Grounded 2: How to Get the Scarlet Aegis Shield

Why This Shield Is Worth It (and How I Finally Got It)

After spending a long evening fumbling through the Ceremony biome, I finally pulled the Scarlet Aegis from its chest and immediately understood the hype. The perfect-block heal on nearby battle mounts is ridiculously good in group runs, and even solo it turns your Red Soldier Ant buggy into a tanky companion that just won’t quit. I struggled with the route, wasted a Bratburst, and learned the hard way that scorpions in tight tunnels are no joke. Here’s exactly how I’d do it again so you can get in, get the shield, and get out without the headaches.

What You Need Before You Go

Don’t make my mistake of “I’ll figure it out on the way.” The cave run is short but punishing if you arrive underprepared. Here’s the minimum that made the difference for me.

• Red Soldier Ant buggy unlocked (you’ll need it to chew through dead roots)
• 1× Bratburst explosive crafted in advance
• Grade II Omni-Hammer (to harvest Spicy Candy for Spicy Shards)
• Decent melee weapon and a reliable shield (until you get the Scarlet Aegis)
• Antivenom or strong healing (Healbasa/Smoothies) for scorpion poison
• Torch or headlamp (the lower tunnels get murky)
• Lean-to components for a quick respawn point near Ceremony

Optional but helpful: set a Trail Marker just outside the cave. When I wiped to a surprise double-scorpion pull, that marker saved me a long, irritating jog.

Step 1: Make the Bratburst (Without Losing the Egg)

The Bratburst is the only “key” you need once you’re inside, and it’s easy to blow the timing if you’re casual about eggs. The breakthrough for me was crafting it immediately after grabbing the egg, rather than hauling the egg around while sightseeing.

• Head to a Red Ant hill and push deeper until you find a Red Ant Egg. Clear workers so you can grab it safely.
• Break Spicy Candy for Spicy Shards using your Grade II Omni-Hammer. If you still need that upgrade, prioritize it-no shards, no Bratburst.
• Open Crafting → Explosives → Bratburst and craft it immediately once you’ve got the egg and shards.

Personal tip: I kept the egg on my hotbar once, got distracted, and it spoiled before I could craft-wasted run. Now I gather shards first, then snag the egg last and craft on the spot. If your bag is cluttered, make space ahead of time; fiddling in menus while ants repopulate the chamber is how you drop the ball (and the egg).

Step 2: Ride to Ceremony and Pinpoint the Entrance

With Bratburst in your pack, mount the Red Soldier Ant buggy and head to the Ceremony biome. The entrance is easy to miss if you’re only scanning the horizon.

• Navigate to Ceremony’s Ranger Station.
• From the station, go northeast toward the small mound just north of the large rock on the map.
• Look for a cave mouth at the base of the mound, blocked by dead roots.

Park your buggy right at the roots. Interact with the contextual prompt to have it chew the dead roots. If the prompt doesn’t appear, nudge the buggy so its head is directly against the blockade. Mine wouldn’t engage until I lined it up flush with the roots. Once the roots are cleared, light your torch and head in.

Step 3: Clear the Scorpion Tunnels Cleanly

This is the part that sent me back to the drawing board. The tunnel is compact, and scorpions punish sloppy positioning. Take it section by section, and don’t be afraid to backpedal to a wider nook to fight.

• Descend and deal with the baby scorpion first. Quick jabs and a block will handle it-save your consumables.
• At the fork, go right. There’s a larger scorpion down that path, and a smaller one may join.
• After you clear those, return to that spot and take the left path forward.

Combat tips that saved my runs:

• Scorpions telegraph with a tail raise—perfect block that sting if you can. You’ll want the practice for the Aegis perk later.
• Keep the buggy slightly behind you so it doesn’t body-block dodges. If it pulls aggro, circle a stalagmite to split the scorpions.
• Use poison cures immediately if you get tagged twice. Damage-over-time plus a tight tunnel is how you get stagger-locked.
• Bring a torch; fighting in the dark is a great way to miss the sting tell entirely.

Once you push through, you’ll reach a low, misty chamber. That’s your cue that the prize room is close.

Step 4: Find the Cracked Wall and Use the Bratburst

Beyond the light mist, scan the left side of the chamber and you’ll see a wall section with obvious cracks. That’s your Bratburst target. Don’t do what I did and overhand-toss it into a corner crevice where it won’t hit the wall properly.

