Grounded 2 Underwater Weapons: Best Picks and Recipes
Choose the best Grounded 2 underwater weapons, compare the Crystal Trident and Harpoon Gun, and get both unlocks and crafting recipes.
Quick answer
- Use spears, the Crystal Trident, or the Harpoon Gun for conventional underwater combat.
- Make the Crystal Trident your repeatable melee weapon for the pond.
- Carry the Harpoon Gun as an underwater-only ranged option with plenty of Harpoon Bolts.
- Axl's Talon and the Rusty Spear remain strong alternatives if you already own them.
Grounded 2: The BEST Way to Beat the Abyss (Full Guide)
See a full submerged route using an upgraded Harpoon Gun for ranged combat and a Crystal Trident for close encounters.
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Best Grounded 2 underwater weapons
The safest late-game setup is a Crystal Trident for melee and a Harpoon Gun for range. Conventional underwater combat is more restricted than fighting on land: spears work below the surface, while most swords, clubs, bows, and other familiar weapons stay in your land kit.
The Crystal Trident is the easiest default recommendation because it was built for underwater melee and supports every elemental upgrade path. The Harpoon Gun gives you distance, but it only works underwater, accepts only its Default upgrade path, and needs a supply of Harpoon Bolts. If you already defeated Axl or built deep Tier 3 gear, Axl's Talon and the Rusty Spear are practical alternatives.
| Weapon | Best use | Important tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal Trident | Main underwater melee weapon | Requires several pond materials |
| Harpoon Gun | Ranged pressure and dangerous approaches | Underwater only and consumes Harpoon Bolts |
| Axl's Talon | Fast spear with Venom Attack | Requires Tarantula materials from Axl progression |
| Rusty Spear | High base damage with Infection | Requires Rust, Spiky Bur, and Lint Rope |
Crystal Trident or Harpoon Gun
Choose the Crystal Trident when you expect repeated close fights. It is a Tier 3 fast stabbing weapon with the Fin Fury effect, and it can take Default, Minty, Salty, Spicy, or Sour enhancements. That flexibility gives it a longer useful life than a single-purpose pond tool.
Choose the Harpoon Gun when closing the distance is dangerous or a target keeps moving out of melee reach. It is a Tier 3 two-handed weapon made specifically for submerged combat. Its range is valuable, but every missed shot costs a bolt, so it works best as a planned backup rather than the only weapon in your hotbar.
For one compact answer, equip both. Open with the Harpoon Gun when you have space, then switch to the Crystal Trident when the target reaches you. This covers two ranges without relying on a land weapon that the game will not let you use below the surface.
How to craft the Crystal Trident and Harpoon Gun
Crystal Trident unlock and recipe
Analyze either Sunken Bone or Phantom Quartz Shard to unlock the Crystal Trident recipe. Crafting it requires:
- 3 Phantom Quartz
- 3 Eelgrass
- 2 Diving Bell Spider Chunks
- 2 Sunken Bones
The recipe pulls you into several parts of the pond progression, so collect extra Eelgrass and Sunken Bone while following the main underwater routes. Repairs cost 1 Phantom Quartz and 1 Diving Bell Spider Chunk.
Harpoon Gun unlock and recipe
Analyze either Sunken Bone or Raw Pond Jockey Meat to unlock the Harpoon Gun recipe. Crafting it requires:
- 1 Sunken Bone
- 2 Horsetail Stems
- 2 Eelgrass Strands
Repairs cost 1 Horsetail Stem and 1 Eelgrass Strand. The weapon has no elemental branch, so its main preparation cost is ammunition. Build and carry Harpoon Bolts before committing to a long submerged route.
Are Axl's Talon and the Rusty Spear good underwater?
Yes. Both remain useful because they are spears and can fill the underwater melee slot.
Axl's Talon is a fast Tier 3 stabbing spear with Venom Attack and a 5 percent critical chance. Analyze Tarantula Venom to unlock it, then craft it from 2 Tarantula Talons, 3 Tarantula Chunks, and 2 Tarantula Venom. It is a strong choice when you already completed the Axl material route and do not want to delay pond exploration for a new weapon.
The Rusty Spear is a fast Tier 3 stabbing spear with Infection and 43 base damage. Analyze Rust to unlock it, then craft it from 6 Rust, 3 Spiky Burs, and 2 Lint Ropes. It is the straightforward fallback when those materials are already sitting at your base.
Both spears support elemental enhancements. Check the target with PEEP.R before locking an expensive weapon into one damage path, especially if that weapon must cover encounters outside the pond too.
Build a reliable underwater loadout
Treat underwater combat as a two-range loadout: keep a spear or trident ready for repeatable damage and save the Harpoon Gun for targets that punish a close approach.
- Upgrade the melee weapon you can repair consistently.
- Bring the Harpoon Gun with a generous reserve of Harpoon Bolts for long dives.
- Keep the relevant repair materials at a nearby base or outpost.
- Equip suitable diving armor before entering the deeper Into the Abyss routes.
- Scan unfamiliar creatures with PEEP.R before choosing an elemental enhancement.
A strong weapon does not extend your air supply. Finish the diving progression and learn a safe return route before spending the full oxygen window on a fight. For broader land combat and upgrade priorities, use the general Grounded 2 weapons guide.