Into the Abyss: The Biggest Grounded 2 Update Yet

Into the Abyss is the biggest content drop Grounded 2 has had since Early Access began, and it went live across all platforms on August 11, 2026. It opens Skunk Pond, adds fully underwater base building, and swaps the old random O.R.C. raid timer for a heat system that reacts to what you do.

This page covers every documented change in Update 0.5, plus the 0.5.0.1 hotfix that landed shortly after launch. Where a figure has not been published by Obsidian, it is flagged as TBC rather than guessed.

If you are catching up on the game as a whole, start at the Grounded 2 hub for builds, quests, and creature data.

Into the Abyss at a glance

The update splits roughly into three pillars: a new underwater region, a new progression track built around diving gear, and a rework of how the Mysterious Stranger comes after you.

Here is what each major system adds and what gates it.

Do this before you load your save

Update 0.5 triggers a full resource regrow across the Park, exactly as patch 0.4.2 did in June. Obsidian confirmed the second regrow would land with Into the Abyss on August 11 when it shipped the 0.4.2 Omni-Tool change.

That means anything growing back through your floors, walls, and platforms is going to sprout inside your base. Resources regrowing through player-built structures can be cleared in a single Omni-Tool hit, provided you are standing on a floor or crafted structure when you swing.

Three resource types are excluded from the regrow behavior:

• Candies: not affected by the repopulation pass
• Acorns: not affected by the repopulation pass
• Fast Food: not affected by the repopulation pass

Budget ten minutes for cleanup on any large base before you head for the pond. Doing it first saves you fighting your own dining room later.

Skunk Pond, the Abyss, and the new surface areas

The pond is no longer set dressing. Beneath the surface it opens into a sprawling environment with real verticality, hidden routes, and new points of interest rather than a flat swim.

Beyond the shoreline, Into the Abyss also adds the Bayou and a mountainous region to the Park’s outer edges. The in-game name for the mountain area is TBC at time of writing, since Obsidian’s post refers to it only as the Mountains.

The Abyss itself sits at the bottom of the dive chain and gets its own dedicated map in the map menu. It mixes low gravity combat and platforming with underwater traversal, so it plays differently from both the surface Park and the shallow pond.

Because the pond has genuine depth layers, a flat two-dimensional map is close to useless down there. Our Grounded 2 interactive map has been updated with Skunk Pond and Abyss markers, including the new Ranger Outposts, caves, and labs added around the shoreline.

Example Scenario: your first descent

You have finished the Network Center, taken the Skunk Pond quest, and crafted the base Diving Suit. You swim down expecting a short detour and instead hit an air ceiling, because deeper sections of the pond are gated behind upgraded Diving Suit recipes rather than skill.

The correct read is to treat the first dive as a scouting run. Surface, bank the Optical Disks you found, craft the upgrade, and come back for the section that turned you away.

This is a general illustration of the gating structure, not a specific player’s run.

Diving Suit progression and Optical Disks

The Diving Suit is the spine of the whole update. You hunt down the recipe, craft it, and then extend how long and how deep you can operate.

Optical Disks are the unlock currency. Finding them opens new Diving Suit recipes, which in turn open deeper parts of the pond, so exploration and progression feed each other.

The suit comes in three pieces:

• Diving Helmet: head slot for the diving set
• Diving Suit Chestplate: chest slot for the diving set
• Diving Boots: leg slot for the diving set

The total number of upgrade tiers has not been published, so treat tier counts you see elsewhere as TBC until Obsidian confirms them.

Swimming 2.0 and underwater combat

Swimming has been rebuilt rather than patched. The update introduces agile swimming, which Obsidian jokingly frames as moving through the pond like a bunch of “Merteens,” alongside a matching Merteen player mutation.

Combat underwater now has real tools behind it. Underwater enemy lock-on is the headline change, since it fixes the drifting-camera problem that made aquatic fights in survival games miserable.

New underwater kit in 0.5:

• Burst: a directional dash you can use in any direction while swimming
• Harpoon Gun: the first dedicated ranged option for pond combat
• Croakwurst Bomb: an underwater mine with a proximity fuse for groups
• Flares: now usable underwater to light the depths
• EverChar Flares: also warm you up in chilly areas
• Omni-Clipper: a new Omni-Tool variant for harvesting underwater resources

The Omni-Clipper is easy to overlook and gates a lot of the new resource list. Without it you can reach pond resources but cannot harvest them.

