Into the Abyss: The Biggest Grounded 2 Update Yet

If you've spent time exploring Brookhollow Park, you've probably found yourself staring at the pond, wondering what was waiting beneath the surface.

With Into the Abyss, it's finally time to take the plunge.

Our biggest update yet expands the park with an entirely new underwater experience that transforms how you'll explore, build, and survive. From sprawling new locations and underwater base building to dangerous new creatures, expanded progression, and a new amphibious Buggy, this update isn't just about adding more space—it's about introducing a whole new dimension to Grounded 2.

Welcome to The Abyss

The pond has always stood out as one of Brookhollow Park's largest landmarks, but what you've seen so far is only the beginning.

Beneath the surface lies one of Grounded 2's largest new areas to date. What first appears to be a familiar pond quickly opens into a sprawling environment with surprising verticality, hidden routes, and new points of interest. Beyond the shoreline, you'll also venture into new surrounding areas, including the Bayou and the Mountains, while those willing to take the plunge can descend into the Abyss itself.

Every dive rewards curiosity, but it also demands preparation. The deeper you descend, the more you'll rely on upgraded gear, careful planning, and your understanding of the environment to survive what waits below.

Every Dive Starts Before You Enter the Water

Surviving beneath the surface means preparing differently than you have before.

The new Diving Suit introduces a progression path built around underwater exploration. Discovering Optical Disks unlocks new Diving Suit recipes, allowing you to craft upgraded equipment for longer expeditions and opening access to even deeper parts of the pond.

Rather than treating underwater exploration as a short detour, Into the Abyss makes it an entirely new gameplay loop. Each upgrade opens new opportunities to explore deeper, discover hidden resources, and uncover more of what the pond has to offer.

Build a Home Below the Surface

Players have built incredible creations throughout Brookhollow Park since Early Access began, and we're excited to see what you'll create next.

For the first time, you'll be able to establish fully underwater bases, opening entirely new possibilities for where and how you build. New underwater building pieces, including Bubble Floors that create breathable spaces beneath the surface, let you transform the depths into your next home, staging area, or research outpost.

Whether you're building for function, creativity, or simply because you've always wanted an underwater base, this update expands your toolbox in exciting new ways.

New Ways to Fight. New Reasons to Prepare.

Of course, the pond isn't giving up its secrets without a fight.

Into the Abyss introduces new underwater combat encounters with both familiar and brand-new creatures. Returning threats like the Diving Bell Spider now share the water with new predators including the Toe Biter, while CNK robots and Pond Jockeys create new dangers throughout the surrounding areas. Every expedition asks you to rethink your gear, builds, and approach before taking the plunge.

If you'd rather have a Toe Biter on your side than standing in your way, they can also be tamed and transformed into your newest Buggy. Its amphibious nature lets you seamlessly travel between land and water, opening new routes through the park while making exploration and combat feel more connected than ever.

As always, choosing the right gear, mutations, and build before setting out can make all the difference once things go sideways.

More Waiting to Be Found

Beyond the pond itself, Into the Abyss expands Brookhollow Park with new collectibles, additional rewards for exploration, and more reasons than ever to wander off the beaten path.

Hidden throughout Brookhollow Park are Critter Capz, collectible bug-themed figurines waiting to be discovered. Tucked away in hidden corners and off-the-beaten-path locations, they're a reward for curious explorers and completionists alike, encouraging you to revisit familiar areas and uncover every new path the update has to offer.

Your Next Adventure Starts Below the Surface

One of our goals with Grounded 2 has always been to make Brookhollow Park feel like a place worth exploring again and again.

Into the Abyss takes that philosophy deeper than ever before. It's not just a new destination; it's a new way to experience the park. Every dive presents new choices, new dangers, and new discoveries waiting just below the surface.

Whether you're chasing every collectible, building an underwater stronghold, or simply determined to see what lies at the very bottom of the pond, we can't wait to watch your next adventure unfold.

Gear up, gather your friends, and take the plunge.

We'll see you in Brookhollow Park.

Grounded 2 is available in Game Preview for XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC, and ROG XBOX Ally handhelds, and in Early Access on Steam and PlayStation 5. Play with Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, or purchase the game on your platform of choice. Play on both XBOX Series X|S and XBOX on PC at no additional cost with XBOX Play Anywhere.

Into the Abyss 0.5.0 Patch Notes

If you come across and issues, please report it to us at our Issue Tracker.

New Features

Swimming 2.0

• Updated agile swimming allows players to navigate the pond like a bunch of “Merteens”.
• “Burst” allows players to dash in any direction while swimming.
• While underwater, players can lock on to enemies for smoother combat.
• New Harpoon gun adds ranged combat capabilities in the pond!
• The Croakwurst Bomb, an underwater mine uses a proximity fuse to detonate and devastate groups of enemies.
• Flares can now be used underwater to light up the depths. EverChar Flares also warm you up in chilly areas.

Omni-Clipper

• The Omni-Clipper is a new variant of the Omni-Tool allowing players to harvest underwater resources.

Abyss Gameplay

• Hunt down the Diving Suit recipe, gather new resources, and craft it to endure the crushing depths of the Abyss.
• All-new low gravity combat and platforming mixes together on-foot and underwater gameplay.
• Unravel the mysteries of the deep!
• New Abyss map in the map menu.

Toe Biter Buggy

• Whether hopping across lily pads, diving deep underwater, or jetting across the water’s surface, this amphibious buggy will take you wherever you need to go in Skunk Pond!
• Able to carry haulables while swimming on the surface or walking on the ground.
• Combat isn’t its specialty, but the Toe Biter Buggy can hold its own in a fight with a nasty bite able to chill your enemies both on-land and underwater!

New and Updated Buggy Mutations

All Buggies:

• Buzzin' Buggies

Toe Biter:

• Aqua Jogger
• Wave Maker
• Elemental Adept

Orb Weaver:

• Charging Spider

Ants:

• Genuine Gathering Ants

Ladybug:

• Turret Master

PTS Fast Travel System

Ominent’s Pneumatic Transit System received a massive expansion - before, each Ranger Outpost PTS unit only connected to one other unit located somewhere in The Park - now, those same units are all connected, allowing you to whoosh freely across its many facilities. Well, maybe not “freely,” to add one of these units to the wider network will require a one-time, low, low cost of Raw Science.

Critter CAPZ Collectibles

Begrudgingly named “1992’s hottest new collectible,” Critter CAPZ have found their way to Brookhollow Park at long last. Discover as many of these circular, cardboard-like game pieces as you can to flex on your countless CAPZ-collecting friends (or at least gain a new mutation).

Cozy Lo-Fi Music System for Base Building

New dynamic music system ensures that the cozy soundtrack playing at your base grows and evolves alongside it.

Brainpower Exclusive Rewards

Leveling up your Brainpower at the Resource Analyzer now leads to unlocking new recipes found nowhere else! General Brainpower unlocks have been tweaked to better accommodate these new rewards.

New Craftables

• Pupa Bandage
• Croakwurst Bomb
• Spider Cider Smoothie
• Toejambalaya Meal
• Mosquite Skewers Meal

New Content

Skunk Pond Quest

After completing the Network Center, the player will receive a mysterious request to investigate nearby Skunk Pond. Answer the call to see how far down this whole thing goes.

New English Voice Lines

The Teens, Sloane, The Masked Stranger, and more have newly recorded voice lines - both for the new “Into the Abyss” content and previously released areas.

New landmarks, caves, labs, and Ranger Outposts

Brookhollow Park grows ever bigger! In addition to Skunk Pond itself, its surrounding area has been packed with new nooks and crannies to explore.

New Resources

• Cattail Fuzz
• Horsetail Stem
• Phantom Quartz Shards
• Crushed Quartz
• Fire Brick
• Gold Foil
• Hyper Beam
• Calcined Snail Fragment

Returning Resources

• Koi Fish Scale
• Pond Moss
• Eel Grass strand
• Toenail
• Pupa Hide & Leather
• Lily Pad Wax
• Sunken Bone

New Creatures & Returning Creatures

• Toe Biter Family

• Toe Biter Nymph
• Toe Biter
• Toe Biter Leviathan

Pond Jockey Swarm

Koi

Striped Bark Scorpion Family

• Striped Bark Scorpling
• Striped Bark Scorpion Jr.
• Striped Bark Scorpion

Robots

• CHOP.R.
• SAUC.R.
• C.K.U.

