The chunky 1.4 update of Grounded is finally out, and with it are tons of new features including weapons, gear, enemy types, NPCs to interact with, and even an entire New Game+ system that ties into progression. With that in mind, you are probably wondering what build to go for with all the changes, and in this guide, we’ll try to help you with that!
Best Build Guide (Fully Yoked Update)
One of the strongest builds in the latest Fully Yoked patch involves quite a bit of RNG, and we’ll explain why in a bit. First, let’s go through what items you will need for this, which will mainly only be two things.
Item #1 – The Pinch Whacker
For this build, you need to get the Pinch Whacker (the Prod Smacker can work too, but this is generally much better). It is a tier 3 weapon that cannot be crafted, which is why you will need to find it out in the world.
The weapon has a unique Short Circuit perk that makes it so that every third attack of a successful combo will cause a devastating electric explosion that deals area of effect damage.
We will get into the specifics of what makes this particular one-handed weapon special further down the guide. For now, let’s talk about how you can get it in case you haven’t acquired it yet.
To find it, you must first head over to the location marked in the map image below. Bring a Bratburst bomb (essential) and make sure to have some dandelion tufts with you just in case.
Once you make it to this location, you will see a large brick wall. In one section, you will notice that there is a relatively large opening between the bricks. You will need to find a way to get up there.
Either build your way up or find some method to reach high ground and glide towards it using a dandelion tuft. Regardless of what method you use, the next part will require you to have a bomb.
Upon moving further into this slit in the wall, you will encounter a blocked doorway. You need to use a bomb to open this. Be careful when you do this, as the Bratburst Bomb tends to bounce around, and this is a particularly tight space.
Now, all you have to do is go further in through the now-open path. Whip out a torch or something, as it will be a bit dark inside.
At the end of this linear path, you will be able to spot a trash bin in one corner of the room you’ll find yourself in. In it will be the Pinch Whacker, which you can simply grab for free!
Item #2 – A Trinket With Mad Scientist On It
This is where things get a little more complicated and grindy. The other part of this build requires you to find a trinket that has the Mad Scientist effect on it.
Mad Scientist is special in that it only affects the Pinch Whacker and Prod Smacker. What it does is that it gives you a random buff every single time you attack. These buffs will persist until a fight ends or if you swap to another weapon.
The buffs that this perk will grant you include the following, which are all effects that stack:
- Increased attack damage
- Increased attack speed
- Bonus critical hit chance
- Exhaustion recovery buff
As you can imagine, this is insanely good and can practically carry you through most of the content, including the infused creatures that you will face throughout your New Game+ runs.
The issue now comes with the fact that it is a random trinket effect. Because of this, you will just have to grind like crazy until you get lucky enough to get one that has it.
If you can find a trinket that has both Mad Scientist and Life Steal on it, even better. This will allow you to just keep on whacking your enemies virtually nonstop.
The Rest of the Build
As for your armor sets, you are free to experiment with whatever melee-focused gear you are more comfortable using. This is because your playstyle kind of factors in to your choice here.
Widow Armor can be a decent option for added survivability due to the Death’s Impetus set bonus, particularly against several enemies. This will let you somewhat safely clear mobs quickly.
Fire Ant Armor is a more aggressive alternative that will greatly increase your damage output. Acidic Splash and Corrosion work incredibly well with a Mad Scientist-buffed Pinch Whacker.
Assassin’s Armor can be pretty okay as well if you lean more towards critical hits. Since Mad Scientist can increase your critical chance, you can double dip with the Critical Chain set bonus and take advantage of the Cutman and Crit Stun effects.
Mutation Choices
Your choice of mutations will also depend on what type of content you are going to be facing. Parry Master can be great if you are going to be in it for the long haul, such as when you are fighting a boss.
Coup de Grass is particularly good as it is basically a flat critical chance boost. Coupled with other bonuses, including those given by Mad Scientist, you are going to be a crit machine.
If you need more healing, Barbarian (yes, it works with the Pinch Whacker) can help you with regeneration while also adding more damage to your setup. Corporate Kickback can be okay too.
Spicy Safety is another safe option if you know you are going to be facing enemies that deliver stabbing or smashing attacks and have a spare mutation slot.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the build concept is fairly flexible as the only set requirements are the Pinch Whacker and a trinket that has Mad Scientist on it. The rest of the build will depend on what other perks you managed to get or what gear is available to you.
The other components will also heavily depend on what type of content you will be facing. Infused creatures in New Game+ runs have unique modifiers that will spice things up and force you to be more flexible with your entire set.
Basically, just keep upgrading your stuff and continue to explore all the new mechanics introduced in New Game+ to figure out how to adjust the build to your needs. While you’re here, you may as well check out our guide on how to activate New Game+ on Grounded as well!
