Grounded 2's first major content update delivers a new biome, bugs, a sweet new mount, and a really big snake

The first major content update for the backyard survival sim Grounded 2 went live today with a new Garden Patch biome, new creatures (friendly and otherwise), and "the mysterious Tang effect," the result of an experiment gone wrong at Ominent Practical Technologies that's corrupting the soil, water, and unsuspecting creatures alike.

Toxic Tangle adds a new vine-choked Garden biome, "ripe for exploration, stacked with vertical climbs, secret stashes, and probably a bug or two you didn’t see coming." And of course danger, as Obsidian warned players to "bring your best gear—and maybe a backup plan."

New creatures include black ants, fireflies, wasps, rust and potato beetles, earwigs, crickets, wooly aphids, "and something much bigger"—the Snake Colossus, I presume? There's also a sweet new mount, the Ladybug Buggy, "a heavy-duty, tank-style mount equipped with a pressurized water cannon" that can blast enemies and rinse away Tang. The Ladybug Buggy also has a powerful charge and slowly regenerates health over time.

Mutations have been divided into actives and passives, and the builder toolkit has been expanded with new kits. The Garden MIX.R and O.R.C. wave challenges are also now live.

"Alongside this update, we’re preparing for the return of Playgrounds Mode, entering PTB (Public Test Beta) in February with all the core tools from the first Grounded," Obsidian wrote. "Whether you’re building mini-games, boss arenas, or custom gauntlets, Playgrounds will give creators the tools they need to thrive."

The Toxic Tangle update is live now—check out the full patch notes below.

New Features

Ladybug Buggy

• Eliminate your opponent with its anti-air cannon and be sure to clean the sky from any foes you meet along the way. With it, clean the Tang buildup you come across or decrease the Tang building on other friendlies....or enemies. Be sure to refill your reservoir at water sources around the park to never run out of ammo.
• It's the most tanky and robust buggy yet, capable of healing itself and it has a slight resistance to the new tang effect spread across the Garden. Even with a cannon strapped to it's back that isn't its only mean of attack as the ladybug can unleash a powerful ramming maneuver that will knock your opponent out.

Tang

• Ominent's latest experiments with sour resources have unsurprisingly... gone out of control, and now the garden is tainted with sour spills and caustic lakes. 

Masked Stranger Boss fight

• The Masked Stranger may have withdrawn from your first conflict with her; however she is far from defeated. Be on your toes as you could expect to see her again in the Garden and she may not be alone.

Snake Colossus

• The unstoppable slithering serpent slinks savagely throughout the Croquet Court near the outside wall of the Garden. Prepare to meet our largest colossus yet! 

New sap bandage

• Now an easy way to heal your buggy!

Passive vs Active Mutations

• Mutations are now split between active and passive. Active mutations will work like normal and still need to be equipped and swapped based on your situation. Passive mutations currently work with your weapon set and will be applied automatically when you switch equipment. There will be more passive mutations coming throughout development.

New Content

Garden Questline

• New Landmarks
• Anthills
• Labs
• Ranger outposts

New resources

• Gloom Shroom
• Cactus Flower
• Fertilizer
• Keylime
• Pumpkin
• Potato
• Carrot
• Corn Dog
• Pretzel
• Chrysalis Hide
• Returning resources: Lint, Gunpowder Clump, Wood Splinter, Rust, Pinecone Piece, Spiky Bur, Sturdy Marble and Quartzite

New Creatures

• Cricket
• Pincher Earwig
• Whipper Earwig
• Woolly Aphid
• Rust Beetle
• Potato Beetle
• Wasp
• Wasp Drone

Armor

• Cricket Cap
• Cricket Vest
• Cricket Shin Guards
• Earwig Kasa
• Earwig Cuirass
• Earwig Greaves
• Serpent Hood
• Serpent Mail
• Serpent Boots
• Rusty Boots
• Rusty Robes
• Rusty Circlet
• Potato Beetle Helmet
• Potato Beetle Chestplate
• Potato Beetle Shin Guards
• Wasp Greaves
• Wasp Breastplate
• Wasp Helm

