ARC Raiders Grappling Hook Guide: How to Get and Use It

The arc raiders grappling hook is the single gadget that changes how you move through a raid. Before Frozen Trail, high ledges, rooftops and deep gaps were problems you walked around. With the hook, they become shortcuts, escape routes and ambush positions. This guide explains how to get one, how it actually works, and the techniques that separate a player who owns a hook from a player who can use one.

One thing to understand first: this hook is manual. Unlike the Legendary Snap Hook, it does not reel you to a target on its own. You aim it, you throw it, you climb the rope, and you decide when to swing or drop. That takes practice, but it also means the hook can do things the Snap Hook cannot — including moving at your own pace and holding a position halfway up a wall. If you want the full picture of the update that added it, see our ARC Raiders update 1.000.065 breakdown.

Rarity

Uncommon Slot|Quick Use gadget Range|20 metres Weight|5 Value|1,200 Coins Added in|Frozen Trail 2.0 update, October 8, 2026 Crafting station|Utility Station Level 1 Repair cost|1 Rope + 1 Cable Stripper restores 50 durability

How to Get the arc raiders grappling hook

There are two reliable routes to your first hook, and a third that depends on luck. Start with whichever you reach first.

Route 1: The free Reward Pass track

The Grappling Hook blueprint sits on the free Frozen Trail Reward Pass track, reported at level 12. You do not need to buy the premium pass for it. Play raids, earn pass progress, and claim the blueprint when you reach that level. If you already play regularly, this is the cheapest route: it costs you time, not trade value.

A note on honesty: early-October guides listed the hook's unlock as unconfirmed, because the in-game wiki entry was still a stub. The routes in this guide come from guides updated October 12–14, after the update had been live for several days, and they agree with each other. If a future patch moves the blueprint, this guide will be updated to match.

Route 2: Buy one from the Nomadic Envoys trader

If you do not want to wait for the Reward Pass, the Nomadic Envoys trader sells the Grappling Hook for 9,000 in trade value. That is expensive for a gadget you can lose in a raid, so think before you buy. A bought hook is best used carefully — in raids where you plan to extract, not in a throwaway run where you expect to die. Also note that traders have limited stock per week, so you cannot simply buy a pile of them.

Route 3: Traders and quest rewards

Hooks also turn up from traders and as quest supply items, according to player guides. Treat this as a bonus, not a plan. If one appears, take it and learn with it. But do not wait around hoping for a free hook when the Reward Pass route is guaranteed.

How to Craft the Grappling Hook

Once you own the blueprint, crafting is cheap. You need a Level 1 Utility Station and three materials. If you already raid regularly, you probably own most of them.

Craft at the Utility Station, then equip the hook in a Quick Use slot before you leave for a raid. A hook sitting in your stash helps nobody. If you craft more than one, keep a spare at base: hooks are lost when you die in a raid, and going back to farm materials mid-session wastes a whole evening.

Breaking a used hook down returns 1 Rope and 1 Cable Stripper, so a worn hook is never fully wasted. Repairing a worn hook with 1 Rope and 1 Cable Stripper restores 50 durability, which is usually cheaper than crafting a fresh one. Repair early and repair often — a hook that breaks halfway up a cliff is worse than no hook at all.

How the Grappling Hook Actually Works

Using the hook has four moves, and each one has its own timing. Learn them in a quiet area before you try them under fire.

1. Aim and throw. Aim at a surface within 20 metres. The hook anchors to most surfaces — ledges, rooftops, walls and rock faces. If nothing is in range, the throw fails, so check your distance before you commit.
2. Climb the rope. Once anchored, climb up or down the rope to set your height. You control the pace, which is the hook's biggest advantage over the Snap Hook.
3. Swing across gaps. Build momentum by swinging, then release at the top of the arc to cross a gap or reach a far ledge. Releasing too early drops you short; releasing too late sends you past your target.
4. Rappel down. Drop down a rope in a controlled way instead of falling. This is the safest way down from rooftops and cliffs, and it keeps you quiet compared with a straight drop.

Every one of these moves costs stamina. Swinging, climbing and rappelling all drain your stamina meter, so check it before a long ascent or a gap crossing. Running out of stamina halfway up a wall leaves you hanging, slow and exposed. Update 1.000.065 (October 20, 2026) improved the hook further: vaulting, rappelling and rope entry are smoother, auto-vaulting on steep slopes is more reliable, and you can now interact with ladders and ziplines while wall climbing. Wall Run jumps now require holding backward, so stop relying on accidental wall-run triggers.

Grappling Hook vs Snap Hook: Which Should You Carry?

Many players ask whether the new hook replaces the Snap Hook. It does not — it does a different job. The table below makes the choice simple.

The practical rule is simple. If you want speed and you can afford to lose a Legendary gadget, the Snap Hook is still faster. If you want control, cheap replacement and the ability to stop halfway up a wall and look around, take the Grappling Hook. Most players will get far more use out of the hook they are not afraid to lose, which is why the Uncommon hook is the better everyday choice. For general movement and beginner advice, see our ARC Raiders beginner guide and our ARC Raiders map guide.

