Barotrauma Beginner Guide: Equipment, Oxygen, Repairs and AI Orders

Edition: Normal PC Steam base game, app 602960, without mods. Covers the opening Campaign and basic/job tutorials. Uses the standard Dugong, approximately Normal difficulty and Jovian Radiation off. Distinguishes solo AI from co-op; individual talents, Workshop submarines, the late game and special modes are treated separately.

Verification scope: Public sources compared on 2026-10-04. The latest base-game patch confirmed through official Steam was v1.13.4.0, dated 2026-06-18. Home & Harbor is an upcoming, unreleased expansion. The game has not been launched; the current Japanese UI and reproduction of all wiring have not been checked.

Sources checked: 2026-10-04

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Separate carrying, using and opening a device

First check your bindings under Settings > Controls. These examples use public Wiki standard PC keys. With remapping, left-handed settings or legacy controls, follow your on-screen display.

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Separate carrying, using and opening a device: 9 entries
Desired action	Example standard input	Check after acting
Horizontal movement and ladders	A / D for left and right; W / S for ladders and vertical movement	Has the character moved into the intended passage?
Run	Move while holding Shift	Check oxygen and pressure before rushing into danger
Select a device or container	Left-click the target	Did the container inventory or device controls open?
Aim and use a tool	Right-click to aim, left-click to use	For a Welding Tool, is the target's condition bar recovering?
Open the repair interface	Hold the tool and Use the target; E by default	Repair display, required skill and condition gauge
Equip an inventory item	Move the item to its body equipment slot	Is the suit in Outerwear, or the mask in Headgear?
Give AI orders	Command Interface; middle mouse button by default	Does the intended order appear beside the selected crew member's name?
Check health and crew	H for Health, Tab for Info Tab, C for Crew Orders	Which opened: health, information or the crew panel?
Switch controlled character in solo	Z for Next Character, X for Previous Character	Recheck the controlled crew member's name and location

Hitting a device with a wrench is not repair. The first key distinction is hull welding versus the device's Repair interface.

A tank in your inventory is not automatically used for breathing

If you cannot breathe, open the contents of your worn mask or suit before counting inventory spares. Do not assume a full tank in another slot automatically connects while you wear empty gear.

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A tank in your inventory is not automatically used for breathing: 7 entries
Equipment or item	Required state	Action	What to check
Diving Mask	Oxygen Tank with contents remaining inside the mask	Equip in Headgear and check the tank inside	Allows breathing, but provides no pressure protection
Diving Suit	Worn in Outerwear with a breathing tank	Move it from carrying in your hands to the worn equipment slot	In the equipment slot and able to use the oxygen tank inside
Oxygen Tank	Tank explicitly identified for breathing	Remove the empty tank and insert a filled one into the gear	Tank name and contents bar. Do not insert a fuel tank
Spare tank	Enough contents for the return too	Open and inspect each one before taking it outside	Separate full and empty tanks and remember where to swap them
Newly crafted tank	Empty immediately after crafting	Place it in a compatible refilling device such as the Oxygen Generator	Wait for the contents bar to rise before taking it
Return a suit	Powered compatible Locker	Store the suit and wait for its tank contents to increase	Do not assume storing means refilled; check the remaining contents
Outside or high-pressure compartment	Pressure protection appropriate to the depth	Compare the suit's protection depth with your current depth before leaving	Do not go out wearing only a mask or merely holding the suit

Oxygen duration varies with equipment, quality, difficulty settings and other factors. Use remaining contents together with the distance back, rather than a fixed elapsed time, to decide when to return.

Choose the tool for the damaged target

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Choose the tool for the damaged target: 8 entries
Symptom	Tool or display check	Required action	Success check
Hole in an outer wall or window	Welding Tool＋Welding Fuel Tank	Right-click to aim and left-click to weld the damaged section	The wall's condition bar recovers and water stops entering through that hole
Broken door lets water through	Wrench and door condition	Use the target to open its repair interface, then select Repair	Closing the door can stop water passing through
Broken junction box	Screwdriver and Electrical skill	Use to begin Repair	Condition recovers. Check power separately
Pump or engine malfunction	Wrench and Mechanical skill	Use Repair on the device	After condition recovers, also check Power and operation
Low Oxygen Generator condition	Wrench required	Perform mechanical repairs	Check both condition and whether compartment oxygen recovers
Welder does not activate	Fuel type, remaining contents and whether it is equipped in your hands	Insert fuel and move within reach of the target	Check the welding flame and change in target condition
Tool explodes when used	Have you mixed up welding and cutting tanks?	Stop using it: the Welding Tool needs fuel, the Plasma Cutter needs oxygen	Check item names rather than color alone
Repairs are slow or fail	The device's required skill versus your value	Switch to a skilled crew member and check injuries too	Repairs resume and condition rises. Do not judge by job title alone

The Plasma Cutter is for cutting and mining. Use the Welding Tool to seal hull breaches. Check the tool name before aiming so you do not cut intact hull by mistake.

