By Joel Franey
published
The strongest early and late-game weapon recipes in Grounded, and how to upgrade them.
Jump to:
- Best weapons
- How to upgrade weapons
- Combat and weapon tips
The best Grounded weapons will depend on whether you're in the early or late game, with available recipes and resources dictating what you can make and use. The best weapons in Grounded are also contextual - different bugs and boss fights have their own weaknesses and resistances, so choosing the right weapon can make a huge difference, even beyond the differences of tiers 1-3 (sometimes called weapon levels). For that reason, we've listed all the different options for the best weapons in Grounded below, broken up into weapon types and for both the early-and-late game. We've even covered how to unlock, craft and upgrade the weapons you need!
All Grounded's best weapons
Because Grounded weapons are best understood when broken into types, as mentioned above, we've done the same in how we've arranged them. Click below for what you need:
- Best Melee weapons
- Best Ranged weapons
- Best Busting weapons
- Best Chopping weapons
- Best Underwater weapons
There are definitely objects that can be used to damage enemies beyond these - such as shovels, torches and the Repair Tool - but they're not really meant to be used in this way except as a last resort. However, some tools - like the Busting hammers and Chopping axes - can work in both technical and terrifying situations, and are used to break through the defenses of certain enemies. We'll cover those as they come up - starting with basic bug-killing melee weapons.
Best melee weapons in Grounded
Grounded armor
Don't just be offensive, protect yourself with the best armor in Grounded!
For players starting off, we recommend getting the Red Ant Club - probably the easiest Tier 2 weapon to get in the game. North of the Hedge is a small cave built into the brick wall - there's a rotten Red Ant Club in there that you can analyze and learn the recipe for a proper one.
For late game, your choices are probably either the Mint Mace, or the Club of the Mother Demon - but considering you have to kill the Grounded Broodmother to get that, we recommend the Mint Mace. It's still tough to reach, but it's not as much of a process, and the additional Minty Fresh damage doesn't hurt (well, not YOU, at least).
- Early game: Red Ant Club (Tier 2)
- How to unlock recipe: Brainpower level 5, or analyzing Red Ant Mandibles/Red Ant Parts/Rotten Ant Club
- Crafting recipe: Red Ant Parts (4), Crude Rope (2), Red Ant Mandibles (2)
- Late game: Mint Mace (Tier 3)
- How to unlock recipe: Purchased from BURG.L at the Oak Lab after giving him the Picnic Chip from the Picnic Table (requires you to find the Grounded Minotaur Maze Key). Costs 2500 Science.
- Crafting recipe: Mint Glob (5), Flower Petal (5), Tough Gunk (10)
Best ranged weapons in Grounded
For fighting at a distance - something we recommend in our Grounded tips page - players will inevitably start off with the Sprig Bow, as the other ranged weapons are incredibly hard to get - who wants to have to kill one of the Grounded Spiders early on? The Sprig Bow works well enough, and it's easy to make and use until you're ready to work up to something tougher.
Once you are ready though, it's time to upgrade - and we recommend the Crow Crossbow. Sure, it's slower to fire than the Insect Bow, but does a lot more damage - and if you're fighting from a distance, you probably have that little extra time to manage your shots.
For those wondering - no, there are no Tier 3 ranged weapons at time of writing, though you can make Arrows that are Tier 3.
- Early game: Sprig Bow (Tier 1)
- How to unlock recipe: Brainpower level 2, or analyzing Crude Rope/Gnat Fuzz
- Crafting recipe: Sprig (3), Gnat Fuzz (4), Crude Rope (2)
- Late game: Cross Crossbow (Tier 2)
- How to unlock recipe: Analyze Crow Feather Piece
- Crafting recipe: Crow Feather Piece (6), Acorn Shell (4), Silk Rope (4)
Best busting weapons in Grounded
Busting weapons in Grounded are actually meant to be tools used for breaking open certain rocks and rock-like substances, but they can also work on very specific enemies - for example, Ladybugs and robotic enemies both go down fast when you crack their shells with these hammers.
For early game, you don't have many options - the Pebblet Hammer is atrocious as a weapon, and the next step up is the Insect Hammer, which is more mid-game. You might have to go a little further afield to the Hedge to get the necessary ingredients, but it's worth it if you're ready to inflict some blunt force trauma.
The best busting weapon is the Black Ox Hammer - no debate required, there's only three Busting weapons and this one has the best stats with no drawbacks, doing double the damage of the Insect Hammer. Be warned - you'll have to kill at least one incredibly durable Black Ox Beetle to make them, and potentially more, based on drop rate.
