Grounded's 'Into the Wood' content update arrives with new areas, creatures, and more

What you need to know

• Grounded is an innovative survival game from a small team at Obsidian Entertainment and Xbox Game Studios.
• On Tuesday, the Grounded team released the latest content update for their game, dubbed "Into the Wood."
• The update adds a ton of new features, including brand-new areas, lots of creatures, quality-of-life improvements, and much more.
• Grounded is still in Game Preview, so the team is continuing to add to it and improve the experience ahead of an eventual release.

The survival game genre has exploded in popularity in recent years, with plenty of fantastic options crowding the competitive genre. One of the more interesting additions to the space is Grounded, a passion project from a small team of talented developers at Obsidian Entertainment, under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella. On Tuesday, the Grounded team released the latest content update for their early access survival title; the Grounded 0.12.0 "Into the Wood" update is now available.

Grounded is a unique take on the classic survival game genre, in that players are shrunk down to the size of insects and released in a suburban backyard filled with life. You and up to three other players are tasked with surviving in this suddenly hostile environment, which evolves over time as Obsidian adds to it. The "Into the Wood" update now rolling out to players includes a massive pile of content for players to explore.

Highlights of the update include Grounded's first expansion into the mysterious "Upper Yard" area, which includes three new explorable environments like the sweltering BBQ Spill. There's also 11 new creatures with which players can interact, including adorable roly polies and ladybirds, or the terrifying infected wolf spider variant. With new crafting recipes, quality-of-life improvements, dungeons (this time occupied by termites), new game options, and so much more, this update is packed to the brim with big changes to Grounded's tiny world.

Grounded's 0.12.0 "Into the Wood" update is now rolling out everywhere Grounded is available, including Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC through the Microsoft Store and Steam. On Xbox Series X, the update comes in at approximately 3.64GB, although other platforms may vary a little.

Grounded is still in early access, meaning it hasn't been finished, yet, but it already numbers among the best Xbox games for fans of the survival genre. If you've yet to try Grounded, it's also available through Xbox Game Pass, as well as PC Game Pass.

The full changelog for Grounded's 0.12.0 "Into the Wood" content update includes:

Features

New environments

• BBQ Spill: Get ready for this sizzling hot area as you prepare to journey through the ashy wastelands of the BBQ Spill
• Shed Surroundings: Filled with plenty of items to explore and new creatures to encounter, we know you'll find plenty to do in this exciting new area
• Wood Pile: Traverse into the depths of woodpile, but beware, because as you lumber deeper down the halls you will quickly realize you are not alone

New bugs

• Termite
• Soldier Termite
• Ladybird Larva
• Ladybird
• Black Ox Beetle
• Roly Poly (not sickly)
• Green Shield Bug
• Dust Mite
• Scarab
• Infected Wolf Spider
• (Secret royalty)

New crafting content

• Termite Axe (Tier 3)
• Black Ox Hammer (Tier 3)
• Termite Chest Armor
• Splinter Arrows (Tier 3)
• New (secret) Weapon
• New set of base floors (Burr Weed)
• Two new meals

Resource survey stations

• Field Stations now have survey stations that can be operated to search for resources in the yard. After flipping the switch in the Hedge Lab, the surveyor system across the yard will become powered
• Surveyors are found at Field Stations
• Analyze resources to be able to survey for them
• Each survey station activated adds to the survey area across the yard
• Place a waypoint on the map where there's a high concentration of a specific resource you want to mark
• You can survey for any analyzed material, including insect parts!

