Grounded is the latest game from Obsidian Entertainment and their first release under the umbrella of Xbox Game Studios and Microsoft. The game features four kids who shrink down to a tiny size and attempt to survive in the backyard of a seemingly normal suburban home.
Grounded's combat requires you to fight for survival by crafting tools, building a home, and learning to eliminate any threats around you. Fighting bugs can be tough, but it's possible to succeed if you stick to the methods the game presents to you.
Updated February 23, 2023, by Andrew Scariati: Grounded is packed with a plethora of powerful enemies to locate, learn about, and promptly hunt for their materials. If you're in search of a Grounded combat guide, then we've got your back with a ton of tips and strategies for newcomers and advanced adventurers alike. Ultimately, Grounded is a simple game that wants you to stick to the basics in order to find success in combat. Learn about your enemies, prepare well, choose your battles, and don't hesitate to take every advantage available. The largest bugs will grant you no quarter, so use your armor, weapons, and environmental knowledge to get a leg up on these multi-legged creatures.
12 Get Comfortable
We can dive into the nuances of Grounded combat later, but first, you need to spend time getting comfortable in the world of the backyard. This survival playground may seem relatively small, but there are plenty of resources out there that you'll need if you hope to come out of this experience alive.
You may want to immediately start swinging and jump straight into the combat, but taking a moment to understand the game at a mechanics level will give you the basic understanding you need to adapt to any challenge. If you're prone to mistakes, unbind the 'huck' button, as you'll find yourself accidentally yeeting your weapon at enemies far too often.
11 Make Map Markers
With the numerous materials you collect in Grounded, you can build yourself a home, tools, armor, and much more. One feature you should use as soon as possible is the ability to place map icons called "trail markers." You may place them in the world and assign a specific emblem to them as a reminder on the map.
These will pop up no matter where you are in the world and can be used for home base, and insect spawns. If you focus on this early, you'll know where to go when you feel like getting a sip of water or fighting the terrifying Wolf Spider inside the oak tree.
10 Understand The Environment
Grounded is a survival game, meaning that a lot of the world around you can be interacted with and harvested. You can cut down plants, build things, and climb to new unseen locations. You should learn what the bugs can interact with or climb to know what parts of the yard can be used to your advantage.
For example, some larger plants act as walls to bigger bugs and spiders. Using them as a barrier to get hits from a safe distance is a common strategy and one you should employ as often as possible. It may sound simple, but it's one of the best Grounded combat tips you can learn to ensure your safety.
9 Practice Combat
This may sound obvious, but have you tried practicing your timing against weaker enemies? It may seem like a waste of time to fight things you can defeat in one or two swings of your weapon, but developing the muscle memory of blocking and attacking is essential.
Whether it's a first-person shooter or a fighting game, competitors will tell you that the best way to get rid of nerves and perform at your best is by simply getting hands-on experience. Take the time to fight larger bugs and spiders and get over the fear of interaction. Will you die? Yes, you will die the first several times you engage with them, just keep going and trying new ideas.
8 Attack Patterns
Have you played a FromSoftware title, often referred to as a "Souls-like?" Well, if you have, then you know understanding the attack patterns of the enemy in front of you is everything. Knowing your opponent is half the battle, and this method will come quicker depending on the type of learner you are.
Being able to memorize timing and early animation tells can also give you a leg up. By understanding what attack the bug or spider is about to use, you're conquering half the battle and teaching yourself one of the most useful Grounded advanced tips.
7 Single Them Out
Spiders tend to live in solitary, but several spider spawns in Grounded are right next to each other. If you struggle with the basics of Grounded combat, then try to take on one enemy at a time to focus on their tendencies. The A.I. in Grounded is good but can be manipulated in your favor if you show even a sliver of patience.
On top of isolating your enemy into a one-versus-one scenario, you should also keep the terrain in mind. Circling plants and using them as spacers is a winning strategy against a single opponent.
6 Patience Is Key
Patience isn't only an essential virtue in the real world; it happens to be one of the most useful Grounded fighting tips you can adhere to. In video games, it often feels like pure aggression is the way to go to overcome an enemy and get whatever reward awaits you upon victory; however, this is not the case.
You'll quickly find that Grounded combat focuses on winning a war of attrition rather than a quick brute force battle. Even when you outfit yourself with some of the strongest weapons and armor in the game, you'll still need to stick to your fundamentals and not try to rush through challenging encounters.
5 Armor Up
Many survival games take a "learn on the go" approach, and Grounded is no different. You might not realize that you can craft the best armor in the game if you put in the time to gather and analyze resources. Armor comes in many shapes and sizes and offers you unique bonuses and varying levels of defense.
Try to find which armor fits your play style and work towards crafting a complete set, which will bestow an additional bonus. Your armor can get damaged, so it's also important to craft the repair items needed to get them back in shape once you've finished fighting hordes of bugs and spiders.
4 Learn Their Spawns
Grounded may seem like random chaos, but all the spiders and larger bugs have set spawn areas. This means once you learn where these points are, you'll know how to both avoid and fight particular enemies. Some of these zones are larger or more obvious than others, so you must go out of your way to learn and educate yourself.
Spiders tend to enjoy tightly confined spaces, as well as the wooden fences you'll find in the western and northern areas of the yard. Knowing where spiders live can make your stress levels all but fade away.
3 Initiate From A Distance
Taking advantage of your environment is a key element of Grounded, as is using the space between you and your targets. You can spot many larger bugs, like spiders, from a distance, which is precisely when having a bow and arrow on hand can be immensely helpful.
Some of the best arrows in Grounded are known to be helpful tools that allow you to deal damage from a safe spot. Choices like the Bomb Arrow and Super Venom Arrow will destroy enemy health bars, weakening them for a final blow. Don't hesitate to pick your spots and start the engagement from a safe distance, as it will make many difficult enemies feel like a breeze to defeat once you start softening them up.
2 Learn Their Weaknesses
Many of the toughest bugs will have you feeling like Grounded is too hard, but the key to victory lies in learning their weaknesses. One of the best Grounded combat tips is to look up what forms of damage and powerful status effects each insect is particularly vulnerable to.
Grounded combat relies on more than just swinging your weapon and blocking attacks; you need to ensure you're not using a weapon your foes are resistant to. For example, hitting a Ladybird Larva with a Spicy weapon will reduce damage, but hitting them with the Mint Mace or any Fresh damage will inflict bonus damage.
1 Upgrade Your Weapons
Like with most survival games, Grounded will have you building essential tools and weapons early on in your adventure. In the early hours, these tools will be more than useful in terms of getting you started on the right track. Eventually, once you get your hands on the best weapons in Grounded, you'll want to make them as potent as possible.
As you progress and learn about the world, you'll quickly discover that upgrades are essential if you hope to stand a chance against tougher enemies. If you plan on fighting, you must first be properly equipped by gathering the necessary materials to make the most dangerous and efficient weapons and armor. Upgrade your best weapons and follow this Grounded combat guide to take down the game's hardest challenges with ease.