Summary
Brookhollow Park inGrounded 2is a dangerous place, with ferocious bugs at nearly every turn and various survival challenges to navigate. Whether players are new to the world ofGroundedor are veteran players of the original survival game, there are numerousGrounded 2beginner tips and tricks to help those early game days flow more smoothly.
When players take their first ant-sized steps into the massive open-world park, some might also wonderwhat to do first inGrounded 2and what things to prioritize to help them survive, thrive, and progress. Fortunately, there are several tips and tricks forGrounded 2to help guide new players.
1Buckle Up On A Buggy
Use A Buggy To Get Around Faster, Fight, And Store More Items
Getting a buggy inGrounded 2comes with numerous benefits, including the ability to sprint around the map at lightning speed with the Red Soldier Ant Buggy. After getting hold of a Red Soldier Ant Egg and making a Hatchery, players can hatch a Red Soldier Ant buggy to ride around on and cover more ground faster. They can also help with harvesting resources, base building, and carrying items.
Buggies inGrounded 2also come with storage space to store more stuff on the go, giving players more options than just crafting storage chests at their bases. Players can also use them in combat against other bugs and even recruit other ants to tag along, plus there’s also the Orb Weaver Buggy to unlock later in the game as another mount to use.
2Analyze Everything
Unlock More Recipes And Build Brainpower
One piece of equipment that newGrounded 2players will frequently use is the Resource Analyzer, with one located in the Snackbar Ranger Outpost. Whenever players pick up a new resource in the world, such as loot drops from insects orharvestable natural resources like Grass Seeds, the next step is to analyze them using the Resource Analyzer to discover more recipes and gain Raw Science by building Brainpower.
Doing so also enables players to unlock more crafting recipes purchasable with Raw Science at the Ranger Station Science Shop. It’s also worth completing Ranger Challenges to accumulate Raw Science, plus keeping a lookout for pink Raw Science orbs hidden throughout the park to purchase more recipe unlocks faster, such as the Cooking 101 recipe disc unlock. Sometimes players will need to use a buggy or build up to reach those hidden in hard-to-reach places.
3Upgrade The Omni Tool
Open The Door To More Resources
Another way for beginners to make progress inGrounded 2is to focus on upgrading the Omni-Tool, which gives players all-in-one access to the Omni-Axe, Omni-Shovel, Omni-Hammer, and the Omni-Wrench, used to gather resources categorized into different tier levels in the game, such as Pop Caps (Tier 3) and Chewed Gum (Tier 2).
Upgrading the Omni-Tool enables players to harvest more resources to craft better gear, weapons, and more, with more upgrades included inGrounded 2’s Early Access roadmap. Players will need to track down various resources to upgrade the Omni-Tool, with some harder to locate than others.
4Look For Tubes, Wires, And Icons
Some beginnerGrounded 2players and those new to the world ofGroundedin general could feel a tad overwhelmed by the size of the game’s map and wonder where to go first. While the game uses map markers to help players navigate through the main quests, looking out for tubes, wires, and resource icons can help players when lost, as these tend to lead players in the direction they need to go. Players can also use map waypoints, make trail markers, and add lighting to their base to help avoid getting lost in the dark.
For instance, the gray tube leads the way from the Snackbar Ranger Outpost toward the Anthill Snackbar. It also helps to look up and use the red wires on the ceiling to help explore the tunnels, like the Hatchery Anthill. Additionally, looking up to spot landmarks like oak trees orharvestable resources like dandelionscan be an ideal starting point before venturing out.
5Craft Torches And Glowsticks
Make Dark Places And Exploring At Night Safer And Easier to Navigate
For players who dare to explore the park at night or need to venture into dark places like ant hills, crafting a torch is invaluable in lighting up the area and spotting bugs to hopefully avoid any surprise attacks. Players can craft standard Torches and Slime Mold Torches on the go, provided they have the right resources, which can be handy if players run out of light while exploring dark areas. It’s also possible to carry a torch while riding a buggy.
