The yard is zoned, not random
Grasslands are a tutorial. Hedge, pond, and sandbox hit harder. Craft the armor for the biome you are entering, not the one you already cleared.
Keep this resource nearby when a new update moves a lab entrance. additional game information helps if you still walk into the hedge in starter gear.
Mutations and smoothies
Mutations are the build. Smoothies cover the gap. A raw melee swing into a wolf spider without a stun plan is a corpse run.
related resources is extra mutation reading. additional guides covers smoothie mixes if you still drink the wrong flask before a boss.
Labs, chips, and mixers
Story labs want keys and a team that can revive. Mark MIX.R timers. A failed MIX.R still teaches the spawn, so do not rage-quit the yard.
Use more game information for extra lab-key notes. this resource helps burg.l chip routes. additional game information is extra NG+ or grounded difficulty reading when the yard starts hitting back.