Tiger Mosquito

Tick

Tadpole

Green Shield Bug

Diving Bell Spider

Water Boatman

Water Flea

Spiny Water Flea

New/Returning Armors & Weapons

• Toe Biter Tricorn
• Toe Biter Coat
• Toe Biter Boots
• Toe Biter Scythe
• Diving Helmet
• Diving Suit Chestplate
• Diving Boots
• Striped Slashers
• Striped Mask
• Striped Spaulders
• Striped Greaves
• Koi Scale Helmet
• Koi Scale Chestplate
• Koi Scale Greaves
• Koi Scale Shield
• Harpoon Gun
• Tiger Mosquito Rapier
• Ticky Maul
• Fin Flops
• Gill Tube
• Crystal Trident
• Toenail Cutlass
• Tin Foil Hat
• “Mysterious Stranger” Weapons & Items:

• Cut Lass
• Rime Rend
• Felfeast
• The Crown Jewel

New Buildings

• Trap Door
• Mushroom Floor kit
• Quern
• Kiln
• Buoyant Trail Marker
• Buoyant Foundation
• Buoyant Foundation Ramp
• Curved Buoyant Foundation
• Pupa Couch
• Pupa Ottoman
• Toe Biter Nest
• Underwater Marine Workbench
• Underwater Marine Wall Kit
• Underwater Diving Bell Bed
• Underwater Bubble Diffuser
• O.R.C. beacon
• Shock Tower
• Pressure Cooker
• Gloom Sconce
• Horsetail Stem Scaffold Kit
• Koi Chair
• Koi Shelf
• New Stuffed & Wall Mount creatures
• Sign Sets

New Glitter Bar and The Forbidden Workbench

• Found only in specific, ransacked Ominent Outposts, use these facilities to:
• Add some pizazz to your SCA.B 2K and Omni-Tool with the Glitter Bar!
• Craft additional “Mysterious Stranger” weapons and items after discovering them in The Park

New O.R.C. waves Heat System

• The Mysterious Stranger is watching! With this new system, she will no longer send a wave randomly every 3-5 days. Instead, players will build up “heat” whenever they do something that draws her frustration, like killing O.R.C.s, looting resources from her secret caches, deactivating O.R.C. Transmission Devices, crafting specific gear, and more! You’ll be warned as your heat increases, but once it reaches its 3rd level, the Stranger will send a wave to attack you the following night!
• You can also decrease the Mysterious Stranger’s attention (“heat”) by completing MIX.R challenges.

New O.R.C. Beacon and New Pond MIX.R

Use your stash of O.R.C. parts to lure a wave of mind-controlled creatures to an O.R.C. Beacon or take them on the old-fashioned way while overloading a new MIX.R tucked just out of reach of the pond’s watery embrace.

New O.G.R.R.s

• Tiger Mosquito
• Toe Biter Adult
• Toe Biter Leviathan
• Green Shield Bug
• Striped Bark Adult

Player Mutations

• Merteen

Returning Content & Features

Ziplines and ZIP.R

The oft-requested DIY fast travel system is back! Craft your own network of ziplines throughout The Park and hunt down the beloved ZIP.R upgrade that lets you fight gravity and travel both directions on your ziplines.

Custom Game 1.0

A collection of new and return custom game settings are now available. These settings will continue to be expanded upon throughout Early Access.

Charcoal Canteen

Stay hydrated by crafting this upgraded version of the canteen capable of holding more water and making even the nastiest water sources drinkable.

Community Requested & QOL Features

Underwater Building!

• Build your base underwater using an all-new set and existing waterproof favorites.
• Aquatic variation of stations to help players craft underwater.
• Build a Bubble Diffuser which acts as a limitless source of air to help you build without worrying about your oxygen running out!
• Buoyant buildings are back too!

Repeatable MIX.Rs

Completed, overloaded MIX.Rs can now be repaired, allowing you to replay their defense challenges! Don’t forget why you destroyed that MIX.R in the first place though: repaired MIX.Rs will cause ORC creatures to return to the zone!

More ways to acquire Snake Scales

Snake Scales can now be found lodged in places the snake passes through (rather than only on the snake itself).

Web Bridges Improvements