Grounded 2 Guide | How to Get Ant Buggy Early

Here's how you can quickly get the Ant Buggy in Grounded 2.

Game Guide by Ragib Rawnak on Aug 04, 2025

Grounded 2 revolutionizes the survival experience by introducing buggies as full companions rather than simple mounts.

These creatures serve as combat allies, resource gatherers, and exploration partners. The Red Soldier Ant represents your first opportunity to get such a companion, fundamentally changing how you approach the game's challenges in Grounded 2.

This guide provides the fastest method to unlock and utilize your first buggy companion.

Grounded 2 Guide, How to Get Ant Buggy Early

Prerequisites for Buggy Acquisition

You must complete two essential requirements before attempting to get your first buggy. The Omni-Tool upgrade grants access to the Shovel, which becomes mandatory for finding buried treasure containing critical items.

The Hatchery schematic allows you to construct the facility where your Red Soldier Ant will develop from egg to companion.

The Shovel is used for more than just digging. This tool is a must rather than an optional upgrade because without it, you cannot open the hidden chest that holds the Snack Bar Optical Disc.

Think of this as the first significant step in the process of purchasing a buggy.

Making the Omni Shovel

Make your way to the Ominent Lab and collect the Omni Shovel's necessary supplies. 350 Raw Science, 2 Sprigs, and Grass Seeds are required.

Raw Science accumulates naturally through exploration, scanning objects, and completing general activities throughout the park in Grounded 2.

Sprigs appear abundantly across the environment, making collection straightforward. Grass Seeds require more specific targeting.

Look for plants that resemble flowers and can be identified by their clustered bulbs at the top. Once these plants fall to the ground, chop them down to gather the seeds.

Once everything has been gathered, go back to the Ominent Lab and make your Omni Shovel.

Getting Around the Snack Bar Hill

Head for the Snack Bar Hill, which is located close to where you first spawned in the park.

To find a tiny opening that leads into the hill, take a slight left turn from where you started. Your primary path to the necessary items is through this entrance.

Prepare adequately before entering the hill. Equip yourself with a Spear for combat encounters and bring lighting equipment since darkness pervades the tunnel system.

If you have upgraded your tools to break rocks, bring those as well to expedite navigation through the underground passages.

Venture deeper into the anthill until you discover the Ominent Soldier corpse positioned on the ground in Grounded 2.

Expect to encounter at least one Soldier Ant near this location, so ready yourself for combat. Focus your attention on the buried chest located beside the corpse.

Grounded 2 Guide, How to Get Ant Buggy Early

Retrieving Essential Items

Dig up the buried chest next to the corpse of the Ominous Soldier using your shovel. Two essential items that progress your buggy acquisition process are found in this chest.

The Snack Bar Optical Disc is your access key to the Hatchery schematic, and the Mary College Token gives you more combat advantages when you're fighting ants.

Make sure to gather both of these items before you leave the anthill because they are essential to your progress.

The Mary College Token will prove valuable during later encounters with Red Soldier Ants, while the Optical Disc unlocks your crafting capabilities.

Unlocking the Hatchery Blueprint

Locate any Ominent Ranger Station and deposit the Snack Bar Optical Disc into the system.

Access the science shop folder through the station interface to find the Hatchery blueprint available for purchase.

The blueprint costs 500 Raw Science, so ensure you have accumulated sufficient resources during your exploration activities in Grounded 2.

Purchase the Hatchery blueprint once you have enough Raw Science. This investment unlocks the ability to construct the facility where your Red Soldier Ant will develop from egg to a fully functional companion.

Grounded 2 Guide, How to Get Ant Buggy Early

Building Foundational Structures

Place the Ant Nest and Hatchery structures on the ground after you've returned to your base location.

Place these buildings on level ground rather than trying complex structural configurations, as terrain stacking may cause functional issues. When positioned simply, both structures function reliably.

After your buggy hatches, you can summon and manage storage using the Ant Nest. For convenient access during upcoming operations, place it in a strategic location within your base layout in Grounded 2.

Buying Building Supplies

Gather Acorn Shells, Acorn Tops, Mite Fuzz, and Wheat Stems to build your Hatchery.

Dandelions, which can be found all over the place, are chopped down to make wheat stems. Mite Fuzz needs to hunt Mites in different parts of the park.

Acorn components present the most significant challenge due to limited spawn quantities. Travel to the area near the first Ominent Lab you visited to find a reliable collection zone.

This location typically contains at least three Acorns within the immediate vicinity.

Exercise caution while collecting Acorns, as this area hosts several dangerous creatures, including Spiderlings, Orb Weaver Younglings, and patrolling Orb Weaver Spiders.

Approach with proper equipment and maintain awareness of your surroundings during collection activities.

Maximize your Acorn collection by utilizing the sleep reset mechanic. Return to your base, sleep to reset spawn locations, then return to collect additional Acorns.

You need extra Acorn materials for both storage construction and saddle crafting, so gather as many as possible during each trip.

Grounded 2 Guide, How to Get Ant Buggy Early

Getting the Red Soldier Ant Egg

Navigate to the Hatchery Anthill North Entrance located in the southeast region of the Snack Bar Front Zone.

This location swarms with Red Soldier Ants that will attack on sight, unlike Worker Ants that may ignore your presence. Treat this infiltration as a complete combat operation rather than a stealth mission in Grounded 2.

Eliminate every hostile creature encountered during your approach to the egg chamber. This strategy prevents overwhelming aggression once you pick up the Red Soldier Ant Egg, which acts as a beacon for nearby ants.

A single hit while carrying the egg will cause you to drop it, potentially forcing you to repeat the entire process.

Follow the wiring visible on the ceiling to navigate through the anthill passages. This wiring system serves as a natural guide leading directly to the chamber containing Red Soldier Ant Eggs.

Maintain focus on this pathway to avoid getting lost in the tunnel system.

Collect one Red Soldier Ant Egg from the chamber and begin your return journey.

Remember that you can only carry one egg at a time and cannot defend yourself while holding it. This limitation reinforces the importance of clearing hostile creatures during your initial approach.

Hatching Your Companion

Return to your base and place the Red Soldier Ant Egg into the Hatchery. The hatching process requires a Saddle, which necessitates the extra Acorn materials collected earlier in Grounded 2.

You must first craft the necessary saddle to finish the hatching process.

It takes 12 in-game hours, or roughly 12 minutes of in-game gameplay, for the egg to fully hatch.

Use this waiting time to complete other base construction tasks, acquire more resources, or organize your inventory. If you don't want to wait, sleeping will expedite the hatching process in Grounded 2.

Grounded 2 Guide, How to Get Ant Buggy Early