How to beat Spiders in Grounded and use Arachnophobia mode

The Grounded spiders are something you probably won't beat until your gear is better than the starting weapon - and until then, you want to avoid them. Not only that, but the Spiders in Grounded are so scary, whether Wolf Spiders, Orb Weaver Spiders or more besides, that the game has an Arachnophobia Safe Mode, that makes the spiders less terrifying by simplifying their designs. Whether you want to know how to make them less scary, or how to kill them outright, our guide will cover everything you need to know about the Spiders in Grounded.

How to turn on Arachnophobia Safe Mode in Grounded

Grounded Arachnophobia Safe Mode is an option to alter the appearance of spiders in the game and make them look less, well, spidery, which is particularly handy if you have a fear of these critters. This is found at the top of the Accessibility menu, which can be reached from the main menu or by pausing the game and selecting Options. 

There are six distinct levels of Grounded spider appearance you can set with the slider, as follows:

• 0: Standard spider appearance.
• 1: Spider has fewer legs.
• 2: Spider has no legs and a floating body.
• 3: Spider has a floating body and no fangs.
• 4: Spider has a more rounded floating body and head.
• 5: Spider has a textureless rounded floating body and head.

So, if you push the Arachnophobia Safe Mode slider all the way up, the spiders will basically become nondescript floating blobs that will be a lot easier to look at. Do note that their behaviour and difficulty will remain the same, so this won't make them any easier to escape or defeat. There's also no way to remove all their eyes, as eyes are an indicator of behaviour in Grounded – if they turn red, it means the owners of those eyes are in combat. Taking those away would put you at a disadvantage and make it harder to understand them.

How to deal with a Grounded Spider

Initially, the best way to deal with a Grounded spider is to simply run away from it, as until you improve your gear to at least tier 2 you'll get destroyed by any of them fast. Keep an eye out for them while you explore as they tend to patrol set hunting grounds, and while Orb Weavers mark their territory with webs (try not to get stuck in them!) the Wolf Spiders don't, so look for the telltale shifting of grass to give away their movement and listen for the telltale wet panting that they often have. Allow them a wide berth if you detect spiders in the area, and be ready to dash away if they detect you.

Once you get your gear to level 2 or beyond and decide it's time to actually fight a Grounded spider, the safest approach is to engage in ranged combat – ideally finding yourself some high ground where the arachnid can't reach you then shooting downwards with a bow and arrow to wear them out. Be careful if you take them on in direct combat, as they often have spiderlings around them, or even half-grown Orb Weavers called Orb Weaver Jrs. It's easy to become overwhelmed in those situations, so be ready to back off and try fighting them one at a time by using the environment to your advantage. Make sure you're also using your blocking skills against their attacks, as without this you're destined to take considerable damage and fail in melee combat.

There's one other thing worth knowing – all Spiders, Wolf and Orb Weaver, are obsessed by the smell of Stink Bug Parts. If you've killed a Stink Bug and put the parts in a container in your base, nearby Spiders will smell them and try to break in to get them, smashing through walls and refusing to leave them alone. It's a thing you need to be very wary about, and likewise putting a Stink Bug and Spider in the same area is guaranteed to end in carnage as the two fight.

Each type of Grounded spider has its own particular Weaknesses and Resistances, which you can discover by aiming your PEEP.R binoculars at one then scanning it. Once scanned, head to the Data tab in the menu the scroll down the Creature Cards to highlight the particular spider you're interested in. 

For example, Orb Weavers have a weakness to Spicy weapons, so if you can imbue that trait into your arsenal then you'll have an easier time defeating them, while they are resistant to Stabbing and Fresh weapons so you don't want to be jabbing them with a minty spear! Take a minute to study a Grounded spider before you launch into combat, and you may discover an approach that will work much better against it.

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