Toe Biter Buggy and buggy mutations

The Toe Biter starts as a predator and ends as a mount. Tame one and you get an amphibious buggy that hops lily pads, jets across the surface, and dives with you.

It carries haulables while swimming on the surface or walking on land, which makes it the obvious choice for ferrying pond materials back to shore. Combat is not its specialty, though its bite applies a chill effect both on land and underwater.

Buggy mutations added or updated in 0.5:

• Buzzin’ Buggies: available to all buggies
• Aqua Jogger: Toe Biter
• Wave Maker: Toe Biter
• Elemental Adept: Toe Biter
• Charging Spider: Orb Weaver
• Genuine Gathering Ants: Ants
• Turret Master: Ladybug

Exact mutation values are not listed in the patch notes and are TBC pending in-game testing.

Underwater base building

For the first time you can build a fully submerged base. The marine set works alongside existing waterproof pieces, and aquatic variants of crafting stations let you work without surfacing.

The Bubble Diffuser is the piece that makes this practical. It acts as a limitless air source while you build, so you are not stopping every thirty seconds to breathe.

New underwater and pond-adjacent building pieces include:

• Underwater Marine Workbench: submerged crafting station
• Underwater Marine Wall Kit: structural set for submerged builds
• Underwater Diving Bell Bed: sleeping point below the surface
• Underwater Bubble Diffuser: limitless air source while building
• Buoyant Foundation: floating platform base, with ramp and curved variants
• Buoyant Trail Marker: floating surface marker

Buoyant buildings from the original Grounded also return, so surface platforms and submerged rooms can be combined into one structure.

The Mysterious Stranger heat system

This is the change most likely to catch veterans out. The Stranger no longer sends a wave at random every three to five days.

Instead you accumulate heat by doing things that annoy her, and once heat reaches its third level she sends a wave the following night. You get warnings as the meter climbs, so the raid is telegraphed rather than arbitrary.

Actions that build heat include killing O.R.C.s, looting her secret caches, deactivating O.R.C. Transmission Devices, and crafting specific gear. The exact heat value per action is TBC, as Obsidian has not published the numbers.

Example Scenario: managing heat before a long dive

You are at heat level 2, you have just cleared an O.R.C. Transmission Device, and you want to spend the next in-game day in the Abyss. Pushing to level 3 now means a raid hits your surface base while you are several depth layers away and unable to respond.

The safer sequence is to burn heat on a MIX.R challenge first, then dive. Heat reduction is now a pre-dive checklist item, in the same way food and water always have been.

This scenario is a general illustration of the system, not a report of a specific player’s session.

Fast travel: PTS expansion and ziplines

Ominent’s Pneumatic Transit System has been massively expanded. Previously each Ranger Outpost PTS unit connected to exactly one other unit somewhere in the Park.

Now every unit connects to every other unit, turning the network into genuine fast travel. Adding a unit to the wider network costs a one-time Raw Science payment, described only as low; the exact figure is TBC.

Ziplines and the ZIP.R upgrade also return from the original Grounded. ZIP.R lets you travel in both directions on a zipline rather than only downhill.

Route planning across a Park this size is easier with a second screen. The MetaForge desktop overlay sits above the game so you can check outpost and resource locations without alt-tabbing mid-dive.

Critter CAPZ and other collectibles

Critter CAPZ are the new collectible layer, described in the patch notes as circular, cardboard-like game pieces branded as 1992’s hottest new collectible. They are scattered in hidden corners and off-path locations across Brookhollow Park.

Collecting them grants at least one new mutation. The total number in the Park is TBC.

Because CAPZ are deliberately tucked away, checking locations on your phone while you play is the least disruptive method. Both the Android companion app and the iOS companion app carry the updated collectible and map data.

New content and quests

The Skunk Pond quest is the entry point to the whole region. It arrives after you complete the Network Center, framed as a mysterious request to investigate the nearby pond.

Beyond that, the Park itself has grown. New landmarks, caves, labs, and Ranger Outposts have been added around Skunk Pond and its surrounding areas.

