The first time I loaded up Grounded 2's Creative mode, I'll admit my expectations were sky-high. My daughter and I had spent countless hours in the original game building elaborate treehouse complexes suspended over that gorgeous, terrifying koi pond. There was something magical about constructing our virtual home above those deep, dark waters, never quite knowing what lurked beneath the shimmering surface. So when we fired up the sequel and went hunting for our next aquatic building site, the disappointment hit hard. The current map frustratingly lacks any proper deep-water sections, offering only a few scattered muddy puddles that barely qualify as water features. I spent a solid three hours exploring every corner of the Creative map, hoping to find something resembling that magnificent koi pond from the first game, but came up completely empty-handed.
This water scarcity isn't just an aesthetic issue—it fundamentally changes how Creative mode feels to play. Water has always been central to Grounded's identity, serving both as a beautiful landscape feature and a source of constant tension. Remember diving into those deep sections in the original game, heart pounding as you never knew what might emerge from the shadows? That element is completely missing from Grounded 2's current Creative offering. The puddles they've included are so shallow you can literally see the bottom texture through what amounts to about six inches of water. My daughter looked at me after our exploration and asked, "Where's the real water, Dad?" I didn't have a good answer.
Now, I should be fair here—the development team has been transparent about their early access roadmap. Water gameplay is clearly on the docket for later updates, much like Creative's currently missing decor items and other building recipes. The developers have allocated approximately 40% of their planned early access content for future updates, with water features specifically scheduled for the third major content patch based on their published timeline. This approach makes business sense, of course. Staggering content releases helps maintain player engagement over time, and early access has always been about iterative development. But as someone who primarily plays Creative mode for relaxation and building, the current absence of meaningful water environments means Grounded 2 today isn't the must-have sequel I'd been anticipating for months.
What's particularly interesting is how this water shortage impacts building strategies and creative possibilities. In the original Grounded, water presented both a challenge and an opportunity. You had to engineer supports that could reach the pond bottom, design access points for swimming, and always consider the potential threat of aquatic creatures. Without these elements, building in Grounded 2's Creative mode feels strangely safe—almost sterile. The risk-reward dynamic that made waterside construction so compelling is completely absent. I've found myself building the same types of structures I would have built in the first game, just without the most interesting environmental factor.
From an industry perspective, this situation highlights the delicate balance developers must strike when launching early access sequels to beloved games. Player expectations run incredibly high, yet development resources remain finite. Grounded 2 currently boasts about 85 new building elements compared to the original, along with improved lighting and texture systems that make constructions look absolutely stunning. The terrain manipulation tools are more precise, allowing for genuinely creative landscape shaping. But without water as a central environmental feature, these improvements feel like having a state-of-the-art kitchen with no ingredients to cook with. The potential is clearly there, but key components are missing.
My personal building projects have adapted to these limitations, though not necessarily for the better. Instead of designing daring overwater complexes, I'm creating more conventional structures on dry land. The absence of water means I'm not thinking about underwater foundations, dock systems, or glass-walled observatories looking into the deep. I'm not planning escape routes in case of aquatic attacks or designing fishing platforms. The creative problem-solving that water necessitated is gone, and with it, much of what made building in Grounded feel special. It's like playing chess without the queen—still technically the same game, but missing its most dynamic piece.
The community response has been mixed, which reflects my own conflicted feelings. On the official Discord server, Creative-focused players have created over 200 threads discussing the water situation specifically. Some understand the developmental constraints, while others like myself are more disappointed. What's particularly telling is that player-built content sharing has dropped approximately 35% compared to the same period after the original Grounded's release, suggesting that many Creative players are waiting for more complete features before fully investing their time. I've personally put only about 15 hours into Grounded 2's Creative mode, compared to the 60+ I'd logged in the original during the same timeframe.
Looking forward, I'm cautiously optimistic about what the promised water updates might bring. The development team has an excellent track record with Grounded, and their communication about future features has been consistently transparent. If they can deliver water environments that match or exceed the quality of the first game's koi pond, Grounded 2 could still become the definitive Creative experience I'm hoping for. But for now, I've advised my daughter that we might want to wait a few months before attempting our dream waterside base. The foundation just isn't there yet—both literally and figuratively. We'll check back after the third content update, fingers crossed that the deep waters we're craving will finally make an appearance. Until then, our building ambitions remain somewhat grounded.