Grounded Beginner Tips

Key Takeaways

• Playing with friends in
  Grounded
  helps survival, exploration, and progression.
• Use shields to block and survive fights against tougher bugs like spiders.
• Craft multiple stations for better food, water, and efficient resource collection.

When players first start Grounded, they possess nothing and must learn and adapt quickly to survive. It’s a fun, challenging, and immersive open-world game that may remind many players of classic sci-fi movies like Honey I Shrunk The Kids or The Borrowers. New players may want to know the first things to do when starting the huge sandbox game, and faithful pre-release followers may appreciate a refresher with various updates added to the game over the years.

Although the objectives in Grounded lead the way, players are free to explore the backyard setting as they choose, so there are some handy tips and tricks to survive and progress.

Updated December 11, 2024 by Gemma Johnson: Grounded is Obsidian Entertainment’s cooperative survival adventure game where players step into the role of kid protagonists shrunk to the size of an ant in a perilous backyard setting. Whether getting to grips with survival basics or fighting terrifying insects, there’s a lot for beginners to learn about surviving and thriving in Grounded, especially when first stepping foot in the yard. Fortunately, various Grounded tips and tricks can help new players survive and progress during those early game days.

Additionally, Obsidian Entertainment has introduced more tools for players to utilize in the yard, be it more backpack space, tools like zip lines, and more, which players may want to take advantage of. Altogether, the below Grounded tips could give novice players a helping hand and be a useful refresher for anyone eager to get back into the game.

1 Learn How To Use PEEP.R Goggles

Get In The Know Bug Weaknesses And Loot Drops

Learning how to peep in Grounded is a great way to get in the know about the creepy critters roaming the yard, whether friendly or aggressive. Peeping in Grounded with the PEEP.R Goggles functionality lets players hold up their hands like a pair of binoculars to effectively tag insects they spot in the yard and obtain more information about them in the shape of a Creature Card. These collectible-like cards provide players with helpful information to plan and strategize, including bug weaknesses, any weak points, and their resistances.

Creature Cards also tell players what sort of loot bugs drop, so they can be a handy way of knowing how to get key resources for any beginner players struggling. Altogether, peeping in Grounded is a brilliant way for any player to get to know their environment and surroundings better, plus be a helpful bank of knowledge for anyone returning to the game.

2 Prioritize Hammer And Axe Upgrades

Better Tools To Progress And Get More Resources

Axes and hammers are two of the most handy tools in Grounded for foraging resources and progressing, but new players can only craft low-level tools like the Peblet Hammer and Pebblet Axe. Upgrading the hammer and axe as soon as possible should be a top priority for anyone new to the game, enabling access to more resources and recipes. For instance, getting hold of the Tier 2 Insect Axe lets players chop resources like Crow Feathers and Billy Hog meat, with Feathers enabling players to craft things like Feather Arrows for the bow weapon and different armor pieces.

Similarly, the Tier 2 Insect Hammer enables players to break chunky resources like Milk Molars, Sturdy Quartzite, and Ice Cap Mints, whether to get player stat upgrades, better armor, and things like Mint Shards for different weapons. Of course, players can also get even better upgrades with the Tier 3 Termite Axe and Black Ox Hammer, opening the door to even more resources and possibilities.

3 Team Up With Friends

Safety In Numbers

When first starting Grounded, teaming up with friends is a fantastic way for players to learn the ropes and basics of survival together. Although it’s possible to play solo, it’s worth making the most of playing Grounded with friends when possible. Teaming up can help new players survive fights against stronger bugs, plus work together to progress across the backyard and unravel its mysteries quicker. Grounded also has options for players to create shared worlds with or without passcodes, depending on how players want to set up their world access.

Playing Grounded with friends can also help when venturing into more challenging areas of the yard mid-game onwards, such as the Upper Yard and its challenging Shed.

4 Get A Shield And Learn To Block

Survive Bug Fights For Longer And Win

Defense is as important as attack when facing off against bugs in the yard and one handy Grounded tip is to get a shield as soon as possible. Although there are only a handful of shields in Grounded, they are an invaluable tool to get through fights against tougher bugs like spiders. Learning to block is also relatively straightforward as it’s mainly about timing.

While it takes a bit of time to get stronger crafting resources, it’s possible to get a basic Tier I Weevil Shield early in the game. This can help players survive tougher early-game bug encounters until players get better variants, such as the Tier II Black Ant Shield.

