Highlights
- Make do with ant jaw weapons in Grounded for survival at microscopic levels. Resources are scarce.
- Improvised weapons like Rusty Spear can fight deadly spiders. Be picky with crafting in Grounded.
- From makeshift to epic weapons, explore powerful tools like Tick Macuahuitl in New Game+ mode in Grounded.
Weapons made out of ant jaws or Tic Tac chunks aren’t what one usually considers edgy when it comes to weaponry. But the notion of what’s cool usually comes flying out the window when one needs to survive getting shrunk to microscopic levels in a dirty backyard. Such is the case in Grounded. Players will have to make do with what they find.
Still, that doesn’t mean the makeshift weapons in Grounded don’t slap, slash, or stab hard. If crafted right, players can even fight the world’s deadliest spider with these improvised poke sticks. Granted, players will need to be picky with what weapons they craft; resources are scarce, after all. These are some of the best weapons in Grounded.
Updated May 10th, 2024 by Russ Boswell: There are quite a few useful and interesting weapons to find in Grounded. When players first start their adventure, they may be hard-pressed to find and create anything other than a simple spear or club, but later in their adventure they’ll unlock the ability to create some truly powerful tools and items. Some of these weapons, like Fungnir, can only be crafted when in New Game+, meaning players will have to go through the whole game at least once before they can get their hands on some epic weapons. To better showcase some of the best weapons in Grounded, the following list has been updated with more entries.
16 Rusty Spear
- Damage type: Stabbing, Melee
- Special damage: Infection
- Components: Dust Mite Fuzz, Rust, Sunken Bone
Rusty Spear is one of Grounded‘s most powerful weapons since it not only has high damage but high speed as well. Thanks to this unique melee weapon, players can also inflict infection on their enemies with bacteria.
Players can find Rusty Spear in the Upper Grasslands, but they will need the Black Ox Hammer and Dust Mite to get it. Rusty Spear also reduces the enemy attacks and damage and can be used underwater as well which makes this Grounded weapon especially useful for beginners. Casual players can also check out other useful Grounded beginners tips that’ll increase their chances of survival as well as make the game much more fun from the beginning.
15 Tick Macuahuitl
- Damage type: Slashing
- Special damage: Lifesteal
- Components: Tick Fangs, Lint Rope, Pinecone Piece, Mosquito Blood Sack
Those who enjoy shields will want to get their hands on a one-handed weapon that is capable of dishing out solid damage. Most of the best one-handed weapons are locked behind the late-game, meaning players will be hard-pressed to find a multitude of weapon types they can use with a shield in the early-to-mid game. One of the best options for shield-users is the Tick Macuahuitl, a Tier 2 weapon that can be unlocked by analyzing a Tick Fang, Pinecone Piece, or reaching Brainpower 14 at the analyzer. Those that like to “bunker down” with their shield will enjoy the Lifesteal that comes with the sword, helping them to regain any health lost while they block attacks.
14 Fungnir
- Damage type: Stabbing
- Special damage: Explosive Charge Attack
- Components: Infected Ant Mandible, Infected Ant Part, Fungal Growth
Another great and fun-to-use one-handed weapon is the Fungnir spear. Unfortunately, this spear is only accessible in New Game+ mode, so players won’t be able to use it during their first playthrough. Those that are looking to wield it can unlock the recipe by analyzing Infected Ant Mandibles at the analyzer when in New Game+ mode. Fungnir is very powerful thanks to its Explosive Charge Attack, which adds explosive damage to the end of a charged attack. This works exceedingly well with a shield, allowing players to dish out serious damage while simultaneously protecting themselves from danger.
13 Salt Morning Star
- Damage type: Salty, Melee
- Special damage: Stun
- Components: Salt Glob, Gum Nugget, Tough Gunk
While Salt Morning Star might not be the weapon with the highest damage it does have a good speed and a pretty high stun which makes it a great choice for players of all play styles. This one-handed melee weapon is especially effective against antlions and black ox beetles.
