How to reach the O.R.C. transmitters for the Signals and Stashes mission in Grounded 2

Signals and Stashes is a relatively early mission in Grounded 2, which sends you to locate two O.R.C transmitters: one at the top of the Picnic Table and the other on top of the Garbage Can. It sounds easy on paper, but reaching these peaks is actually quite challenging thanks to environmental hazards.

Though you can ascend the Picnic Table as you are, the Garbage Can requires different equipment to reach its summit, so you need to do some prep. But getting to the top is the hard part, thankfully, since activating the O.R.C. transmitters to actually progress the Signals and Stashes mission is as simple as interacting with them.

Grounded 2 Milk Molars: Find these tasty upgrades
Grounded 2 briefcase code: Solve the Picnic Table puzzle
Grounded 2 food: Fight the hunger
Grounded 2 water: Beat the thirst

How to reach the Picnic Table O.R.C. transmitter

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Climbing to the top of the Picnic Table is certainly the easier of the two, and the one I'd recommend you start with. Here's what you need to do:

1. Head over to the Picnic Table location, north of the Snackbar where you start the game.
2. Make your way up the picnic blanket ramps, beginning on the eastern side and looping around.
3. Once you reach the bench, you need to head to the opposite side by taking either the cobweb bridges on the left or the croquet mallet hidden on the right—both options have a few hostile bugs though I prefer the latter option as it's faster.
4. Go through the Picnic Fridge Cooler, next to the Briefcase. Although you're warned about the ice-cold temperatures (and recommended to get freeze-resistant gear), you can actually survive virtually unscathed just by running up the ramp. There is a Milk Molar location in the cooler, so you might want to do two trips.
5. Exit the cooler and walk up the blanket in the centre of the tabletop to activate the O.R.C. transmitter.

Scaling the Picnic Table is a lot less complicated than it looks, as I spent way too much time thinking I had to somehow clamber up the blanket some more or loop around on the benches. The Fridge Cooler isn't nearly as terrifying as it's made out to be, either. So long as you leg-it in and out, you'll be just fine—even if you freeze, you'll only take a small amount of damage. However, if you do want to up your resistance, you can wear cold-resistant armour like the Fuzzy set.

Activating the Picnic Table O.R.C. transmitter will update the Signals and Stashes quest, sending you to find the O.R.C. soldiers by the Pines in Pine Hills, just to the northwest. It's a tough fight, but you're rewarded with two Milk Molars, so it's worth it.

How to reach the Garbage Can O.R.C. transmitter

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The Garbage Can is a much harder challenge, since you'll actually have to prepare for the environmental hazard this time around, and there's some serious platforming involved. Surprise, surprise, the Garbage Can (and the surrounding area) is full of old, stale food that makes the area poisonous, eating away at your health in a matter of seconds.

To survive the toxic gas in this region, you need the Gas Guard effect from one of the following:

• A gas mask, crafted from a weevil nose, four gnat fuzz, two crude rope, and a stinkbug part.
• A Gastro Goo smoothie, made from a stinkbug gas sack, roach chunk, and aphid honeydew (and grub sludge as a base) at a smoothie station.

I recommend using a gas mask so you don't need to chug a bunch of smoothies, but either way, you'll need to find stinkbugs for the necessary ingredients.

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Once you've got Gas Guard, you're ready to climb the Garbage Can to reach the O.R.C. transmitter, so here's what you need to do:

1. Make your way to the wooden ledge on the west side overlooking the bin in the Entrance region, where you'll see a branch leading into a gap in the bin.
2. Walk across the branch and jump onto the banana to your right.
3. Turn around and jump up to the crumpled paper (though there's a Real Science point if you keep going forward on the banana first).
4. Continue climbing upwards as you loop around the bin, walking across branches and rope, and climbing up other rubbish until you reach the top.
5. Kill the O.R.C. cockroach guarding the transmitter and then interact with the device.

Activating the Garbage Can O.R.C. transmitter updates the Signals and Stashes quest once again, sending you to find the O.R.C. soldiers by the Ice Cream Truck. Here you'll find two robo-bees guarding a field of blueberries, which is perfect if you're looking for blueberry leather.

Clear both transmitters and groups of soldiers, and you'll be able to complete the Signals and Stashes quest by speaking to Sloane in any Ranger Outpost. After this, she'll give you the mission Wait, There's More!, where you'll have to find the remaining transmitter locations. They're marked on your map, but they're still quite tricky to pin down.