The Teens, Sloane, The Masked Stranger, and others have newly recorded English voice lines. These cover both Into the Abyss content and previously released areas, so older quests sound different too.

New craftables

• Pupa Bandage: healing item
• Croakwurst Bomb: underwater proximity mine
• Spider Cider Smoothie: smoothie recipe
• Toejambalaya Meal: meal recipe
• Mosquite Skewers Meal: meal recipe

Glitter Bar and the Forbidden Workbench

Both are found only in specific ransacked Ominent Outposts. The Glitter Bar applies cosmetic customization to your SCA.B 2K and Omni-Tool.

The Forbidden Workbench crafts additional Mysterious Stranger weapons and items once you have discovered them in the Park. Those items are the Cut Lass, Rime Rend, Felfeast, and The Crown Jewel.

Brainpower rewards

Leveling Brainpower at the Resource Analyzer now unlocks recipes available nowhere else. General Brainpower unlocks have been retuned to accommodate the new rewards, so existing saves will see a different unlock curve.

New creatures

Into the Abyss adds a mix of new pond predators and returning faces from the original Grounded. The full creature list for 0.5:

• Toe Biter Nymph: juvenile Toe Biter
• Toe Biter: adult form, tameable as a buggy
• Toe Biter Leviathan: largest Toe Biter variant
• Pond Jockey Swarm: swarming pond threat
• Koi: returning pond fish
• Striped Bark Scorpling: juvenile Striped Bark Scorpion
• Striped Bark Scorpion Jr.: mid-tier scorpion
• Striped Bark Scorpion: adult scorpion
• CHOP.R.: Ominent robot
• SAUC.R.: Ominent robot
• C.K.U.: Ominent robot
• Tiger Mosquito: flying threat
• Tick: ground threat
• Tadpole: pond wildlife
• Green Shield Bug: surface creature
• Diving Bell Spider: returning underwater spider
• Water Boatman: pond creature
• Water Flea: pond creature
• Spiny Water Flea: pond creature

New O.G.R.R. targets are the Tiger Mosquito, Toe Biter Adult, Toe Biter Leviathan, Green Shield Bug, and Striped Bark Adult.

New and returning resources

Eight resources are new to the Park in 0.5:

• Cattail Fuzz: pond-edge plant material
• Horsetail Stem: structural plant material
• Phantom Quartz Shards: Abyss mineral
• Crushed Quartz: processed mineral
• Fire Brick: crafting material
• Gold Foil: crafting material
• Hyper Beam: crafting material
• Calcined Snail Fragment: processed snail material

Seven resources return from the original Grounded: Koi Fish Scale, Pond Moss, Eel Grass Strand, Toenail, Pupa Hide and Leather, Lily Pad Wax, and Sunken Bone.

New armor and weapons

The pond brings a full gear tier with it, plus several returning favorites.

Stat values for these items are not listed in the patch notes and are TBC pending in-game verification.

New buildings

Alongside the marine set, 0.5 adds a broad list of surface and utility pieces:

• Trap Door: access piece
• Mushroom Floor Kit: flooring set
• Quern: processing station
• Kiln: processing station
• Pressure Cooker: processing station
• Shock Tower: defensive structure
• O.R.C. Beacon: lures a wave of mind-controlled creatures
• Gloom Sconce: lighting
• Horsetail Stem Scaffold Kit: scaffolding set
• Toe Biter Nest: buggy housing
• Pupa Couch and Pupa Ottoman: furniture
• Koi Chair and Koi Shelf: furniture
• Sign Sets: signage
• Stuffed and wall mount creatures: new trophy variants

Quality of life and community requests

Several long-requested changes shipped alongside the pond content.

• Repeatable MIX.Rs: overloaded MIX.Rs can be repaired and replayed, though repairing one returns O.R.C. creatures to that zone
• Snake Scales: now found lodged in places the snake passes through, not only on the snake itself
• Web Bridges: slow you down less, but crossing without the right gear or an Orb Weaver Buggy spawns a hostile spider
• Recipe menu: replaces the Crafting menu and lets you check required ingredients and tools on the move
• Quest Menu: objective locations can now be viewed directly in the menu
• Charcoal Canteen: holds more water and makes the nastiest water sources drinkable
• Custom Game 1.0: a collection of new and returning custom game settings
• Cozy Lo-Fi music system: base soundtrack now evolves as your base grows

The Snake Scale change is the quiet winner here. Farming scales previously meant engaging the snake directly, which priced a lot of players out of the associated recipes.

