Grounded 2: How to Unlock the Diving Suit Chestplate in Into the Abyss

The Diving Suit Chestplate is one of three armor pieces you need to enter the Abyss beneath Skunk Pond in Grounded 2. Unlocking it is a two-part job. First you retrieve an optical disk from a dangerous location, then you buy the recipe and gather the crafting materials.

Quick answer: Grab the Bridge Aquatic Optical Disk from the wooden bridge south of the community garden and north of Skunk Pond, guarded by an O.R.C. Green Shield Bug called Mess Officer Funk. Take it to a Ranger Station, open the Science Shop, and buy the Diving Suit Chestplate recipe for 1,500 Raw Science. Then craft it at a Workbench.

What you need to unlock the Diving Suit Chestplate

The chestplate carries Chill Reduction, which matters as deeper Pond routes start applying cold pressure. It is one third of the full Diving Suit, so unlocking it alone does not open the Diving Deck door. You still need the Diving Helmet and Diving Boots for that.

Requirement	Detail
Unlock item	Bridge Aquatic Optical Disk
Disk location	Wooden bridge south of the community garden, north of Skunk Pond
Guard	Mess Officer Funk (O.R.C. Green Shield Bug)
Recipe cost	1,500 Raw Science at a Ranger Station Science Shop
Effect	Chill Reduction

Find the Bridge Aquatic Optical Disk

Open your map and head for the broken wooden bridge that sits south of the community garden and north of Skunk Pond. A mount such as a spider buggy makes the trip faster since the disk can be a long way from your last spawn point.

Map screen with the Resource Finder open showing categories and waypoint controls near the bridge — The map with the Resource Finder open, used to plan the route toward the bridge. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment

Climb up the south side of the bridge and cross the broken planks. Use your buggy’s jump and any ropes to get over the gaps between the wooden sections.

Gameplay HUD showing the diving area objective while moving across the dusty bridge — The objective “Gain access to the new diving area” stays active while you cross the bridge planks. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment

Advance along the top of the bridge toward the corpse of a fallen Ominent employee. Mess Officer Funk stands guard right in front of it and fights like a souped-up stink bug that applies Woozy through gas.

Player moving across the bridge rooftop toward the diving area objective marker — Pushing along the top of the bridge toward the guarded corpse. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment

Deal with Mess Officer Funk. A Mantis Helmet is the strongest gas protection for this fight, and Gastro Goo helps if the Woozy meter climbs. You can also cheese the encounter by luring it to fall between the planks, or simply run in, grab the disk, and leave.

Player advancing after defeating the bug and collecting loot near the diving objective — Moving in to loot the disk after clearing the guard. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment

Pick up the Bridge Aquatic Optical Disk lying next to the dead employee. Once it is in your inventory, you can leave the bridge and head back to a Ranger Station.

Buy the recipe at the Science Shop

Return to any Ranger Station and open the Science Shop terminal. Insert the Bridge Aquatic Optical Disk to unlock the Diving Suit Chestplate under the Optical Disk unlocks. Purchasing the recipe costs 1,500 Raw Science.

Science Shop Optical Disk unlock menu highlighting the Diving Suit Chestplate for 1,500 science — The Science Shop’s Optical Disk unlocks with the Diving Suit Chestplate selected for 1,500 Raw Science. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment

You will know it worked when the chestplate becomes craftable at your Workbench. If you are short on Raw Science, clear a few challenges first, since the full three-piece suit costs 4,500 Raw Science across the Helmet, Chestplate, and Boots.

Craft the Diving Suit Chestplate

With the recipe unlocked, build the chestplate at a Workbench. The materials it needs are listed below.

Material	Quantity
Phantom Quartz Glass	5
Koi Fish Scale	2
Eelgrass Fiber	5

Phantom Quartz Glass is the bottleneck here. You make it from Phantom Quartz Shards, which are mined from crystal clusters in the cave beneath the tree in the Gnarly Bark region. Head to the east base of the tree where the pond meets it and drop into the underground cave to find the pink crystal formations.

Player fighting a Toe Biter Nymph inside a crystal-filled cave while mining Phantom Quartz — Clearing a Toe Biter Nymph while harvesting Phantom Quartz in the Gnarly Bark cave. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment

Analyze a Phantom Quartz Shard to reveal the Phantom Quartz Glass recipe. Watch for creatures in the cave such as Pincher Earwigs and Toe Biter Nymphs while you mine. Bring back plenty of shards, since the full suit uses far more glass than the chestplate alone.

How the chestplate fits into Abyss progression

Crafting the chestplate does not open the Diving Deck by itself. The door checks for the complete Diving Suit, so you also need the Diving Helmet, which carries Master Diver, and the Diving Boots, which counter buoyancy to keep you on the floor. Each of those recipes comes from its own aquatic optical disk.

For normal Pond exploration, the chestplate’s Chill Reduction is useful on its own and pairs well with the Helmet. Save the full three-piece loadout for the moment you stand at the Diving Deck, where the scanner confirms all three pieces are equipped before granting entry to the Abyss.