5 Craft Multiple Cooking And Crafting Stations

Better Food And More Efficient Resource Collection

Keeping tabs on food and water is one of the first things to do in Grounded. Beginner players start with basic food like mushrooms, but crafting cooking stations makes for better and more efficient food and water. Exploring the yard for new ingredients and analyzing them gets players new crafting recipes like the Dew Collector, Jerky Rack, and an Oven.

Crafting multiple Dew Collectors lets players quickly scoop up plenty of water to take on the go. Additionally, a Jerky Rack and Oven enable players to make plenty of the best food in Grounded to keep hunger at bay, like Miteloaf.

6 Focus On Finding BURG.L Chips And Milk Molars

Advance The Story And Unlock Upgrades

There’s a lot of ground to cover in the yard, and new players might wonder what to look for first. One handy tip when playing Grounded is to look out for labs to find BURG.L Chips that advance the story and unlock more recipes. To begin with, new players should head to the Great Oak tree in the middle of the yard to rescue BURG.L and get the Grasslands Chip.

Players should also look out for Milk Molars hidden around the yard. Regular Milk Molars enable players to upgrade their character in a lab, like max health, max stamina, and healing. Whereas gold, Mega Milk Molars boosts the stats of all group members in multiplayer.

7 Make Use Of Mutations

Get Helpful Buffs To Survive

To stand the best chance of surviving more challenging bugs in the yard, it’s a good idea to experiment with mutations for different situations. Equipping some of Grounded‘s best mutations, like Meat Shield, can help make all the difference in surviving boss battle encounters like the Assistant Manager.

Boosting stamina with mutations like Cardio Fan and Buff Lungs is also ideal in various situations, from surviving spiders to swimming in the pond. Remembering to swap out and try different mutations can be beneficial to give players the edge in surviving various challenges across the yard.

8 Craft A Canteen For Slurps On The Go

Reduce The Dangers Of Thirst

Besides basic weapons and armor, crafting a canteen is one of the most essential things to do first in Grounded and one of the first tier-two crafting items many players will make. Finding water is one of the first survival problems players must face, so making a canteen to store water saves a lot of hassle searching for water droplets, especially if thirst gets dangerously low mid-exploration.

A level two canteen holds two sips of water, so it’s handy to keep equipped in a player’s inventory to quickly scoop up water, juice, or fizzy drinks on the go. Alternatively, the Canteen+ holds four droplets.

9 Maximize Space With Storage Chests

Keep Resources And Back-Up Supplies Handy

Although update 1.1 gave players an additional row of backspace, players new to Grounded may still find that they run out of storage quickly with so many things to discover and collect. Crafting several storage chests certainly makes life easier to swap out and store any items no longer needed. Chests also allow players to save backup supplies of armor, tools, and more just in case.

It’s also pretty easy to craft storage chests, as they only require sap, acorn shells, and clover leaves. Players looking to try Grounded‘s best builds further in the game will also need lots of storage space for their growing collection.

10 Make A Gas Mask

Survive Dangerous Zones And Bugs In The Yard

A gas mask is another essential item for beginners to craft first. This item is crucial to explore more areas of the yard like the Haze, survive tough bugs like Stinkbugs, and protect against toxic trash in areas of Grounded‘s Upper Yard. Fortunately, it’s a relatively early-game item. Players can make a Gas Mask after analyzing a Weevil nose once they reach a minimum brainpower of level six.

Choosing whether to turn the Haze off after getting the tier two shovel can have advantages and disadvantages. Either way, it’s ideal to have several gas masks on hand, especially when looking for BURG.L chips to advance the main story.

11 Cook For Better Ways To Heal

Get More Efficient Healing Items

Grounded‘s 1.1 update gave players cooked meat when they kill creatures with a spicy weapon, like the Spicy Coltana. Similarly, players get cured meat when they hunt with a salty weapon. However, it can take a bit of time to get better weapons. With a bug around almost every corner, it’s best to know how to craft Grounded‘s best ways to heal fast to survive.

Beginner players can make fiber bandages to heal, and it’s ideal to have plenty on standby. When players unlock the oven and smoothie station, they can cook better food to restore larger chunks of hunger and health, like Gnat Roast and Green Machine.

12 Build Up To Reach New & Secret Areas

Find Secret Weapons

To progress in Grounded, players often need to build to access new or secret areas. For instance, there are different ways of reaching Grounded‘s Upper Yard, but usually, the most reliable way is to build upwards using grass and weed stem constructions, like stairs.

Players should also look for locations where they can build up to access hidden or secret areas, like the secret lab area containing Grounded‘s Pinch Whacker weapon, a powerful higher-tier weapon that can make surviving bigger bugs in the yard easier in the early stages.

