The Backyard is the main play area of Grounded. It consists of 13 Biomes with several Landmarks spread throughout them. It is divided into 2 distinct sectors; the Upper and Lower Yards. The Backyard belongs to Dr. Wendell Tully, his wife, Trudy and his kids, Thor and Sarah.
Lower Yard[]
The Lower Yard sector is where the player first spawns when starting a new game. The eastern side hosts the Grasslands and other flora rich areas like the Hedge and the Koi Pond. The western side is dominated by appliances and man-made creations, such as a Sandbox, a Picnic Table and a Trash Heap. The Haze also exists in this area; a biome coated in a toxic gas and infested by a parasitic fungus, inadvertently created by Dr. Tully.
Upper Yard[]
The Upper Yard has more dangerous creatures and environments compared to the Lower Yard. It can only be reached by gaining access to the Upper Yard Ascent. The western side contains the still-burning, charred landscape of the BBQ Spill, the treacherous caverns of the Shed Surroundings, and the winding tunnels of the Woodpile. The eastern side of the Upper Yard is home to the lush landscape of the Upper Grasslands; a large area that encompasses many important locations and landmarks, leading into the Moldorc Highlands' aquatic and rocky terrain.
Map-Changing Events[]
Some events across the Backyard can cause permanent changes to the environment.
Sealing the Haze[]
After reaching the top of the weed killer canister in the Haze, and sealing it with a Gum Nugget, a cutscene will play. This cutscene shows a simple zoom out shot of the Haze area, revealing that the gas is no longer present. After the cutscene, pockets of Haze gas will appear throughout the yard. In and around these pockets, various infected creatures and Haze Fungus will begin to spawn. This includes the introduction of the Infected Wolf Spider.
Pockets of Haze gas will appear in these locations:
- Inside the Oak Tree
- The Flower Bed north of the Frankenline
- The Field Station near Trowel Gulch surrounded by Stinkbugs
- Inside the Red Anthill
- Near the group of Stinkbugs around the Red Anthill
- The back of the Billy Hog Tray near the Fallen Oak Branch
- The Northwestern-most leg of the Picnic Table
- Inside the Salt Burrow
- On the side of the wall in the Northern Grasslands
- Under the deck of the Shed
Traversing the Picnic Table[]
In the Western Grasslands, a normal-sized shovel can be found lodged into the ground and leaning against a Cracked Rock. After destroying this rock with an explosive, the shovel will fall over and land on the edge of the Picnic Table. This unlocks the Leaning Shovel landmark and allows the player to access the seat of the table by walking the shovel's handle.
Progressing along the Picnic Table will lead the player to a stack of books in front of a Cooler Box. After hitting the red button on the cooler with a hammer or an explosive, the handle will fall down against the table. This allows the player to reach the top of the Picnic Table. It is worth noting that there is a pre-built Zipline Anchor here that, when connected, leads directly into the Sandbox.
Disturbing The Hive[]
After defeating a certain number of Wasps and destroying at least 2 Small Wasp Hives, a message will appear that says, "The wasp hive has been disturbed". After this, the player must sleep in order to trigger a cutscene. This cutscene shows angry Wasps from the Brawny Boy Bin breach the blocked opening and invade the yard, unlocking the area. This will also cause multiple swarms of Wasps to spawn across the yard.
Swarms of Wasps will appear in the following areas: Note: 1 Swarm is equal to 2 Wasps and 1 Wasp Drone.
- 4 swarms around the Stump.
- 2 swarms in the eastern section of the Flower Bed.
- 2 swarms in the Eastern Flooded Zone near Rash
- 1 swarm in the western section of the Flower Bed.
- 1 swarm in the upper section of the Flower Bed.
Traversing the Brawny Boy Bin[]
After defeating a certain number of Wasps and destroying at least 2 Small Wasp Hives, a message will appear that says, "The wasp hive has been disturbed". After this, the player must sleep in order to trigger a cutscene. This cutscene shows angry Wasps from the Brawny Boy Bin breach the blocked opening and invade the yard, unlocking the area.
Once inside the Brawny Boy Bin, the player encounters an enlarged Pinch Whacker, still attached to the Large Disassembled TAYZ.T, that acts as a shortcut to the Brawny Boy Bin Entrance so that the player does not have to progress through the whole Brawny Boy Bin every time they enter. There is a large Prod Smacker also attached to the Large Disassembled TAYZ.T, it can be knocked down to reach the Field Station in the Brawny Boy Bin. Both can be knocked down with a Tier 3 Hammer.
Finding Wendell[]
After recovering Wendell from the Undershed Lab, he will follow the player and become their ally. This, however, will also cause multiple O.R.C. Creatures to spawn across the yard. These creatures will spawn even in early game areas, and can be a huge nuisance. Even after defeating Director Schmector or the final JavaMatic defense, they will not stop spawning.
O.R.C Creatures will spawn in the following areas:
- By the Mysterious Machine.
- In the eastern section of the Flower Bed
- At the base of the Bird Bath by the Hedge.
- The ground below the northern side of the Picnic Table.
- The base of the Woodpile near the Undershed Labs exit.
- Near the border between the Shed Surroundings and Upper Grasslands.
Eliminating Ant Queens[]
In the different Anthills around the yard, the player can find three different ant queens, the Red Ant Queen, Black Ant Queen, and Fire Ant Queen. If the player chooses to kill these ant queens, less of their respective species of ants will spawn around the backyard.