Custom game options

• Custom Game Options are a new way to customize your yard experience fully. If you select the custom game option from the lobby screen, you can adjust settings and make the yard your own:
  • Difficulty
  • All Recipes Unlocked and Free
  • Bugs Spawn
  • Bugs Ignore Players
  • Building Integrity
  • Quests
  • Player Damage
  • Friendly Fire
  • Pet Invincibility
  • Hunger / Thirst Drain
  • Stamina Drain
  • Equipment Durability
  • Food Spoiling
  • Menus Pause Game
  • Backpack Items on Death

PEEP.R mode

• Peep Resonance is a SCA.B Executable feature turning your tiny hands into lightwave amplifying chambers that bring the distance into focus
• Peep off into the far reaches of the yard and drop player waypoint markers
• These markers show up on your map and other players' screens for better team peeping and navigation around the yard!
• Place a waypoint by looking at a spot in the yard and pressing a button
• Place a waypoint by opening the map and selecting a location to drop a waypoint

Building customization

• There's a new menu to a selection of buildings that allows you to customize the look or behavior of the building
  • Bounce Webs can be adjusted for angle and power
  • Firefly Hanging Lantern, Sap Sconce, and Mold Sconce can be turned on and off, and adjusted for strength and color
  • Armor Dummies can be posed with any of the poses usable in Photo Mode

Data page

• The Data tab in your SCA.B menu has been improved to organize better and show new information
• Items and information will be categorized by where it came from or what it pertains to
• You will also have entries and descriptions of all notable locations discovered in the game as well as know how many you are missing from each area

Status effect display

• Status Effects are now displayed with tooltips on the Backpack and Status screens
• Active Status Effects will also be displayed on the HUD below the SCA.B display

Additional features

• New Languages: Turkish, Thai, Arabic, and Japanese.
• "Craft Many" button in the Crafting menu will allow you to craft 5 of something at a time.
• You can quickly select a building blueprint to start placing down by walking up to an already placed building and hitting the "Copy" interact action. This way, you can quickly copy building blueprints without always needing to open up the building menus.
• You can now "Hot Deposit" like items on storage buildings by holding Interact on them. "Hot Deposit" will automatically deposit any items in your inventory that match any items already in the storage container.
• Added 8 New Achievements

Changes & tuning

Systems

• If players die with a bow equipped, the equipped ammo type will carry over when respawning
• You can now rest at any time of the day. You will rest for 8 hours and will not be able to rest again until you have been awake long enough to rest again

Controls

• Added "Level Camera on Sprint" option
• Many UI controls that were not previously re-bindable in the options menu now are

Mutations

• Blademaster no longer repairs the durability of swords
  • Now reduces the stamina cost of the next several attacks when procced
• Javelineer no longer slows enemies
  • Now reduces enemy Damage Resist when procced

Accessibility

• Added "Wide Interaction" option, which allows the player to interact with objects without looking directly at them
• Several interfaces have had narration support added or improved
• Added "Read To Me Speed" option
• Various notifications are now narrated when shown
• Important narration such as quest notifications will not be interrupted by lower-priority narration

Combat

• Weapons now deal progressively more damage with each hit in a combo sequence
  • The first attack of a weapon combo does the least amount of damage
  • Combo finishers deal the most amount of damage
  • Overall DPS of a full combo is the same
  • Specifically, instead of a 3-hit combo doing 100 + 100 + 100, now it'll deal 50 + 100 + 150
  • Hammers now have a 3-hit combo to utilize the above combo system changes
• All weapon types have had a damage curve pass to make sure they're in line with each other
• Shields no longer slow down movement when blocking
• Reduced the movement penalty for moving backward
• Crow arrows now apply a bleed DoT
• Fall damage no longer affects durability in any way

Building health & repair tool

• The attack input can be held to constantly trigger the repair action repeatedly while holding the repair tool
• The repair world icons are now replaced with a red outline around the buildings that need repair
• Building structure health values have been increased across the game

Interface

• You can assign similar tools that are at different upgrade levels / types to different slots on the Hot Pouch
  • For example, one slot can be a Spicy Pebble Axe while another slot is a Fresh Pebble Axe
  • Tools of the same upgrade level / type will be grouped to the same slot if you have more than one
• Players can now place a temporary waypoint on the Map UI
• Dropped item / arrow icons become less visible if the player is in combat to remove HUD clutter while fighting bugs
• Selected items in the storage UI will display what level upgrade they have if any
• Damage type icons shown when looking at harvestable objects now only show when the object is in range
• The Oven, Spinning Wheel, and Grinder show an icon over them when there are finished items ready to collect
• The Oven, Spinning Wheel, and Grinder have a quick "Take All" action you can do by holding Interact without needing to open the UI

