The Bushwhacker is one of Grounded 2’s many hidden treasures. Learn where to find this unique weapon and the best ways to use it.
Table of contents
What is the Bushwhacker
The Bushwhacker is an upgraded version of the Spider Stringer, boasting higher damage and a powerful perk when used well. This makes it a solid upgrade over its normal counterpart in all cases, but just a slightly lower consistent damage compared to the Wolf Stringer.
Though use of its Perk, the Ranger Archetype Bonus, and any Weaknesses a bug may have, it’s very possible to one-shot many Tier 1 and Tier 2 Bugs when built around. However, with a perk that requires Full Health Enemies, it becomes weaker against tougher foes that it cannot one-shot.
Preparations
Before heading out, we’ll need to make sure we have everything we need to reach the Bushwhacker. Which, unlike most other hidden items, only has one recommendation: the Orb Weaver Buggy.
Since the path to the Bushwhacker is covered in Web Bridges that need to be crossed to reach it, we’ll want the Orb Weaver Buggy not to be slowed down. We can opt to use the Orb Weaver Armor Set as well, but the enemies here will make that a less effective option if we’re not a Rogue.
There is a bug that will allow us to move at full speed on a Web Bridge; however, that feels more like crossing a tightrope. The very edges of the Web Bridges do not have the slowing effect, which, if done carefully, can be easily crossed. As a bug, this may be patched out in a future version.
Video Walkthrough
How to get the Bushwhacker
To reach the Bushwhacker, we’ll start our journey from the bottom of the Northwest Hedge, as if we were heading to the hedge O.R.C. Transmitter.
From here, we’ll start making our way up normally. This means going up the first root to turn and jump on the root shown below, and take care of the O.R.C. Blue Butterfly here to proceed.
Just past the O.R.C. Blue Butterfly is a path that leads outside, which is still the same path we’d normally take to the Transmitter, but it is after this that our path changes.
As we re-enter the Hedge, if we look to the right, we’ll see another section of the hedge with a Web Bridge leading to it. This is where we need to go.
In this next area is another Web Bridge guarded by an Orb Weaver. After defeating it, cross it onto the branch shown below and follow it to the next Web Bridge near the very back, taking out the Orb Weaver Jrs and Spiderlings along the way.
This Web Bridge will take us up, and with a final Web Bridge, we reach the branch shown below. Follow it to the Yellow Leaf tucked away in the back.
This Yellow Leaf contains a chest, which holds the Bushwhacker and some supplies.
Then, to get out of the hedge, we can retrace our steps, dropping from these higher branches onto lower ones near the start to make a quick exit. Just note there is NOT an exit on the ground, so dropping all the way down will require climbing back up.
Using the Bushwhacker
Combined with the Marksman Cap, a full Ranger Perk, the Nift Needle Trinket, and the Bow Mutation maxed out, the Bushwhacker is capable of immense damage with Perfectly Charged Shots, even on Woah! difficulty.
Combining this Setup with Elemental or Disruption Arrows, depending on what we’re fighting, allows us to deal very strong opening hits on our foes. This outright defeats some foes, while taking 50-60% off of their total health in the worst cases, for enemies that don’t have a Weakness or a Weak Point to exploit.
However, since a good chunk of our damage is lost after the first shot, we need to make it count and not miss the Perfect Charge. Afterwards, we can swap to the Wolf Stringer for higher consistent damage output if we have it.
