Grounded Tier List — Current Rankings

This Grounded tier list ranks every major option by overall effectiveness. Rankings factor in damage output, survivability, versatility, gear requirements, and how well each option scales.

Tier definitions: S = best in class, always a strong pick. A = strong and competitive, minor weaknesses. B = solid but clearly outperformed in most situations. C = viable only for players who enjoy the playstyle.

Builds Rankings

Detailed Builds Analysis

Tank Build (S-Tier)

The Tank uses heavy armor (Ladybug Armor set for +block strength and HP regen) with a 1H weapon and shield. Perfect blocks are this build's bread and butter — the Ladybug set's healing on block makes you nearly unkillable against bosses. Best build for solo players facing wolf spiders and lab bosses.

Best with: Ladybug Armor Set, Black Ant Shield, Mint Mace, Smoothie Station for healing smoothies Stat focus: Max HP, Block Strength, Stun resistance

Archer Build (A-Tier)

Ranged builds use the Crow Crossbow or Insect Bow with elemental arrows for safe damage at distance. The Spider Fang armor set boosts ranged damage. This build excels against airborne enemies (mosquitoes, fireflies) and in co-op where a tank holds aggro. Weakness: limited ammo requires constant crafting.

Best with: Crow Crossbow, Spider Fang Armor Set, Feather Arrows, Lure Arrow Stat focus: Ranged Damage, Stamina, Critical Chance

Assassin Build (A-Tier)

Assassin builds use fast daggers (Widow Dagger, Tick Macuahuitl) with the Assassin armor set for backstab damage bonuses. Sneaking behind enemies and landing backstab crits deals massive burst damage. Fragile but devastating in co-op when enemies face the tank.

Best with: Widow Dagger, Assassin Armor Set, Coup de Grass mutation, Sneaky smoothies Stat focus: Critical Chance, Backstab Damage, Attack Speed

Healer Build (B-Tier)

Healer builds focus on the Bard mutation and healing smoothies to support the team. While there's no dedicated healing class, combining the Smoothie Station with the Mom Gene mutation (healing allies in range) provides group sustain. Less effective solo but valuable in 4-player co-op boss fights.

Best with: Smoothie Station, Bandages, Mom Gene mutation, Gastro Goo smoothie ingredients Stat focus: Max HP, Healing received, Resistance

General Build (A-Tier)

The jack-of-all-trades build uses medium armor (Ant Armor for hauling bonus or Acorn Armor for balanced defense) with a versatile 1H weapon. Good for solo play where you need both offense and defense. The Acorn set's perfect block explosion damages nearby enemies.

Best with: Mint Mace or Black Ant Sword, Acorn Armor Set, Shield, Healing Smoothies Stat focus: Balanced HP, Damage, Stamina

Equipment Rankings

Equipment Analysis

Mint Mace: The Mint Mace is crafted from Mint Chunks found near the porch mint container. It deals Fresh (mint) elemental damage, which is super effective against robots and certain insects. One of the strongest 1H weapons in the game with excellent stagger damage. Requires Tier 2 crafting.

Black Ant Sword: Crafted from Black Ant Parts found in the Black Anthill, this fast-swinging sword deals solid base damage with good attack speed. It's the best general-purpose melee weapon before Tier 3. The Black Ant Head trophy boosts its damage further when slotted.

Crow Crossbow: The premier ranged weapon, crafted from Crow Feather Pieces found near the bird bath and picnic table. It fires bolts with excellent range and damage, outperforming the Insect Bow in raw DPS. Different bolt types (Splinter, Gas, Lure) add utility. Requires Tier 3 materials.

Widow Dagger: Crafted from Black Widow parts (one of the game's hardest enemies), the Widow Dagger has the fastest attack speed of any melee weapon and applies Venom damage over time. Its backstab multiplier is enormous, making it the Assassin build's ultimate weapon.

Coaltana: A Tier 3 two-handed sword made from Charcoal Chunks near the grill and BBQ Spill area. It deals Spicy (fire) elemental damage with wide swings that hit multiple enemies. One of the highest raw damage weapons in the game but slow — leave yourself open between swings.

Meta Analysis

The current meta in Grounded centers on base building and insect combat. Builds that leverage both systems outperform those that focus on only one.

What's strong right now:

• Tank Build with Mint Mace is the benchmark. Everything else is measured against it.
• crafting tiers builds are gaining ground as players find new synergies.
• Assassin Build remains essential for learning hard content.

What's underrated:

• Archer Build is consistently overlooked despite being the most flexible option.
• Crow Crossbow offers excellent performance for its investment level.

What's overhyped:

• Pure General Build builds. High ceiling but the consistency isn't there for most players.

Quick Picks by Situation

For full build guides, see Grounded builds. For progression help, check the walkthrough.