To get the Grappling Hook in ARC Raiders, learn its blueprint and craft it at your Utility Station, or pick up ready-made hooks from quests and the free Reward Pass. Players report the blueprint is a free-track reward at Level 12 of the Frozen Trail Reward Pass, and it can also be researched at the Research Station in your Outpost, which is the route to take if you have Research Points to spare.
The Grappling Hook is one of the new items Embark added in Frozen Trail, the 2.0 update released on October 8, 2026. Embark’s Frozen Trail preview describes it as a traversal gadget “letting you climb hard to reach spots, abseil off buildings, and swing over large gaps.” Below we cover every way to get one, the crafting recipe, how it compares to the Snap Hook, and what the October 13 update changed.
What the Grappling Hook Is
The hook is a quick-use gadget, so you equip it in a quick-use slot in your loadout like any other gadget. It is an Uncommon item with a range players put at about 20 meters, and its in-game description calls it “a simple gadget that anchors to most surfaces, allowing users to navigate hard-to-reach places.”
Embark built it for the new map. Pendola Pass is, in Embark’s words, “our most complex map to date, with a strong focus on vertical terrain,” and the Frozen Trail patch notes list the hook alongside the Tether Launcher, Yank Grenade and Mountaineer’s Detector as new items. It is most useful for the update’s hardest content: boarding the ARC Frigate, moving through the fallen Emperor, and climbing Pendola Pass’s cliffs and rooftops.
Every Way to Get the Grappling Hook
Embark has not published a single “how to unlock” list, so the routes below are player-reported, matched against what Embark has confirmed about the Reward Pass.
1. The free Frozen Trail Reward Pass
Embark’s Reward Pass explainer says the free track of the 60-level Frozen Trail Pass includes “new cosmetic items, weapons, gadgets, items,” and that the Premium track holds nothing that affects gameplay. Players report two things on that free track:
- Two ready-made Grappling Hooks at Level 6, enough to try it before you commit.
- The Grappling Hook Blueprint at Level 12, so you can craft your own from then on.
Reward Points come from completing Feats, and only your active pass earns them. If you have the Legacy Reward Pass selected, switch to Frozen Trail first or your points go to the wrong pass. Our Reward Pass breakdown explains how the two passes work.
2. Research it at the Research Station
If you have unlocked the Outpost, the Research Station can teach you the blueprint directly. The cost is 2,000 Research Points and 10 Rope at Research Station Level 1. Our Research Points guide covers where those points come from, and our Outpost unlock guide covers getting the station in the first place.
3. Find the blueprint Topside
Players also report the blueprint as a scavenging drop, so it can turn up in a raid like other blueprints. That is luck rather than a plan, so treat it as a bonus.
4. Earn hooks from quests
Several Frozen Trail quests give you a hook:
- Tracks Of The Beast (Shani, Pendola Pass) rewards a Grappling Hook on completion, along with three Showstoppers.
- Ruins And Reverberations (Celeste), Boarding The Frigate (Celeste) and Belly Of The Beast (Shani) each hand you a Grappling Hook to use during the quest.
Quest hooks are single items, not the blueprint, so they run out once their durability is gone.
How to Craft and Repair It
Once the blueprint is learned, the recipe at a Utility Station Level 1 is:
- 2x Rope
- 1x Cable Stripper
- 1x Mechanical Components
Repairs cost 1 Rope and 1 Cable Stripper for 50 durability, and recycling a hook returns 1 Rope and 1 Cable Stripper, so it pays to keep a stack of Rope in your stash.
Grappling Hook vs Snap Hook
The Snap Hook was the only grapple before Frozen Trail, and the update deliberately split their roles. Embark’s Frozen Trail patch notes explain that “with the introduction of the Grappling Hook, we felt the need to give them their own identity outside of a ‘linear upgrade’ path,” and made the Snap Hook “a burst mobility gadget; something that is used to quickly close distance or traverse a location, but with more commitment.” To get there, Embark cut the Snap Hook’s range from 20 to 18 meters, raised its durability use from 2% to 4% per use, and raised its power cost from 50 to 60.
In practice, that makes the two gadgets complements, not replacements:
- Grappling Hook: cheap to craft from common parts, built for climbing, abseiling and swinging, and the one players reach for on the Frigate and Pendola Pass.
- Snap Hook: a Legendary gadget that pulls you to a point fast but can no longer be fired back to back.
What the October 13 Update Changed
Embark’s Store Update 2.1.0 notes included a dedicated Grappling Hook section:
- It is now easier to vault onto ledges and roofs, “especially on Pendola Pass,” and ending a swing on walkable ground is more consistent.
- Fixed hooks letting you swing from objects too light to hold your weight.
- Fixed the hook detaching from fast-moving objects like the Ballistic Gondola during lift-off.
- The rope now wraps around geometry while the hook is in flight.
- Hooks and Tether Launchers now release properly if you are downed by fall damage, and a hook at 0 durability now breaks instead of being destroyed.
Tips Most Players Miss
- Equip it before you queue for a Frigate raid. A hook is the most useful gadget for getting aboard and moving around the ship.
- It is an emergency exit on Pendola Pass. Player reports say a raider hooked onto the Ballistic Gondola leaves with it, and the 2.1 fix makes that far more reliable.
- Do not waste Research Points if the pass is close. If you are already near Level 12 of the free track, finish the pass and save your points for other blueprints.
For every other Frozen Trail guide, see our ARC Raiders hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you get the Grappling Hook Blueprint in ARC Raiders? Players place it at Level 12 of the free Frozen Trail Reward Pass. It is also at the Research Station for 2,000 Research Points and 10 Rope, and players report it as a random scavenging drop.
What do you need to craft the Grappling Hook? You need 2 Rope, 1 Cable Stripper and 1 Mechanical Components at a Level 1 Utility Station, once you know the blueprint.
Is the Grappling Hook better than the Snap Hook? Neither is strictly better. Embark reworked the Snap Hook in Frozen Trail into a burst gadget with a shorter range and higher power cost, while the Grappling Hook handles climbing, abseiling and swinging.
Do you need the Premium Reward Pass to get the Grappling Hook? No. Embark says the Premium track contains no gameplay items, and players place both the free hooks and the blueprint on the free track.
When was the Grappling Hook added? In Frozen Trail, the 2.0 update, on October 8, 2026. Embark improved it in Store Update 2.1.0 on October 13.