Bows are one of the best weapon types available in all of Grounded, primarily because a bow and arrow should give you more than enough distance to get off a major chunk of damage before the yard's most dangerous bugs can close the distance. In addition, the arrows in Grounded are all incredibly unique and have special effects that can help you on your adventure.
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Although some arrows are focused on raw damage, others have more nuanced abilities. If you're using a bow as your primary weapon, or even occasionally, you should learn about the different arrow types and what materials are needed to craft each of them. These arrows should give you a jump on terrifying bugs, like Spiders, who often rush to your location as soon as you inflict damage.
Updated February 7th, 2023 by Andrew Scariati In Grounded, arrows represent perhaps the most useful weapon for getting a handle on the strengths and weaknesses of various bugs throughout the yard. The ranged combat gives you the upper hand in defending your base and allows you to strike the first blow before your prey even knows what's happening.
With an abundance of new arrows of various damage types being added to the game, your options are greater than ever before. From 'Super' versions of staples like the Gas and Venom arrows to all-new additions like Sour and Spicy arrows, there are more ways than ever to deal with any challenging foe that may emerge from the dark depths of the yard.
11 Standard Arrow – Tier 1
Although the Standard Arrow may not be particularly powerful or have any special effects, it's still an incredibly useful asset in Grounded because of how easy it is to craft and how many of them you can collect toward the beginning of a new playthrough. Furthermore, even regular arrows deal a lot of damage to enemies, and they're great for hitting enemies with ranged attacks without dealing additional effects.
To craft Standard Arrows, you need Thistle Needles and Mite Fuzz, two ingredients very common throughout the Backyard, even at the beginning of the game. If you're looking for an arrow type that you can craft a ton of, look no further than the Standard Arrow. However, these starters are far from the best Grounded arrows with their variety of additional effects.
10 Lure Arrow – Tier 1
Unlike the other types, Lure Arrows are perhaps the most unconventional arrow Grounded has to offer. The Lure Arrow brings enemies to the location where the arrow is shot, which is useful in a plethora of situations. Simply shoot this arrow, and insects will come crawling toward the area. The main use of this arrow lies in the items you can collect by defeating insects since they each drop unique items that are important for crafting recipes.
You can craft Lure Arrows with regular arrows and Flower Petals. It makes sense that this item isn't too hard to obtain since it doesn't deal damage to your enemies. You can also use this arrow to lure enemies away from a location if they're in a place where you're trying to build a base. Since lure arrows have multiple uses, they're one of the best arrows in Grounded overall. You should stock up on this arrow type if you're adventuring in the Backyard; you never know when it might come in handy.
9 Feather Arrow – Tier 2
The Feather Arrow is a stronger version of the base arrow type with an added dimension of use. This weapon is considered a tier-two variant of a Standard Arrow. However, it also requires much rarer ingredients to craft, so you probably won't use them during every combat situation.
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Feather Arrows are considered among the best arrow types in Grounded because they excel when fighting a single enemy, especially powerful bugs like spiders. To craft Feather Arrows, you need to acquire Silk Rope and Crow Feather pieces. However, these arrows will also serve as the base for a few elemental arrow types, giving them a use beyond their decent damage.
8 Salt Arrow – Tier 2
Salt Arrows, like all elemental arrows, offer the same 15 base damage as a Feather Arrow, but with an added Salt effect that can inflict bonus damage on creatures weak to it. Bugs like Antlions, Termites, and Black Ox Beetles are particularly weak to Salt and should provide excellent targets for these rare arrows. Some lab bosses like the Assistant Manager and Termite King are also weak to this arrow's Salty Damage.
You can find some Salt Arrows in the wild by exploring the JavaMatic Storage Facility or the Undershed Entrance, which should give you a small reserve to start out with. However, you'll absolutely want to discover some Salt Shards around the Picnic Table or the Undershed, so you can analyze them and craft as many Salt Arrows as you'd like.
7 Mint Arrow – Tier 2
Mint Arrows, much like the fabled Mint Mace, provide access to Fresh damage but without having to commit to the slower swing of a mace playstyle. Fresh Damage is particularly useful against many mid-game enemies like Bombardier Beetles, Fire Ants, Mosquitoes, and any Infected bug found in the gaseous Haze area.
Much like Salt Arrows, the Mint variety can be found in the JavaMatic Storage Facility and the Sandbox Lab Outpost. While Mints were once the rarest resource in the early days of Grounded, they can now be found across the map near the Trash Heap, the Shed, in the Haze, or even in certain Anthills.
