Grounded, Obsidian Entertainment’s unique Xbox and Windows PC exclusive about exploring a backyard as a bug-sized human, has gotten an exciting new 1.2 patch called the Super Duper Update. It’s the first major content update the game has gotten since it officially launched in September 2022, and it includes quite a few significant features and additions.
First up, there’s the Super Duper machine, a gizmo that you’ll come across next time you visit BURG.L in the Oak Tree Lab. With it, you can duplicate pieces of gear — including their upgrades — as well as other items using Raw Science as fuel. This makes it incredibly useful for situations where you and your friends need a way to prepare for expeditions fast, but the catch is that you can’t use the machine until you find the new Duper Discs that the developers have scattered around the Backyard. Each one gives you the ability to duplicate different types of items, so you should definitely try to find them all.
Additionally, base building has gotten some big upgrades in the Super Duper Update. Grounded now features a Base Coziness system that encourages players to raise the coziness level of their shelters by adding lots of structures, furniture, decorations, and more. By doing so, you can unlock new decoration building recipes, a new base building-focused mutation, and several new emotes. Along with Base Coziness, Obsidian has also created close to 100 new building and furniture pieces that you can use when constructing your home.
Some other Grounded base building changes include the addition of the friendly “Handy Gnat” bug that can build with you using stockpiled resources in the Creative and Creative with Bugs modes (as well as Survival once you convert it into a Custom Game in the Game Settings), as well as an update to turrets that combines the Pebblet and Pollen Turrets into the Acorn Turret. This turret can shoot five different types of ammo, all of which can be stored in a chest nearby so you can swap ammo types without dismounting it.
Finally, the Super Duper Update also introduces wasps, which are the latest enemy bugs in Grounded. They can be found scattered around the Upper Yard, guarding their mini hives. Obsidian warns that if you “piss off their kin,” you will “release the full fury of the hive,” so be careful when taking them on. Notably, the wasps also have a hidden main nest somewhere, which is likely where the new Wasp Queen boss can be found. The developers say that by defeating wasps, you’ll unlock a new wearable trinket and armor set.
Grounded is also now Steam Deck Verified, meaning that the game is on the official Steam Deck support list and can be played with Valve’s popular gaming PC handheld. To celebrate, the game is getting a free weekend on Steam from April 27 to May 1, which gives fans an opportunity to try the game out before purchasing it.
Grounded is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, and Windows PC (Microsoft Store and Steam) for $40. It’s one of the best Xbox games available if you love creative survival gameplay, and it’s also on Xbox Game Pass. Additionally, now that it’s Steam Deck Verified, it’s playable on the go, too.
