The ‘Bugs Strike Back’ in the latest Grounded update

Some species of bugs in Grounded have their own personal places to hang out. The ants enjoy being near their tunnels, and spiders (gah) can be found by fences and the deep, dark corners of the Earth. Where evil dwells. Generally, only the most aggressive insects will try and pick a fight if you enter their territory. You can also go on a slaughter spree and return to your peaceful camp without much worry. But what would happen if the insects got sick of your trespassing? That’s the question answered by the latest Grounded update, Bugs Strike Back.

Home may not be as safe after today’s update. Developer Obsidian Entertainment has implemented a Faction Reactivity feature, which dictates when bugs will come marching to your base if you kill too many of their species. Based on the announcement, there are certain levels to the feature. The more you terrorize an enemy bug faction, the more Rage builds, and the more likely they’ll reciprocate in kind. You can see your relationship to a particular bug species by looking at their parts in your inventory.

But what if you want them to parade up to your doorstep. Well, the Bugs Strike Back update includes a new Waft Emitter, which can attract bugs to you in Grounded. The device consumes bug parts, sending their aroma into the air. Enraged, insects will gather to “exact revenge on you.” There are also levels to the emitter, allowing you to increase the Rage meter based on how many parts you use.

Bring ’em on

Of course, just because you can attract enemy bugs, that doesn’t mean you can’t defend against them. The update will let you upgrade armor to the point where you can apply a permanent buff. There are also turrets you can build, as well as Explosive Burr Traps that can defend your fragile walls.

But for those more science-minded, the update has you covered. MIX.Rs are tanks filled with Raw Science, and you can now find them scattered about. But using them isn’t without danger. Once activated, the MIX.R will draw enemy bugs set on its destruction.

Finally, the Bugs Strike Back update includes changes and fixes to Grounded. There are new quality of life enhancements, such as the ability to name your storage boxes or change the name of your save files. You can also find more crafting items, such as the Charcoal Canteen which can purify dirty water you’ve gathered. The live patch notes are at Obsidian’s website, with some fresh updates, as Bugs Strike Back has been out as a public test for a couple weeks.