Obsidian Entertainment releases a big feature update for its Early Access title, Grounded 2, while also laying the foundation for a big January content drop. Following in the same path as its predecessor, Grounded 2 launched in Early Access this past July to much fanfare from players. Even without an official launch date yet, Obsidian Entertainment continues to add to the survival action title with frequent updates.
Just weeks after launching in Early Access, Grounded 2 managed to crack Xbox’s top 10 list for most played games, an impressive showing considering the game’s lengthy road to a full launch. Supported by the popularity of the original Grounded, the sequel aims to continue building on that foundation in a new location called Brookhollow Park, filled with secrets for players to uncover throughout the game’s story. Obsidian is also using the Early Access portion to continue evolving the game through updates, including this latest one.
Grounded 2 Early Access Impressions: The Kids Have Shrunk, but Everything Else Has Grown
Game Rant plays through Grounded 2’s Early Access build, which is already showing some major improvements over its predecessor.
Available now, the 0.2.2 update largely lays the groundwork for Grounded 2‘s big Winter Update, as referenced to the previously released Early Access roadmap provided by Obsidian. Described as a “Feature Update” by Obsidian’s accompanying blog post, this update is intentionally smaller in scope as compared to “Content Updates” to focus on improving performance and adding new gameplay mechanics.
After downloading the update, fans will likely immediately notice a more winter feel as Obsidian brings back some holiday elements from the original Grounded, including the Holiday Tree. The update also returns the Coziness System, which adds tiers to base building to help unlock new perks and decorative items. For now, players can unlock up to 3 tiers of Coziness in their base, with a fourth being added inside the Winter Update. The breakdown is as follows:
Level 1:
- Fireplace Hearth and Core Chimney Pieces
- Coziness Hunger Rate Buff
- Clover Awning Pieces
Level 2:
- Thatch Chimney Roof Pieces
- Thatch Awnings
- Acorn Shelf
- Coziness Thirst Rate Buff
- Bunk Bed
Level 3:
- Crow Chimney Roof Chimney pieces
- Crow Awnings Pieces
- Trash Can
- Picture Frame
- Scorpion Lamp
- Scorpion Chair
- Scorpion Bed
In addition to performance improvements and bug fixes, update 0.2.2 also makes significant changes to Grounded 2‘s PEEP.R system. Players can view creatures in both first and third person views, with a newly added Chopping list and dynamic compass item for better navigation. There’s a resource tracker, which also highlights marked items that are nearby, the PEEP.R will display all backpacks instead of the original one dropped after dying, and players can customize the view to hide trail marker icons from the HUD.
