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Pets have been added to Grounded with its latest Shroom and Doom update, allowing players to tame wild aphids and weevils.
Both of these critters have been in Grounded since its launch and have always been non-hostile. They just passively scuttle around the backyard, getting hunted down by other creatures that are much higher on the food chain, including the player.
With the launch of the Shroom and Doom update, you can now interact with these bugs in a way that does not involve brutally murdering them. Aphids and weevils are now adoptable as pets for your Grounded character, and you can even move them into your home base, although doing so will entail quite a few steps.
How to Build a Grinder Station in 'Grounded'
Before you can house a pet in your base, you must first tame the bug by offering its favorite treat. In the case of the weevil, this means that you will need mushroom slurry and for the aphid, it means that you will need plant slurry.
To prepare either of these dishes, you must construct a grinder station. This is basically a giant mortar and pestle tool which can be used to break down substances into a mushy paste.
If you have not already built a grinder, then you are going to need two acorn shells, three flower petals, five bombardier parts and two crow feather pieces. The latter are quite difficult to find if you do not know where to look, but essentially you just need to follow the big bird that regularly soars above the backyard. It will leave feather pieces behind in its flight path or at its various resting perches.
How to Craft Mushroom and Plant Slurries in 'Grounded'
After you have collected the requisite parts and built a grinder station, you will then be able to make slurries.
For the mushroom slurry, you will need to grind down mushroom chunks. As of the latest update, you can get these by chopping down any fungi in the garden, with the exception of toadstools which will give you different parts.
Meanwhile, the only ingredient needed for crafting the plant slurry is common plant fibres, which can be found all over the backyard.
Once you have the right materials, interact with the grinder station and add either the plant fibres or the mushroom chunks to its queue. Then, press the "refine" button to produce slurries and add them to your inventory.
How to Tame an Aphid or Weevil in 'Grounded'
To successfully tame an aphid or weevil, you will need at least two of the corresponding slurries (plants for aphids, mushrooms for weevil).
Both creatures are relatively easy to find, although aphids do have a tendency to get spooked if the player gets too close, so make sure to keep a little bit of distance until you have fed them.
Speaking of which, to actually gift the treats all you need to do is open up your inventory and drop them in the nearby proximity of a bug. Wait patiently for them to eat at least two slurries, at which point, a white aura will appear around the creature, signaling that it is interactable. You can now head over to the aphid or weevil and pet it.
How to Assign an Aphid to a Pet House in 'Grounded'
The final step in adopting either an aphid or a weevil is to give them a permanent home. For this, you will need to construct a pet house using two weed stems, one acorn shell, four mushroom bricks and another two crow feathers.
Mushroom bricks are a new item component from the recent Shroom and Doom update. To acquire them, you will first need to grind mushroom chunks down into a fine slurry and then bake that slurry in an oven.
After constructing the pet house, you will then be able to interact with it to deposit a tamed pet. Once a creature has been assigned to a house, you can view all their stats, rename them, and equip them with cute little outfits.
Not everything about the Shroom and Doom update is quite so wholesome, as the patch also introduces a terrifying new spider enemy known as the Broodmother. We have prepared an entirely separate guide for dealing with that nightmare fuel here.
Grounded is available for $29.99 through Steam or the Xbox Store. It is also included in the Xbox Game Pass service.
