Obsidian Entertainment has released a big new update for its survival sandbox crafting title, Grounded. The Super Duper Update adds over 100 new items, Wasps which are decidedly not your friends, and a machine for duplicating items. Check out the release trailer below.
Along with the wasps are drones and mini-hives, but there is a main nest. Explore enough, and you might find the new boss – the Wasp Queen. As for the item duplication machine, it’s called Super Duper (surprise) and produces copies of items and gear. You’ll need to collect a Duper Disc to use it and even more to upgrade it and clone higher-rarity equipment and items.
Raw Science is also necessary, but it’s very helpful – imagine duping a set of gear for your friends, helping them catch up to your level. Another new feature is Base Coziness, which can unlock new recipes for decorating buildings, new emotes, buffs that gradually heal while reducing the drain on hunger and thirst, and even a mutation that helps in base building.
Check out some of the patch notes below and the full notes here. Grounded is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
The Super Duper Update
New Features
Wasps Swarm the Yard
Get ready to buzz with excitement as wasps invade the yard. Battle with wasps and drones that guard their mini hives across the upper yard. Keep your eyes peeled for the hidden main nest as well. A word of caution: piss off their kin and you’ll release the full fury of the hive.
New Boss: Wasp Queen
- Cozy within her hidden hive, the ominous queen of the skies awaits.
Super Duper (Item Duplication Machine)
Introducing the Super Duper!
- The Super Duper is a new piece of equipment installed in the Oak Lab that duplicates gear and items using Raw Science.
- Find Duper Discs in the yard labs, which upgrade the Super Duper to clone even more items. The first disc unlocks operation of the Super Duper, while the other discs unlock duping of higher-tier equipment and items.
- Any equipment that is duped will include all the item’s Smithing upgrades.
- Higher-tier equipment costs more Raw Science to dupe.
- It can even duplicate trinkets, unique items, and upgrade stones!
- Example: Duplicate an upgraded equipment set for your friends if they are joining your party mid-way through your adventure!
Chillax at your Base
Bases are more than just protection against giant insects that want to eat you. They are also for making you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
- Buildings now exude cozy vibes when you are nearby. If you are around enough cozy buildings, your level of coziness will rise.
- For each new level of coziness you reach, you can unlock new things:
- New decorative building recipes
- A mutation useful for base building
- New emotes to expand your body language
- Being in a cozy location will also give you status effects that decrease your hunger and thirst drain and slowly heal you.
- Multiple buildings of the same type don’t give you the same level of coziness. For example, one bed will provide lots of coziness, but a second bed of the same type will only give you a little more coziness.
- There are five levels of coziness. Your current coziness level will show on your HUD if it is at least 1.
- Note: Some existing decorative buildings are now unlocked via the coziness system instead of by analyzing a material (such as the Grandfather Clock).
Handy Gnat Helps You Build
Have a large base renovation in mind? Tired of gravity holding you down? Then see what the buzz is about and call on your local construction pro: Handy Gnat!
- As Handy Gnat, you can fly around to build and customize bases to your heart’s content.
- In order to use Handy Gnat, you must have the “Handy Gnat Unlocked” custom game option toggled on. This option is on by default in Creative and Creative with Bugs game modes. For
- Survival game modes, you must convert your game to a Custom Game first in the Game Settings menu to enable this feature.
- Once enabled, Handy Gnat can be activated in the Crafting menu or the Construction radial.
Handy Gnat can build from storage near your teen and even haul Grass Planks and Weed Stems.