Grounded has recently released its significantly large 1.4 update, which includes a whole lot of new features that will surely keep most players occupied for quite a long time. With the introduction of a New Game+ mode that can be repeated multiple times to scale up the difficulty, certain bosses have become harder to deal with. In this guide, we will be covering some tips on how to fight the Wasp Queen.
Easiest Way to Beat the Wasp Queen
Before getting to the specifics, not much has actually changed for the actual Wasp Queen fight itself. However, with the New Game+ mode now implemented, there are certain things that will make it slightly harder.
First, if you haven’t finished the base game yet, consider doing so and checking out our guide on how to start your first New Game+ run in Grounded.
That guide also includes the requirements to summon the Wasp Queen, since you need to beat the base version of her first. This will open the door for the majority of new content added in the 1.4 patch!
Once you have started up your first New Game+ run, you will start facing infused creatures all around the backyard. These are more powerful variants of enemies that have a purple glow and particle effects that distinguish them from normal ones.
These enemies can have a variety of passive buffs, with more of these effects being added each time your New Game+ level increases. These are the different effects that you will have to watch out for:
- Increased attack damage (always included by default)
- Increased max health (always included by default)
- Increased movement speed (always included by default)
- Increased attack speed
- Chance to deal explosive damage
- Chance to inflict the venom status effect
- Chance to create sour electric orbs
- Chance to create spicy explosive orbs
What makes this especially worrying is that bosses, which includes the Wasp Queen, will always be infused from here on out. This means that the next time you meet this boss, she will be even more powerful.
Preparing for the Infused Wasp Queen
The Wasp Queen is particularly weak against the Salty damage type, which is why your ideal set up should be geared towards this element.
Ranged & Melee Weapons
A ranged focused build centered around shooting it with a lot of salt arrows will be a great choice for this fight. Stock up on a lot of these arrows and bring a powerful ranged weapon such as the Black Ox Crossbow or Bard’s Bow (stronger) with you.
The Bard’s Bow in particular actually requires materials gained from the Wasp Queen. Since you will be fighting her every time you increase your New Game+ level and you can resummon her any time, this shouldn’t be an issue.
You also need a melee weapon for certain phases of the fight. The Wasp Queen has a lot of resistances, but it does not have any bonuses against generic damage types. This means that weapons such as the Mint Mace or Salt Morning Star can be good choices.
Armor Sets & Supplies
For armor & trinkets, feel free to experiment with whatever you are the most comfortable with. Some recommendations can include Moth Armor or Wasp Armor for their set bonuses and effects.
Bard’s Tudor can be a great independent head piece too. It has perks and effects that heavily increase the effectiveness of ranged weapons, which is going to be extremely useful against the boss.
Don’t forget to bring some Waspidotes with you, as well as the Mithridatism mutation (grants poison resistance). The boss occasionally inflicts poison, so these precautions will come in handy if you ever get hit.
Things to Keep in Mind During the Fight
Just in case you’ve forgotten what it’s like to fight this boss, basically just try to stay on the move and avoid her ranged attacks. While doing this, try your best to land your salt arrow shots on her.
Occasionally, the Wasp Queen will fly towards you and immediately land on the ground. This will deal damage in a small area around her, so keep your distance even if she is still relatively far away from you.
Once she has landed on the ground, whip out your melee weapon and start smacking her as much as you can. This is a huge opportunity to deal a lot of free damage as she just helplessly stands there.
You basically have to continue this cycle throughout the entire fight. The easiest way to whittle down her health as fast as possible is basically just taking advantage of her weakness to Salty damage.
The Occasional Wasp Minions
Every now and then, the Wasp Queen will summon various minions that will immediately charge at you. These are particularly weak and only take a few hits to kill.
Ideally, you should try to save your ammo and use your melee weapon to beat these down if you can. Do this quickly, though, as the Wasp Queen will eventually start attacking again after calling down some friends.
Also, if you are playing on the “Woah!” difficulty setting, it is important to note that she will summon additional enemies whenever she does so.
The number of minions summoned in Woah! Difficulty supposedly scales up depending on how many players are around. Her summons also do not go down in three hits like they would in the normal version.
Unique Infusion Effects
Finally, take your time to learn how the unique infusions that add various damage types actually work. Some of them will absolutely ruin your day if you aren’t aware of how they affect you.
For example, there is a chance that the Wasp Queen will have the unique effect that allows her to inflict venom on you. This is not affected by Mithridatism, so there will be extra emphasis on the importance of dodging throughout the fight.
The small purple icons under the boss’ health bar (or even other infused creatures for that matter) will give you a hint as to what unique modifiers they have.
Finally, don’t be ashamed if you lose to this buffed version of the boss. The infused Wasp Queen is considered by some to be one of the most unfair fights in the new update, so just keep upgrading your gear and re-evaluating your build if you die.
And those are the tips we can give you when it comes to fighting the buffed version of the Wasp Queen in the latest update. If you need to upgrade your stuff for the NG+ grind, check out our guide on how to get the Yoking Station in Grounded’s 1.4 patch.