- Early game: Insect Hammer (Tier 2)
- How to unlock recipe: Brainpower level 6, or analyzing Berry Leather/Boiling Gland
- Crafting recipe: Sprig (3), Gnat Fuzz (4), Crude Rope (2)
- Late game: Black Ox Hammer (Tier 3)
- How to unlock recipe: Brainpower level 13, or analyzing Black Ox Horn
- Crafting recipe: Black Ox Horn (1), Black Ox Part (5), Pupa Leather (2)
Best chopping weapons in Grounded
Like the busting hammers, chopping axes don't really have a lot of options, as you're supposed to use them on objects for resource harvesting and the occasional weakness exploit. Again, there's only three axes in the game, and the worst of them - the Pebblet Axe, shown above - is unusable in a combat context. Make one, of course, but for an actual chopping weapon, players in the early game should head for the Insect Axe, a Tier 2 tool that'll require some work. If you really want an in-depth explainer on how to get one, our Grounded Axe level 2 guide will explain it clearly.
For the late game, take the final option - the Termite Axe. It's fast-hitting with decent enough damage, and will cut through any substance that axes can cut. Just get ready to kill some termites to earn it first, which are found in the Grounded Upper Yard to the West of the Shed (effectively the upper left corner of the whole map).
- Early game: Insect Axe (Tier 2)
- How to unlock recipe: Brainpower level 6, or analyzing Bombardier Part/Ladybug Head/Silk Rope
- Crafting recipe: Ladybug Head (1), Bombardier Part (3), Silk Rope (4)
- Late game: Termite Axe (Tier 3)
- How to unlock recipe: Brainpower level 12, or analyzing Termite Chompers/Termite Part
- Crafting recipe: Termite Chompers (2), Termite Part (3), Tough Gunk (4)
Best Underwater weapons in Grounded
If you're diving into the Koi Pond or other subaquatic areas, you'll need weapons designed for fighting there - specifically the special underwater daggers and tridents. There's three variations of underwater weapon at time of writing with the Grounded 1.0 full release, one of which is solely for combat purposes. If you're still getting your feet wet in the shallows, build a Pebblet Dagger - it's not great, but the next stage up requires you to kill one of the Diving Bell Spiders, which is going to be more of a mid-to-late game thing.
However, once you do kill one, you unlock the Bone Dagger and Bone Trident - the latter of which is far better for actual underwater combat. It's expensive to make, so we don't recommend using it as a throwing weapon unless you're especially flush with resources, but it'll help you hold off the pond's deadliest foes for at least a little while. Of course, it's not as mechanically useful as the Dagger, which can be used to cut and harvest tier 2 materials, but it's certainly superior in actual subaquatic combat.
- Early game: Pebblet Dagger (Tier 1)
- How to unlock recipe: Brainpower level 4, or analyzing Lilypad Wax
- Crafting recipe: Pebblet (2), Crude Rope (3), Lilypad Wax (2)
- Late game: Bone Trident (Tier 2)
- How to unlock recipe: Analyze Diving Bell Spider Chunk
- Crafting recipe: Sunken Bone (3), Diving Bell Spider Chunk (3), Silk Rope (3)
How to upgrade weapons in Grounded
If you have a weapon and aren't ready to swap it out for an entirely new model yet, it can be upgraded to boost certain stats. The process for this goes as follows:
- Find BURG.L in the Oak Lab
- Buy the Smithing Station upgrade from BURG.L for 100 Science.
- Build the Smithing Station at your base. It requires: Tough Nugget (1), Style Nugget (1), Crude Rope (4) and Sap (2).
- Using the Smithing Station will allow you to spend Tough Nuggets and various "Globs" in your inventory to upgrade weapons you own (you can also upgrade armor with Style Nuggets).
Upgrading weapons at Smithing Stations requires a constant supply of Tough Nuggets (which you'll also need for the recipe). These can be found in nodes across the map, usually underground, but you'll need the Insect Hammer or Black Ox Hammer to break them open. Once you get the Black Anthill Chip, bring it back to BURGL and buy it from the computer, you'll be able to craft them in an Oven.
You can also create Globs of Mint, Sour, Salty and Spicy by heading to the Sandbox and obtaining the BURGL chip there, then buying "Advanced Smithing: Flavored Globs" from the terminal. These allow for elemental upgrades - so now your weapons can do the associated element on top of their regular damage. Sour hammer, anybody? It's also true that certain weapons, like the Sour Battle-Ax found in the Grounded ORC secret lab, require Globs to be crafted in the first place.