7 Techniques That Make the Hook Worth Carrying

1. Climb first, fight second

Before a fight, take the high ground. A rooftop or ledge reached by hook gives you vision over the whole area and makes you hard to rush. Enemies and rival raiders have to climb or shoot up at you, and both are slower than your shots down at them.

2. Use the hook as an escape, not just an entrance

Plan your exit before you enter a hot area. Know which wall or ledge your hook can reach, and leave a Quick Use slot free for it. Players who only think about getting in are the ones who die trying to get out.

3. Cross gaps with a swing, not a jump

Some gaps are too wide to jump, especially in Pendola Pass, the Frozen Trail map built around steep terrain. A hook swing crosses them safely and quietly. Practise the release timing on a safe gap first — a mistimed release over a real drop is fatal.

4. Rappel instead of dropping

Dropping from height costs health and makes noise. Rappelling down a rope is slower but silent and safe. When you are carrying good loot, slow and alive beats fast and dead.

5. Chain the hook with ladders and ziplines

Since update 1.000.065, you can move from a wall climb directly onto a ladder or zipline. That turns the hook into the first link of a longer route: hook up a wall, grab a zipline, and cross a whole compound without touching the ground. Plan these routes on the map before the raid, not during it.

6. Grapple ARC machines to control them

Players have found that the hook can tether ARC machines, including the new Bully, holding them in place for a short time. This is a risky trick — you are attached to something that wants to kill you — but it can buy your squad the seconds they need to focus fire or escape. Try it with a squad backing you up, never alone.

7. Use the hook for quest shortcuts

Some quests are built around the hook. In the Empathetic Prototypes quest, for example, players use the hook to reach the Trench Towers in the Spaceport Trench, climbing to a roof and then dropping onto a crate on a crane arm. Keep a hook in your safe pocket for quests like this, so losing a raid does not cost you the tool the quest needs.

Best Places to Practise

Do not learn the hook in a busy PvP area. Pendola Pass is the best training ground because its steep terrain was designed for climbing, but start in quiet corners of it, not in the middle of a fight. Spaceport's Trench Towers are another good spot, since their vertical layout rewards hook play and teaches roof-to-roof movement.

A good practice routine is simple. First, climb a wall and rappel back down ten times until the controls feel natural. Then cross the same gap five times by swinging, releasing at different points to learn the timing. Then do both while carrying loot weight, because a heavy backpack changes how stamina feels. Only then take the hook into a raid where you expect a fight.

For the full list of craftable gear, see our ARC Raiders blueprints guide. The hook is one gadget among many, and the best loadouts pair it with a weapon and a healing item, not with three gadgets you never use.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• 🪝 Throwing beyond 20 metres. Check your range first. A failed throw in the open leaves you standing still, which is the worst place to be.
• ⚡ Ignoring stamina. Every climb and swing costs stamina. Check the meter before a long ascent.
• 💀 Carrying your only hook into a risky raid. Craft a spare first. Hooks are lost when you die.
• 🔧 Never repairing. A repair costs 1 Rope and 1 Cable Stripper for 50 durability. A broken hook mid-climb is a death sentence.
• 🎯 Treating it like a Snap Hook. It will not reel you in automatically. You control the rope, the pace and the release.
• 📦 Leaving it in the stash. Equip it in a Quick Use slot before every raid, or it does nothing for you.

Troubleshooting: Why Your Grappling Hook Is Not Working

Hook will not attach to anything

You are probably out of range or aiming at an invalid surface. Move closer, aim at a solid ledge, wall or rooftop within 20 metres, and try again. Smooth or very steep surfaces can also fail, so pick a clear anchor point rather than a tricky angle.

Hook attaches but you cannot climb

Check your stamina. Climbing with an empty stamina meter goes nowhere. Also check that you are not over-encumbered: a very heavy load makes every movement slower and hungrier for stamina. Drop low-value loot before a big climb.

Hook breaks mid-climb

That is durability, not a bug. Hooks wear out, and the fix is maintenance: repair with 1 Rope and 1 Cable Stripper before a raid, and carry a spare. If a hook breaks while you are hanging, drop to the nearest safe surface instead of panicking — a short controlled fall beats a long one.

Swing sends you the wrong way

Release timing is everything. Releasing at the top of the forward arc sends you furthest; releasing early drops you short; releasing late swings you back. Practise on a safe gap until the timing is muscle memory, and never attempt a new swing over a fatal drop for the first time.

Trader has no hook in stock

Trader stock is limited per week. If the Nomadic Envoys trader is sold out, use the Reward Pass route instead, or check back after the weekly reset. Do not pay inflated prices to other players for a gadget you can craft for 2 Rope, 1 Cable Stripper and 1 Mechanical Component.

Is the Grappling Hook Worth It?

Yes, for almost every player. It costs little, it is easy to replace, and it opens up routes, escapes and quest solutions that no other Uncommon gadget offers. The Snap Hook is still faster, but it is Legendary, expensive to lose, and shorter in range since the Frozen Trail nerf. The Grappling Hook is the everyday tool, and the Snap Hook is the luxury one.

Craft one, practise the swing in a quiet corner of Pendola Pass, and then build it into your normal loadout. After a week, you will wonder how you raided without it.