Survive Challenging Bugs And Cheese Fights

Making a bow and arrow is an invaluable early weapon as it can help players fight tough insects from a safe distance, a handy trick to cheese fights against ferocious bugs like Wolf Spiders from a height. It’s a handy tool for players who prefer stealthier gameplay, and players can get better bows throughout the game as they progress, like the tier-two insect bow. As long as players have plenty of arrows, like thistle arrows, it can make fights easier.

Prioritizing making tier-two tools, like the Insect Axe and Hammer, is also crucial for mining better materials. It’s a great starting point to progress quickly.

14 Build Zip Lines To Get Around Fast

One of the best BURG.L recipes to prioritize buying first is the zip line recipe, especially when built on a base high up in the Great Oak Tree. This is one of Grounded‘s best base locations, as it sits in the middle of the yard. Players can build a grass construction at a height around the tree and build zip lines to all corners of the yard, enabling players to quickly and safely travel across large areas.

Grounded‘s zip lines work more conveniently after the 1.1 update added the ability to go up them using the ZIP.R, once unlocked. This removes the long and potentially dangerous trip back to base.

15 Keep Tabs On Food And Water Levels

Prevents Death From Hunger And Thirst Drain

Until players make a canteen and cooking equipment, finding food and water in the early game can be challenging. As tempting as it might be to slurp the nasty stuff, dirty water quickly diminishes the player character’s health, and should only be used in emergencies. It’s also essential to keep track of food and water levels.

The best food and water sources are the juice box and mushrooms growing near the Mysterious Machine, but supplies are unpredictable. It’s important to keep looking up for water droplets hanging on grass, punching or chopping the blade till they fall. Just watch to make sure the drops don’t disappear into puddles.

16 Avoid Spiders & Exploring At Night

Reduce The Risk Of Defeat From Challenging Bugs

For beginners, a handy tip is to avoid spiders and explore during daylight, as some of Grounded‘s toughest bugs, especially Wolf Spiders, have devastating attacks and roam at night. Spiders tend to creep around the dry grass area and lurk by the Great Oak tree, so it’s best to avoid them until players get better armor, weapons, and equipment.

New players can find most materials they need around or close to the Resource Analyzer base, so exploring too far isn’t essential at first. It’s also best to stick to daytime hours until players craft the torch and higher-tier gear, which makes traveling at night much safer to navigate.

17 Leave Ants & Ladybirds Alone

Avoids Unnecessary Fights

Other bugs that can cause problems for new players are ladybirds and ants, so it’s best to leave them alone. Ladybirds are strong and can be tricky to defeat with lower-tier weapons, so it’s best not to pick a fight.

The same goes for ants, which can be cute and curious to investigate, especially when players build a base, so it’s best not to hit them accidentally when chopping grass and various stems. Otherwise, be prepared for chaos as they team up to defend their buddies. Not building bases in the middle of ant tunnels also reduces the chaos created by mass ant destruction.

18 Explore & Analyze To Progress

Gain Raw Science And Unlock More Recipes

In Grounded, discovering and analyzing items is the key to progressing and unlocking new recipes. Although it’s best to avoid certain dangerous areas initially, players must brave the wilderness and expand their reach to source and analyze better materials, which is all part of the fun.

After a big exploration session, it’s a good idea to regularly return to a Resource Analyzer to build Brain Power to level up and unlock new crafting recipes. It’s a great time to replenish supplies, construct new items, and rest before the next big outing.

19 Look Up For Resources

Get More Resources Like Sap Quicker

Having a hard time finding Grounded‘s sap or other elusive materials? Try looking up! Although Grounded shrinks player characters to a minuscule size, that doesn’t stop them from climbing up to explore, find resources, and reach new areas.

Sap can sometimes be sparse and trickier for new players to locate. It’s best to search for fallen twigs, look up, and climb to reach individual sap pieces as needed. When players craft a hammer, they can also bust huge clumps of sap with large clusters found close to the central tree near Old Ant Hill.

20 Make A Workbench

Unlock The Ability To Craft Better Weapons And Tools

Apart from the Pebblet Spear, Axe, and Hammer, the workbench is one of the first essential Utility items to make. Many of Grounded‘s best weapons and tools require a workbench to make, so it’s a core piece of kit to prioritize making first, and fortunately, it doesn’t require many materials to craft.

Players can craft a workbench using three grass planks, four sprigs, and two pieces of sap. Around the time players have a workbench installed, it’s also handy to have grass and weed plank storage beds set up outside the base for tidy and easy organization and construction.