How To Get To The Upper Yard In Grounded

Stuck trying to reach the Upper Yard in Grounded? Follow this guide to find the hidden entrance, craft explosives, and make your way to this challenging late-game area.

Alright, so you're looking to get to the Upper Yard in Grounded? It's a pretty big step up in difficulty, so make sure your gear is solid before you commit. This area is definitely late-game stuff, even though you can technically get there earlier once you can craft explosives. If you're just messing around in Creative Mode, go nuts! But for everyone else, let's get you set up to make the journey.

Here's how to access the Upper Yard:

1. Find the entrance: Head to the northwestern part of the map. A good landmark is the pond net on the north side of the Koi Pond. From there, follow the wall to your left (west) until you hit some stones. Keep an eye out, there's usually a Milk Molar hidden nearby in the walls – grab it if you see it!
2. Start the climb: Look for a stick that leads up to a rock. You'll need to jump from this rock to the next, and then make a leap to the wall across a gap. If you nail that jump, move to the right along the wall. You should spot some roots and a section of the wall that looks different.
3. Use explosives: Jump onto those roots and carefully make your way up. You'll eventually be blocked by a large, marked stone. The game will tell you this stone needs to be destroyed with explosives.
4. Craft your boom: You'll need either a Bratburst or, ideally, a Splatburst. If you don't have any, you'll need to craft them. To get the Bratburst recipe, you need to analyze Fungal Growth at a Field Station. This means you'll likely need a Gas Mask to survive The Haze and have killed an infected creature. The ingredients for a Bratburst are 1 Ant Egg, 4 Dry Grass Chunks, and 2 Fungal Growth. For a Splatburst, you'll need 1 Bratburst, 5 Sap, and 5 Web Fibers. The Splatburst is better because it sticks to the rock, making it less likely to bounce off and waste your effort.
5. Destroy the rock: Head back down to where you were before the roots. Aim your explosive at the rock. If you're using a Splatburst, aim right at the surface. For a Bratburst, try to get it to land on or just over the rock so it doesn't bounce back and hurt you. It might take a few tries, so saving your game beforehand is a smart move.
6. Make the final ascent: Once the rock is destroyed, go back up the roots. Instead of trying to go where the rock was, jump onto the nearby leaf and ride it up to the ledge above.

Congratulations! You've made it to the Upper Yard. Now you can explore this challenging new area.