Combat and weapon tips
Combat in Grounded can be pretty cutthroat, especially if you're not prepared. Here's some basic advice for dealing with deadly bugs.
- Run away if you're in danger - better to flee than die.
- Your attacks do escalating damage as you get through the three-hit combo - the final strike does about three or four times the damage of the first one.
- Remember to block whatever attacks you can, it's much easier than dodging.
- Keep an eye on weapon and armor durability.
- Make sure all your best weapons and gear are ready in the quick-select wheel.
- Scan enemies and check creature cards with the PEEP.R to see their weaknesses and strengths.
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Joel Franey
Guides Writer
Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.
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FAQs
How do you get the best weapon in Grounded? ›
As for the best melee weapon in the game, there's no contest here. The Club of the Mother Demon lives up to its name. Players can access this weapon after defeating the Broodmother boss, which is a tough fight some time in mid-game or whenever players feel like it.
What's the strongest weapon in Grounded? ›The Club of the Mother Demon it's just slightly above the Mint Mace, with a starting damage and stun of 6. It lacks in its base speed at . 5 but that won't make a difference as long as you're landing your blows. Consequently, being the best weapon in Grounded, it's also the hardest to get.
Is there Tier 3 weapons in Grounded? ›Spicy Staff. The Spicy Staff is a Tier III ranged weapon that offers good damage and very high speed capability. It requires a Workbench as well as collecting Spicy Globs, Pinecone Pieces, Tough Gunk, and Fire Ant Mandibles to craft.
How do you get Tier 3 weapons Grounded? ›...
Once they have access to the recipe, to make the Tier 3 Termite Axe, players need to collect the following materials:
- 2 Termite Chompers.
- 2 Crow Feather Pieces.
- 4 Bits of Tough Gunk.
Better than the starter item, the Pebblet Axe, the Insect Axe allows you to chop down objects like husky weeds, apples, toadstools, and more. The Pebblet Axe can only get you so far, so read on to find out how to quickly gather what the crafting ingredients you need and make yourself the Insect Axe.
Is Black Ant Sword good? ›The Black Ant Sword is a Tier II melee weapon that has low damage output, but incredibly high speed. It requires a Workbench to craft and primarily requires defeating black ants around the yard and collecting their parts, as well as collecting some Berry Leather.
Is there a katana in Grounded? ›The Grounded 0.12 update brings us the Koaltana, a katana sword that glows like a lightsaber. It is a special weapon because when crafted already comes with the Spicy forged upgrade. Same as the Salt Morning Star and the Mint Mace.
Is there a Tier 3 hammer in Grounded? ›The Black Ox Hammer is a Tier 3 tool in Grounded that allows players to harvest a variety of useful materials. Among those materials are Supreme Marble Shards and Supreme Quartzite Shards, which fans will ultimately need if they want to continue upgrading their gear.
What is uncrackable in Grounded? ›The set bonus Uncrackable increases the amount of times a player can block repeated attacks.
What is the Tankiest armor in Grounded? ›- 1 Widow Armor Set. Bonus: Poison Damage and Death's Impetus.
- 2 Assassin's Armor Set. Bonus: Cutman and Critical Chain. ...
- 3 Black Ox Armor Set. Bonus: Overbearing and Stunning Charger. ...
- 4 Roly Poly Armor Set. ...
- 5 Moth Armor Set. ...
- 6 Fire Ant Armor Set. ...
- 7 Antlion Armor Set. ...
- 8 Termite Armor. ...
What is the strongest animal in Grounded? ›
Black Widows in Grounded certainly live up to their reputation in real life. They're often categorized by many players as the toughest hostile non-boss creature in the game. They employ a special type of poison that will stack with each attack.
What's the highest tier in Grounded? ›Tier 3 is the most advanced Tools set currently available in Grounded. The game mechanism has tools numbered with Roman Numbers from I (1) to III (3), with the latter being the most powerful.
Is there Tier 4 in Grounded? ›Tier four- small animals/ big bugs. Things like hummingbirds, scorpions, roaches, katydids, lizards, daddy long- legs, and centipedes would be cool. You would have to be more creative about the way you kill these creatures, as you could not fight them straight on.
