Powering it up is your first step to finding out why you were shrunk to your current, tiny size and a key part of the story quests in Grounded. To help you get your bearings in the yard and begin this twisting tale without confusion, here’s what you need to do.
How do I fix the Mysterious Machine in Grounded?
“Investigate” the Mysterious Machine by hopping on top of it and pushing the “target” button near the top. This turns on three lasers, but one of them is broken and one is blocked. To fix the machine, you need to follow the beams and find out what’s blocking them. Follow the beam of the laser that’s being blocked and there’s just a leaf shielding it that you can chop down - simple enough. You just need to craft a basic axe and destroy the grass. There’s also a cassette tape you can listen to from Wendell on the top of here. For the beam that’s stopping intermittently, look up and walk towards the structure that it should be firing from. Keep the line of the beam in sight overhead and make your way towards the tower. At its foot, you find red mites chewing on the wires. If you’ve not made one already, craft a spear to fight with and take on the mites to restore the strength to the beam. Follow the wire around and down underground to find the rest of the mites and your objective with update once they’re all down. Continue down the tunnel, smash the pebbles with a hammer and there’s a SCAB on the floor inside along with some sturdy marble if you have the right tools - don’t worry if not. With the beam restored, return to the mysterious machine, climb on top and press the now-flashing “activate” button. This plays a cutscene where the beams charge power into the machine and cause an explosion at the oak tree nearby.
Where do you investigate the Oak Tree explosion in Grounded?
Before setting off, you should probably rest up ‘til morning for this because you’re taking the kid gloves off and wandering into more dangerous climes. Sleep to make sure you have enough light, and bring food and drink. Your best bet is to head east to the lemon crime punch-o to resupply, then north to the oak tree. Your destination is the purple smoke on the far side of the tree. Once you reach the explosion site, there’s a door to enter. Be very careful in this area, because spiders roam and they’re extremely tough. Inside, there’s a resource analyser to learn about any items you’ve picked up along the way, as well as a tape discussing the origins of raw science. Push the big button to continue and you will discover Oak Lab. On your right you find a note on Embiggen test 45, which was unsuccessful. Walk further into the lab and you will meet Burgl. Help him up and talk to him. Learn more about Burgl, Wendell Tully and why you’re small. Ask Burgl how to get home and you will advance the main story quest. You conspire with Burgl to repair the SPACR platform to embiggen the smallest man - you. He needs memory chips to restore his ability to function as a science robot, and tells you to find the other labs to get them. He only has one location left in his memory, the Hedge Lab - your next objective location. Register yourself with the biometric scanner, then use the terminal to access the shop and Burgl quests like Chipsleuth - Grave Robbery. Here’s our hub page to continue with our Grounded Walkthrough!
