One of the first things to do in Grounded is to build a small base with shelter and a workbench. Choosing the right position is important, but less so than the position of what will become your main base for the rest of the game. We are going to go through different scenarios depending on your progress and your ambitions, in order to help you choose what to do, and more importantly, where to do it.
The first base
We advise you to build your first makeshift base next to the very first research station in the game, not far from the strange machine. The reasons are many, all the resources you need at the beginning are nearby. There's plenty of water and food, and most importantly, you're going to have to use the Loop Analyzer initially, so having it handy is the priority. The important thing is to quickly build grass walls all around the camp, to prevent the ants from coming to use your chests. You might get a wolf spider or two wandering around your base early in the game, but other than that you'll be relatively quiet here.
It's not too bad of a choice to make this your permanent base if you just plan to play around a bit, or one to finish the story quickly without building a super neat and elaborate base, complete with ziplines to speed up. movements on the map.
Oak, the ideal place for a great base
It's going to take some work, but if you really want to play the long game, and do it right, the perfect base has to be on the trunk of the oak tree in the middle of the garden. The reasons are many, besides the proximity to quite a few very useful resources like acorns, cobwebs, an analyzer and others, it is a central position in the garden, which avoids having to go too far during your outgoing shipments. And above all, the tree offers an ideal configuration to build a network of zip lines. The edge of the pond and the top of the roots serve as a return point, and the base built high up serves as a starting point for zip lines to distant corners of the garden. The difference in elevation and the absence of obstacles is vital for zip lines. Unlike artificial objects in the garden, the oak tree also allows you to build directly on it, which will make your job easier, and prevent everything from being destroyed on the first attack. The roots are also a form of natural defense, and the horrible spiders lurking around aren't a problem as long as you stay above them.
The secondary bases
Before having fun creating a titanic network of zip lines (or if you don't intend to do so), it is vital to establish small relay bases in the advanced biomes. This includes a shelter, a workbench, a few chests to empty your bags into, dew catchers, a roasting spit, a lair, and possibly a few more buildings depending on your needs at the time. The shelter allows you to fix your resurrection point nearby, which avoids having to cross the whole map again in the event of death. There are quite a few factors to consider for these bases, but proximity to an important area, resource availability, and security are important. Here is a list of positions that we advise you to colonize on the map.
Hedge (southeast corner)
Building a small base in the high branches, near the Research Post and the juice box is a good idea. You're going to have to squat the area for berries, and there isn't much dew or food naturally in the area. You're also going to need to build a few bridges to reach the nearby birdbath and zip line anyway, so might as well take advantage of that. It will also serve as a fallback point to explore the lab of the Hedge, which is quite strong and deadly. The big flaw in the area is that you have to travel a long distance to transport materials like grass, so plan for red chitin armor, and keep facilities to a minimum.
Pond (North of the oak)
The exploration of the underwater depths requires very specialized equipment, completely different from that used elsewhere. It also uses different materials. As a bonus, it's terribly dangerous, between the carp capable of killing you instantly, and the drownings that are likely to happen to you regularly. So it makes sense to build a base with chests to store it all and shelter for proximity. You have several possible locations for this base, the first is simply to build it on a flowering water lily, in the middle of the pond. This has the advantage of being simple, central and easily accessible. Absolutely nothing is going to attack you there. The alternative is to build the base in the stone column to the right of the pond, since it is hollow. It even includes a research station and raven feathers. This has the disadvantage of being off center on the pond. But its potential in the long term is fantastic, since you will be able to use it as an outpost and access point to the last areas of the garden. By taking the time to build a bridge or two that lead to the shore, then building stairs in some form or another, it's going to get you to the next level quickly and easily.
Sandbox (Northwest corner)
Reaching the sandbox area is complicated, it requires either Climbing on the picnic table beforehand, or making a big detour through the garbage cans to take the galleries of the black ants. Grilling and thirst are deadly enemies as a bonus in the sandbox. Building a base in the nook with plants is a good idea, especially on the islet, since the Antlions won't be able to cross. With dew collectors and a shelter, exploring the lab will prove easier.
Logging (Northwest)
A good point to initiate the attack on the termite den and the shelter (with its boss) is the stump in which an ax is planted. It is a totally safe location, in the middle of a particularly hostile area. You can easily use the ax handle to access the top of the woodpile, or the front of the shelter, after building a bridge. This turns out to be a fantastic shortcut, and a safety measure before facing the Termite King or the Praying Mantis.