Is there a Tier 2 spear in Grounded? ›The Stinger Spear is a tier 2 spear weapon, and has a unique critical hit chance perk, in which it gives an extra 1% chance to get a critical hit. It is a 1-handed weapon. It shares the same damage and attack speed as the Bone Trident, but is unable to inflict stun.
What is the best melee in Grounded? ›Best melee weapons in Grounded
For late game, your choices are probably either the Mint Mace, or the Club of the Mother Demon - but considering you have to kill the Grounded Broodmother to get that, we recommend the Mint Mace.
Easy to obtain and rock-solid to boot, Acorn Armor is a great set you can build quickly, easily, and very early on in the game. Its impressive defenses and Max Health bonus should allow for a large margin of error if you're not quite a perfect blocking pro, too. It's the go-to set for newcomers, for sure.
What axe is better than jungle AXE? ›Treecapitator. The Treecapitator is an upgraded form of the Jungle Axe that is 250% more powerful than the Jungle Axe, as well as being a golden axe, which has a much faster chopping speed.
Which axe should I get? ›When choosing an axe, the first question is whether you want to split bigger or smaller pieces of wood. Splitting axe blades are typically heavier, best for splitting large and medium size logs. Longer shafts give more speed and power.
Is the blood katana good? ›The Rivers of Blood katana is an extremely powerful weapon in Elden Ring, in no small part due to its ability to inflict blood loss and its Corpse Piler skill. Indeed, this weapon can be absolutely devastating, especially when it is supported by a complimentary build.
Is Galaxy sword the best sword? ›The Galaxy Sword is one of the most powerful swords in the game, besting the Lava Katana, among others. You can find it by bringing a Prismatic Shard to the three pillars in the Calico desert.
What is a Tier 3 dagger Grounded? ›
The Widow Dagger is a Tier III melee weapon that pairs good damage with high speed and the added effect of poisoning your enemies. It requires a Workbench to craft as well as gathering materials from defeating a black widow, as well as Lint Rope.
What weapon is best for spiders Grounded? ›One of the best weapons cited to defeat Wolf Spiders is the Mint Mace, as one of the most powerful weapons.
What is the level 2 AXE in Grounded? ›In Grounded, the Insect Axe is a Tier 2 chopping tool that enables players to progress by accessing many new resources and recipes.
Is there a sword in Grounded? ›The Spicy Coaltana is a powerful sword that does about the same amount of damage as the Antlion Greatsword, except it comes with a spicy augment by default. It is a 2-handed weapon. Its recipe can be found in the EverChar Coal bag located above the BBQ Spill.
What can the Insect Axe chop? ›The Insect Axe is an upgraded version of the Pebblet Axe that can harvest Apples, Billy Hogs, Crow Feathers, Haze Fungus, Husky Weeds, Mushrooms, Toadstools, large rotten foods, and temporarily destroy Strange Spores.
Does Acorn Armor attract bugs? ›Acorn Chestplate is a chunky torso protection crafted from acorn bits that insects find delicious.
Is sleek or bulky better Grounded? ›The "Bulky" upgrade path provides a large boost to defense and durability. The "Sleek" upgrade path, while providing lower defense and durability increases, will imbue the armor piece with unique bonus skills.
Does black ant armor Grounded? ›...
Recipes.
| Item | Materials | Station |
|---|---|---|
| Black Ant Legplates | 6 Black Ant Part 2 Silk Rope 4 Bee Fuzz | Workbench |
Spider Armor is a Tier 2 armor set made for aggressive play styles. The piece effect Hasty Regen decreases the amount of stamina used when attacking, whereas the set bonus Hunter's Prowess increases players' stamina regeneration speed significantly.
Can you tame a ant in Grounded? ›Ants can now be tamed by giving them meat. Upon feeding, there is a chance they will be tamed. Each time you feed them however, the chance of taming grows higher. They can however be tamed instantly by using a Queen Pheromone laced piece of meat.
What is the rarest bug in Grounded? ›
Firefly. Unlike most insects, Fireflies only appear at night, and you can only fight them in the Flower Bed and Flooded Zone regions. They drop multiple rare items, so you should fight them if you come across them while exploring.
Is there a boss in Grounded? ›5 bosses currently exist in the backyard, with 3 being non-repeatable story bosses and the other 2 being optional, repeatable bosses.
Who is the secret boss in Grounded? ›Director Schmector is a optional secret boss enemy found below Castle Moldorc in the Mysterious Lab. It is the final boss of the game, and one of the hardest non repeatable bosses. Killing it is required to unlock the good ending and save Dr. Wendell Tully from his raisining.