Playgrounds changes

Playgrounds gets its own substantial pass in 0.5, mostly aimed at creators building combat and racing content.

• Customizable MIX.Rs: place and configure MIX.R defense events, with a Creature Spawner gizmo for assigning creatures and spawn points
• MIX.R Wave Manager: configures how each wave works and progresses
• Lab building set: floors, walls, doors, stairs, lights, and prefabricated lab pieces
• Object Grouping: select multiple objects to group, ungroup, and bulk edit
• Creature Pathing Waypoint: build looping, one-way, or back-and-forth routes for creatures
• Creature Zone Gizmo: set creatures to roam, idle, or patrol within a boundary
• New starting maps: Sandbox and Blank Slate
• Buggy Racing handling: new default race handling, race handling options at the Race Start, and a music option
• Racing decor: Race Cone, Turn Markers, and Tire Stacks
• Black Soldier Ant Buggy: now available in Playgrounds
• Handy Gnat: can now teleport, with a first person camera option

A Made By Devs tab has been added to the Playgrounds Community Hub with three example maps: Buggy Burnout for racing, Thornroot Arena for MIX.R defense, and Laboratory Lockdown for the lab set.

Note that the Attack Listener gizmo has been temporarily removed for a rework. Any existing Playground relying on it will need rebuilding.

Notable bug fixes

The 0.5.0 fix list runs to well over two hundred entries. This section covers the ones most likely to change how you play, and the full changelog is grouped by area further down the page.

• Peer-to-peer latency: optimized to reduce ping across various scenarios
• Buggy attacks: fixed being unable to attack while mounted and holding a throwable
• Buggy save loading: fixed saves made while mounted being unloadable until you dismount
• Hauling Hero: fixed hauled items above 12 dropping on mount or dismount
• Omni-Tool tiers: fixed Blueberries and Lingonberries always taking three swings regardless of upgrade tier
• Wyrm Slayer armor: fixed Searing Strikes decreasing damage instead of increasing it
• PVP effects: fixed several mutations, trinkets, and weapon effects not applying in PVP
• Cricket Armor: fixed the passive not applying correctly
• Milk Molars: fixed there not being enough on the map to max out stats
• King Dozer: fixed the area staying blocked after repairing the valves
• Pop Caps: fixed them never respawning
• Buggy Nests: fixed deposited buggies permanently disappearing if the nest was destroyed
• Smoothies: fixed them not filling the thirst bar

The Milk Molar fix matters more than it looks. If you were stat-capped out on an older save, the corrected count changes what is achievable without a new world.

Hotfix 0.5.0.1

A follow-up hotfix landed shortly after launch. It is small but includes one change that affects the Abyss directly.

Per the 0.5.0.1 hotfix notes, the changes are:

• Abyss atmosphere: the Abyss is now darker, creepier, and more oppressive
• Memory improvements: counters potential memory leaks after 1-3 hours of play
• Raw Science: should now appear buried in the Abyss
• Client teleporting: fixed infinite loading times that soft locked the user
• Diving boots: fixed players launching themselves while unequipping boots and dismounting the Toe Biter Buggy
• Art of War: fixed a misplaced quest marker
• Underwater audio: fixed permanently muffled audio
• Woozy debuff: fixed the UI debuff showing permanently
• Diving deck scanner: fixed existing saves being unable to access it
• Forbidden Workbench: fixed it being permanently destroyable
• Mosquitos: fixed infinite aggro range

The buried Raw Science fix is worth a specific note. If you dived on launch day and found the Abyss light on Raw Science, that was the bug, not the design.

Platform availability

Grounded 2 is in Game Preview on Xbox Series X and S, Xbox on PC, and ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, and in Early Access on Steam. Into the Abyss also marks the game’s PlayStation 5 launch.

Xbox Play Anywhere covers both Xbox Series X and S and Xbox on PC at no additional cost. The series has now passed over 30 million players across both Grounded titles.

