Anyone checking out the Grounded 2 early access?

Yes sir!
Loved Grounded, so I jumped into Grounded 2 Early Access Wednesday. I’m only 4–5 hours in, but here are my initial impressions:

Massive map—and a trek to match
Brookhollow Park dwarfs the original Backyard map, and only about two-thirds is unlocked right now. Even sprinting with aphid slippers, it takes 8+ minutes to cross just to farm mid-game resources like acorns and blueberry chunks. Definitely a case for the buggies (insect mounts).
Buggies: game-changer ....
So far there are only two rideable insects—the red soldier ant (early game) and the Orb Weaver spider (late game). I’m about an hour away from hatching my first red ant, which I hear makes gathering and travel much safer. Given the map’s size, I’m betting we’ll eventually get swimming and flying mounts, too.
Omni-tool evolution
The new omni-tool is fantastic—no more juggling separate hammer, axe, shovel, and repair tools. You still have to grind for upgrade materials in tougher zones, so reaching Tier III for all functions will be a real challenge.
Bugs and balance
Even on Medium difficulty I’m dying a lot. The AI’s deadlier now—think more aggressive spiders, mites, scorpions, soldier ants, mosquitos, bombardier beetles, stink bugs, and an ORC-variant. On the flip side, I’ve spotted new critters like roaches, snails, butterflies, scorpions, moths, and caterpillars.
Character builds
Right now I’m running an early-game archer build—ranged shots to soften targets like soldier ants or scorpions, then switching to spear-and-shield to finish them off. Looking forward to diving into the other gear- and weapon-tree options.
First impressions overall
The map and new bugs look stunning, the antagonist is hilarious, and the quality-of-life tweaks run smoothly in single player. But… I’m disappointed they’ve postponed ziplines, deep water/swimming, and factions. Their roadmap pins ziplines for mid-2026, so we’ll be waiting a while for those classic Grounded features. I mean other than the omni-tool and some new bugs, it's almost just a Grounded DLC (or new map).