Does Grounded ever end? ›Grounded also has two separate endings. One is considered the 'bad' or 'quick' ending. The other ending is considered to be the 'good' or true end to the game. The issue is that there isn't a prompt to encourage players to seek the true ending in Grounded, but there is one for the bad ending.
Is there a Queen in Grounded? ›The Ant Queen is a new creature planned to be added in the game in a future update. It has not yet been confirmed whether or not the creature will be hostile or neutral.
What is the hardest enemy in Grounded? ›Most Grounded fans agree that the almighty Hedge Broodmother is the hardest angry creature to beat in the game for even survivor video game pros. Once the boss fight against the queen of all spiders begins, players cannot leave Broodmother's lair until either she is dead of the player is.
What is the best Tier 3 armor? ›The Fire Ant Armor, however, is the best of them all. To get this tier 3, 15-point armor, you'll have to kill no other than fire ants. However, it is well worth it because this armor has corrosion damage. This weakens the enemy's defense over time, allowing your attacks to deal more damage with each hit.
Is there a Tier 3 shovel in Grounded? ›The only tier 3 item is the Mint Mallet, a tool.
What is the strongest arrow in Grounded? ›Bomb Arrows are the strongest Grounded arrows around, clocking in with a whopping 60 damage per shot.
What is the best sword in Grounded? ›- 8 Spicy Staff.
- 7 Mint Staff.
- 6 Scythe of the Blossoming Assassin.
- 5 Sour Staff.
- 4 Sour Battle-axe.
- 3 Mint Mace.
- 2 Black Ox Crossbow.
- 1 Club of the Mother Demon.
What does spicy mean in Grounded? ›
Grounded Wiki. Assistant Manager. The Spicy Glob is a Material Resource that allows players to upgrade their tools to do "spicy" damage, which will more or less damage depending on the creature attacked. The spicy effect does more damage to spiders and ants.
What is a Tier 3 crossbow Grounded? ›The Black Ox Crossbow is a Tier III ranged weapon that offers great damage and minimal stun capability. It requires a Workbench to craft as well as defeating black ox beetles to collect their parts in addition to some Rust, Lint Rope, and Pinecone Pieces.
How do you unlock Tier 2 weapons Grounded? ›Insect Axe: How to get the tier-two Axe in Grounded
Its ability to harvest Berry Leather from berries unlocks the upgrade path to the additional tier-two tools and particularly powerful weapons and armor.
It is a 2-handed weapon. Its recipe can be found in the EverChar Coal bag located above the BBQ Spill. The recipe also radiates a sizzle area similar to the hot charcoals in the BBQ Spill. The weapon will also glow at night, making a small yet infinite source of light.
How do you get a Tier 2 knife Grounded? ›You can unlock this dagger by killing Orb Weavers or the Wolf Spider to gain Spider Venom and have it analyzed, but to craft it, you'll still need to kill at least one Wolf Spider, so be prepared for a big fight to unlock this weapon - and stockpile the other resources from killing its kind.
Is the insect bow better than the crossbow in Grounded? ›The insect bow is powerful; however, the crow crossbow is better overall since it fires faster and it deals six base damage. To craft the crow crossbow, you'll need six crow feather pieces, which is a very high requirement for a single weapon.
Is there a Tier 3 spear in Grounded? ›The Rusty Spear is a Tier III melee weapon that offers good damage paired with high speed that can also infect enemies with bacteria when struck.
Is there a Tier 3 dagger in Grounded? ›The Widow Dagger is a Tier III melee weapon that pairs good damage with high speed and the added effect of poisoning your enemies. It requires a Workbench to craft as well as gathering materials from defeating a black widow, as well as Lint Rope.
What is the best spot to build in Grounded? ›Large Flat Rock
A large flat space is the most advantageous spot when it comes to building a base in Grounded. It allows players a versatile base design and fewer resources are wasted in making it look functional. To that end, the large flat rock due northwest of the map is the best normal base location in the game.
Where To Find The Spicy Coaltana In Grounded. Players will have to travel pretty far from the original Spawn Point at the Kid's Case to get to the Spicy Coaltana. The sword is located near the overturned Charcoal Grill, which sits to the left of the large shed in the northwestern part of the map.
What is the Tier 2 AXE in Grounded? ›
In Grounded, the Insect Axe is a Tier 2 chopping tool that enables players to progress by accessing many new resources and recipes.
What is the most overpowered crossbow? ›RAVIN R29X Sniper – The Most Powerful Crossbow.