Weapon upgrades

• Weapons can now be upgraded to +9
  • +8 and +9 require a new upgrade material
• Damage and durability increase per level up has been reduced across the board
• Upgraded weapons will now require additional resources to repair
• Globs now cost 20% less shards to craft (one less for candy, two less for quartzite and salt)

Doors

• Base doors now properly save and load which direction the door was open
• Curved doors now only open in the outward direction

Building general

• Updated Smoothie Mixer art
• Triangular walls can no longer be walked on

Building placement

• Buildings of the same shape are now grouped in the building radial. The building material can be changed with the "Next Building Material" control (default F key / Y button)
• Structural buildings are no longer allowed to overlap unbuildable materials (plastic, glass, metal)
• Large foliage such as grass and rocks will now block placement of certain non-structural buildings

The Spinning Wheel & Grinder

• The Spinning Wheel and Grinder UI's have been updated to work similar to the Oven UI to support more features:
  • Pulling items from Nearby Storage works now
  • You will see a list of all recipes you can do at these buildings even without having said items to process
  • You can grind any Grass Planks or Weed Logs you are hauling into Plant Fiber
  • To backward support this with saves prior to 0.12, any items that are finished and not collected or currently being processed in the Spinning Wheel or Grinder will be lost the when loading a save prior to 0.12 for the first time

Optimization

• Improved CPU performance for hosts of multiplayer games. Improves framerate for host and experience for connected clients

World & resources

• Grass blades drop planks with only a 20% drop rate when destroyed by explosives
• Grass blades break immediately when destroyed by explosives

Creatures

• Slickly Roly Polies no longer drop sickly parts. (Recipes have been adjusted to no require these)

Items

• Using the Dandelion Tuft no longer requires stamina
• Crusty Roly Poly armor is no longer craftable
  • A complete crusty set can be found hidden around the yard instead
• Antlion armor is now considered Medium armor
• +25-50% durability for all weapons to compensate for higher repair costs

Bug fixes

Major fixes

• Creatures will stop clumping into certain areas when players are not around
• Arrows shot from the player should no longer occasionally come out delayed
• Player voices while wearing the Gas Mask will no longer cause audio corruption

Crash fixes

• Fixed a crash related to flying creatures flying around
• Fixed a crash related to grid buildings
• Fixed a crash related to creature audio loading

Game

• The crafting interface can no longer become unresponsive to keys after pressing enter in the filter box
• The "See BURG.L about Milk Molars" quest properly triggers for the host in MP

World

• Pond breakers will now show a red indicator when powered but not yet reset
• Some assets that could not have buildings placed on them now can
• Building validity checks for very flat or narrow buildings are now more consistent
• You will no longer hear sizzle audio for players far from you who are taking Sizzle damage

Items, equipment, & resources

• Roof Squared Corner will no longer change into Roof Corner after placing one
• Drying Berry Chunks on the Jerky Rack now credits "Artificer: Berry Leather" quests
• When slime molds are harvested, clients will see the correct number of remaining stalks in the cluster
• Two-handed weapons can no longer be auto-equipped on pickup when only holding a shield in your off-hand
• Aphids on the Roasting Spit are properly positioned on the spit
• Weapon Upgrades can be purchased for free in Creative mode or if "All Recipes unlocked and free" is checked in a custom game mode
• Smoothies can be purchased for free in Creative mode or if "All Recipes unlocked and free" is checked in a custom game mode
• Beefy smoothies can be crafted in Creative mode

Pets

• Clients will now see the pet Inventory prompt on their pet after rejoining a game in progress
• Pet Memorials will no longer forget the pet's name after being demolished

UI

• Fixed ultra-widescreen issues in a handful of UIs

Steam

Fixed a crash on boot that could happen for some users

Microsoft Store

• The 'Export Save' option in the save/load menu now shows the correct hotkey