Grounded Spiders: How to kill Wolf Spiders and Orb Weavers
Legs have a look.
Have you been killed by a spider in Grounded? Don't be down, we all have. They're an absolute menace. They roam around and surprise you when you least expect it.
If you've played Obsidian's Honey I Shrunk the Kids-inspired survival game for more than an hour, you've definitely been killed by a spider.
But don't despair, spiders are killable too. They're tough, true, and you'll need some armour and fairly strong weaponry before you take them on, but assembling it won't take more than a few hours and when your magical victory comes, Grounded will open before you.
This page explains how to find spider locations, how to prepare for a spider battle, and the spider loot you receive for a well earned victory.
On this page:
If you're looking for a lighter challenge to begin with, try fighting Soldier Ants in Grounded first.
Spider locations explained: Where can you find spiders in Grounded?
OK, first things first, there are two kinds of big spider in Grounded - the Orb Weaver and the Wolf Spider - and one kind of small spider, the Recluse, which is easy to kill so we'll disregard it here.
You will come into contact with Orb Weavers first. You'll recognise them by their brightly coloured yellow and black abdomens and their spindly, black pointed legs, and you'll see them around the starter area near the Mystery Machine, and around the Oak Tree you will be directed to.
Telltale signs of Orb Weavers are webs, which they pop out as they patrol around. They are constantly on the move, walking a fixed route from a kind of base spot, and there can be more than one in an area. It's a good idea to observe the routes they walk so you don't accidentally linger in one, which I have many times. Don't take your current safety for granted: just because you're safe now doesn't mean you will be in 30 seconds' time.
If Orb Weavers do surprise you, or you them - easy enough to do in a dense, forested environment - and you see the "ALERT: Threat Engaged" warning and hear their spidery roar, don't panic, you can still turn and run away. Orb Weavers don't charge immediately.
Wolf Spiders are harder to track down because they don't use webs and you won't see them as often as Orb Weavers. They are bigger, browner, and have thicker, more tarantula-like legs. They don't appear to have set roaming patterns like Orb Weavers and can turn up in a variety of places. The only places we've reliably seen them are two asleep under the Oak Tree and another very close by, to the right of the Research Base under the Oak Tree.
If a Wolf Spider finds you, you're in trouble. They are faster than Orb Weavers and charge straight away.
Spider preparation: What equipment will you need to kill a spider in Grounded?
It is theoretically possible to kill a spider at any time, if you dodge or parry all of their attacks and ever so gradually hack them down, but in reality you will need to be able to soak a few blows and deal meaningful damage in return.
The ideal weapon for the job is an Ant Club, a second-tier weapon with good damage, speed and - best of all - an enormous chance to stun, and the ideal armour for the job is Acorn.
Our Soldier Ants and Ant Club page will walk you through making these.
Also useful is Acorn Armour, which in addition to decent protection, gives you a boost to your maximum health.
Acorns are found littering the floor around the Oak Tree, and you harvest them with a Pebblet Hammer. Give an Acorn a few whacks and it will break up into an Acorn Shell, Acorn Top and Acorn Pieces. Sometimes these roll away by virtue of you being on a hill so make sure you scoop everything up.
You will also need some Sap for the Acorn Armour, which you can find readily in orange blobs either on twigs or on the floor around the Oak Tree, or in great clumps you can bash with your Pebblet Hammer. Clovers you will find near the water's edge, right next to your makeshift base, and Plant Fibres on the floor nearby.
The only slightly annoying component is Mite Fuzz for the Acorn Face Mask (and other face masks). Mites are small and red and very easy to kill, and you will be directed to a load of them chewing a wire early on while trying to reactivate the Mystery Machine. Save your Mite Fuzz from this encounter.
The only other thing you will need for all combat encounters are Fiber Bandages. They're made from Sap and Plant Fibres and both are easy to get hold of. These bandages heal some health instantly and some over time. They're useful both in combat and out of it to prepare to fight again.
How to kill an Orb Weaver spider in Grounded
Let's deal with Orb Weavers first because they're considerably easier to kill than Wolf Spiders. You can have a scrappy fight and still pull through. With Wolf Spiders, it's a different matter.
When you engage an Orb Weaver, it rears up and shoots a web at you, which is easy to avoid and even seems to miss when you don't move at all. You can use this time to throw a spear if you want.
When they close the distance, they only have one attack, which is to lean backwards and then lunge forwards at you. Try to hold your nerve and block only when they lunge, as this should trigger a parry.
After your parry, or block, you will only have time to deal one blow before the Orb Weaver leans back to lunge again, but you may be able to hit more freely if you strafe-circle the spider while fighting and cause it to miss.
After a four hits with the Ant Club, you'll stun the Orb Weaver, leaving it open for a free hit (or two if you're feeling brave), but bear in mind they will lunge soon after so don't go wild.
If the Orb Weaver lands a clear, unblocked hit on you, you will lose roughly a quarter of your health when wearing full Acorn Armour. A blocked hit, meanwhile, takes around a 10th of your health.
It will take you around 10 hits with your Ant Club to kill the Orb Weaver.
Congratulations, you have now killed an Orb Weaver!
How to kill a Wolf Spider in Grounded
Killing a Wolf Spider is tricky and requires a near flawless fight. They have an incredibly powerful pounce attack which will almost kill you in one hit, and when they hit you they will poison you, draining more of your health over time. A successful pounce and poison is all it will probably take to kill you.
Unblocked attacks are very strong as well, draining over half of your health, and blocked attacks will drain around a fifth as well as poison you.
The good news is that all of the attacks can be parried, and a successful parry will negate all of the damage and poison. Again, the spider's animation-tells are obvious: either leaning backwards before a lunge forwards, or crouching down with the front legs in the air before a pounce. Parry the lunge, parry the pounce.
Do not be lured into a false sense of security by the distance between you and the Wolf Spider because they have an incredible reach. They will hit you when you think it impossible so keep your guard up.
Wolf Spiders attack quickly giving you time for only one strike in return before you need to block again. Chances are, you will need to apply a Fiber Bandage or two while you fight to patch up block and poison damage (if you're taking unblocked damage, you're probably dead). Apply bandages either after a successful block or while the spider is Stunned. Make sure you have two or three handy before the fight begins.
It takes around five hits of an Ant Club to stun the Wolf Spider, and it takes around 19 or 20 hits to kill it.
Congratulations, you have now killed a Wolf Spider!
Spider rewards: What loot do you get from spiders in Grounded?
From an Orb Weaver you will receive two Spider Silk, two Spider Venom and two Spider Chunks. When you Analyse these at a Research Station, you will unlock Spider Armour, the strongest kind of armour you've found so far.
You'll also unlock a Spider Fang Dagger, which is a fast, one-handed weapon with poison. You will be able to make Venom Arrows for your bow as well.
You won't be able to craft the Spider Armour or Spider Fang Dagger until you have a Spider Fang, though, which - you've guessed it - comes from killing a Wolf Spider. (They also drop Spider Chunks and Spider Venom).
Spider Fang Armour requires Berry Leather as well, which you harvest from - as it sounds - berries. You find these berries on bushes in the south-east part of the garden and will need to knock them off the bush with an arrow or other projectile, or by climbing up and hitting them. You harvest the berry with an axe.
Congratulations! You are now no longer scared of spiders in Grounded, and exploring with this new found sense of confidence will open the garden up for you immensely. You're most welcome.