Everything you need to know about the Hairy and Scary Update
The first big update coming to Grounded 2 and we couldn’t be more excited! In this guide we will go over everything you can expect, and need to know about the update.
The New Boss Fight against AXL
In this update, AXL who has been purchased from Noahs Pet Store has been dropped in the park and has escaped his home. He has made his way to the North West Side of the Map where you will be able to go and fight him!
This is the highlight of the new update, which will be an optional encounter. To take him on, you’ll need to find a new offering recipe somewhere in the world, which will allow you to summon the boss. When you defeat AXL, you can get a new armor set, two new trinkets, and three new weapons: a spear, a great bow, and arrows. You can also craft AXL-themed furniture, like a candle, throne, and a chest, along with a stuffed version of the boss and a wall mount to show off your victory.
We have a full guide here on Where to find Axl and how to defeat him!
New Weapons, Armor, and Buildings
Besides the AXL gear, you can also craft a new Praying Mantis armor set and a bunch of new buildings. A new system called BUILD.M is coming, which will replace the old construction radial menu. This should make building things easier. New building options include a Wolf Spider Rug, quarter triangle floors, and a pine expansion set for walls, tables, stools, and a lounger. You can also build a Scorpion Bed and Scorpion Lamp.
Holiday Update
In October, a new holiday update will be available, and it’s all about Halloween. You can buy the Trick-or-Treatery Building at the Ranger Station, and you’ll find new spooky ambient sounds and effects. Some resources in the world will even be replaced by Candy Corn.
Community & Quality of Life Features
The developers have added several community-requested features and quality-of-life (QOL) improvements. A big one is that the hotpouch will now be permanent in the inventory screen and can be used while riding a buggy, which should make things a lot smoother. Additionally, the Orb Weaver will no longer receive fall damage, and set bonus information is now available in the “Explore” popup, which is a very welcome change.
Combat Balancing and Optimization
This update also includes a significant combat rebalancing pass to get ready for Tier 3 content and to adjust some overpowered gear and mutations for the AXL fight. Some of the most notable changes include:
- Global Tweaks: Critical hit damage, stun damage, and parry stun have all been reduced across the board.
- Weapon Adjustments: The critical hit chance for several daggers and claws has been adjusted, fist weapons now deal less stun, and overall bow damage has been reduced.
- Armor & Mutations: The Rogue armor’s critical hit chance is slightly reduced, and the Northern Armor’s set bonus will now immobilize the target instead of stunning it. The Ambush, Assassin, and Sharpshooter mutations have all had their critical hit damage or chance reduced. The Smasher mutation’s damage multiplier while creatures are stunned has been increased, which could be a useful change for players who rely on that.
- Creature Changes: Bombardier Beetles now resist stabbing damage instead of smashing damage, and their weakness to Fresh has been reduced. The Wolf Spider’s health and resistance to stabbing have both been increased, and the Praying Mantis’s health has been increased.
The patch also includes the first steps toward major performance improvements, with general optimizations and new graphic options like view distance, anti-aliasing, and global illumination (Lumen).
There is also an extensive list of bug fixes which you can find on the Grounded 2 Forums here: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/136257-public-test-patch-notes-for-update-020/