By
Matthew Adler,Luis Joshua Gutierrez,Brendan Graeber,+13 more
updated
In Grounded mutations can be used to boost your teen's stats and adjust your gameplay. Mutations offer buffs to everything from your health to your swimming abilities. On this page, we've got a list of all the mutations available in the game, as well as a rundown of which ones are the best.
This page is currently in progress, so check back later for more information!
Jump to the sections below, if you're looking for particular information:
- Mutation List
- Best Mutations in Grounded
- Best Mutations for Beginners
- Best Mutations for Later in the Game
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Unlocking and Equipping Mutations
There are 33 mutations available to use in Grounded. A few of these can be purchased but the majority of them will be unlocked through various criteria being met (including defeating mini-bosses). When you unlock (or purchase) a mutation, it will appear in the Status tab of your menu.
Some perks cannot be unlocked until late in the game as they require bosses and mini-bosses that appear towards the end of the story to be defeated.
In the beginning, you can have 2 mutations equipped at one time. With the use of Milk Molars, however, you can level up your teenager and increase the number of mutations you can have active to a maximum of 5.
List of Mutations
Below is a list of all the mutations available in the game, in alphabetical order, including information on what buffs they provide and general guidance on how to unlock them. Some mutations will have up to 3 phases that can be unlocked, increasing the buff provided at each level. We've hidden the names of bosses and mini-bosses in the table below, to avoid spoilers.
It's a good idea to swap out mutations regularly, and think about the situation you're going into. If you're playing multiplayer, try and have different mutations equipped to be the most efficient team you can be!
Mutation Name | How to Unlock | Buff Provided |
---|---|---|
Ant-nihilator | Repeatedly kill any type of ants | Damage dealt to ants (Black Ants, Red Ants and Fire Ants) increases, as well as defense |
Apex Predator | Kill Tap to Reveal | Boosts the efficiency of weapons created from bosses |
Assassin | Repeatedly kill creatures using a dagger | Using daggers causes enemies to bleed |
Barbarian | Repeatedly kill creatures using a two-handed weapon | You deal largely increased damage while raged but cannot time blocks correctly (when using two-handed weapons) |
Blademaster | Repeatedly kill creatures with a sword | Combo attacks with swords have a chance to reduce stamina costs on further combos |
Buff Lungs | Can be purchased for 3000 Raw Science after obtaining the Grave Robbery chip from the Red Anthill. | Increases stamina |
Cardio Fan | Keep running until your teen is exhausted over and over again | Gives you hyperstamina and reduces exhaustion recovery |
Chopper | Repeatedly kill creatures with an axe | Gives you the chance to stagger enemies with attacks |
Corporate Kickback | Kill Tap to Reveal | Generates lifesteal. Attacks that follow successful blocks will give back some health. |
Coup de Grass |
| Increases the chance of critical hits |
Daredevil | After completing the Hedge Lab, can be purchased for 3000 Raw Science. | Reduces fall damage |
Fresh Defense | Eat a Mint Shard | Resistance to burning and gas increases |
Grass Master | Chop down blades of grass | Increases the efficiency of chopping |
Guard Dog | Complete MIX.Rs | Deal increased damage to creatures involved in defense events |
Javelineer | Repeatedly kill creatures with a spear | Spears have a chance to lower enemy armor |
Juicy | Discover All Juicebox Locations | The rate at which you become Thirsty decreases |
Lil Fist | Repeatedly kill creatures with your fist | Buffs damage dealt with just your fist |
Mantsterious Stranger | Kill Tap to Reveal | Summons a ally Mant to help fight |
Meat Shield | Purchased for 3000 Raw Science. | Increases your max health |
Merteen | Discover underwater landmarks near the Pond Lab | Increases swim speed and how long you can breathe underwater |
Mom Genes | Kill Tap to Reveal | Creates a chance for Spiderlings to be summoned when attacked |
Mithridatism | Kill Wolf Spiders | Resistance to poison increases |
Natural Explorer | Discover landmarks | Increases how fast you can run |
Parry Master | Block attacks perfectly | Gain an advantage to blocking attacks |
Reliable Friend | Revive friends in multiplayer | Increases revive speed |
Rock Cracker | Bust Rocks | Increases the efficiency of using a hammer to bust things |
Sharpshooter | Repeatedly kill creatures with a ranged weapon | Gives you the chance to pin enemies with ranged weapons |
Shocking Dismissal | Kill Tap to Reveal | Blocked attacks create a chance for the next attack to be a shock AOE |
Smasher | Repeatedly kill creatures with a hammer | Gives you the chance to daze enemies when using a hammer and slow their attack speed |
Spicy Safety | Eat a Spicy Shard from the Hot Chachas candy | Increases resistance to smashing and stabbing attacks |
Trapper PEEP.R | Obtain Gold Cards for creatures | Gives you a chance to perform powerful critical hits |
Truffle Tustle | KillTap to Reveal | Creates a fungal explosion when you melee enemies |
Whittle Wizard | Repeatedly kill creatures with a Candy Stave | Different damage types apply unique status effects to creatures. Spiciness burns, mintiness slows, and sourness stuns |
Best Mutations in Grounded
All of the mutations in Grounded are viable buffs and will largely depend on your gameplay or situations. For example, if you're going to be around lots of spiders, Mirthridatism is one to equip. If you're swimming, be sure to have Merteen on to increase your swim speed and how long you can breathe underwater.
