Grounded 2 AXL Boss Guide: Location, Summoning and Rewards
Find and summon AXL in Grounded 2, prepare for the three-phase tarantula fight, hit the back weak spot, and collect the rewards.
Quick answer
- AXL is summoned beneath the large tree on the northwest side of the park.
- Find the Poached Roach Roast recipe at the Empty Terrarium before the fight.
- Stun AXL, climb onto the back, and attack the exposed cut for burst damage.
- AXL unlocks Tarantula armor, weapons, trinkets, furniture, and a mutation.
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Watch a focused AXL mechanics guide showing positioning, attack cues, and the exposed back weak spot.
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Find and summon AXL
AXL is the colossal tarantula boss from the Hairy and Scary update. The arena lies on the northwest side of Brookhollow Park beneath the large tree.
- Visit the Empty Terrarium and collect the offering recipe.
- Prepare the Poached Roach Roast before traveling to the arena.
- Enter the route beneath the large tree and follow the corridor to the boss space.
- Place the offering at the activation point to begin the encounter.
Use the current game build before committing the offering. The December feature update fixed a stuck spot in the approach corridor, and patch 0.4.2 fixed a fight state where AXL could roar forever and stop progression.
Prepare for the AXL fight
| Preparation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Fully repaired primary armor | Sustains repeated phase transitions and mistakes |
| Upgraded close-range weapon | Builds pressure until the next stun window |
| Ranged weapon | Reaches AXL when direct back access is unsafe |
| Parry Master and Cardio Fan | Returns stamina on perfect blocks and improves recovery |
| Mithridatism | Reduces venom pressure in later phases |
| Healing and poison-clearing consumables | Stabilizes after a missed dodge or poison volley |
| Buggy healing when bringing a mount | Keeps the companion active as an aggro target |
Enter with repaired equipment and a free hotbar slot for healing. The encounter lasts through several behavior changes, so a build that can repeat safe damage cycles is more reliable than one short burst that empties stamina.
AXL phase-by-phase strategy
Opening pressure and first stun
Keep AXL facing one target while the other attacker works from the side or rear in co-op. Attack until the boss enters a stun state. Move onto the back and hit the exposed cut before AXL recovers, then leave the body before movement resumes.
Poison and repeated weak-spot windows
Later attacks add poison pressure. Preserve enough stamina to dodge the projectile sequence, clear poison when it lands, and resume controlled attacks. Build the next stun, then repeat the back weak-spot burst instead of chasing damage through unsafe animations.
Caterpillars, minions, and the finish
AXL moves toward webbed caterpillars late in the encounter. Eliminate those targets before the boss consumes them. When roaches and scorpions enter the arena, clear the minions before returning full attention to AXL.
The final direct sequence adds a charge and a falling needle attack. Move out of the charge path, avoid the needle area, and use the next stun as the clean finishing window. Keep one emergency heal available until the last health segment is gone.
AXL rewards and repeat clears
The first clear opens the Tarantula equipment track:
| Reward group | Unlocks or materials |
|---|---|
| Armor | Tarantula armor set |
| Weapons | Tarantula Spear, Greatbow, and arrows |
| Character power | Pheromone Shot mutation and two trinkets |
| Base display | Chest, candle, candlelit throne, stuffed AXL, and wall mount |
| Repeat materials | Tarantula chunks, venom, fangs, and talons |
AXL can be summoned again for crafting materials. Restock the offering and consumables, repair the chosen loadout, and repeat the same stun-to-back cycle rather than changing the plan after a successful first clear.