Today, the Grounded team is launching the latest free update to the game: The Bugs Strike Back, available now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows 10/11 and with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Steam Early Access. Players have had fun exploring the yard since the early access launch and have defeated many, many, many bugs. But the bugs are tired and they aren’t putting up with the attacks anymore.
Newly added to Grounded are three different ways the bugs can get their revenge on players. First, in true Obsidian fashion, there is Faction Reactivity. Bugs will take the fight back to your base when they get tired of you intruding on their territory or killing their kind. The more you annoy a particular species, the more likely they will come knocking at your door.
Second, you can decide on what type of bugs you want to draw to you with the Waft Emitter. Throw your pile of collected bug parts from downed creatures into the machine and watch as the blend wafts throughout the yard. This will cause the correlating bugs to become enraged and want to exact revenge on you. Of course, the more you add, the angrier the bugs will be, so keep that in mind and don’t just toss piles of parts in without thought.
Rounding out the trio, there are the new MIX.Rs spread throughout the yard. These tanks are mixing some good ol’ Raw Science for Wendell’s experiments. Players can obtain that heap of Raw Science for their own by turning on the MIX.R, but that will overdrive the system causing it to make a scene. The nearby bugs don’t take kindly to what the MIX.R is doing and will do everything they can to destroy it, so it’s up to players to defend the MIX.R until its process is over to collect that huge reward of Raw Science from each one.
Building up bases will help in your defense against the hordes of insects striking back at players, but the team has also made sure to include some new items for assistance. Players can now upgrade their armor, which ultimately will allow them to decide on a permanent buff like a dust cloud that will release when attacked, or an increase in the amount of damage they can endure. New turrets have been added, such as the Pollen Turret which can help slow down and stun the creepy crawlers as they attempt to tear down bases. The Pebble Turret shoots pebblets at high speeds to help keep the hordes at bay. And the newly added Explosive Burr Traps will lie dormant until players decide to spice things up by strategically placing them and setting them off.
It isn’t just building out a proper defense that will give players an advantage against the swarm. A new feature added to the PEEP.R allows for players to “peep” creatures, which will give them a collectible Creature Card. These cards contain information on what that insect is weak and strong against, how many of said creatures the player has slain, and more to help the players in their travels. There is even a chance to get very rare gold editions of these cards, so get out there and get to peep in’.
While the base defense features, armor upgrades, and hordes of bugs coming for revenge are the bulk of this update, there is also a whole host of new community requested quality of life features that are making their way to the game. From the ability to name all of the individual boxes in which players have taken the time to organize their hard earned and crafted items, to being able to trash those piles of items that a “friend” tossed around the yard when they were “helping” clear out some grass, there is a lot in store. Check out the latest Grounded Developer Vlog on the Obsidian YouTube Channel for more details, or get a look at the full patch notes. As always, the team encourages players to share their feedback on everything in this update with them through the official Discord server so together we can continue to make Grounded the game we all want to play.
Grounded is available now as an Xbox Game Preview title for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows 10/11, and with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Steam Early Access for $29.99.
For more information, please visit the official website.
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