm, which were left largely unanswered. Some sources claim the total Ion Cubes before the Primary Containment Facility is 26, though I believe this is a miscount of the Ion Cubes available from the Thermal Plant deposit; in my version of the game the Ion Cube deposit there yields a random amount of Ion Cubes, closer to 10, rather than always 3. The Ion Cube deposit in the Primary Containment Facility continues to yield just 3.

Totals are—
Quarantine Enforcement Platform: 3 (1 freely obtainable)
Sea Treader’s Path Sanctuary Alpha: 6
Blood Kelp Zone Sanctuary Beta: 4
Dunes Sanctuary: 4
Lost River Laboratory (Orange Tablet): 3
Disease Research Facility: 3 (both freely obtainable, one of them missing from this video)
Thermal Plant: 1 + an Ion Cube deposit of about ~10 (both freely obtainable)
Primary Containment Facility: a further 2 in the aquarium

Enforcement Platform Ion Cubes — 0:00
Finding Sea Treader’s Path Sanctuary Alpha — 4:04
Sanctuary Alpha Ion Cubes — 6:29
Finding Blood Kelp Zone Sanctuary Beta — 8:40
Sanctuary Beta Ion Cubes — 11:59
Finding the Dunes Sanctuary — 13:21
Dunes Sanctuary Ion Cubes — 17:36
Finding the Orange Tablet — 20:12
Finding the Lost River Laboratory — 22:00
Lost River Laboratory Ion Cubes — 24:21
Finding the Disease Research Facility — 25:25
Disease Research Facility Ion Cubes — 29:07
Finding the Thermal Plant — 30:11
Thermal Plant Ion Cubes — 38:41
Collected Ion Cubes before the Containment Facility — 41:33
Containment Facility Ion Cubes — 41:50