Full Update 0.5 changelog

Obsidian’s fix list is published as a single unsorted block. It is grouped by area below so you can find the entries relevant to how you play, with duplicate and near-duplicate lines consolidated.

Combat, weapons, and armor fixes

• Wyrm Slayer armor’s Searing Strikes bonus now increases damage instead of decreasing it
• Cricket Armor’s passive effect now applies correctly
• Dusk Blade’s perk no longer adds flat damage after breaching a player’s guard
• Greater Draw from the Black Fang Greatbow no longer stays on the character permanently
• Feather Arrows stuck in enemies no longer increase enemy attack damage
• Dual wield weapons no longer have inconsistent dash ranges for clients
• Weapons now apply status buildup correctly with throw damage
• Blocking visual effects are no longer delayed in first-person perspective
• Bardic Inspiration buffs now apply to buggies and other Teens, with clearer mutation descriptions
• Spud Bud’s Defense Up effect now applies after perfect blocking Ladybugs
• Roman Candle’s name and description have been corrected
• Rusty Robes’ description no longer displays the wrong text
• Tangy Eruption from the Rusty Circlet no longer damages the player on Whoa! difficulty
• Mint Shard no longer accelerates Sizzle buildup in the Fire Pit area
• The swimming animation no longer overrides the holding animation for certain weapons and tools
• Special weapons no longer appear in the Natural Resources tab after collection
• Players can no longer permanently stun flying creatures by standing directly beneath them

PVP fixes

• Mutations that previously failed in PVP scenarios now work
• Trinket effects now apply in PVP scenarios
• Weapon special effects now apply in PVP scenarios
• Bombuckler’s passive now applies in PVP scenarios

Buggy fixes

• Players can now attack while mounted and holding a throwable item
• Saves made while mounted no longer require dismounting before they will load
• Hauled items above 12 no longer drop on mount or dismount with Hauling Hero equipped
• Deposited buggies no longer disappear permanently if the Buggy Nest is destroyed
• The Buggy Summoning Radial no longer stops functioning
• Recycling a hatchery with a buggy ready to hatch no longer returns an unusable egg
• Ladybug Buggy no longer deals multiple instances of jump damage while sprinting at an enemy
• Players no longer dismount automatically near the Toxic Anthill
• Client buggy notifications no longer appear for the host in co-op
• Hosts no longer crash when a client rejoins with a buggy waiting in the Buffin’ Barrel
• Clients can now use Deposit All and Take All while mounted

Creature and boss fixes

• The Garden Boss now poses a proper challenge to sizzle mage builds
• Reviving other players during the Garden Boss third phase is no longer unreliable
• Auto-saves now trigger after boss battles that previously skipped them
• End on a Sour Note now completes if the Garden Boss dies to damage over time after the player
• Scorpions no longer burrow and ignore the MIX.R during the Ice Sickles event
• Scorpion attacks can no longer throw objects out of world
• Cockroach Nymphs and their O.R.C. variants now deal different damage from one another
• Creature corpses now vanish correctly when the player is not standing nearby
• Creature render distance has been corrected for clients in multiplayer
• The snake no longer clips into assets along its path
• Wolf Spiders can no longer spawn inside the Lectern
• O.R.C. Stinkbug on the Garbage Can no longer appears after a long delay
• O.R.C. waves no longer fail to end after a set number of player structures are destroyed
• Dropped O.R.C. Receivers no longer float in mid-air

