Grounded finally left early access on September 27, 2022, after more than two years. The game is really excellent, and the players had the time to experiment with its mechanisms, and to discover the best practices in order to progress in the best conditions. Here are our tips to guide your first steps in the garden.
First steps
- In the beginning, collect (and analyze) absolutely everything you come across, and don't skimp on the quantities. This will often unlock crafting recipes, and these basic components are required to survive and craft whatever you need.
- You can take out and/or put away items by clicking on the quick item bar or pressing the hotkey, so you can take out what you need
- You will quickly find a field station with a resource analyzer that has 3 charges. Analyzing an object unlocks new recipes, so don't hesitate. The analyzer recharges in about 5 minutes, so check back regularly. There are also several analyzers on the map, you can tour them if you have a large inventory of overdue analyses.
- Drinking from puddles will increase hunger, so it's still a viable option if you have food in stock, but usually you have enough dew on the blades of grass: throw a pebble or kick its holder .
- In single player mode, going to inventory does not pause the game. Hunger and thirst gauges continue to drain, and you can be attacked while looking at your items. Instead, open the game menu if you need to go do something else.
- The night is dangerous: visibility is reduced, and fearsome wolf spiders are nocturnal. Going to sleep until dawn is a way to avoid a lot of trouble. In multiplayer, each player must have their own bed to activate rest and advance time.
- The automatic garden map does not mark all items like certain resources, or certain points of interest. This is especially true for anything you've built yourself, like the bases. We therefore advise you to make a few markers and add an icon to them in order to have a personalized and more detailed map. It also helps to orient oneself to return home.
- The cartons and cans of fruit juice are your friends, drops of liquid appear around them regularly. It's a good way to quench your evening and refill your water bottle after you've crafted it.
- Switch the camera to 3rd person (U by default on PC) to have a much wider field of vision and better control of the positioning of your character.
- Your priority is to progress through the main story initially, reactivate the strange machine, and then go investigate the oak accident as soon as possible , in order to unlock important game features.
fights
- It is easy to recognize hostile insects, they have red eyes when they attack. If they're not attacking another insect, you're probably their target.
- Scan all insects with your vision (X by default on PC). Then go to the "Data" tab to see what type of weapon and damage they are vulnerable to. Spiders fear axes, for example.
- It's a survival game, not an FPS, the objective is not to kill everything you come across at the start. It is better to avoid large insects, and especially spiders, until you are well equipped and experienced, otherwise you will be killed instantly.
- Crafting Acorn Armor quickly will greatly improve your survivability.
- Ants are peaceful outside the anthill, at least as long as you don't disturb them. In the event of a fight, they will call for reinforcements and a rather formidable soldier ant, so expect reinforcements.
- Bandages heal over time. No need to use several at the same time, it is better to use one quickly, even in combat, and to temporize.
- The shield allows you to perform a perfect block if you use it stacks at the moment of the attack. You don't take damage and it doesn't consume stamina. You can defeat almost anything by mastering this technique.
- Using a high position and a bow is an easy and safe way to kill dangerous enemies. But keep in mind that plants can often be destroyed by insects, it can knock you off your feet.
- Some spiders are diurnal, others nocturnal. When you hear snoring, crouch down to make less noise.
- When exploring a dangerous area, crafting a temporary shelter nearby and moving your resurrection point there means you don't have to travel far to recover your body and belongings.
Manufacturing / Craft
- Crafting Dew Catchers and Mushroom Fields helps ensure regular water and food sources at camp, which is a big time saver in the long run.
- Feel free to craft new bases as you progress, so you have everything you need near the area you're currently exploring. This also allows for closer respawn points.
- BURG.L unlocks new blueprints by giving him microchips.
- Each armor set has its own bonuses, each more or less suitable for a specific situation. Equipping a full set grants additional bonuses.
- The red ant armor set allows one to infiltrate their anthill without being spotted. This allows it to be explored and plundered without having to face the whole horde.
- The larger a base, the higher the chance of insect attacks. It is better to build them in high and difficult to access areas when possible. It is possible to build extremely well-protected bases when you have found an access point, for example above the lamps, or even on the surface of the pond.
- Killing large insects and spiders is required to unlock higher ranks, whether for tools or weapons. When you get stuck, go stalking new prey and looking for new resources.
