The Into the Abyss update pushes Grounded 2 under the surface of Skunk Pond, and the new gear splits into two clear jobs. Some sets keep you alive and breathing while you dive deeper, and others are pure combat kits tied to the tougher bugs now roaming Brookhollow Park. Knowing which set covers which role saves you from grinding the wrong parts.
Quick answer: Craft the basic Gill Tube and Fin Flops first to breathe underwater, then build the full Diving Suit to reach the pond floor and the Koi Fish Scale set for fast swimming and underwater combat. For fighting on land, the Striped Bark Scorpion, Toe Biter, and Shell Shocker sets each give a distinct melee build, and the standalone Tinfoil Hat stops Base Raids while you sabotage the Stranger’s Mix.Rs.
Every new armor set at a look
The sets added with the Into the Abyss update line up against clear roles. Use this to decide what to farm before you spend materials.
| Set | Role | Main material |
|---|---|---|
| Swimming gear (Gill Tube + Fin Flops) | Basic underwater breathing and swim speed | Eelgrass Strand, Wax, Silk, Water Boatman Fin |
| Diving Suit | Deep pond exploration, infinite oxygen | Koi Fish Scales route resources, crafted pieces |
| Koi Fish Scale | Swim speed, water chill resistance, underwater combat | Koi Fish Scales |
| Striped Bark Scorpion | Tier 4 Rogue (dagger/slasher builds) | Striped Bark Scorpion parts |
| Toe Biter | Fighter (single sword and Rapider) | Toe Biter parts |
| Shell Shocker | Fighter (shock damage) | Snail Shell upgrade path |
| Tinfoil Hat (single piece) | Avoids Base Raids while attacking Mix.Rs | DLC craft |
Underwater gear you build first
Before any of the pond’s better rewards are reachable, you need basic breathing gear. The Gill Tube handles sub-aquatic respiration by collecting air bubbles to refill your oxygen, and it is crafted from Wax, Eelgrass Strand, and Silk. The Fin Flops add a small swim-speed boost and use Water Boatman Fin, Eelgrass Strand, and Wax.
These two pieces do not form a set and give no set bonus. They are simply the entry ticket. Without them and the Omni Cutter, you cannot gather the resources needed to craft everything else in the pond.
Diving Suit for the pond floor
The Diving Suit is a specialized set that lets you walk and jump along the bottom of the pond, at the cost of impaired swimming. It pairs well with the Toe Biter Buggy for reaching the depths of Skunk Pond, and it is how you collect Koi Fish Scales, Phantom Quartz, Eelgrass Stem, and the rest of the new pond resources.
Its Under Pressure set bonus bundles three effects. Chill Reduction cuts Water Chill Buildup by 75%, Master Diver grants oxygen for a very long time and turns into infinite oxygen with the full set equipped, and Diving Ballast sinks you to the pond floor to counter buoyancy while adding limited jumping.
Koi Fish Scale set for swimming and combat
Built from Koi Fish Scales, this set is the diver’s combat and mobility kit. It delivers a large amount of swimming speed plus Water Chill Resistance, and it pairs with the Harpoon Gun, the only ranged weapon usable underwater.
The individual bonuses are Veteran Diver, which increases the size of the oxygen bar, Major Swim Speed, the strongest swim buff in the game, and Water Chill Reduction of up to 50%. The full set bonus, Bubble Struggle, makes melee hits on enemies release air bubbles that refill your oxygen, which is genuinely useful during underwater fights.
Combat sets for land fights
Striped Bark Scorpion (Rogue)
This is the new Tier 4 Rogue set, made from parts of the Striped Bark Scorpions that roam the Gnarly Bark area. They hit hard, so expect a real fight before you can farm enough parts, but the payoff is a light set with strong defense and resistance for its weight class.
It carries the Rogue Armor perk, which raises critical hit chance on the final attack of a 3-hit combo, and the Venom Parry perk, which adds poison damage on a perfect block. The full set bonus, Finale Force, strengthens the last hit of the 3-hit combo and stacks up to five times until an enemy hit resets it. That makes it a natural fit for nimble builds using slashers and daggers.
Toe Biter (Fighter)
The Toe Biter set is crafted from Toe Biter parts, which can be farmed around Skunk Pond and Gnarly Bark. It is tuned for single sword and needle (Rapider) users, with a pirate-themed look and its own perk kit.
The Fighter Armor perk makes the final hit of a 3-hit melee combo deal extra stun, and Opportunistic Parry gives perfect parries a chance to boost your next melee attack. Its Barmy Buccaneer full set bonus stacks a sword damage increase up to three times, holding as long as you avoid being hit and stay in combat.
Shell Shocker (Fighter)
Shell Shocker is a second Fighter set and an upgraded version of the Snail Shell set, built around shock damage. Alongside the Fighter Armor bonus (extra stun on the final hit of a 3-hit combo), it adds Parry Shock, which releases a shock burst on a perfect parry.
The full set bonus, Power Surge, builds on that by granting Power Surge stacks that raise the chance of a stronger shock AoE on a perfect parry. Those charges reset when the effect fires or when you leave combat, so it rewards staying in the fight and timing parries.
Tinfoil Hat: the single-piece raid stopper
The Tinfoil Hat is not a set but a standalone head piece added with Into the Abyss, and it solves a specific problem. Its Incognito perk lets you tamper with all of the Stranger’s Mix.Rs without drawing aggro, so she never learns who is wrecking her gear.
The practical result is that you avoid Base Raids, which are a hassle to deal with. The catch is that the protection only holds while the hat is equipped. Attack any of the ORK bugs guarding the Mix.Rs without it on, and the Stranger will still target you and raid your base.
Once a set is on, you know it worked when the paired UI cue matches its function, whether that is the oxygen bar going infinite with the full Diving Suit or the stacking damage counter climbing during a combo. If a set piece stays greyed out at the workbench, you are missing an ingredient rather than a recipe, so check the required materials list before starting another dive.
