What you need to know
- Grounded is an early access survival game from legendary studio Obsidian Entertainment.
- The game receives monthly content updates to add new features and improvements.
- The 0.8.0 March Content update is now rolling out to Grounded on Xbox and PC with a ton of changes.
- The most notable additions include a new Photo Mode, password-protected multiplayer games, and more.
Grounded is continuing its steady march to a full release by dropping the Grounded 0.8.0 March Content Update today. Players in Grounded's early access can enjoy a brand-new content update that brings a ton of bug fixes, general improvements, balancing tweaks, and a handful of new features to enjoy.
Chief amongst the new features is the first iteration of Grounded's much-anticipated Photo Mode, which lets players take gorgeous pictures of their time in Grounded's vivid world. There are also tweaks to multiplayer UI, new password-protected online games, additional building items, further improvements to building mechanics, and much more.
For a full breakdown of all the new changes in Grounded's 0.8.0 March Content Update, you can check out their new developer vlog below.
Grounded is still in early access, but has already more than secured its place on our list of best survival games for Xbox. If you haven't experienced Grounded yet, Obsidian Entertainment's survival passion project is available through Xbox Game Pass, and plays great on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. You can begin installing the latest content update right now on Xbox and PC and enjoy all of the changes and new features.
The full changelog for the 0.8.0 March Content Update for Grounded includes:
New features
Major features
- Photo Mode: Phase 1
- Password protecting online games
Crafting content
- New building: Door Frame
- New buildings: Triangular Stem Wall and Inverted Triangular Stem Wall
Additional features
- When you are placing an invalid building, a short message will describe why it is invalid
- When you are holding a Repair Tool, nearby damaged buildings will display an icon
- Loose arrows can be collected by walking over them
- Structures will now collapse much more dramatically when unsupported
- The Armor Dummy UI now has a button that swaps your gear with the dummies. You can also do this without entering the UI by doing a "hold" interact action on the Armor Dummy
- When you are connecting ziplines, the anchor that will be connected is highlighted
- Player nameplates in multiplayer will show if a player is knocked out and how much time they have left to be helped
- Player nameplates will show a "busy" state above it when said player is navigating a menu
Changes & tuning
Systems
- Dirty water will now apply a status effect that shows your character is sick. The more dirty water you drink, the worse the effect gets. Resting will make you feel better.
- Smoothie Station functionality has been reworked:
- All smoothies now require a "Goop Base" and 3 "Flavor Ingredients"
- Goop Base determines the effectiveness of the smoothie
- Grub Goop creates a normal smoothie
- Muscle Sprout creates a "beefy" smoothie that heals for twice the amount
- Flavor ingredients can consist of any combination of other items and has same functionality as before
Mutations
- Reduced the damage reduction of "Dare Devil"
Combat
- More intense combat music will play when fighting spiders
- Infected weevils now move slightly faster
- Ladybugs have a new set of attacks to pick from
- Improved the accuracy of aiming with a bow using the third-person camera
Interface
- Player nameplates will transition into smaller character icons when not in the center of the screen
- The Interact HUD has been revamped to support showing multiple interaction types at the same time
World
- Big sap nodules now take longer to respawn than individual saps
- "Base music" now plays during the daytime as well. A new track has been added specifically for night "base music"
Buildings
- Structures will be less likely to be considered obstructed when placed underneath static props like leaves
- Walls will now often pivot around corners they are snapped to when rotated
- Added the facing helper arrow to the Acorn Storage
- Dew Collector recipe and unlock changed: now unlocks with woven web and requires woven web to build
Crafting
- Plus Smoothies have been replaced with "Beefy" smoothies
- Double the healing power as normal smoothies
- Same bonus status effect as normal smoothies
- Require the same "flavor" ingredients as normal smoothies
- Uses Muscle Sprout as a "base" instead of Grub Goop
Optimization
- Improved performance of games with large bases
- Improved performance of games that have a lot of Storage Baskets or Storage Chests with icons set
- A handful of general CPU optimizations added
Creatures
- Bees now drop pollen into the world in addition to collecting it on their legs when pollinating flowers
Bug fixes
Top community issues
- Scaffolds will now reliably be considered anchored when they are built down to the ground from above
- The amount of dew that spawns on grass each morning now matches the amount of dew that exists when you start a new game (doubled the current dew spawn amount)
- Big pebbles should now respawn
World
- Building relocation will be canceled if another player places a building on the item being moved
- Grid buildings can no longer be anchored to tables
- Stairs are now easier to place on uneven terrain
- Hitting "w" while typing in the lobby chat log no longer sends the message
- Player nameplates are now positioned properly height-wise when playing as a client
Items / equipment / resources
- The player cannot zip while swimming
- Zipline Wall Anchor, Sap Dripper, and Stair Railings can no longer be built underwater
- Zipline Wall Anchor, Sap Dripper, Stair Railings, Abomination Totem, Ant Head Totem, and Slime Mold Sconce can no longer be built inside other buildings
- Reduced volumetric scatter intensity of Firefly Headlamp light beam
- Embedded arrows no longer pop slightly above where they hit
- Repair Tool works in "Mild" mode
- Splatburst now sticks even to surfaces it impacts at an angle
Creatures
- Fireflies should no longer get stuck on the surface of the pond
It's a big(ger) world out there.
Obsidian Entertainment makes its exclusive debut on Xbox One and PC with Grounded, a unique survival experience that literally makes all of your problems much, much bigger. Join your friends as you're shrunk down to the size of an ant and are forced to survive in a dangerous backyard.