Players will need a recipe and a workbench to craft Salt Morning Star, and they can find the recipe in a chest in the Sandbox’s sandcastle. It can be challenging for beginners to obtain this weapon, but it’s highly effective during attacks, so it’s worth their while.
12 Tiger Mosquito Rapier
- Damage type: Stabbing, Melee
- Special damage: Stun, Life Steal
- Components: Tiger Mosquito Beak, Rust, Mosquito Blood Sack
Players can try bad food in Grounded as well as fight against deadly enemies during their adventures. However, this entertaining game also has some of the most unique weapons like Tiger Mosquito Rapier that’ll help players defeat these dangerous creatures easily.
This one-handed melee-type weapon has a good speed and despite having low damage it’s one of the best ones to stab bugs because players can stun them and can even steal life from their enemies. It’s also a great option for beginners since players will only need a few item and a workbench to craft it.
11 Splatburst
- Damage type: Explosive
- Special damage: None
- Components: Web Fiber, Bratburst, Sap
Splatburst is one of the most powerful explosive weapons in Grounded that can be used to defeat enemies as well as to break down walls. This bomb sticks to the enemies and provides maximum damage which makes it a great choice for beginners and more advanced players as well.
However, players will have to unlock a recipe from BURG.L and collect web fiber, bratburst, and sap to craft it. Splatburst is one of the most fun to use and powerful weapons in Grounded that every player should have in their arsenal to ensure they survival.
10 Spider Fang Dagger
- Damage type: Slashing, Melee
- Special damage: Poison
- Components: Spider Fang, Silk Rope, Spider Venom
A lot of players tend to sleep on this sleeper hit since it’s but a measly dagger. However, it’s actually one of the most underrated early boss/mini-boss killing tools in the game. This pocket knife comes with innate Poison damage which lets players kite bosses around.
Crafting it also isn’t too hard and the repair cost is just one part of Spider Venom. Players can build it along the way since they’re guaranteed to encounter countless spiders in their exploration. The only downside is that it’s pretty terrible against flying enemies.
9 Insect Bow
- Damage type: Stabbing, Ranged
- Special damage: None
- Components: Spider Chunk, Spider Fang, Silk Rope
Sooner or later, players would need a bow for cheesing large enemies; the tier one bow that’s highly accessible is sadly a little too lacking in damage. For players looking to cheese bosses or mini-bosses, then the Insect Bow offers a higher damage potential.
Making it is also simple as it uses nearly the same components as the Spider Fang Dagger. Again with the number of spiders that players will be killing along the way, there’s no reason not to have this decent bow. It’s a good boost for a lot of early-stage playthroughs.
8 Antlion Greatsword
- Damage type: Slashing, Melee
- Special damage: None
- Components: Antlion Pincer, Antlion Part, Silk Rope
Players will have to endure the deadly venture into the Sandbox to tackle a few Antlions. Because a few dead Antlions can help players craft the highest-damage sword in the game (though it is tied with the Spicy Coaltana, more on that later). If players love to stick to a certain weapon class, then they can’t go wrong with this as a sword.
It also looks a bit large and heavy, adding to its reputation. The barbs are made from multiple Antlion pincers though the weapon doesn’t exactly have any special properties. Still, one can’t go wrong with it if they need a tier-three sword.
7 Spicy Coaltana
- Damage type: Slashing, Melee
- Special damage: Spicy, Illuminates Surroundings
- Components: Spicy Glob, EverChar Coal Chunk, Tough Gunk
The Spicy Coaltana requires quite a lot of tedious ingredients but it’s worth it alone for having the ability to illuminate surroundings. The Spicy damage augment or infusion makes the sword glow, often letting it act as a faint source of light. Pretty handy in night explorations.
The weapon is also a two-handed sword but the speed is the same as two-handed clubs and the Spicy infusion makes it good against certain bugs or creatures that are weak to that kind of damage type. Of course, there’s also the fact that it’s a katana, which adds to the cool factor. The repair cost is quite demanding, however.