• Equip the Bratburst on your hotbar and aim at the base of the cracked wall.
• Lob the bomb gently so it lands against the wall, not short or too high.
• Back up a few steps to avoid chip damage and wait for the detonation.

If the wall doesn’t break, you likely threw it too far from the crack. I’ve had success aiming slightly down at the ground two feet in front of the wall. Also, pull your buggy out of the blast radius—no sense paying for repairs when a two-second reposition fixes it.

Step 5: Loot the Chest — Scarlet Aegis Secured

Step through the blasted opening. In the left corner among the rubble is a chest. Open it to claim the Scarlet Aegis, plus some upgrade mats, a Healbasa, and other handy bits. Before you leave, clear your inventory weight if you’re hoarding junk—there’s nothing worse than chucking out loot in a hazard zone.

How the Scarlet Aegis Changes Fights

The Scarlet Aegis is essentially a tricked-out Ladyguard. On paper, the baseline stats match what you could have crafted, but the perk is the whole point: perfect blocks heal nearby battle mounts for 5% of their max health. That turns you into a front-line sustain engine.

• Mount synergy: With your Red Soldier Ant buggy in melee range, you can keep it topped off by timing blocks on tail stabs and lunge swipes.
• Team play: If friends bring their buggies, you’re providing AoE sustain with nothing but good timing.
• Loadout pairing: I’ve had the best results running a one-handed melee (fast swings to keep block timing clean) like a Pinch-style weapon, then swapping to heavy hits only during safe windows.

To squeeze value on day one, hop into the backyard with a few predictable enemies and just practice perfect blocks for five minutes. The skill translates immediately when bugs hit harder later.

Troubleshooting and Common Pitfalls

• Red Ant Egg spoiled before crafting: Grab Spicy Shards first. Enter the ant hill only when you’re ready to craft. Use Crafting → Explosives → Bratburst the second the egg is in your bag.
• Can’t break Spicy Candy: You need the Grade II Omni-Hammer. Farm materials (e.g., from Ladybugs and Lingonberry Leather) and upgrade before attempting this route.
• Buggy won’t chew the roots: Reposition so its head is flush with the roots, then interact. If it still refuses, dismount/remount or leave the vicinity and re-enter to refresh the prompt.
• Scorpions overwhelming you: Pull back to a wider spot and fight them one at a time. Save burst damage for the big one; the small one can be blocked and poked down safely.
• Bratburst didn’t break the wall: You likely landed it off-target. Aim at the wall’s base and short-lob. If you’re out of bombs, retreat and craft another—don’t waste time searching for a secondary path; there isn’t one.
• Got lost after the fork: From the baby scorpion, go right first for the big fight, then the path forward is left from the big scorpion’s spot.
• Dying and long corpse runs: Drop a Lean-to near the Ceremony entrance before you enter. It cuts retries to under a minute.

Time-Saving Route Recap

• Prepare: Grade II Omni-Hammer, heal items, torch, Lean-to parts.
• Farm Spicy Shards, then grab a Red Ant Egg and immediately craft a Bratburst.
• Ride the Red Soldier Ant buggy to Ceremony → NE of Ranger Station → cave north of the big rock.
• Have the buggy chew through the dead roots and head inside.
• Baby scorpion → fork right (big fight) → then left toward the misty chamber.
• Find the cracked wall, lob the Bratburst at the base, and detonate.
• Open the left-corner chest and claim the Scarlet Aegis.

Advanced Tips for Maximizing the Aegis

• Block rhythm first: Use lower-tier bugs to lock in timing; the 5% heal procs add up fast in real fights.
• Stay in mount range: The heal benefits battle mounts near you—don’t kite so far that your buggy falls out of the aura.
• Pair with fast one-handers: You’ll maintain block readiness and control the flow of combat better than with slow windups.
• Coordinate in co-op: One player fronts with Aegis while others focus DPS; your perfect blocks become team sustain.
• Carry one spare Bratburst: When helping friends repeat the run, you won’t need to leave the cave if someone misthrows.

Final Thoughts

The run to the Scarlet Aegis is short, but it punishes sloppy prep. Once I started crafting the Bratburst immediately after grabbing the egg, setting a Lean-to near Ceremony, and respecting scorpion spacing, the route went from “why is this so annoying?” to a 10-15 minute victory lap. Pick up the shield, practice those perfect blocks, and enjoy turning your buggy into a self-healing bruiser. Next I paired mine with a heavy-hitting one-hander, and it felt like I’d unlocked easy mode for mid-game hunts.