Fighter playstyles in Grounded 2 are like your standard warrior in other games. You get the sturdier armor, you get your big weapon, and you swing at enemies until they stop fighting you. This playstyle is no different. However, the fighter style is typically more tank-oriented in Grounded 2, but there are some nice perks you can unlock that really make the build shine. Here’s everything you need to know about our Rage Barbarian Fighter builds in Grounded 2.

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Here’s everything you need to know about the Smashing Fighter Build in Grounded 2. Image via Gamer Guides / Obsidian.

Fighter Build¶

For the most part, the Fighter Build is fairly lackluster, until you get to the end game. You miss out on a lot of scaling damage until you reach rank 3 of the Smashing mutation. The damage is also locked behind the Snail Shell armor set too, along with the final early access quest Networking (as of the launch EA patch). This build is better for when there’s more story content, new areas, or for end game farming as a Fighter.

Mutations¶

These are the mutations you want in the game. Make sure to grab your third Mutation slot with your Milk Molars when you defeat the networking quest.

• Smasher - Improves stun with club weapons. At max rank you get more damage to enemies that are stunned.
• Cardio Fan - improves your stamina regeneration and lowers the exhaust timer. This is needed for stamina management.
• Frenzy - When you defeat the Mysterious Stranger in the statue area during the networking quest, you will unlock Frenzy. This gives you a rage effect that increases your damage when you attack, but removes the perfect block ability. You also heal while under the effect.

The general idea of the playstyle is that you use Smasher to build stun on the target. When the enemy is stunned, you deal more damage. You then use your charged heavy attack to deal a huge amount of burst damage while under the Rage effect, alongside the bonus damage to stunned enemies. This makes the smashing weapons significantly stronger than the sword version for the rage fighter playstyle.

Armor Sets¶

Set	Notes
Acorn Set	Tier 1 armor set that increases your max HP and gives the Hardy Defense set bonus - which increases damage resistance while blocking.
Ant Set	Tier 1 Rogue set but its damage is good for swords, and the extra stamina is extremely helpful for fighting ants. A good coop damage modifier set too.
Ladybug Set	Tier 2 armor set designed for Block builds. Set bonus gives you Scarlet Embrace, which heals after blocking attacks.
Snail Shell Set	Tier 3 set from the Shell parts you get from chests inside Ranger Stations and end game locations. The set is designed to increase stun damage, and gives you the Retaliation set bonus - which gives you a charged melee attack shockwave. Block hits to get the effect. It can stack up to 5 times, which increases the charge attack speed and damage.

In terms of armor set, use whatever you prefer while leveling. But, when you start collecting Snail Shell parts from the labs, or when the Tier 3 Omnihammer unlocks in future Early Access patches, you need to get this set immediately.

Play Style¶

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Once you have everything unlocked, this play style really comes online. Image via Gamer Guides / Obsidian.

Your play style typically looks as follows:

1. The Snail Shell set bonus gives you a special effect called Retaliation, which greatly increases the charge time and damage of the Charged Attack.
2. Simply block enemies up to 5 times, then keep the stacks stored.
3. Pummel the enemy with light attack combos until they are stunned.
4. With your Rage and tier 3 Smashing mutation enabled, use those 5 stacks for an extremely strong charged attack hit.

The playstyle is that simple when everything is online. It’s certainly better to set up than the Orb Weaver Rogue build for sure.

It does mean you need to do a lot of grinding to get to that point, but it’s certainly worth it for a strong defensive and burst-heavy playstyle.

Weapons¶

The Fighter playstyle lacks a lot of good weapons. In terms of the damage profile, the Clubs tend to be better. The Praying Mantis tends to do the most direct damage from its attack combo; however, with the stun modifiers and the Snail Shell armor, the smashing mutation perks are so much stronger when combined together.

We advise using the Red Ant Club for most of your playthrough. But, if you can get the Mantis Sword, which requires farming Praying Mantis Nymphs that’s typically better damage based on a combo attack spam. But, focus on grinding those Smashing levels to get the Tier 3 bonus as soon as possible as it’s key to the entire playstyle.