Progression, quests, and resources

• The map now contains enough Milk Molars to max out stats, and a duplicate Milk Molar has been removed
• The King Dozer area no longer stays blocked after the valves are repaired
• The Networking quest now appears after the MIX.R is destroyed
• BURG’s head no longer becomes blocked after starting the Garden questline and reloading
• Blueberries and Lingonberries now respect the Omni-Tool upgrade tier instead of always taking three swings
• Pop Caps now respawn
• Snake Scales no longer disappear when harvested with a full inventory
• Donut Chunk now drops the correct resource amount
• Sour Spills no longer reappear after being cleaned up
• Gloom Chunk can now be planted in the Garden Patch
• Slime Mold Stalks no longer respawn after reloading a save
• Buffin’ Gland and Pumpkin’ Seed are no longer available by default in the Resource Finder
• Pumpin’ Seed no longer occupies the first Smoothie Station slot after unlocking
• Smoothies now fill the thirst bar
• Omelant’s description no longer lists salt, which is not in the recipe
• The Science Scanner no longer points to Raw Science behind walls at the Pumpkin Patch edge
• Dew Drops on grass blades are now visible in the Resource Finder
• Creative Mode no longer grants access to recipes unobtainable in Survival
• Rust from Snackbar Table nails no longer drops out of bounds
• A specific Greenhouse Rust resource can now be gathered from any angle
• Milkweed that was previously inaccessible can now be reached
• Water and hunger no longer deplete for clients before they exit the Onboarding Facility
• The Lizard Wall Mount buff description now references Lizard rather than Potato Beetle
• The Praying Mantis Nymph Wall Mount now counts toward the Ranger Challenge
• Players are now granted the Masked Stranger’s gold card retroactively
• O.G.R.R. locations remain visible in the O.G.R.R. lab after a save load

Building and base fixes

• Blueprints can no longer be placed on the Resource Analyzer pad
• The Chimney Pinecone Roof now unlocks at Coziness level 4
• Pumpkin Pillars and Triangle Pumpkin Walls no longer clip through floors
• Pumpkin Walls no longer leave gaps when placed diagonally
• Mushroom Windowed Walls now allow players to shoot through their windows
• The Concave Grass Curved Floor no longer reverts to its stem version when reoriented
• Deleting an object no longer removes the object behind it
• Pine Wall now displays an arrow indicating its facing side
• Corner Stairs can now be walked up freely
• Building light luminosity has been corrected where it was too low
• Coziness is no longer displayed for design objects
• Hot Deposit in storages now displays its true state instead of always showing OFF
• Clients no longer experience input lag when placing blueprints
• Players can no longer build inside the FTUE dome by attaching a blueprint to an interior branch
• Building placement around the Lime Tree in the Garden is now consistent
• The Stuffed Mosquito building no longer spins when the player moves around it
• Web Bridges no longer clip into the ground in certain locations
• Players can now walk onto the wooden deck from a web bridge
• The Champion’s Banner can no longer be damaged by players outside Whoa! difficulty

World, environment, and performance

• Peer-to-peer latency has been optimized to reduce ping across various scenarios
• Performance issues around the Ice Cart and Garden areas have been resolved
• Performance no longer drops while hovering over radial menu options
• Performance no longer worsens after picking up the Red Soldier Ant Egg
• Numerous out-of-world gaps, stuck spots, and invisible collisions have been fixed across Croquet Court, the Pumpkin Patch, the Greenhouse, Pine Hill, the Statue region, the Snackbar, the Hatchery Anthill, the Veggie Garden, and near the Teddy Bear
• Locations where thrown weapons could not be retrieved have been fixed at the Greenhouse, Pumpkin Patch, and Snackbar Front
• Missing fog volumes in caves and the Pumpkin Patch underground have been restored
• Missing water has been restored in the submerged Garden cave, and cut-off water surfaces fixed in Statue region caves
• The Ice Cream Cart area bounds now align with the map UI
• Various floating, levitating, and misaligned assets have been corrected across the Park, including saps, dirt clumps, spoons, and the Dead Orb Weaver and Dead Body Boot models
• One-sided and incorrect textures have been fixed across the Ice Cart, Pine Hill, Picnic Table, Veggie Garden, Resource Analyzer Room, brick walls, and Trash Bags Ranger Outpost
• Fence elements around the Park now have collision, as does Burned Grass
• Yellow moss collision and various environmental collisions have been corrected
• The Lab theme no longer plays inside the plastic tube near the Ant Cave
• Turquoise flower pots in the Veggie Garden and Greenhouse no longer emit plastic sound effects
• Basketball bouncing audio no longer plays while moving and preparing a throw
• The host’s Tang buildup audio is no longer heard globally by all clients
• Water drop desynchronization has been fixed for clients in multiplayer
• Slime Mold Stacks’ roots no longer look disconnected
• The Webbed Ant model inside the Pine Hill Outpost has been corrected
• A placeholder letter has been removed from the Veggie Garden Ranger Outpost
• Notebook textures in the Pumpkin Patch have been fixed
• Firefly Head Lamp no longer flickers while using PEEP.R
• The game no longer crashes when a client alt-tabs on the death screen during a long session

