Grounded 2can be overwhelming to both new and returning players, as unlike the Backyard from the first game, the miniature world of Brookhollow Park is three times the size, with new creatures to fight, biomes to explore, and secrets to uncover.
It’s easy to get distracted by theopen-world freedomObsidian Entertainment allows players to enjoy, but it’s important to lay some preliminary groundwork before venturing out into the wild. Here’s the breakdown.
7Make a Roasting Spit
Start Cooking Early
While hunger can be satiated using raw resources like Mushrooms and Raw Weevil Meat, processed food is always the better option. Not only does this provide more hunger meter recovery when eaten, but it also gives passive buffs that offer tons of utility in the right situation.
The Roasting Spit is the very first crafting station players will get access to in the game, and it can be set up within the first few minutes of venturing out into Brookhollow Park. Roasted Weevil Meat is a much more filling alternative to the raw variant and should serve as a primary food item for the first few hours ofGrounded 2.
6Craft a Canteen
Store Water For Later
Water management is crucial to surviving the miniature world ofGrounded 2, as players will face imminent death without it. In the early game, the best sources of clean water are dew drops that hang fromgrass shoots in Brookhollow Park.
Crafting a Canteen allows players to store this water safely, allowing them to drink it at their leisure when the need arises. This is crucial as finding a fresh dew drop becomes harder and harder as the day cycle turns to night and the lights dim. Having a backup source on hand makes excursions deep into the park much safer.
5Set Up a Temporary Base
Get Started on the Right Foot
It’s a good idea to put down a beginner base as soon as possible inGrounded 2, as without it, players will find progression quite hard. The best early game location for a base is the clearing right in front of the Ranger Outpost: Snackbar.
In the base, the most important structures to build first are a Workbench, a Lean-To, a Roasting Spit, and a few storage chests. There is no reason to build too much early on, as players will want to move locations as soon as they’re done with the first few hours of the game.
4Analyze a Clover Leaf
Unlocks a Storage Basket
Getting a storage basket is a necessary first step inGrounded 2as it allows players to place extra items they gather in safe locations. Analyzing a Clover Leaf at a Ranger Station unlocks this recipe, unlocking the door to storage space.
While base raids can, and will, destroy storage containers, this should not be a concern in the early stages of the game. Only when players deliberately poke the proverbial hornet’s nest will such occurrences start happening, which should not be the case until well into the mid-game.
3Unlock All OmniTool Functions
Open the Door to All Possibilities
One of the most important steps to take within the first few hours of the game is to get all four Omni-Tool operations up and running by crafting them at a Ranger Station. TheOmni-Wrench inGrounded 2unlocks the ability to craft on the go, the Omni-Shovel allows players to dig up resources, and the Omni-Hammer is required to access some blocked-off locations.
Other than the crafting materials, the main limiting factor to unlocking these tools is a lack of Raw Science. In total, players will require 3,000 Raw Science to obtain all Omni-Tool functionalities. The easiest way to obtain this resource in the early game is by completing Ranger Challenges.
2Fast Track the Tutorial
Unlock the Red Ant Mount Early
Theworld of Brookhollow Park opens up very early on inGrounded 2, with the game giving players full freedom to roam the open world as they see fit as soon as they step out of the Ominent facility. It’s important to ignore this temptation for the first hour or so of the game, as completing a main mission allows players to unlock Buggies, rideable insects that can make traversal much, much easier.
During the main mission “Missed Connection,” players will be asked to investigate the Snackbar Anthill in search of an Ominent employee. Completing this mission unlocks recipes for the Hatchery, the Ant Nest, and the Red Soldier Ant Buggy.
1Craft Aphid Slippers
Make Traversal Faster
Like the first game, one of the best early-game armor pieces inGrounded 2is the Aphid Slippers, which can be crafted using only Raw Aphid Meat andMite Fuzz. Upon wearing them, players will be granted the Quickness effect, which increases their movement speed by 20%.
Faster move speed is an absolute game-changer as it basically means players will be much more efficient with their time during every step of the playthrough. This piece of equipment is so good that it’s worth keeping well into the late game.
