Image Credit: In-game by Cl4y
Playtime: ~2 hours (Public Test)
Completion: Ongoing (testing build)
Platform: PC (Steam)
Genre: Survival, Co-op, Base Building
Played/Reviewed: September 2025
Final Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 8.5/10
🧠 First Impressions
When Obsidian dropped the “Hairy & Scary” Public Test Build, my first reaction was: this doesn’t feel like a small patch, this feels like a soft expansion. Instead of just bug fixes or a balance pass, you get a new boss, new gear, a new construction system, and a seasonal event all crammed into one update.
Booting up, the vibe is instantly creepier. Between the AXL tarantula boss looming like a backyard raid boss and Halloween candy scattered around the yard, the update knows exactly how to set the mood. It’s rough around the edges—this is a test build—but you can see the direction the devs are aiming for: bigger threats, cleaner systems, and a sturdier foundation for the game’s future.
⚙️ Gameplay & Progression
The clear star is AXL, the new boss fight. Unlocking him requires finding and crafting an offering recipe, which makes the battle feel earned instead of just plopping into your lap. The fight itself is intense—AXL is tanky, punishes sloppy parries, and forces you to juggle survival with resource management.
AXL Boss Recipe:
AXL Arena Location:
AXL Boss Fight: (SPOILER WARNING)
The rewards are sweet though:
- AXL weapons (Spear, Greatbow, Arrows) bring new playstyles.
- AXL armor set adds another endgame progression option.
- AXL throne, candle, chest, stuffed/trophy wall mount let you flex your victory in style.
On top of this, Obsidian replaced the old construction radial with BUILD.M, which feels like Grounded finally growing up. Building bases used to be a chore if you didn’t memorize the radial—now you get something closer to a true construction menu, and placing Pine walls, rugs, or the new Scorpion furniture feels smoother and more organized.
New BUILD.M construction radial:
Progression also gets a subtle seasonal twist: the Halloween Trick-or-Treatery building (available in October only) and Candy Corn resources spice up exploration. It’s a fun reason to log in even if you’re not gunning for the AXL fight yet.
🎵 Atmosphere
This update doubles down on atmosphere. Obsidian clearly had fun with the Halloween event: spooky ambient cues, weird Candy Corn drops, and an eerie vibe at night make the yard feel fresh.
Visually, the new Pine and Scorpion building pieces expand the base-building sandbox. I built a Pine table setup in my camp and immediately thought, this looks like something from Valheim dropped into Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
Audio tweaks also land—improved translations, fixed missing VO, better volume balancing. Small stuff, but when you’re fighting AXL or hanging out at your base, the soundscape now feels richer and more polished.
✍️ Story & Dialogue
The AXL encounter doesn’t push narrative in a dramatic way, but it does add to the “tiny humans vs. giant threats” story thread. The fact that you have to summon AXL with an offering makes it feel like backyard folklore—you’re performing a ritual to awaken something ancient and hairy.
Halloween flavor text and small ambient changes also hint that Obsidian wants Grounded 2 to have a more playful seasonal cycle, weaving holiday events into the survival story. Not full lore drops, but it helps flesh out the backyard as a living, shifting world.
📝 Category Breakdown
- New Features: AXL boss fight + gear, BUILD.M system, mutation, trinkets.
- Seasonal: Halloween-exclusive Trick-or-Treatery, Candy Corn swap, spooky ambiance.
- New Content: Pine building set, Scorpion Bed/Lamp, Wolf Spider Rug, Praying Mantis Armor.
- QoL: Hotpouch permanent, set bonus info visible, better buggy repairs, Orb Weaver fixes, light-emitting SCA.B.
- Combat Tweaks: Crit/stun values toned down, bows nerfed, daggers reined in, ambush/assassin mutations adjusted, Smasher buffed.
- Performance: ~15% stability gain, new graphic options (including Lumen toggle), huge list of bug fixes (UI, buggies, creatures, OOW gaps).
✅ Final Verdict
This update isn’t just a test—it’s a proof of concept for where Grounded 2 is headed. With a headline boss, a construction overhaul, a seasonal event, and performance improvements, it’s the kind of patch that makes you confident the devs are listening.
Yes, the nerfs sting (RIP crit-heavy dagger builds, bow mains feeling the pain), but balance changes make sense with AXL as the new measuring stick. And with BUILD.M, Halloween flair, and smoother performance, the whole game feels more polished.
If Obsidian can keep this pace, Grounded 2 won’t just be a quirky survival game—it’ll be a full-fledged co-op sandbox that can stand toe-to-toe with genre heavyweights.
🔥 Clay’s Take
I went into this patch thinking “oh, cool, Halloween candy and a boss,” but came out genuinely impressed. AXL is terrifying in the best way. The BUILD.M system feels like the upgrade the game needed since day one. And the seasonal content makes me want to log in just to see what goofy thing Obsidian hides next.
The combat nerfs are a bummer, but honestly? The game feels healthier for it. If you’ve been waiting for Grounded 2 to take that next step, this is the update that proves it’s growing fast.
Score: 8.5/10 — Creepy, chunky, and a step closer to greatness.
🧭 What’s Next?
0.2.0 feels like a “prep patch.” The balance changes, new construction system, and AXL fight all hint at bigger things coming with Tier 3 content. If this is just the test build, the next major update could be the one that really cements Grounded 2’s identity in the survival space.
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