Grounded 2’s Beat the Heat update is now live, and it gives the park one of its biggest threats yet in King Dozer, a huge horned lizard that turns the new boss fight into a proper test of preparation. The update also adds a new mutation and trinket tied to the fight.

King Dozer stands out as a very different kind of enemy from the bugs that usually fill Brookhollow Park. The lizard can hit hard with heavy swipes, it seems to favor warm areas, and the update makes clear that this is not a fight to rush into lightly. At the same time, the reward pool gives the encounter a strong reason to chase, with a lizard mace and shield, a full armor set, and decorative items for players who manage to bring it down.

Grounded 2 now has a full buggy progression system built around Moldy Milk Molars, letting players boost health, stamina, healing, revive strength, and inventory space across any buggy they use. That makes early companions far more useful later in the game, and the new Buffin’ Barrel lets them move up to the next tier so they keep pace with the player’s progress instead of falling behind.

Elsewhere in the park, the new Black Soldier Ant Buggy joins the roster, while new mutations give different buggy families more distinct roles. Ants get better at chopping and support, ladybugs gain stronger busting and blocking tools, and spider buggies pick up combat perks tied to crits and venom. The update also adds new locations such as the Sinkhole Anthill, along with fresh resources, gear, and building parts, including curved walls, fences, stairs, and utility structures like the Buggy Buff Hut and EverChar Roasting Spit.

Combat has also seen a few useful changes, as players can now block while using a bow. It should make ranged fights less risky, while O.R.C. creatures have gained new tricks, including lasers, healing, and boost effects that make encounters less predictable. There are also improvements to poison gas, bandage values in menus, storage navigation, and difficulty selection, along with seasonal Easter content that adds eggs, marshmallows, s’mores, and a Marshmallow Chair for bases.

Playgrounds Mode is another big addition, giving players more freedom to build custom arenas, challenges, and puzzle spaces, then share them with the community.

While Grounded 2 is still in Early Access, the Beat the Heat update shows that the game is already expanding in several directions at once, and the future looks very promising.