Exploring and charting the environment should not be undertaken without appropriate equipment and supplies. You should stay within 2km of a life pod or habitat at all times.
― PDA, Dialogue
A Beacon is a deployable tool that is crafted by using the Fabricator. It requires a blueprint to be crafted, which can be unlocked by scanning its Fragments.
The Beacon can mark locations, for example, Caves, Biomes, or Seabases. It can be placed in the ocean and picked up again after each use. When deployed, the beacon will remain suspended in the place it was placed.
It works similarly to the beacons installed on the Cyclops, Seamoth, Prawn Suit, and Lifepod 5, except that the symbol of the pulse is shaped like the Beacon.
The Beacon pings are faded out when nearby. When more than 1000 meters away from the beacon, the signal goes from custom text to a plain round ping signal.
When many Beacons are in use, they can become difficult to keep track of due to the large number of icons on the screen.
To help keep track of your Beacons you can change their color by opening your PDA and selecting the Beacon Manager tab.
A Beacon can be renamed by clicking on its front panel. A maximum of 25 characters is supported.