In Grounded 2, Mutations act as perks and rewards you earn by completing specific actions or challenges in the game. These rewards give you useful buffs and enhancements that improve different parts of your gameplay. You can find them in the Mutations tab inside your inventory.
There is a lot to unlock, and you are probably wondering what they do and how to get them. Luckily, unlocking perks in Grounded 2 is easier than you think.
Every Mutations and Perks (& How to Unlock Them)
You unlock Mutations in Grounded 2 by finishing certain challenges, like killing a set number of creatures with a specific weapon, pulling off a certain number of perfect blocks, finding points of interest on the map, or eating particular items.
| Mutation/Perk | Description | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Ambush | Deal critical hits against creatures unaware of your presence. Ambush attacks with daggers greatly increase critical hit damage. | Land 30/80/150 ambush attacks. |
| Assassin | Daggers and sickles deal bonus damage with critical hits. | Kill 40/100/200 creatures with daggers. |
| Blademaster | Sword attacks lower damage inflicted by enemies for a short duration. Attacking creatures with a sword temporarily removes your stamina timer (Tier 2 unlock). | Kill 40/100/200 creatures with swords. Reach tier 2 for sword master. |
| Cardio Fan | Regain stamina faster. Lowers the amount of time you spend exhausted after using all of your stamina. | Deplete stamina 100/250/500 times. |
| Frenzy | Melee attacks trigger rage. You deal increased damage and regenerate health while enraged but cannot time your blocks. | Defeat the mysterious stranger (complete main story quests). |
| Fresh Defense | Slows the rate that the Sizzle roasts you up. Reduces the burn damage taken from the Sizzle. Reduces damage taken from poison gas. | Eat 1/5/10 mint shards. |
| Guard Dog | Increases damage dealt to creatures that are attacking your turf (presumably your base). | Complete 1/4/9 MIX.R events. |
| Javelineer | Spears deal additional damage when thrown, and some damage dealt to you bounces on your attacker. Charged attacks with spears deal additional damage (Tier 3 unlock). | Kill 40/100/200 creatures with spears. Reach tier 3 for spear master. |
| Lil Fist | On hit, fist attacks add a stack towards a charged attack. Charged attacks unleash all stacks for a devastating blow! | Kill 40/100/200 creatures with fists. |
| Mithridatism | Slows the rate of venom seeping through your body. Reduces damage from venom. | Kill 5/50/150 venomous creatures. |
| Natural Explorer | Run faster. Speed boost is temporarily reduced after you enter combat and deal or take damage from a creature. | Discover 20/50/80 points of interest. |
| Parry Master | Perfect blocks restore stamina. | Perform 30/80/150 perfect blocks. |
| Reliable Friend | Revive your downed friends faster. | Revive 5/15/30 allies (buggy counts as an ally). |
| Sharpshooter | Fully charged bow shots gain additional critical hit chance. | Kill 40/100/200 creatures with bows. |
| Smasher | Attacks with clubs deal more stun. | Kill 40/100/200 creatures with clubs. |
| Spicy Safety | Chill Reduction: Slows the rate that the Chill shivers your timbers. Freeze Resistance: Reduces damage taken when frozen. Shatter Resistance: Reduces shatter damage when hit while frozen. | Eat 1/5/10 spicy shards. |
| Trapper Peep.r | Increases critical hit damage. | Collect 25/50/75 gold cards. |
| Whittle Wizard | Staff attacks are enhanced by elemental effects, increased crit chance with burning/frozen enemies with max buildup | Kill 40/100/200 creatures with staves. |
Most Mutations have three tiers or levels of challenges. As you complete each level, the buffs you receive get stronger. The more levels you finish, the better the rewards. At the start of the game, you can only have two Mutations active at once. If you spend Milk Molars on the Max Active Mutations perk, you can increase the number of active Mutations to a maximum of four.
What Are Mutations in Grounded 2?
In Grounded 2, mutations are a key feature that lets players personalize their character’s skills and gameplay style by unlocking and using different buffs and passive abilities. These mutations act as rewards for finishing specific challenges and reaching milestones in the game, motivating players to explore, try out different combat approaches, and adjust to the dangers of the environment.
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Mutations boost combat skills, improve exploration abilities, and provide resistance to environmental threats. The mutations are divided into four main groups: Fighting Styles, Combat Abilities, Exploration, and Survival. Each group focuses on a different part of the game, giving players plenty of options to customize their character based on how they like to play.
Fighting Style mutations are linked to using certain weapons, like fists, clubs, spears, daggers, bows, swords, and staves. By defeating a set number of enemies with a specific weapon, players unlock mutations that make that weapon stronger, such as raising the chance of critical hits with bows or adding a stun effect to clubs. Combat Abilities mutations are earned by performing particular combat actions, like perfect parries or ambush attacks, and they offer advantages like restoring stamina or increasing critical hit damage.
Exploration mutations are unlocked by finding points of interest on the map or collecting gold cards, providing benefits like faster movement or better critical hit damage. Survival mutations are gained by completing tasks related to staying alive, such as running out of stamina, reviving teammates, or eating certain foods, and they give resistances to environmental dangers or improved stamina recovery.
Best Mutations to Have
Choosing the best mutations in Grounded 2 depends on your preferred way of playing and the specific challenges you are dealing with. That said, some mutations are more useful than others because they work well in many situations and have a big effect on how you play the game.
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If you like fighting, the Blademaster mutation is a great choice if you use swords. It lowers the damage enemies deal after each sword hit, which helps you stay alive in long battles. It also removes the stamina timer for a short time, letting you attack without stopping. Combining this with the Assassin mutation, especially when using daggers, can make a powerful setup focused on critical hits and quick damage, letting you take down enemies fast.
For exploring and staying alive, Cardio Fan and Natural Explorer are great picks. Cardio Fan makes your stamina come back faster and shortens the time you spend exhausted, which helps in both fights and moving around. This means you can run farther, attack more, and dodge danger more easily. Natural Explorer gives you a speed boost when you are not in combat, making it much quicker to travel across the large world of Brookhollow Park. These mutations work together to make you faster and make sure you have enough stamina for surprise fights.
In tough areas like the Ice Cream Cart or places with venomous enemies, mutations that protect against elemental damage are very important. Spicy Safety gives you resistance to chill, freeze, and shatter effects, which is key for surviving the cold and dangerous creatures in the Ice Cream Cart. Mithridatism slows down how fast venom spreads in your body, which can save your life when fighting venomous spiders or other poisonous enemies. Fresh Defense helps by reducing sizzle and burn damage.
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If you are defending a base, the Guard Dog mutation can help protect against enemy attacks, but it only matters if you have a base and get raided often. Finally, the Trapper Peep.r mutation is also excellent because it boosts critical hit damage.
In the end, the best mutations are the ones that fit your personal playstyle and needs in Grounded 2. Try out different mutations to see which ones work well together, and change your choices as you move through the game.