InGrounded 2, players also have the option to craft different glow sticks, including the Slime Glow Stick and Gooey Glow Stick. These are handy to throw ahead to scope out dark places as an alternative to carrying torches.
6Keep Tabs On Health, Hunger, And Thirst
Don’t Let Survival Basics Creep In
Surviving inGrounded 2isn’t just about winning fights against bugs, but also remembering to keep on top of hunger, thirst, and health. Depending onthe player’s chosen difficulty inGrounded 2, hunger and thirst levels can be more or less forgiving. Starting with the Mild difficulty level means the player’s hunger and thirst drains are less punishing, but they’ll still need to search for water sources from water droplets, juice droplets, or water coolers throughout the park, although it’s best not to slurp the nasty stuff.
To also avoid an early demise, it’s also important to keep on top of hunger by snacking on food like mushrooms, Billy Hog Bites, and Grumpy Granola Bars. However, once players unlock the ability to craft an Oven, they can also make better food like Gnatchos and Miteloaf. There’s also the option to craft and use a Cooking Spit and the Smoothie Station.
7Peep Creatures
Identify Creature Resistances, Weaknesses, Weak Points, And Loot Drops
When stumbling across different critters in the park, it’s also a good idea to remember to peep them using the PEEP.R Goggles mechanic. Doing so unlocks a Creature Card for each bug, which gives players handy information about them, including their specific resistances, weaknesses, and sometimes, weak points. They also reveal loot drops for each critter. Peeping is especially helpful for new bugs inGrounded 2, so players can plan and strategize their attacks accordingly, plus also decide what weapon upgrades to focus on.
Peeping is also a great way to check out the park from a height and zoom in a bit closer on certain areas, plus identify dangerous bugs from a safe distance.
8Suit Up Early
Be Battle Ready With Armor And Weapons
Another thing to prioritize when new players first startGrounded 2iscrafting better weapons and armor, as it’s likely players won’t get too far without them. This becomes especially important when they start exploring further around the map, where they will probably encounter stronger and more deadly bugs. It’s also crucial to level up weapons and armor, so players can be better prepared for tougher later encounters like boss fights, such as with the Cockroach Queen.
Beginners won’t have access to many options at first, with the Clover Armor Set being the introductory craftable protection. However, early-game armor to craft includes options like the Red Ant Armor Set, which gives a better level of protection until players can progress and unlock better sets in the game.
9Be Mindful Of Base Locations
Build A Base To Drip-Feed Supplies And Defend Against Bugs
Although most players might want to set up a temporary base close to the Snackbar Ranger Outpost when first startingGrounded 2, they’ll probably want to build a base in other locations around the park once they’ve had a chance to explore the map. A good starting option could be to build a base near handy landmarks such as Juiceboxes, which give players occasional juice drops.
However, it’s best to be wary of somepossible base locations inGrounded 2, like the can near the Snackbar Ranger Outpost, which is close to Orb Weaver spiders and could be an annoyance. Therefore, it’s always best to scope out the territory and be mindful of possible base location advantages and pitfalls, including checking what bugs patrol nearby during the day and at night before committing to a base.
10Take Advantage Of Heights
Attack From Heights To Survive Combat Against Challenging Bugs
Lastly, anotherGrounded 2beginner tip to keep in mind when fighting bugs is to learn how they behave, as it’s said that bugs in the game can climb up slopes but not vertically. However, some bugs like the Stinkbug are capable of jumping and covering large distances, including along the bottom of trees, and while spiders can’t climb up vertically, they can pursue players across the map quite far.
Except in the case of bugs with wings like Blue Butterflies, it can be helpful for players to use height to their advantage to take out some of the meaner bugs, like spiders. Doing so with ranged weapons like the Bow can support this kind of strategy for those that prefer ranged builds, and it can also be a helpful way to get some breathing space, even for those that prefer close-quarters combat.