Weapons

• Cricket Lute Bow
• Earwig Sword
• Caustic Ruin
• Sour Banger
• Sour Katanga
• Hearty Arrow
• Great Mint Arrow
• Great Spicy Arrow
• Great Venom Arrow
• Boom Stick (unique weapon)
• Discord (unique weapon)
• Crimson Reapers (unique weapon)
• Wither Sting (unique weapon)

Trinkets

• Pincer Pincher Trinket
• Fabulous Femur Trinket

Founder’s Pack Update

• High Roller's Dice Bag
• Champion's Brazier
• Champion's Banner
• Adventurer's Table
• Throne of P'wn
• Minotaur Mount

New Buildings

• Ponic Patch
• Ladybug Nest
• Floor hatches
• Snake roof Kit
• Pumpkin Kit
• Mushroom Kit (reskin)
• Thatch Awning Kit
• Acorn Stairs Kit update

New Garden ORC Waves & MIX.R

Mutations

• Hauling Hero (returning)
• Bardic Inspiration (revamp)
• Sour Sensation (revamp)
• Whittle Wizard (revamp)

General Changes:

• Artbook has been updated with new Toxic Tangle content
• New main menu art has been added

Balance Changes:

• Fabulous Femur:
  • Trigger chance reduced from 20% -> 7%
  • Crit buff reduced from 50% -> 25%
  • Buff duration reduced from 5 -> 3 seconds
• Pinchwhacker
  • Base Damage reduced from 33 -> 30
  • Stun was reduced from 7 → 6
• Volatile Capacitor Shock Damage reduced from 15 → 10
• Shellshocker Shield Shock Damage reduced from 45 -> 30.

Returning Content & Features

Creatures armors, weapons

• Firefly
• Black Soldier Ant
• Black Worker Ant

Armors

• Firefly Head Lamp
• Black Ant Legplates
• Black Ant Arm Guards
• Black Ant Helmet
• Black Ant Shield

Weapons

• Black Ant Sword
• Rusty Spear

Crafting Station

• Glue masher, (updated & new recipes)

Community Requested & QOL Features

• Made sure the order of items and bestiary were consistent
• Updated the pebblet path and curved pebblet path cost to 3 pebblets
• Create more space between players and their buggies for a more fluid experience
• Added coordinates in the map menu
• Upgraded weapons now keep their hotpouch assignment
• Jerky rack and roasting spit interfaces updated and now allow for proximity chests
• Unique weapons can now be crafted via the workbench
• Glowsticks glow brighter and longer
• Drawn arrows can be cancelled

Holiday updates

Valentine's

• Chocolate smoochies (returning)
• Smoochies Chunks (returning)
• Valentine’s Fortune (returning)
• Cupid’s arrow (returning)
• Great Cupid’s arrow (new)

