So you’ve survived your first spider ambush, built a shaky lean-to in the grass, and maybe even whacked a few mites with a pebble axe—congrats, you’re officially tiny and terrified. But now it’s time to upgrade your survival game in Grounded 2… with wheels. Or, well, six legs and an attitude. 🐜💢
Meet the Red Soldier Ant Buggy—your future ride-or-die in Brook Hollow Park. This thing isn’t just a mount; it’s a combat sidekick, a walking storage unit, and your one-way ticket to clearing out dead roots and unlocking new areas. It hauls grass planks like a champ, picks up loot for you, and yes… you can even pet it. 🥹
In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to unlock your first buggy, hatch it safely, and make the most of everything it can do. I’ll also share a few near-death stories along the way—because no one gets their first buggy without a little chaos. Let’s get into it!
Ultimate Red Soldier Ant Buggy Guide
If this is your first buggy, congrats—you’ve picked the MVP. The Red Soldier Ant Buggy is your early game mount that can:
- 📦 Carry your stuff (30 slots + 12 planks/stems)
- ⚔️ Help in combat
- 🌱 Break dead roots blocking hidden areas
- 🥚 Haul eggs
- 🎯 Run interference while you explore
This little tank is your all-in-one travel companion—and trust me, once you get one, you’ll wonder how you ever played without it.
How to Unlock the Red Soldier Ant Buggy
Step 1: Get the Turbo Optical Disc
You’ll find this disc deep in the Snack Bar Ant Hill, just left of the starting area after exiting the Ominent Onboarding Facility. Follow the main quest prompts and head inside.
Bring:
- 🔦 A torch (it’s pitch dark)
- ⛏️ Omni-shovel (you’ll need to dig) & Omni-hammer
- 💪 Some bravery (or a buddy)
Down in the tunnels, look for a chest beside a skeleton—dig it up and grab the Turbo Optical Disc.
While you’re there, loot the Researcher’s Note and optional token (extra ant damage, lower defense).
Step 2: Turn in the Disc
Take the disc to the Science Shop terminal at any Ranger Station.
This unlocks:
- 🐣The Hatchery (used to incubate buggy eggs)
- 🏡The Ant Nest (used to store/manage buggies)
- 🪑The Saddle (required to ride them)
Buy the Hatchery Bundle for 500 Raw Science.
💡Need Raw Science? Look for floating pink orbs, use the analyzer regularly, or complete Ranger Challenges, which hand out big science rewards for simple objectives.
Step 3: Build Your Hatchery First
Before you go sprinting into ant territory like a fearless (or clueless) bug wrangler, build your Hatchery and Ant Nest first. Trust me—Red Soldier Ant Eggs can rot if left in your inventory too long, and unless you’ve unlocked the Egg Freezer (later tech), you’ll lose that precious cargo. Save yourself the heartbreak.
Here’s what you’ll need for each structure, plus where to find everything:
Hatchery Recipe
- 🌿6 Weed Stems – Chop down Dandelions or Husky Weeds with a Tier 2 axe
- 🟤1 Acorn Top – Smash acorns near the Oak Tree (southwest side of the map)
- 🟤5 Acorn Shells – Also from acorns at the Oak Tree
- 🐞5 Mite Fuzz – Kill Lawn Mites found around roots near the Oak Tree or under clay pipes
This is the main structure where your egg will incubate. Make sure to place it directly on the ground, not on foundations—buggies have a bad habit of vanishing when hatched on unstable platforms.
Ant Nest Recipe
- 🌿6 Weed Stems – See above (Dandelions or Husky Weeds)
- ☘️6 Clover Leaves – Collect from Clover Plants near puddles or shady areas
- 🧵3 Crude Rope – Crafted from Plant Fiber (everywhere on the ground)
- 🟤1 Acorn Shell – Again, from acorns near the Oak Tree
This is your buggy’s home base. You can recall, rename, and check stats like “Days Alive” or “Times Petted” here. Yes, that’s a stat. No, I won’t judge you.
Saddle Recipe
- 🪶2 Grub Hide – Dig up and kill Grubs using a shovel, often found near the Oak Tree and in dirt tunnels
- 🌱3 Sprigs – Found all over the map, especially in grassy areas
- 🟤1 Acorn Shell – You should be hoarding these by now
The Saddle is what lets you ride your buggy. Without it, your ant will just stare at you like, “Where’s my gear, boss?”
Where to Get the Red Soldier Ant Egg
Head northeast of the Snack Bar to the Northern Ant Hill. I don’t recommend taking the South Entrance—I had a pretty rough experience there. More on that below.
