For the best all-round base location identified in the available guide, build on or around the boulder in the Ceremony region. It offers room to build, access to nearby services and resources, and routes toward several regions. For an easier early-game setup, consider the area outside Ranger Outpost: Snackbar. These are PC Gamer writer Rory Norris’s recommendations from July 30, 2025—not an official ranking—and the guide predates Grounded 2’s Into the Abyss update.
How to choose a base location
The right site depends on whether you value building space, safety, resources, services, or access to the areas you visit most. Before committing to a permanent build, consider:
- Terrain and space: Check whether the ground is usable and whether the site has room to expand.
- Nearby threats: Scout for hostile creatures and consider how exposed your route to the base will be.
- Resources: Look for the materials and valuable items you expect to collect regularly.
- Services: Nearby Ranger Outposts may provide useful facilities, including water coolers.
- Travel: A central-feeling location may still be inconvenient if your main destinations lie at opposite ends of the map.
- Future access: A base that suits your current route may become less convenient as you explore more of the world.
PC Gamer’s location advice weighs space, threats, resources, facilities, and travel. Its 2025 article also points out that the Ceremony boulder is near the eastern edge, a consideration for players planning to stay there long term.
Best all-round location: the Ceremony region boulder
PC Gamer’s July 30, 2025 guide recommends the boulder in the Ceremony region as its strongest general-purpose choice. The guide reports that players can build on and around the rock, with access to two nearby Ranger Outposts with water coolers. It also places the site within reach of the Picnic Table, Pine Hill, and Statue regions.
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The guide identifies nearby bees as non-hostile and lists blueberries, lingonberries, pine needles, and northern scorpion stinger parts among resources accessible from the area. It also highlights the location for later quests, including Signals and Stashes and Networking. These are the guide writer’s assessments, not official rankings or guarantees about every player’s route.
The main planning trade-off is its position near the eastern edge of the map. If your priorities or the world’s boundaries have changed since the 2025 guide, check the current map and travel routes before investing in a large permanent build.
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Other locations to compare
Outside Ranger Outpost: Snackbar — convenient early-game base
PC Gamer describes this site as safe and convenient, with plentiful building materials. It suits players who want to stay close to the starting zone; the drawback is a moderate trek to either end of the map.
Mushrooms on the large oak tree or the nearby southwest hill — scenic, but distant from late-game items
The guide calls this area scenic and close to valuable materials, but says it is far from most late-game items. It may work if the setting matters more to you than quick access to those items.
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Decking outside Billy Hog’s in north Snackbar — flat ground with a nearby threat
This site offers flat terrain and endgame access, according to PC Gamer. The guide says to reach it via the plastic knife below and cautions that a Bombardier beetle is nearby, so scout the area before building.
Dirt patch by the hooked root northeast of the Ice Cream Cart — resource and route option
PC Gamer says this dirt patch shares many of the Ceremony boulder’s benefits. Consider it if you want a similar resource- and access-oriented site elsewhere.
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Outside Ranger Outpost: Trashbags — nearby resource access
The guide highlights this location for its nearby valuable resources, including a pine needle just outside the outpost.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Should you build one base or several?
PC Gamer’s writer reports that maintaining multiple fully stocked bases can demand too much effort for a solo player. Smaller outposts can be a more manageable alternative: the guide suggests using checkpoints with a bed, workbench, and storage rather than duplicating a full base everywhere. That is practical advice from the guide, not a game rule.
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These location assessments come from a guide published July 30, 2025. Obsidian’s February 24, 2026 announcement describes Brookhollow Park as a map in Playgrounds Mode, with buildings, utilities, decorations, resources, and consumables among that mode’s content; it does not establish changes to the listed locations in survival mode. Obsidian’s Playgrounds announcement also says features would continue to be added during development.
Obsidian announced that Into the Abyss would arrive August 11, 2026, adding the pond, Mountains, Bayou, and underwater areas. A third-party interactive map page reports an update through September 15, 2026, and lists Brookhollow Park and the Abyss. Neither source confirms that PC Gamer’s 2025 base recommendations were rechecked after those changes. Use the advice as a shortlist, then inspect the current world, routes, and local threats before choosing a permanent site.
Sources: Rory Norris, PC Gamer, “Best base locations in Grounded 2,” July 30, 2025; Obsidian Entertainment, Playgrounds PTB announcement, February 24, 2026; Obsidian Entertainment, Into the Abyss announcement, June 8, 2026; The Hidden Gaming Lair, interactive map.
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