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Best Mutations for Early in the Game and General Gameplay
For this list, we've considered what are the best mutations generally, particularly for beginners and early gameplay rather than the mostly situational perks.
Meat Shield
Meat Shield can prove invaluable at times, particularly towards the early parts of the game or if you can only have 2 mutations equipped. You'll be able to unlock this one after you've found The Oak Lab and met BURG.L.
Having your max health increased so early on will often save you from dying in situations where enemies only need a few more hits to be taken down, and your standard HP wouldn't suffice. It also only has one phase and can be purchased, so it doesn't require repetitive actions to max out the buff.
Cardio Fan
This one can also get you out of some tricky situations, where previously your stamina would've been depleted, leaving you vulnerable to attacks. Exhaust your teen over and over again to unlock Cardio Fan, then benefit from quicker exhaustion recovery and hyperstamina.
A combination of Cardio Fan and Meat Shield is good for a beginner setup until you unlock a few more mutations. If you've already found the Red Ant Hill Chip before unlocking Cardio Fan, then Buff Lungs is another alternative that helps with Stamina.
Juicy
With the rate at which you become Thirsty decreased, you can worry less about keeping your teen hydrated and more about your objectives. This perk is ideal early on, particularly if you haven't already crafted a Canteen or a way to collect Dew.
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You'll have to find the locations of Juice Boxes to unlock this one, so be sure to visit the All Juice Box Locations page.
Chopper & Smasher
Both of these perks are great for early on in the game, to improve combat. Chopper will give you the chance to stagger enemies, which can stop them in their tracks and give you enough time to land a few more blows.
Smasher has similar benefits, in that it allows you to daze enemies and also slow their attack speed. The Pebblet Axe and Pebblet Hammer should be the first weapons you unlock as you begin analyazing resources, so you can start unlocking these mutations early on.
Best Mutations for Later Gameplay
Once you've discovered enough Milk Molars, you can begin to unlock additional mutation perks. This will allow you to equip more mutations, which will prove beneficial later on in the game. At this stage, you might leave perks like Meat Shield constantly active to give you a health increase, but start to consider where you're heading, in order to swap other mutations in and out that would prove more useful.
Assassin, Blademaster and Parry Master
A sword or dagger and shield combination can be great for dealing with enemies that are slightly tougher to take on but not impossible to defeat. Being able to block their attacks is essential to beat them, and using a dagger or sword will deplete your stamina less than other weapons.
Combining Parry Master with either Assassin or Blademaster can be a winning combination, as blocking becomes more efficient and you can either make enemies bleed with Assassin or reduce stamina costs further with sword combos by using Blademaster.
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Spicy Safety
When you've found your way to the upper yard, you'll be able to break down Hot Chachas and get hold of Spicy Shards. Eat these to unlock Spicy Safety and you'll be able to equip the perk that will increase resistance to smashing and stabbing attacks.
Coup de Grass
Being able to take down creatures with Critical Hits will make all the difference to combat later on in the game. Both Coup de Grass and Tapper PEEP.R affect critical hits, but it's much easier to get hold of Coup de Grass.
You'll need to find the 4-Leaf Clover in the southeast of the yard and then visit the Picnic Table to go to the Minotaur's Maze and roll a 20 with the giant dice in the area.
Up Next: All Black Widow Locations
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Grounded
Obsidian Entertainment
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