Bring:
- A torch or Slime Torch
- Solid weapons (spear/arrow preferred)
- Decent armor or friends
Inside is a maze of tunnels—follow the red wires or downward paths until you hit a nursery filled with orange-tinted eggs. These are the ones you need.
🧭 Follow this path: right → left → right → right to reach the Red Soldier Ant Eggs.
Grab one and carefully carry it out (reversed path: left → left → right → left).
⚠️ Warning: Picking up the egg will instantly aggro nearby ants. If they hit you, you drop it.
Best strategy:
- 🧹Clear a path in and out ahead of time
- 🧠Memorize the route
- 👬Bring a buddy for backup
💡Tip: You can carry two eggs—one in inventory, one in your “hands” (or ant mouth). Press Y on Xbox to carry the second.
Didn’t Know Grounded 2 Was A Horror Game
I went down to grab an egg… no torch… just vibes. Out of nowhere: two glowing purple eyes in the dark. Next thing I know, a freaking ORC Weaver Spider is chasing me through the tunnels. I ran all the way back to the starting area barefoot, starving, and almost dead, clutching this egg like it was my firstborn.
💀 10/10 terror. Would not recommend… unless you want to make your cheeks clench like mine did. 😭
Hatch & Ride
Back at your base:
- Drop the egg into the hatchery
- Wait 12 in-game hours (or sleep to skip)
- 🎉 Hatch it—and congrats, you’ve got your first Red Soldier Ant Buggy! 🐜
What The Red Soldier Ant Buggy Can Do
Now let’s talk features—this buggy is packed with utility.
Basic Features
- 📦30-slot inventory
- 🪵Carries up to 12 stems or planks
- 🎮Sprint, jump, block, and attack small enemies
- 🎺Follows commands: Stay, Return to Nest, Whistle summon
- 🧲Auto-gather mode: Hold X near resources
- 🧺Rideable with Saddle
- 🥚Can carry one additional egg (in its “mouth”)
Combat & Defense
- 🛡️Can block, parry, and take aggro
- 🕷️Use it to help against swarms
- 🐜Recruit up to 2 Red Worker Ants for your squad (press H near them)
- 👊Not a tank, but surprisingly good backup
Unique Ability: Dead Root Chomping
This buggy can destroy dead roots, opening new hidden areas and shortcuts across the map. It’s the mount for exploration. 🌱🚧
What Happens If It Dies?
- If it gets knocked out, you have 90 seconds to revive it. ⏱️
- On Mild or Medium, it returns to the nest and has a 4-minute cooldown to heal.
- On Whoa difficulty, if the timer expires, your buggy dies permanently. 🪦
- It drops a backpack with all its items 💼
- Its body can be harvested (no gravestone though… R.I.P. Chompy) 😢
Bonus Tips & Tricks
- ⚠️ Build hatcheries on the ground (not floors) to prevent bug despawns
- 🕸️ Buggies can cheese web bridges by riding half-off the side—normal speed, no slow
- 📉 Do not use buggies as parachutes—they take fall damage and will boot you off
- 🚜 Use them to farm upgrade rocks, mushrooms, and sprigs faster with gather mode
- 📦 The buggy’s inventory syncs with the storage UI—press RB in a chest to access buggy storage
- 📯 Use the right D-pad whistle to summon them. If buggy doesn’t respond, try sending it home and recalling after a few minutes
Wrap-Up: Your New Best Friend Has Six Legs and a Grudge
And there you have it—the complete lowdown on the Red Soldier Ant Buggy in Grounded 2. From digging up ancient tech in creepy tunnels, to hauling giant grass planks like a champ, this buggy isn’t just a tool—it’s a full-blown lifestyle upgrade.
Once you get one, everything changes:
- 📦Gathering gets easier
- Combat gets funnier (watch it block a weevil like a champ) 🤺
- 🏃♂️Travel gets way faster
- And yeah… you finally have a buddy to take into the unknown 🐜
Trust me, once you’ve ridden through the backyard on the back of a snarling ant with a saddle, you’ll never want to walk again. Whether you call it Chompy, Sir Crunchalot, or Steve, the Red Soldier Ant Buggy will quickly become one of your favorite parts of Grounded 2.
So build the hatchery, grab that egg (hopefully without waking a nightmare spider), and get your buggy rolling. Just don’t forget to pet it. It deserves it. 🫶
Up next, want to add an Orb Weaver mount to your growing buggy collection? Here’s where to find the Orb Weaver Egg and hatch your next eight-legged ride. 🕷️
