Grounded has a plethora of cool places to discover, such as the Hedge Lab that has been teasing players with mysteries since it was added during the game's Early Access period. Now, the Hedge Lab is a worthwhile place to adventure to, though the path to it is fairly long and considerably dangerous.
In this guide, we'll take you through the process of how to get there, where to find the password to turn the power on, and what kinds of threats you can expect to face. Gather your things, and prepare for a dangerous journey into the hedge.
Grounded: What to do before going to the Hedge Lab
Regardless of where you start it from, the journey to the Hedge Lab can be a long and treacherous one. You will have to traverse thin branches at extreme heights, combat spiders, as well as watch your vitals for signs of starvation and dehydration. Being properly prepared will make your experience at the Hedge Lab smoother. Before you set out, there are a few key items you need to make sure to bring with you:
- Dandelion Tuft: Used to make sure that you have a chance to make a soft landing if you do fall. After all, it sure is a long way down from high up in the Hedge area.
- Food and Water: As usual, bring enough to keep you alive throughout the length of your journey.
- Armor and Weapons: There will be enemies along the way, so make sure you bring a decent arsenal of armor and weapons with high durability.
- Bandages: As with all enemies, you will take some damage. Stock up on some bandages to keep your health topped off.
- Torch: Your journey could take a large portion of the day/night cycle in Grounded, so be sure to keep a torch handy in case it gets dark.
Grounded: How to get to the Hedge Lab
Okay, you're all set and ready to venture out! But where exactly should you go? As you might have guessed by the Hedge Lab's name, you'll need to head towards the Hedge biome it's where the only entry point to the Hedge Lab is. To start, head towards the southeastern end of the map. If you pull open the in-game map, you will see a large empty area that designates the Hedge biome.
Head over to this area, keeping an eye open for a trowel sticking up out of the ground. Once you see it, look for the hedge area closest to you, and venture in. You will quickly see a large red cable, a green paper clip, and a small twig that will be the start of your climb.
Note that there's also a Research Station directly above this location that has some Granola Bars, which you can grab for some extra food supplies. Walk up the winding path following the red cable, and look for a juice box in the branches ahead. This will be the first spot you'll use a zipline at get through the Hedge. Head over and take the zipline to the next area.
Once you land, you have two choices: left or right. Just be careful as there are Spiderlings and Orb Weavers lurking about. Going left is the somewhat easier route. There is a smaller chance you'll have to fight enemies, but a bit of a jump is required to get to the next zipline point. Use the Dandelion Tuft to float down safely if you decide to take this route. If you decide to go right, there will be more enemies but access to the next zipline point will be easier.
As a bonus for going right, there is a small Lab Outpost you can venture into. Inside are some Water Droplets, Granola Bars, and lab notes to read if you stop by. The red cables also lead in this lab's direction, helping to keep track of where you are navigating. Go back out the door and continue on the large branch, but don't go all the way up. There is a set of mushrooms growing on the branch on the left side. Walk on those, and the next zipline point will be right around the corner.
Once you've crossed the second zipline, you'll land right by a giant frisbee. Aside from some minor spiders and egg sacs, there shouldn't be any larger spiders to deal with. Head on down onto the frisbee and reach the other side to access a third zipline. Snag the Supreme SCA.B cosmetic that sits near the center of the frisbee along the way as well. You'll see the bright green glow of the cosmetic on the ground.
Take the third zipline to another broken lab segment filled with egg sacs and little spiders. Grab the items in the room and continue out the other door and up the large branch. The journey through the Hedge is finally over; you've reached the last zipline segment to get to the Hedge Lab. This is where the fun really begins. Take the zipline and fly on into in Hedge Lab.
Grounded: Finding the password and turning on the power
You're finally at the secret lab in the Hedge. There's only one thing left to do, and that's turning the power on. To do so, you have to find password segments for the computer that resides in the room you landed in. By now, you have probably noticed the giant piece of paper stuck to the window that says, "Password." This is where things can get a little complicated and dangerous. There are two doors to choose from — one leads to the power switch, and the other goes deeper into the Hedge Lab. Before you move on, hit the keys on the computer to get things started. You won't be able to access the rest of the lab if you don't hit those keys.
Go into the hallway through the only door that opens. Head up and smash through the spider webs clogging up the stuck door. You will enter the analyzer room where the first segment of the password resides. Be careful, as there is usually an Orb Weaver JR. sitting in the room. Kill the spider, collect the code and some Fiber Bandages in the room, and venture on. There are three different doors in this room that you can take. The one right beside the password segment, one branching off in the middle of the room, and another tucked into the right corner of the room with a zipline.
Head down the middle hallway and bash open the stuck door. Don't go all the way down the corridor just yet. We need this door unstuck as an easy way to get back to the computer. Be warned, and there are a couple of robot enemies named "TAYZ.T" that you will have to fight in this hallway and the room attached. They are very dangerous and have devastating combat moves if you are not careful, so be on your guard and try not to fight them all at once. They drop 100 Raw Science when defeated.
Head back to the analyzer room and get ready to take the zipline down to the next password segment. Before you do, make sure to knock down the nearby berry. If you take the zipline before getting out of the way, the berry will just knock you off the line. Throw a pebble, shoot a couple of arrows or go whack it down. Once the berry is removed, take the zipline down.
You will enter a small room and immediately see the next password segment in the room's corner. There is also the Ghostmint SCA.B cosmetic to your right as you enter the room. Once you've grabbed the password segment and the SCA.B cosmetic, go over to the door caked in spiderwebs and get it unstuck. Walk into the room with the two egg sacs, and head up the ramp. We are going to the room that connects to the middle corridor from earlier. Once you hit the blue room up the ramp, head diagonally across and keep heading up.
Head up the long tunnel to a supply room, and stock up on anything you might want to take with you. If you want, you can toss all the grass planks and weed stems down off the ledge and gather them on the ground afterward. Once you've gathered some items, take the zipline down to the next password segment. Don't take the zipline all the way, though! There is an open hatch with a light beside it about halfway down. That hatch is your next location. Zip down, time your jump from the line, and drop down near the hatch.
There is an Orb Weaver Jr. in the hatch, along with some small spiders. Jump down, eliminate the spiders, and grab the items on the table as well as the next password segment. Facing the table, you want to take the door on the left side of the room. This will take us back to the "Blue room" from earlier that led us to the supply room.
Once you are back in the blue room, head diagonally down the hallway leading to room filled with berry splatters. When you take the zipline for this last segment, you'll hit a branch that's in the way and get knocked off. Thankfully, you'll land on a twig below, so you can just hop straight back onto the zipline again and keep going.
Land in the tiny room, and grab the last password segment to complete it. It's now time to venture back to the computer and turn on the power. Hop down the hole in the room you are in, land on the large branch, and head down towards the open lab door.
Head back up the tunnels all the way back to the computer room, and activate the password. With the power finally diverted, you can access the room immediately behind you with the power switch. Head on into the room, grab the Gas Mask, BURG.L Chip, Lab Notes, and pull the lever. You now have opened up lab doors in the area that were previously inaccessible! The one immediately underneath you is a shortcut between the lower ground area around the birdbath to the area right underneath the Hedge Lab.
Grounded is officially out now on Xbox and PC for $30, and has quickly proven itself to be one of the best Xbox games of all time for fans of survival games thanks to its unique and creative theming, content-rich open world, and deep crafting, upgrade, and combat systems.
