Grounded 2 Northern Scorpion locations, drops and strategies

A close up of a Northern Scorpion in Grounded 2
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Northern Scorpions in Grounded 2 are one of the major new bug enemies, coming in various phases of their life cycle and serving as armor-plated tanks that use venom and ambush strategies to burst out of the ground. Though not quite the deadliest enemies in Grounded 2, Northern Scorpions definitely sit at the upper tier of foes that you'll go up against, and while there's not yet any really good loot to be had from their bodies (none of the Grounded 2 best weapons are built around scorpion parts), they're occasionally important to plot-essential progression.

If you need to find and kill them for any reason, I'll explain the location of Northern Scorpions in Grounded 2 below, what their drops like the Stinger are used for, and what strategies work best if you want to go Scorpion hunting.

Northern Scorpion locations in Grounded 2

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Northern Scorpions in Grounded 2 are found all over the park, with many spawning hotspots shown on the map above, but more generally they appear in underground, or dirt-heavy areas, though not usually in deeper tunnels. Furrowed dirt, shallow caves and especially trenches tend to be good spawning spots for Scorpions. They might be difficult to find as they tend to submerge themselves in dirt until enemies get close, with only parts of their heads visible. They then leap out to ambush anything that gets too close.

Northern Scorpion Drops in Grounded 2

A player harvests a Northern Scorpion in Grounded 2 for drops and rewards

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

There are three types of Northern Scorpion in Grounded 2 (not including ORC variants) and they don't all have the same drops. Here's what you can expect from each one, in ascending order of difficulty:

  • Northern Scorpling: Chunks
  • Northern Scorpion Jr: Chunks
  • Northern Scorpion: Chunks, Pincers, Stinger

In-game data entry for the Grounded 2 Northern Scorpion

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

The main element here is the Northern Scorpion Stinger, which is used for the Tier 2 Shovel, as laid out in our guide on Grounded 2 Omni-Tool upgrades. You can also use the components to make Scorpion Armor. This armor is fine, but certainly not the best in the game – better to get the Wolf Spider Armor.

Northern Scorpion Strategies in Grounded 2

A play watches a Wolf Spider and a Northern Scorpion fight in Grounded 2

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Fighting Scorpions in Grounded 2 is a battle of attrition. First of all, keep in mind that they're weak to Smashing damage, and any attack to the rump and stinger. This applies to every variant of Scorpion no matter how grown. If you have one of the Grounded 2 Buggies, use it to distract the Scorpion so you can stab at the rear

Beyond that, you want to emphasise blocking and parrying. Shields and spears can be effective here, working to stun the scorpion with parries so you can go for some quick kills in the follow-up. If you're worried about survival, make sure you brew some Scorpidote Smoothies that can cure its venom.

If you're got the tier 2 shovel, you'll be able to find the buried treasure unlocked by the Grounded 2 Frostbitten Key! Or find out what's coming to the park in the future with our guide to the Grounded 2 roadmap.

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Joel Franey
Guides Writer

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.

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