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Between the Orb Weavers and Bombardier Beetles, it feels like the backyard wants you dead. One of your top priorities in Grounded will be getting a weapon to protect yourself from creepy crawlies. Unfortunately, the early-game weapons aren’t great. They’re fine if you want to fight off a couple of Ants, but they’re almost useless against more serious enemies. Thankfully, Obsidian blessed us with a solution: Brittle Whetstone. You wouldn’t think something with “brittle” in the name would be good for making things stronger, but here we are. Here’s where to find Brittle Whetstone in Grounded.
Where to Find Brittle Whetstone in Grounded
(Updated on April 18th, 2024 – streamlined content and updated images)
Whereas you can find Thistle Needles and other natural resources just lying around the yard, Brittle Whetstone is more elusive. The only way to get this Level 1-5 upgrade material is by crafting it. Is the recipe easy to come by, at least? Nope. Before you can craft it at a Workbench, a few things need to happen first. Before getting started, it’s a good idea to gear up with your best weapon and armor. You won’t be crafting anything if you’re dead. Here’s what you need to do next:
- Access the Black Ant Lab
- Defeat the Assistant Manager mini-boss and unlock the door
- Secure the Black Anthill BURG.L Chip
- Unlock “Advanced Smithing: Brittle Upgrades” for 1500 Raw Science
Getting the Black Anthill BURG.L Chip grants access not only to the Brittle Whetstone but also Brittle Plating, the upgrade material for armor. Unlocking the Smithing Station also grants access to these Brittle upgrades. Unlike the Black Anthill BURG.L Chip, however, it only grants you a finite recipe, so you’ll want to upgrade as soon as you can. After all, spider attacks aren’t finite, so why should your upgrades be?
Whetstone Crafting Guide
With the recipe for Brittle Whetstone in hand you can start crafting. You can make a Brittle Whetstone at a Workbench using Sap x1 and Larva Spike x1. Sap is easy to find near oak trees or clinging to twigs. Larva Spikes are harder since you’ll need to defeat Larvae first. Alternatively, you can make a Brittle Whetstone using Brittle Wuartzite Shard x1 (obtainable from Red Ant Hill). Now that you know where to find (or rather craft) a Brittle Whetstone in Grounded, your gear will be looking its best in no time.
Grounded is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
