Grounded 2: How to Activate the Earth Mover in Into the Abyss

The Earth Mover is a toy excavator in Brookhollow Park that stays locked until you fix its remote controller line. Once you repair the wire and press the console button, the machine’s arm swings over the chasm and forms a bridge to a hidden cave. Getting it running takes a few Sap Bandages, a mount, and a short climb up the boom.

Quick answer: Repair all three breaks in the excavator’s black controller cable with Sap Bandages, climb to the Funpit Works console and press the red button until it turns green, then ride a mount up the extended arm and break the Dead Root barrier to enter the cave.

What you need before activating the Earth Mover

You can find the Earth Mover marked under Wonders on the map, which points you to the excavator and its surrounding crevasse. Bring a small amount of gear before you start so you do not have to leave partway through.

Requirement	Details
Sap Bandages	Craft three, each using Clover Leaf and Sap, listed under Health in the crafting menu.
A mount	A spider mount crosses the chasm; an ant mount climbs the arm and breaks Dead Roots.
Location	The Earth Mover, shown under Wonders on the map near the crevasse.

Repair the three controller cable breaks

The excavator will not respond until every sparking section of its controller wire is patched. The cable runs from the machine, across the chasm, and down into the central cavern, so you follow the line and fix each break in turn.

Open the crafting menu, select Sap Bandage under Health, and craft three of them. Each one uses Clover Leaf and Sap.

Recipes menu showing the Sap Bandage with its healing stats and Clover Leaf and Sap materials — The Sap Bandage entry in the Recipes menu, with the Clover Leaf and Sap you need to craft each one. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment / via @HeRo2u2

Walk up to the exposed black cable on the ground near the excavator and press the repair prompt (E) to patch the first damaged wire section.

Summon your spider mount and ride across the chasm, following the cable line to the opposite rock ledge. Repair the second break there.

Mounted HUD with Gather Mode, Intimidate, Web Throw, and Dismount controls while crossing the chasm — Riding the spider mount across the chasm to follow the cable toward the second break. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment / via @HeRo2u2

Drop down into the central cavern path and repair the third severed section of the wire. With all three patched, the line is whole and the console can receive power.

Gather Mode repair prompt highlighted while repairing the cable in the central cavern — Fixing the third cable break down in the central cavern path. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment / via @HeRo2u2

Press the Funpit Works controller button

With the cable fixed, the yellow Funpit Works console can finally be switched on. Before the repair it shows a Locked indicator, so this is the moment the machine actually wakes up.

Ride out of the ravine toward the upper terrain, then climb onto the orange toy race track to reach the excavator controller console.

Interact with the console and press the red button. It turns green, and the excavator arm repositions itself over the chasm.

Player riding a mount toward the excavator to reach the Funpit Works controller console — Heading up to the Funpit Works console, where the red button turns green once pressed. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment / via @HeRo2u2

Note: A green indicator on the console is your confirmation that the Earth Mover is active. If it still reads Locked, one of the three cable breaks is not yet repaired.

Cross the arm and reach the hidden cave

The repositioned arm now stretches across the gap and acts as a bridge. Climbing it leads to a Dead Root barrier that blocks a hidden cave entrance, and an ant mount clears that block.

Travel back down to the newly positioned excavator.

Mounted view returning toward the excavator with underwater objectives visible on the HUD — Returning to the Earth Mover after its arm swings into place over the chasm. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment / via @HeRo2u2

Riding an ant mount, scale the stairs on the right side of the machine, jump onto the Safety Matches box, and walk up the yellow hydraulic boom toward the bucket.

Mounted HUD showing a Chop action on Dry Grass while climbing the excavator arm — Climbing the hydraulic boom on a mount toward the bucket and the blocked entrance. Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment / via @HeRo2u2

Dismount inside the excavator bucket, use the mount’s crunch attack to destroy the Dead Root barrier, and enter the hidden cave. A Pincher Earwig guards the entrance, so be ready for a fight as you step inside.

Why the Earth Mover won’t activate

If the arm never moves after you press the button, the cause is almost always the cable. All three breaks must be repaired before the console accepts the input.

The console still shows Locked, which means a break in the wire is unpatched. Follow the cable again from the machine, across the chasm, and into the central cavern.
You ran out of Sap Bandages. Each break needs one, so carry at least three before starting.
You cannot reach the far breaks on foot. A spider mount is needed to cross the chasm, and the drop into the cavern reaches the third section.

Once the button reads green and the boom swings over the gap, the Earth Mover is fully active. Ride up the arm, clear the Dead Roots, and the changed terrain opens the route into the cave you came for.