How To New Game Plus Grounded, Grounded, the cooperative survival game by Obsidian Entertainment, is set in a backyard where players are shrunk down to the size of insects, trying to survive in a hostile world full of giant bugs, resources to gather, and mysteries to uncover. One of the most exciting features for dedicated players is the ability to enter New Game Plus (NG+), which allows you to start a fresh adventure but with some key progress carried over from your previous playthrough.
If you’re ready to dive into NG+ mode in Grounded, here’s everything you need to know to get started and make the most of your second (or third) playthrough.
1. What is New Game Plus in Grounded?
New Game Plus is a feature that lets you restart the game after finishing the main story while retaining certain progress from your original playthrough. In Grounded, NG+ allows players to carry over certain items, resources, and skills, giving them a head start on their second adventure while still maintaining the challenge of exploring and surviving in the backyard.
Starting NG+ doesn’t just mean you get to relive the story without starting from scratch—it’s an opportunity to approach the game with more power, knowledge, and experience.
2. How to Unlock New Game Plus
To access New Game Plus, you’ll first need to finish the main story of Grounded, which involves completing the tasks related to the backyard’s mysterious shrinking process and ultimately facing off against the final challenges. Once you’ve completed the game and watched the end credits, you’ll be able to start NG+.
Here’s how to begin:
- Finish the Main Story: Complete the objectives leading to the story’s conclusion.
- Save and Load: Once the game ends, your save file will allow you to start a new NG+ playthrough. When you return to the main menu, you’ll have the option to choose “New Game Plus” for your next adventure.
3. What Carries Over to New Game Plus?
In NG+, you won’t have to start completely from scratch. The game lets you carry over some of your progress to make the second (or third) playthrough a bit more exciting. Here’s what you can expect to keep:
- Character Stats and Level: Your character’s level and unlocked abilities will carry over. For example, if you’ve unlocked the ability to build advanced structures, or if you’ve gained some special crafting skills, you’ll be able to use those in NG+.
- Inventory Items and Resources: You get to bring over a large portion of your inventory, including tools, weapons, armor, and materials you’ve gathered. This means you can start with better equipment and supplies, which helps you survive faster and tackle tougher challenges early on.
- Base and Structures: Depending on the version of NG+ you’re playing, your base and structures might transfer over to your new game, letting you pick up where you left off in terms of fortifications, crafting stations, and the like.
- Unlocked Recipes and Blueprints: Recipes you’ve discovered, such as for armor, tools, or structures, will also carry over, so you won’t need to rediscover everything. This gives you the chance to experiment with different setups and strategies in your second playthrough.
- Pets and Animal Companions: If you’ve tamed any insects or animals during your first playthrough, these may carry over into NG+ as well. This gives you a potential advantage early on by having your trusty companions already on hand.
4. What Doesn’t Carry Over to New Game Plus?
While NG+ offers some nice benefits, it also keeps things balanced by resetting certain aspects of your game. Here’s what will reset when you start your new adventure:
- Story Progress: While you retain many of your resources and gear, the story will reset. This means that the main quests, objectives, and storyline progression will start fresh, so you’ll need to work through those missions again.
- Map and Locations: The layout of the backyard will be reset as well. Any locations you’ve explored or items you’ve unlocked previously will be cleared out. This ensures that you get to rediscover the backyard as if you were playing for the first time, keeping the exploration aspect fresh.
- Insect and Boss Respawns: All bosses and major threats will respawn in NG+. You’ll need to face off against the same dangerous creatures as before, which might be a more significant challenge now that you’ve carried over your upgraded equipment.
5. What to Expect in New Game Plus
NG+ offers an exciting way to reexperience Grounded, but it also adds some new challenges and dynamics. Here’s what you can expect during your second playthrough:
- Increased Difficulty: While carrying over your gear and stats makes things easier in some ways, NG+ may still increase the difficulty in certain areas. You might find that the backyard’s creatures are more aggressive, or that the environmental challenges are heightened. This keeps the game fresh and forces you to adapt to the ever-changing threats.
- New Challenges and Opportunities: You may be able to take on more advanced crafting, base-building, or exploration challenges that you couldn’t tackle in your first playthrough. Whether it’s building a larger, more complex base or taking on tougher enemies with your upgraded gear, NG+ provides an opportunity to further expand your playstyle.
- Faster Progression: Since you’re carrying over a lot of your gear and resources, you can focus on more ambitious goals early on. If you’re the type of player who loves maxing out stats or completing more challenging side tasks, NG+ lets you focus on those long-term objectives without being bogged down by the early grind.
- Exploration and Secrets: Since the map is reset, you’ll have a chance to reexplore areas and find hidden secrets. There may also be new things to discover as updates and patches are introduced, so each playthrough might include new content to uncover.
6. Tips for Your New Game Plus Playthrough
To make your NG+ run even more enjoyable, here are some tips to help you get the most out of the experience:
- Upgrade Your Gear: You’ll start with some good equipment, but you can further improve your weapons, armor, and tools to make the next playthrough even more satisfying. Take advantage of the head start NG+ gives you by crafting advanced gear early.
- Explore New Strategies: Since you’ll have more resources and advanced tools early on, consider experimenting with different survival strategies. Build elaborate bases, take on new challenges, or focus on creating the ultimate bug-hunting arsenal.
- Team Up: If you haven’t already, try NG+ in multiplayer. With the ability to carry over progress, Grounded is even more enjoyable with a group of friends. You can collaborate on building bigger structures, defeating tougher enemies, and surviving the harsh backyard together.
- Take on the Toughest Bugs: If you’re feeling confident, try facing off against some of the more challenging bosses or rare creatures that you may have avoided in your first playthrough. With your upgraded gear and abilities, you’ll have a better chance of surviving these encounters.
7. Conclusion
New Game Plus in Grounded adds an exciting layer to the game for returning players. By carrying over your progress—whether it’s your gear, character level, or crafting recipes—you can dive back into the backyard with a new perspective and tackle even greater challenges.
It’s the perfect way to replay the game while still feeling like you’re making meaningful progress. Whether you want to experiment with different builds, explore new areas, or just enjoy the game at a higher level of difficulty, NG+ in Grounded provides plenty of new opportunities to enhance your survival experience.
