The survival gameGroundedfrom Obsidian Entertainment has continued to grow and evolve in some interesting ways since it first released in Early Access. The game sees players controlling children who were shrunken down and are trying to survive in their backyard while finding a way to return to normal. It has brought numerous new ideas and quirky concepts to the survival genre, and nowGroundedhas another massive update headed its way soon.
Dubbed the Hot and Hazy Update, the newestupdate revamps two ofGrounded’s biomeswhile introducing new enemies, resources, building materials, equipment, and, perhaps most interestingly, a new leveling system that takes Obsidian Entertainment back to its RPG roots. This has the potential to completely change how players approachGrounded,and is very exciting for fans still playing the game - or those who want to jump in to check out its cool new biomes.
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The RPG Elements in Grounded’s Hot and Hazy Update
The core newRPG elementsbeing added toGroundedrevolve around a new item called Milk Molars. Milk Molars can be found and earned in different ways throughout the game, and can then be spent to upgrade a player’s health, stamina, or how fast they can eat and drink.
One particularly interesting foil with Milk Molars is that they can also be spent on group upgrades which will benefit all other players, sinceGroundedis a very cooperative-focused survival title. This system should prove very interesting, as it means players will no longer all have identical characters to control, but will instead be able to improve themselves in ways that benefit their unique playstyles. This levelling up system will also makeGroundedplay much more likeObsidian’s various other RPG titles.
The update will also bring new ways for players to upgrade and customize gear. One way is for players to use specific items like candies to apply different effects to their weapons, like mint or spiciness. This will give the weapon various benefits, and different types of damage to help it excel at fighting certain creatures. Armor in the game is also being revamped so it will all be placed into light, medium, and heavy categories that each have benefits and drawbacks. The armor seems pretty standard for an RPG armor system, but it should helpdeepenGrounded’s gameplayby allowing players to emphasize either their defense or stamina regeneration in combat.
It is great to see how Obsidian Entertainment continues to improve and expandGroundedover time. The game has become something completely unique within the survival genre, and the developer should be proud of what it has accomplished. Some have voiced concerns thatObsidian Entertainment has too many projectsin the works at the moment, but it seems the company is more than capable of delivering on them thus far. Hopefully, it will be able to continue doing so moving into the future with titles likeThe Outer Worlds 2andAvowed.
Groundedis available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