Bug Fixes

• Seasonal decorations can remain in your base past their respective holiday months without resulting in a crash.
• Corrected the player’s jump speed and distance while jumping (from a sprint) on player-built structures.
• Fixed various Out of the World gaps in the terrain.
• Any fix that changes the “Map” in any way has a chance to move geometry (your base) as an after result.
• Milkweed pods in front of the Snackbar no longer fall through the terrain.
• Corrected an issue that allowed Dandelion Tufts to be triggered while standing on a surface’s edge.
• The Hauling Hero mutation only works while on foot (not available while riding buggies).
• Fixed a bug where the camera lens could not be repositioned when in freecam mode.
• Fixed an issue where players would not have control of their character for a few seconds after loading their game.
• Agatha Brief’s press badge no longer appears with a distorted holographic texture.
• SFX from the Fireworks Launcher can now be heard from farther distances.
• Adjusted the placement of some early-game resources to ensure players can easily reach them.
• Fixed an issue where a client could take over the host’s buggy if players both whistled at the same time.
• Corrected an issue that could result in players instantly dying when knocked off their Orb Weaver Buggy.
• Using the Omni-Tool to chop down resources while standing on a player-built structure is easier / requires less specific positioning.
• Creatures move more intuitively around fallen crow feathers.
• Weapons thrown at AXL no longer fall through the terrain after inflicting damage.
• Mosquitoes no longer fall asleep while midair.
• Corrected an issue where the player inflicted more damage via status effects on higher difficulties.
• SFX associated with the Masked Stranger’s calls will no longer persist in the pause menu (if the player pauses the game mid-call).
• O.R.C. creatures no longer appear without wearing their O.R.C. receivers.
• Corrected an issue that would automatically repair damaged gear after loading a save file while playing on Mild difficulty.
• Resource Finder tooltips now change the buttons or keys displayed if the player swaps between keyboard and controller while it’s on‑screen.
• Staff attacks no longer home in on creatures that are actively underground.
• When the game auto-saves while the player is midair, the save file will now accurately list the player’s location.
• Splatburst explosions have an area of effect more accurate to their final location (before exploding) when thrown in interiors.
• Fixed an issue where the player wasn’t able to unlock Gold Cards while on a buggy.
• Sturdy Marble and Spicy Candy no longer overlap each other in anthills.
• Corrected an issue where a player’s buggy could remain infinitely downed (without actually being knocked out) when certain save/load conditions were met.
• Players should no longer load into the world before their location is fully loaded.
• Included slime as a listed resource the Snail can drop in its creature card description.
• The Snail should no longer stretch and warp in surreal and horrific ways when observed from a far distance.
• Fixed an issue where the Wolf Spider and Praying Mantis Nymph would not respawn in the Pine Hill region.
• Corrected an issue where the Loot Luck: Caterpillar and Loot Luck: Garden Snail buffs did not specifically boost item drop rates for those creatures.
• Opening a treasure chest with a full inventory will no longer cause the loot inside the chest to disappear.
• Fixed an issue where gnats could fall through the terrain if killed above specific puddles.
• Attacking sacks of accumulated resources will not cause them to disappear.
• Spears thrown at a downward angle in first-person view now follow a trajectory more accurate to the reticle.
• Mosquitoes are more accurate when using their 3‑hit combo.
• If attacked by a player standing on their back, ladybugs will prioritize bucking the attacking player off.
• Fixed an issue where building UI elements would get unintentionally discolored during Masked Stranger calls.
• Fixed an issue where the player was able to throw certain items through walls (often resulting in them becoming inaccessible).
• Savvy players can no longer avoid triggering O.R.C. waves by refusing to build spike traps; the O.R.C. waves will now find an opportune time to strike.
• Crow Feather Pieces burst out of chopped crow feathers in a less violent and more easily collected way.

Public Test Fixes

• Resolved an issue where the Grass Side Table would disappear when updating to the Winter Update.
• Addressed a problem where the Sour Seed would disappear for clients.
• Corrected an issue where the Sour Seed would vanish after a Save/Load.
• Resolved an issue where the scanner that starts the fight with the Mysterious Stranger would not appear after a Save/Load.
• Fixed an issue where the player could not easily obtain an unassigned buggy in the nest.
• Adjusted Handy Gnat movement so it properly maps to player movement controls.
• Cleaned up various art placeholders still left in the PTB build.
• Cleaned up miscellaneous placeholder strings around the PTB.
• Addressed multiple issues preventing players from placing blueprints or building.
• Corrected an issue where rotten potatoes required two Sour Bombs to explode.
• Addressed an issue where Raw Science was not spawning on saves made in 0.2.2.5.
• Resolved a problem where the ORC raid notification prevented the player from sleeping.
• Eliminated a crash caused by PEEP.R tracking more than one item; PEEP.RR was moved back to 4 on all platforms.
• Corrected an issue where the SCAB.2k Scanner was visible to clients in multiplayer, allowing the multiplayer team to trigger the Mysterious Stranger fight early.
• Fixed a situation where Passive Mutations became stuck and could not be unequipped, including cases where they remained equipped across multiple loadouts.
• Prevented the Sour Seed from being lost after saving and loading.
• Restored ability to use Large Pallets.
• Adjusted armor upgrade behavior so Bulky and Sleek paths no longer shared identical stats during path switching.
• Updated Sour Staff behavior so projectiles matched intended length and reliably connected with targets.
• Ensured that recipes unlocked properly when analyzing the correct resources.
• Addressed a crash that occurred when Alt‑tabbing on PC.
• Resolved a foliage‑related crash that could occur under certain conditions.
• If you’ve lost the Sour Seed, it will respawn after you’ve slept.
• Bur Weed now respawns properly for players.
• Scorpion animation optimizations.
• Players should now no longer get thrown out of the world when getting off and on your buggies.
• Fixed a crash relating to the BUILD.M menu.