In the first-person survival game Grounded, the Orchid Mantis is the toughest insect boss you can find and defeat. After you gather enough resources to become strong through a continuous food supply and shelter, you may have a chance at defeating this powerful opponent. Your small size against this massive predator may seem intimidating, but you can take down this foe with the right plan.
The enormous environments of each Biome on your map feature a variety of angry creatures in Grounded that you’ll have to fight. The Orchid Mantis is the largest and most challenging boss due to its incredibly large health bar and fast attacks. This ruthless creature shows no mercy, so you must undergo a fair amount of preparation to even stand a chance against it.
The Orchid Mantis only appears when summoned by the Orchid Mantis Kebab, an item you must craft yourself after you find its recipe. Crafting items in Grounded can be a multistep process depending on the ingredients needed for this important item. Ensure you have plenty of food and water at hand since you must travel across several biomes to obtain the correct resources.
The first step is to go to the Black Ant Hill and defeat the Assistant Manager for their Key Card item. This key should then be brought to the Pond close to the southern wall of the backyard, into a room deep below the water’s surface. This Koi Pond in Grounded has many dangerous creatures lurking around its depths, but anyone with some Tier 2 or higher weapon tools should be able to fend them off without problems.
Travel to the room to discover a video screen activated by a single button in the secluded space. This will show a door being opened within the Tree Stump Lab toward the northeast corner of the map, which you should then travel to as soon as possible. You need the Dandelion Tuftto float downward from the tree stump in this region into a large, upright tube with a skyward opening to get into this laboratory.
From inside this lab, you can find the Mantis Research Note, which acts as the blueprint recipe for the Orchid Mantis Kebab. Some items needed for the Kebab require parts that can only be collected from other enemies and even the Broodmother boss in Grounded. The parts you need to construct the Kebab are:
The Orchid Mantis can be found inside the potted flowers on the porch of the Shed, north of the Spilled BBQ biome in Grounded. This area can be dangerous, filled with enemies and the negative Sizzle effect if you travel there during the height of the day. Sizzle slows down your character’s movement and kills you if you linger in the area, causing the condition for too long.
Another way to reach the flower pots without making a risky journey through the BBQ Spill is to travel to the hose on the east side of the map. Climb up this rubber tube to reveal a tunnel leading directly to the interior of a pot that acts as an arena for the Orchid Mantis fight. When you have all your gear together and are ready for the battle, place the Orchid Mantis Kebab among the shattered eggs to summon the boss.
The fight against the Orchid Mantis consists of three phases that change the boss’ patterns as you try to damage its large health bar. The first phase sees the Mantis unleash several fast-swinging attacks that sweep over a wide area in front of it. You need to balance your offense with plenty of blocking to avoid taking too much damage from the serrated limbs of this aggressive insect in Grounded.
The Orchid Mantis resists most physical damage except for Salt damage, so try to bring the Salt Morning Star or another one-handed weapon crafted to deal Salt damage in this boss fight. Salty Arrows from ranged weapons could also be great tools in Grounded to injure the Orchid Mantis. The right weapon will mean all the difference as you try to damage the Mantis’ huge health bar enough.
Occasionally, the Mantis will stomp one of its feet on the ground, signaling it will perform a devastating charge attack. You must dodge out of the way with the right timing against this attack to avoid taking a ton of damage from the boss. Reducing the Orchid Mantis’ health to around two-thirds of its max will begin the second phase of the fight, where the creature begins doing a new move.
The Mantis will start summoning large yellow pollen clouds during the second phase, obscuring your view of the boss and making its attacks even harder to anticipate. The insect is even stronger at this point in the fight, meaning its attacks can break your defense or stun your character if you aren’t careful. Avoid the clouds to regain visibility and continue playing defensively here in Grounded.
At around half health, the Mantis enters the third phase of the fight, where it takes reduced damage from attacks and summons the pollen clouds more frequently. The pollen also conceals the Mantis more, forcing you to get within a few inches of the boss to see the insect. Try to Perfect Block attacks in Grounded whenever you can during this fight to lessen the impact of the Mantis’ strikes.
You need to win a war of attrition against the Mantis, wearing it down and surviving over a longer period by taking time to take cover and heal behind the large trunk in the arena. The boss can be poisoned to lose health over time with certain crafted items to make this process much faster. Those who finally find and defeat the Orchid Mantis in Grounded will gain some incredibly rare materials as drops.
Source: Jade PG – Crafted/YouTube