How to Get the Grappling Hook in ARC Raiders: Blueprint, Crafting Recipe and How to Use It

Of all the new gadgets in the Frozen Trail update, none changes how you move around the Rust Belt quite like the Grappling Hook. It lets you climb onto rooftops, abseil down cliffs and swing across gaps, and on a vertical map like Pendola Pass that can be the difference between a clean extract and a long walk around. The good news is that you don’t need to rely on lucky loot to get one. This guide explains how to get the Grappling Hook in ARC Raiders, where to find the blueprint, the full crafting recipe, how the gadget works in a raid and how it compares to the Snap Hook. It reflects ARC Raiders as of Update 2.2.0 (October 20, 2026).

What Is the Grappling Hook in ARC Raiders?

The Grappling Hook arrived with the Frozen Trail 2.0 update on October 8, 2026. It’s an Uncommon Quick Use gadget that you throw at a surface, where it anchors so you can move along the rope. Embark Studios says it’s designed to let you climb hard-to-reach spots, abseil off buildings and swing over large gaps. According to the ARC Raiders Wiki, it has a range of 20 meters, weighs 5 and sells for 1,200 Coins.

Here’s a quick overview of every way to get your hands on one:

• Frozen Trail Reward Pass (free track): 2 Grappling Hooks at level 6 and the Grappling Hook Blueprint at level 12.
• Research Station: research the blueprint at your Outpost for 2,000 Research Points and 10 Rope.
• Quests: several Frozen Trail quests hand you a hook, and Tracks Of The Beast gives you one as a reward.
• Loot: both the gadget and its blueprint can turn up Topside.
• Crafting: once you know the blueprint, you can build it at the Utility Station.

How to Get the Grappling Hook From the Reward Pass

The easiest and most reliable route is the Frozen Trail Reward Pass, which replaced the old Raider Decks in 2.0. It has 60 levels, and you progress it by completing Feats. Both Grappling Hook rewards sit on the free track, so you don’t need the Premium Pass:

• Level 6 (900 Reward Points): 2x Grappling Hook
• Level 12 (1,800 Reward Points): Grappling Hook Blueprint

The two hooks from level 6 are a nice taste, but they won’t last forever. The blueprint at level 12 is the real prize, because it lets you craft as many hooks as your materials allow. Update 2.2.0 added new Feats, removed some and rebalanced others to smooth out Reward Pass progression, so climbing to level 12 should feel a bit less grindy than it did at launch. If you’re short on time, focus on Feats you complete naturally during your usual raids.

How to Get the Grappling Hook Blueprint at the Research Station

If you’ve already unlocked your Outpost, there’s a second guaranteed way to get the blueprint. The community-run ARC Raiders Wiki lists the Grappling Hook Blueprint as a level 1 research at the Research Station, costing 2,000 Research Points and 10 Rope.

To build Research Station level 1, you need 35 Planks, 5 Battered Paperbacks and 3 Mini Pumps. The station only exists in the Outpost, so if you haven’t unlocked it yet, follow our guide on how to unlock the Outpost in ARC Raiders first. Rope is common in residential and commercial areas, and Celeste also trades it for Assorted Seeds.

Quests That Give You a Grappling Hook

Frozen Trail added 22 new quests, and three of them involve the Grappling Hook according to the ARC Raiders Wiki:

• Ruins And Reverberations (Celeste, Pendola Pass): hands you a Grappling Hook when you accept it, for a job that involves the antenna on the roof of the Cielo Sereno Observatory.
• Boarding The Frigate (Celeste): hands you a Grappling Hook along with a Seeker Grenade, a Barricade Kit and Lure Grenades when you accept it, since the first objective is to find a way on top of the Frigate.
• Tracks Of The Beast (Shani, Pendola Pass): rewards you with a Grappling Hook and 3 Showstoppers after you scout the Northern Tracks and ping a Bully and a Skulker.

Keep in mind that granted items are handed out to help you with the quest itself, while Tracks Of The Beast gives you the hook as a proper reward. Two of these quests take place on Pendola Pass, which according to the ARC Raiders Wiki unlocks after you’ve completed 25 rounds.

Pendola Pass is built around vertical terrain, which makes it the perfect playground for the Grappling Hook.

Finding the Grappling Hook as Loot

Both the Grappling Hook and its blueprint can drop Topside, but neither has a fixed spawn. If you find the blueprint, extract with it and then select it in Speranza and choose Learn and Consume to unlock the recipe. Containers such as Weapon Cases and Raider Caches are worth checking, but treat any drop as a bonus rather than a plan.

Grappling Hook Crafting Recipe, Repair and Recycling

Once you’ve learned the blueprint, the Grappling Hook is cheap to make. Here’s the recipe:

• Station: Utility Station level 1
• Materials: 2x Rope, 1x Cable Stripper, 1x Mechanical Components
• Repair: 1x Rope and 1x Cable Stripper restore 50 durability
• Recycling: gives back 1x Rope and 1x Cable Stripper

Since Update 2.1.0, a Grappling Hook that hits 0 durability becomes broken instead of being destroyed, so you can repair a worn-out hook rather than craft a new one. Cable Strippers come from industrial and mechanical loot, so stock up on them whenever you pass through those areas.

How to Use the Grappling Hook

Put the Grappling Hook in a Quick Use slot before you deploy. In a raid, aim at a surface within 20 meters and throw it. Once it anchors, you can climb up the rope, lower yourself down, swing and jump off. A few tips based on Embark’s latest patch notes:

• Let the auto-vault do the work: Updates 2.1.0 and 2.2.0 made auto-vaulting at the top of a rope climb much more reliable, including on steep slopes, so you can climb straight onto ledges and roofs.
• Use your momentum: since 2.2.0, jumping toward the rope from the ground carries into a climb, and climbing continues briefly when you start from the ground.
• Steep slopes switch to wall climbing: attaching to a rope on a steep slope now puts you into the wall-climb state.
• Anchor to solid objects: Embark fixed swings from objects too light to hold your weight, so aim for proper structures.
• Don’t swap weapons too fast: Embark fixed broken animations when switching to a weapon right after a throw, but it’s still smart to finish your movement before you start shooting.

Embark still lists two known issues in 2.2.0: in rare cases the hook can throw you upwards at high speed, and it can’t be thrown while you’re inside a Matriarch’s shield.

Grappling Hook vs Snap Hook: Which Should You Bring?

The Snap Hook is the older, Legendary mobility gadget, and Frozen Trail deliberately pushed the two apart. Embark reduced the Snap Hook’s range from 20 to 18 meters, raised its durability use from 2% to 4% per use and increased its power cost from 50 to 60. The goal, according to the patch notes, is to make the Snap Hook a burst mobility tool for quickly closing distance, while the Grappling Hook handles controlled climbing, abseiling and swinging.

• Bring the Grappling Hook when you want cheap, flexible traversal, such as reaching rooftops, rappelling down from high points or crossing gaps on Pendola Pass.
• Bring the Snap Hook when you need a fast burst of movement to escape a fight or get on top of big ARC, and you can afford a Legendary gadget.

Final Thoughts

Getting the Grappling Hook in ARC Raiders is easier than it looks: grab the free hooks at level 6 of the Frozen Trail Reward Pass, push on to level 12 for the blueprint or research it at your Outpost, and craft as many as you need from Rope, Cable Strippers and Mechanical Components. Once it’s part of your loadout, Pendola Pass opens up in a completely different way. For more on the Frozen Trail update, check out our guide on unlocking the Outpost, and if you’re into extraction shooters in general, read our story on Krafton canceling PUBG: Black Budget.

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Picture Source: Embark Studios (Steam)