UI, menus, and settings

• The Recipe menu, quest objective locations, and various menu punctuation issues have been addressed
• Highlighting a player or waypoint on the map no longer shows an empty text box
• A white square on the map has been removed
• Incorrect UI no longer displays after exiting Handy Gnat mode
• The Camera Mode Toggle no longer overlaps other UI in the Pause Menu
• Data tab text no longer flickers when the language is set to French
• Various UI spelling mistakes have been corrected, along with the PEEP.R Survival Guide entry, the EverChar Torch description, the Cricket Part description, the Stankwurst icon and description, the Moldy Milk Molar tutorial text, and the Key Lime Chunk icon
• The Lean To tutorial icon has been restored
• The Advanced Bushcraft quest keybind image has been restored
• Deleting a save file now moves selection to the next save in the current world
• Park World Name now updates when creating or renaming a world
• Player character location now matches the location shown in the save file
• The Design Radial can now be rebound
• Player movement is no longer blocked in Construction Mode by certain walking and strafing keybinds
• Speaker Range settings no longer share duplicate properties
• The crossplay button no longer breaks after closing the Xbox account login prompt
• Players can no longer send repeated invites without delay
• SCA.B 2K is now usable when hosting a shared world where the player was previously knocked down
• Difficulty and Object Limit can now be changed in Creative via Swap To Custom Game
• The title no longer captures controller input when its window is inactive

Character and animation fixes

• Pete’s face no longer appears on the back of his head
• Pete’s finger model is no longer stretched in first-person view
• Pete no longer appears without a helmet when charging a mantis blade in the Myrmidon Founder pack skin
• Player characters no longer appear stretched in photo mode
• The gagging animation now plays correctly
• Players are no longer positioned horizontally when dashing while emerging or diving
• Splashes no longer overlap with skin textures
• Players no longer levitate above the Snackbar roof
• Jumping and using PEEP.R in first-person no longer clips the camera into the body on landing

Playgrounds fixes

• The Black Soldier Ant Egg and Black Soldier Ant Buggy are now present in the Design Menu
• Woolly Aphid meat, Wooly Whoppers, and Ice Breakers are now available in the Design Menu
• Founders Pack Edition decorations are now available
• Whipper Earwig and Pincher Earwig trophies now have distinct names
• Item Tier and poison customization options now take effect
• All Recipes Unlocked and All Recipes Free now work correctly
• The Initial Clock Time setting no longer resets after a save and load cycle
• Players are no longer stuck in a gagging animation after switching to Design Mode
• The Handy Gnat selection hitbox is no longer offset from the reticle
• Players can now open Armor Dummy equipment in Play Mode
• Creator and download codes now update correctly in browser and after map selection
• The Community Playgrounds menu no longer stops displaying maps after several page changes
• Controller and arrow key navigation no longer blocks scrolling in Community Playgrounds
• Placeholder icons and text have been replaced
• Joining a survival game by invite from a Playgrounds session no longer crashes

Frequently asked questions

Does Update 0.5 wipe my save?

No. It does trigger a full resource regrow, which repopulates harvestables through player-built structures, but saves carry over.

Do I need the Diving Suit to enter Skunk Pond?

You can swim in the pond without it. Reaching the deeper sections and the Abyss requires the suit, and progressively deeper areas require Optical Disk upgrades.

How do I get the Toe Biter Buggy?

Tame a Toe Biter rather than killing it. It then functions as an amphibious buggy across land, water surface, and deep water.

What triggers a Mysterious Stranger raid now?

Heat, not time. Killing O.R.C.s, looting her caches, deactivating O.R.C. Transmission Devices, and crafting certain gear all build heat, and a raid arrives the night after heat reaches level 3.

Can I lower my heat level?

Yes. Completing MIX.R challenges reduces the Stranger’s attention.

Is the PTS fast travel free?

Connecting a unit to the wider network costs a one-time Raw Science payment. Obsidian describes the cost as low but has not published the exact figure, so it is currently TBC.

What happened to the Attack Listener gizmo in Playgrounds?

It has been temporarily removed for a rework. Playgrounds maps that used it will need adjusting.