Short of disabling gear wear when starting a new game, Grounded sometimes feels a bit like playing Zelda Breath of the Wild, with weapons breaking quickly. This is also the case with the shield, which can prove deadly against a large Wolf Spider.
Effects of Elf Charms
Each of the two Elf Charms gives a bonus:
- Left Elf gives chances to repair your shield when blocking/parrying.
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Right Elf gives chance to repair your weapon when attacking.
In our experience, Right Elf is much more interesting, since it applies to all of your weapons, even ranged, and even mining resources. It allows you to almost never have to repair your weapons again, which is a titanic gain in comfort, time and damage. What takes you the most time is to repair the two halves of Sarah's Charm, the one you need to equip, but which is also much more difficult to obtain. You will be forced to do things in order.
Obtain the Left Elf Charm
The first step is to get the Assistant Manager's Map in the Black Ant Lab, which is under the sandbox. It involves using multiple bombs and defeating a boss. Don't expect to just run into the zone.
You then have to explore the pond, and enter one of the flooded outposts, under the roots of the oak tree. The assistant manager's card is required to enter. Bringing at least one snorkel to last longer under water is also recommended. Inside, a lever opens the doors to the Strain Lab , which is the next step. And above all you will also find the first part of Sarah's charm, the Left Elf Charm .
Obtain the Right Elf Charm
The next step involves going to the other end of the upper garden, to a very dangerous area. There's nothing stopping you from going there straight away once the lab has been opened, but be prepared to run. Also plan stocks of water and food.
Go to the northeast area of the garden, to the center of the stump. You don't have to climb it to get in, you can just swim in the puddles around it.
You can climb the rocks to reach the entrance, or make a staircase, for example. Watch out for wolf spiders and ticks that squat the area. They look like dust mites, but they hurt a lot more.
To explore this laboratory, the Daredevil mutation is highly recommended, the falls will be numerous and painful. The fact that this lab is knocked down makes it very difficult to navigate, and also tends to be disorienting. You will have to jump on the edge of the objects in order to climb in the different sections. Once again, plan a good supply of water and food, you may spend some time inside, especially if the platforming aspect of the game is not your forte.
Go down the hall, then start exploring. You can find a briefcase with the special Mantis Kebab crafting blueprint, used to summon the Praying Mantis boss .
By climbing to the upper level, you will reach a hole on the side, in the wall, with a chest. Inside you can find Sarah's Charm Right Elf Charm.
Continuing to climb, you will reach the room above, with a console to activate, in order to open the closed door in the previous room. Turning around isn't easy either. Going down to the first room is easy, go through the back door, to reach the Crushed Chip of BURG.L. After collecting the chip, you can exit through a hole in the lab, which leads to a cave full of marble and quartzite to smash.
If you thought you could just merge the two halves of the charm now, we have bad news for you. You need Pond Moss, which requires going to rub shoulders with the Black Widows.