6 Spicy Arrow – Tier 2
Spicy Arrows offer another 15 base damage option that can be used against several common but challenging enemies and even one of the game's bosses. Black Ants, Red Ants, both variations of Roly Poly, and even Wolf Spiders and Orb Weavers will cower in fear of the mighty Spicy Damage. Even the terrifying Hedge Broodmother will be susceptible to Spicy Arrows, making the fight much more manageable.
Aside from their solid damage and effectiveness against enemies weak to Spicy, these arrows have another added benefit; All Spicy-class weapons not only inflict extra damage but also cook food on impact – another small detail to love about this arrow. Check out the Sandbox Lab Outpost and Black Anthill Lab if you're looking to gather these excellent arrows without crafting them yourself.
5 Splinter Arrow – Tier 3
As one of the coveted tier-three varieties of arrows, Splinter Arrows are a little bit different from their elemental counterparts. For starters, rather than adding Spicy, Salty, or Fresh Damage, you will gain Stabbing Damage instead. This Stabbing effect is most commonly found on spears and Standard and Feather arrows, both of which deal less damage overall.
Aside from its uses as a source of damage against most enemies, the Splinter Arrows carry the added benefit of being the crafting base for Super-class arrows. Once you find the corresponding recipes for those elusive arrow types, you will need to craft a few Splinter Arrows to augment them with the appropriate special damage types. Be sure to collect plenty of Splinters from areas like the Picnic Table and the Shed.
4 Sour Arrows – Tier 3
Sour Arrows are the rarest of the elemental arrow types and provide the same 15 base damage as their cousins. However, Sour damage is not only rare but is also the best way to deal with endgame enemies, such as the O.R.C-class bugs, Spiny Water Fleas, and even the last bosses, who will remain anonymous for spoiler purposes.
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Sour Arrows also cannot be found in their crafted form, so you will need to analyze Sour Lumps to gain the recipe. You will have to comb through areas like the Shed, Moldorc Highlands, Fire Anthill, and Upper Grasslands to track down those rare neon-green Sour Lumps.
3 Super Gas Arrow – Tier 3
The Super Gas Arrow is a weapon you'll have to be careful with if you want to use it effectively. This arrow creates a cloud of gas when shot at a surface, and this cloud is capable of dealing significant damage to your enemies and yourself. The Super Gas Arrow's damage relies on how long you or an enemy are stationed within the gas. These fantastic area-of-effect arrows can be crafted once you analyze the Super Stink Sack.
Super Gas Arrows are particularly useful for fighting multiple enemies at once since they deal a ton of damage to enemies within a certain area. Technically, this arrow could be considered a stronger version of the Super Venom Arrow since it deals poisonous damage in an area over time. However, the possibility of damaging yourself or your friends makes this a dangerous option. You can easily be defeated if you're being damaged by the gas while also fighting enemies.
2 Super Venom Arrow – Tier 3
The Super Venom Arrow is perhaps one of the best Grounded arrows to date. This arrow deals the same amount of damage as a Standard Arrow plus extra Poison damage to enemies, with even more added to those that are weak to Poison. Super Venom Arrows are one of the best Grounded arrow types because they infect any enemy with a damage over time (DoT) effect.
Unfortunately, the Super Venom Arrow is quite a bit harder to craft than other arrows since it requires Splinter Arrows and Super Spider Venom to craft. Super Spider Venom is one of the rarest resources in Grounded, as it can only be harvested from Black Widows, which are limited in number and only respawn once every few days. Regardless, you should try to obtain as many Super Venom Arrows as possible since they deal a ton of damage.
1 Bomb Arrows – Tier 3
Bomb Arrows are the strongest Grounded arrows around, clocking in with a whopping 60 damage per shot. This is really where you want to spend those hard-earned Splinter Arrows, as crafting these arrows will be the only way to get them aside from the JavaMatic Storage Facility. For crafting, you'll also need a hefty supply of Gunpowder Clumps and Fungal Growths for these powerful bombs.
However, before you can even think about crafting these, you'll need to grab the Water Logged Recipe in the Upper Grasslands to unlock the option. The chest containing the recipe is found inside a tire there, but be aware you'll need a tier-two shovel to get past the Chewed Gum blocking the path forward. Once you do, craft as many of these as you can and equip the Sharpshooter mutation to inflict tons of damage with Grounded's best arrow.
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