Fix the first leak and check through to restored operation

Find the compartment with rising water and the hull-damage marker on the Status Monitor. Distinguish normal ballast water from flooding elsewhere
Prepare breathing equipment in a safe compartment. Put on a suit before entering dangerous pressure
Bring a fueled Welding Tool and get within reach of the breached wall. Aim the tool and weld the damaged section
If water remains after wall condition recovers, check for another hole, an open external door or a broken door
Once inflow stops, check pump power, condition and control. For a room without its own outlet, check the submarine's drainage route too
Report back once water falls and electrical equipment and oxygen recover. Replenish welding fuel and oxygen for the next task too

"Hole repaired," "water drained" and "machinery running" are separate completions. Do not leave after confirming only one.

Set AI order targets, priority and required supplies

Select the crew name or the character and open the order menu. If an order is shown but nothing happens, read AI chat before repeating the same instruction.

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Set AI order targets, priority and required supplies: 8 entries
Role or task	Required items or state	Order or action	Caution
Hull repair	Fueled Welding Tool	Assign Fix Leaks to the repair crew	A machinery-repair order alone does not replace sealing holes
Electrical repairs	Screwdriver and a reachable target	Repair Electrical Systems	They do not take tools from another person's inventory to make up a shortage
Machinery repairs	Wrench and a reachable target	Repair Mechanical Systems	Handles pumps, engines, Oxygen Generators and similar devices
Reactor operation	Fuel and an operable reactor	Operate Reactor → Power up	AI starts the reactor and sets automatic control
Turret operation	Assigned periscope, ammunition and stored power	Operate Weapons on the device	When ammunition runs out, they also reload the assigned turret. Spare ammunition is required
Firefighting	Fire Extinguisher	Extinguish Fires	Secure your own breathing and escape route while giving the order
Oxygen refilling	Compatible refilling device with free space	Load Items → Refill oxygen tanks	Check priority so other tasks do not block it
Stop, follow and return aboard	Equipment that allows survival at the location	Choose among Wait, Follow and Return	After switching the controlled character in solo, reconsider whom they will follow

A personal guide documents putting more important orders on the left. Emergency responses and path limitations still apply, so check target condition and water levels rather than assuming an icon proves success.

Switching in solo and handing over in co-op

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Switching in solo and handing over in co-op: 5 entries
Situation	Solo AI	Co-op with people
Captain leaves for another task	Review steering orders and settings such as Maintain Position	Get a response confirming who takes over steering
Going outside	Assign defense and repairs to AI remaining aboard	Decide who dives, who handles doors and who stops the guns
Switch away from a crew member outside	Order the outside crew member to Wait and monitor oxygen and hazards	Tell the helmsman your position and planned return
Cannot find a tool	Check shared containers, the floor and Ignore This settings	Ask whether someone is still carrying it
AI does not follow orders	Check tools, routes, higher-priority orders and chat	For human players, check directly rather than assuming an AI-style order completes the task

Wait does not grant invincibility. Suit oxygen still falls, and enemies and currents remain a concern. Do not use it as a way to leave someone unattended for a long time.

Prepare to survive before going to help

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Prepare to survive before going to help: 4 entries
Observed state	Secure first	Next response
Fire	Breathing equipment and an escape route	Use a Fire Extinguisher and investigate causes such as electrical overvoltage
Rapid flooding	Suit, oxygen and tools	Separate sealing the inflow from restoring power
Your own injury	A safe location and the Health interface	Report symptoms to the treatment lead. Do not repeatedly use medicines without reading their effects
An ally is returning from outside	Return airlock and ally's location	Share turret lines of fire, door actions and submarine movement

This is an in-game check order, not a guarantee that everyone survives or that rescue succeeds. It helps avoid heading into danger without equipment.

One-person check immediately before departure

Check that the equipment slot contains a suit or suitable mask, with a filled breathing tank inside
Repair crew should check Welding Tool fuel, Screwdriver and Wrench, and remember where shared spares are kept
Periscope operators should locate their turret's Loader and ammunition boxes
Check reactor fuel, spare oxygen and welding fuel. On the Dugong, prioritize resupply before leaving port
Confirm crew orders or human responses and report readiness to the helmsman

Spare quantities depend on the route, tasks and difficulty. This check does not guarantee repeated missions without resupply.

Frequently asked questions

I have a suit but pressure still kills me

First check whether you are merely carrying it or wearing it in Outerwear. If worn, compare its protection depth with current depth. A mask provides no pressure protection.

The welder will not repair machinery

The Welding Tool is for structures such as walls and windows. Open the target's Repair interface with a Screwdriver for electrical devices or a Wrench for machinery.

Can I use an Oxygen Tank immediately after crafting it?

A newly crafted Oxygen Tank is empty. Refill it at compatible equipment before inserting it into your gear.

I gave an AI order but they report missing tools

Return usable tools to a shared container and check fuel, the route to the target and Ignore This settings. Do not assume AI will automatically take tools held by another crew member.

Is it okay to switch away from someone outside in solo?

Set orders such as Wait first and monitor oxygen and enemies around the crew member outside. Switching without preparing orders may change their behavior. This does not mean they can be left unattended for long.

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