6 Scythe of Blossoms
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- Damage type: Chopping, Melee
- Special damage: Yoked Blows (chance to deal higher Critical Damage), Stun
- Components: Mantis Claw, Mantis Chunk, Pupa Leather, Rust, Lint Rope
Is it worth disturbing that menacing Mantis boss for its components? The answer is a resounding yes thanks to the Scythe of Blossoms. It’s what players will want to save those Mantis parts for since this weapon is quite unique as far as two-handed weapon types go.
It has double the swing speed of a usual two-handed weapon but only deals slightly less damage. It can also deal a bit of stun buildup. Last but not least, the Scythe of Blossoms gives the Yoked Blows perk which increases the chance to deal more damage per Critical Hit. With its swing speed, this weapon can deal higher average damage compared to other two-handed weapons.
5 Sour Battle-Axe
- Damage type: Sour, Melee
- Special damage: Sour
- Components: Sour Glob, Green Shield Bug Parts, Tough Gunk
The Sour Battle-Axe is a similar weapon to the Scythe of Blossoms. It also deals chopping damage, letting players use it as an axe for when they don’t want to switch weapons or clutter their Hotbar with too many tools, though players might want to be conservative with this weapon’s durability.
The specific damage augment allows players to use it against bugs that are weak to Sour weapons. Players will have to harvest some Green Shield Bug parts, however, making this weapon a bit too premium as those insects are tough to kill.
4 Sour Staff
- Damage type: Sour, Ranged
- Special damage: Sour
- Components: Sour Glob, Pinecone Piece, Tough Gunk, Pond Moss
For players looking to channel their inner wizards, then the Sour Staff offers one of the best damage types. It’s a mostly ranged weapon that allows players to create a Sour static charge from a considerable distance to damage their enemies. This static charge looks like an electric ball.
The caveat is that this Sour charge moves slowly though it does bounce off walls. In any case, it’s a great weapon for nuking Termite or Ant Hills. Players will want to be careful with this bad boy as the explosion can also damage them.
3 Mint Mace
- Damage type: Generic, Melee
- Special damage: Fresh, Stun
- Components: Mint Glob, Flower Petal, Tough Gunk
A lot of players will swear by the Mint Mace as the ultimate insect-hunting tool in the game. That’s because it only deals slightly lower damage compared to the best melee weapon in Grounded, more on that one later. This one’s easier to craft and maintain, however.
Players will need to find Ice Cap breath mints for this weapon. Luckily there are plenty of those around in the Picnic Table area of the map. The weapon is great for stunning targets with its high stun chance and the damage, as mentioned before, is quite stellar.
2 Black Ox Crossbow
- Damage type: Stabbing, Ranged
- Special damage: Stun
- Components: Rust, Black Ox Part, Lint Rope, Pinecone Piece
Of course, nothing beats fighting enemies from a safe distance. That’s why the Black Ox Crossbow is always the safer choice. It also allows players to cheese some power mini-bosses such as Black Widow spiders and the like. Surprisingly enough, this bow has stun damage.
It also looks intimidating enough and a lot less silly compared to the other in-game weapons. This crossbow’s damage is high though it does fire slower compared to a regular bow. Still, crafting it is easy enough since Black Ox Beetles are not that hard to fight.
1 Club of the Mother Demon
- Damage type: Generic, Melee
- Special damage: Stun
- Components: Broodmother Venom, Broodmother Fang, Broodmother Chunk
As for the best melee weapon in the game, there’s no contest here. The Club of the Mother Demon lives up to its name. Players can access this weapon after defeating the Broodmother boss, which is a tough fight some time in mid-game or whenever players feel like it.
It has no elemental damage, but the stun potential is impressive along with the highest melee damage in the game. Players might have to keep farming Broodmother especially if all players want a piece of this monster mallet.
Grounded is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
