If you know you’ve got a fight ahead of you in Grounded, it’s a good idea to have a few tricks up your sleeve. Your best shot at survival involves Mutations, which act like perks to grant you stat buffs. There are many of them, each one tailored to and best suited to a specific situation. For example, if you’re going up against Stinkbugs, or Bombardier Beetles, or anything that deals gas and burning damage, you’ll want the Fresh Defense Mutation to combat it. If that’s the mutation you’re looking for, keep reading to find out how to get it.
How to Get the Fresh Defense Mutation in Grounded
To get the Fresh Defense mutation in Grounded, you need to eat one Mint Shard. This will increase your resistance to gas and burning damage by 25%. You will also receive a 25% Sizzle rate reduction. But that’s only the first phase of the Fresh Defense Mutation. Eat five Mint Shards and you’ll double both of those stats to 50%. Then you can take it up one more notch to phase three by eating 10 Mint Shards for 75% resistance and reduction.
So, where can you get your hands on Mint Shards? You can get Mint Shards by breaking the remaining mints in the Ice Cap Mints container. This container can be found next to the Mystery Machine. It’s also a large white rectangle, like the Mystery Machine, so it’s difficult to miss. You can use a level 1 Hammer to repeatedly strike the top cap until it opens. You’ll then need the level two Insect Hammer to break the Ice Cap Mints.
You may eventually run out of supplies at this location. However, Mint Shards can also be obtained in Red Ant Hill. They’re scattered throughout the tunnels and do respawn. So you can always come back here to get more. The open cooler in the back of the Haze area is the last place to look for Mint Shards.
You will have to deal with the toxic gas if you visit the Haze area. You can, however, explore the area safely by eating Mint Shards for the Fresh Defense Mutation. The mutation’s effects will allow you to stay in the Haze area for a longer period of time because your resistance will ensure you take less damage.
If this guide helped, be sure to check out our other Grounded guides below:
