Short answer: pair the Grappling Hook with a weapon setup that matches the distance you expect after the swing or climb. A close-range primary makes an aggressive elevation entry dangerous but decisive; a flexible mid-range setup is safer for repositioning and extraction; a low-conflict scouting loadout preserves room for looting and survival. These are playstyle-based recommendations, not an official ranking.
This article treats “the new gadget” as the Grappling Hook added in Embark Studios’ Frozen Trail 2.0 update on October 8, 2026. The patch also added Pendola Pass conditions, enemies, weapons, skill-tree changes and other gadgets, so a generic “new gadget” label can otherwise be ambiguous. The current gadget guide describes the Grappling Hook as a way to swing between buildings or climb to high ground.
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What the Grappling Hook changes in a loadout
The Grappling Hook changes how you create an engagement rather than simply increasing a weapon’s damage. It can open a vertical route, cross a gap between buildings or put you on high ground, but it does not make the destination safe. You can still land in an exposed angle, arrive without cover, or spend the gadget and discover that the opponent has already moved.
That makes the weapon choice after the movement decision more important than the gadget choice itself. A player who intends to swing into a building needs a weapon that can win immediately at short distance. Someone using the hook to leave a fight needs a dependable option while moving toward cover. A looter may value a setup that keeps combat capability without sacrificing the inventory space and attention needed to complete an objective.
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Embark’s Frozen Trail 2.0 update notes do not publish a best Grappling Hook build, a tested weapon pairing or a universal meta. The combinations below are therefore reasoned templates. Treat the weapon categories as roles, then select the current in-game gun that fills that role and that you can control reliably.
Grappling Hook versus Snap Hook
The update deliberately separates the two mobility gadgets. The Snap Hook remains the faster, more committed burst-mobility option, while the Grappling Hook is the more flexible route-making tool. The official notes explain that the change was intended to avoid a simple linear upgrade path and to give each gadget its own identity.
| Gadget | Role described by Embark | Range | Durability use per activation | Power cost | Loadout implication |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grappling Hook | Swing between buildings or climb to high ground | Not stated in the cited notes | Not stated in the cited notes | Not stated in the cited notes | Flexible route creation; landing safety and current resource values must be checked in-game |
| Snap Hook | Burst mobility for quickly closing distance or traversing a location with more commitment | 18 m after the update, down from 20 m | 4% per use after the update, up from 2% | 60 after the update, up from 50 | Short, decisive movement; budget more durability and power for each use |
Those Snap Hook figures are from Embark’s October 2026 notes. The shorter reach and higher costs do not make it inferior; they make repeated, casual movement more expensive. If your plan depends on a quick, committed gap-close, it can still be the appropriate choice. If your plan depends on changing routes, taking height or creating several possible exits, the Grappling Hook better matches that intent.
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Use six questions before calling a build “best.” They expose trade-offs that a simple weapon tier list misses:
- Traversal flexibility: Can the setup exploit a roof, balcony, gap or alternate exit, or does it require a flat, direct fight?
- Weapon distance and role: What happens in the first two seconds after landing? A close-range weapon and a precision weapon create very different risks.
- Target coverage: Can you answer both ARC threats and human Raiders, or is the build specialized?
- Exposure: How visible are you during the swing, climb and landing, and how quickly can you reach cover if the route is watched?
- Resource cost: What durability, power and ammunition do you spend before the fight is actually decided?
- Map and objective fit: Does the route help on Pendola Pass or with your current extraction, camera, loot or survival objective?
The guide for gadgets says they are added to a loadout before a raid and can be assigned to a quick-use slot. That means the hook should be part of a pre-raid plan, not an emergency item you remember only after entering a building. The guide also describes acquisition through loot, crafting and blueprints, with some gadgets sold by traders; it marks some new-item details as to-be-determined, so do not assume a Grappling Hook recipe, rarity, price or unlock path without checking the current game.
Recommended loadout templates
1. Vertical assault: close-range weapon plus Grappling Hook
This is the most direct pairing for players who want to turn height or an unexpected route into immediate pressure. Use a close-range primary for the first room, roof edge or stairwell you reach. Keep a second weapon that can cover a short-to-medium retreat rather than carrying two tools that require the same distance.
- Gadget: Grappling Hook in the quick-use slot.
- Primary role: Close-range damage for the landing fight.
- Secondary role: A flexible weapon for crossing an exposed lane or finishing an opponent who backs away.
- Best use: Swing to a roof or upper opening, land behind hard cover when possible, then clear the nearest threat before chasing.
- Main risk: The hook creates access, not a guaranteed surprise. A watched roof, noisy landing or poor line of retreat can leave a close-range build stranded.
Do not fire the hook simply because a higher position exists. First identify where your close-range weapon will be useful, where the landing cover is, and which route you will take if the target is not there. If any of those answers is missing, the movement may spend your advantage before combat begins.
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2. Flexible skirmisher: mid-range weapon plus a backup for close quarters
This is the safest general-purpose template for players who use the hook primarily to reposition. A controllable mid-range primary lets you pressure a window, roofline or street after climbing. A close-quarters backup protects you when the route ends inside a building or an opponent follows your line.
- Gadget: Grappling Hook assigned to quick use.
- Primary role: Mid-range weapon that can hold an angle after the climb.
- Secondary role: Close-range emergency option for the landing zone.
- Best use: Move to a new angle, take one or two shots from cover, then relocate before the opponent can predict your next route.
- Main risk: Carrying two weapons with overlapping mid-range roles leaves you vulnerable in a cramped room and consumes ammunition without adding a new answer.
This template fits solo raids and uncertain encounters because the hook can be used offensively or defensively. It does not guarantee a favorable fight; it gives you more choices about where that fight happens.
3. Disengage and extract: reliable combat weapon with a reserved hook charge
Extraction-focused players should treat the Grappling Hook as an escape route first and an entry tool second. Choose a weapon you can use while retreating through ordinary cover, and avoid building the entire kit around a perfect aerial attack. The hook is most valuable when it changes the pursuer’s line of sight or lets you reach a route that a straight sprint cannot.
- Gadget: Grappling Hook, kept available until the extraction path is known.
- Primary role: Reliable weapon for holding a doorway, corner or short retreat.
- Secondary role: A weapon that can discourage pursuit at the distance created by the reposition.
- Best use: Break line of sight, move to a higher or offset position, then continue toward extraction rather than automatically re-engaging.
- Main risk: Spending the hook to chase damage can remove your only route over a wall, between buildings or onto a safer roof.
The Snap Hook is the alternative when your plan is a single, committed burst across a known gap. Its post-update range is shorter and its durability and power costs are higher, so repeated emergency use requires more deliberate budgeting. Choose it when the route is simple and speed matters more than having several possible angles; choose the Grappling Hook when route flexibility is the survival objective.
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A looting run needs enough combat capability to survive an interruption without turning every sighting into a fight. Pair the hook with a weapon that is comfortable at the distances commonly found around your objective, then leave room for the items you actually intend to extract. Do not assume that a particular augment, inventory package or rarity is optimal: the cited guides do not establish one.
- Gadget: Grappling Hook for bypassing exposed ground and reaching observation points.
- Primary role: Ammunition-efficient weapon for a short defensive engagement.
- Secondary role: A complementary distance option, selected around the map route rather than maximum theoretical damage.
- Best use: Check a roof or overlook, identify a safer approach, collect the objective, and reserve the hook for the return trip.
- Main risk: Treating vertical access as permission to loot in the open. Height can improve visibility while also making your silhouette easier to track.
For this build, the best hook use is often a route that avoids a fight entirely. If an opponent appears, the weapon’s job is to buy time for movement, not to force a prolonged duel that consumes the resources needed for extraction.
5. ARC-focused specialist: weapon role chosen around armor plates
If ARC targets are the primary threat, select your damage tool after considering which part of the target you need to break. Embark’s update notes say explosive weapons deal over 50% more damage against ARC armor plates but around 30% less against fragile parts. That is a specific balance change for explosive weapons and those target areas; it is not evidence that one explosive setup wins every encounter.
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- Gadget: Grappling Hook for reaching a firing angle, high ground or a safer repair position.
- Primary role: A weapon that benefits from the target area you expect to attack, with explosive damage considered for armor plates.
- Secondary role: A precise or otherwise complementary option for exposed fragile parts and human Raiders.
- Best use: Hook to a position that exposes the required ARC component, attack from cover, then relocate before the enemy’s response reaches you.
- Main risk: Assuming the armor-plate advantage applies equally to fragile parts, Raiders or every weapon type.
Against mixed threats, the flexible skirmisher template is usually easier to justify than a fully specialized kit because it keeps an answer for a Raider who arrives while you are engaging ARC. The right choice depends on your objective and the current encounter, not on the explosive change alone.
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Comparison of the templates
| Template | Traversal flexibility | Weapon range plan | ARC coverage | Raider coverage | Movement exposure | Best objective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical assault | High for entry; route must end near cover | Close-range primary with a broader backup | Situational; depends on the selected secondary | Strong if the landing is controlled | High during entry and landing | Pressure a known position |
| Flexible skirmisher | High for repeated repositioning | Mid-range primary plus close-quarters backup | Balanced, weapon-dependent | Balanced | Moderate; can disengage after each angle | Unknown encounters and solo raids |
| Disengage and extract | High when the hook is conserved | Reliable retreat weapon plus pursuit deterrent | Enough to survive, not necessarily to farm | Focused on breaking contact | Lower if the hook remains unused | Extraction and valuable loot |
| Scout and loot | High for bypassing exposed approaches | Ammunition-efficient defensive pairing | Limited to the route’s likely threats | Designed to escape rather than chase | Moderate; height can reveal your silhouette | Objectives with minimal conflict |
| ARC-focused specialist | High for creating a component-specific angle | Explosive consideration for armor plates plus a precise complement | Strong against the selected target area | Depends on the complementary weapon | Moderate to high while lining up the shot | ARC-heavy routes |
How to assemble and test one before a raid
- Choose the objective first. Decide whether the raid is about a fight, extraction, scouting or an ARC encounter. The objective determines whether the hook is an entry tool, an exit tool or a route-saving reserve.
- Install the Grappling Hook before entering the raid. Use the game’s loadout screen and place it in a quick-use slot, as described in the current gadget guide at Beebom’s gadget and utility guide.
- Assign the primary weapon by landing distance. If the intended landing is inside a room, start with a close-range role. If it is a roofline or street crossing, start with a controllable mid-range role. Do not select a gun only because it has the highest listed damage.
- Add a non-overlapping secondary. The second weapon should answer the range or target type the primary cannot. Two weapons that solve the same situation leave the hook’s movement advantage unused.
- Plan a landing and a fallback. Before activating the gadget, identify hard cover, the next piece of cover and the direction of extraction. A route that has only a destination is an attack animation, not a complete plan.
- Check resource assumptions in the current build. The published sources do not give a Grappling Hook recipe, price, rarity or exact unlock path, and new-item entries can change. Confirm the live game’s availability and costs rather than copying an old loadout screenshot.
- Run a low-risk practice route. Test whether the camera, landing geometry and quick-use assignment behave as expected. Note where the swing leaves you visible and whether your chosen weapon can be brought to bear immediately.
- Set a spending rule. Decide how many movement uses you are willing to spend before extraction. If the route requires the final charge to escape, do not use it for a speculative chase.
Using the hook during a fight
Mobility into a fight
Use the hook to change the opponent’s expected angle, not merely to gain altitude. A roof, balcony or offset window is useful when it gives your weapon a clear target and a nearby hard-cover landing. Swinging directly into a visible doorway can make the approach predictable and expose you before the weapon is ready.
After landing, pause long enough to confirm the target’s position. The temptation is to shoot immediately because the movement felt decisive, but a missed read can put a close-range build in the wrong room or leave a mid-range build fighting at arm’s length. If the expected target is absent, take the free reposition and reset instead of forcing the original attack.
Disengaging without wasting the advantage
For an exit, break line of sight before activating the hook whenever possible. A straight, visible swing tells an opponent where you are going. An offset route, a roof edge or a climb that ends behind cover gives the weapon time to cover the next movement. Once the hook creates separation, continue toward the objective; do not automatically reverse direction because the new angle looks attractive.
Handling a bad landing
If you land in the open, the priority is cover, not a second gadget animation. Move to the nearest solid obstruction, use the weapon that matches the distance already created, and only then decide whether another route is safe. The Grappling Hook cannot guarantee a stable or uncontested landing, so a loadout with no close-range answer is especially vulnerable inside buildings.
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ARC and Raider decision-making
ARC and Raiders punish different mistakes. ARC encounters reward attention to target components and safe firing angles; Raiders punish predictable movement and the assumption that a busy ARC fight cannot attract a human opponent. A specialist build should therefore state which threat it is sacrificing coverage against.
When an ARC armor plate is the immediate problem, the official explosive adjustment is relevant: explosive weapons receive more than 50% additional damage against armor plates, while fragile parts take roughly 30% less from those weapons. Use that information to choose the target and timing, then switch to the complementary weapon when the fight moves to a fragile part or a Raider. Do not extrapolate the figures to non-explosive weapons or claim that every ARC encounter favors the same loadout.
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When Raiders are likely, the flexible skirmisher or disengage template is safer. Keep one weapon ready for the distance at which a human opponent can challenge your landing, and preserve a route that does not depend on winning a stationary duel. The hook is valuable because it changes the geometry; it is not a substitute for cover, awareness or ammunition management.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Pendola Pass, objectives and route planning
Frozen Trail 2.0 introduced Pendola Pass along with new map conditions, enemies, weapons and items. The available official material does not establish a single Grappling Hook route or a map-specific best weapon pairing, so adapt the template to the actual objective marker and current conditions rather than treating the map name as a build prescription.
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- Objective in a dense structure: favor the vertical assault or flexible skirmisher template, but reserve a close-range answer for the landing room.
- Objective across exposed ground: favor the flexible skirmisher or disengage template, using height to cross or scout rather than to start a fight.
- ARC-heavy objective: use the ARC-focused specialist only if the complementary weapon still covers human interference.
- High-value extraction: use the disengage template and treat the hook as an exit resource until the return path is secure.
Other new items in the update include Basic and Advanced Cameras, the Tether Launcher, Yank Grenade, Mountaineer’s Detector, Banjo and Harmonica. Their presence does not make any one of them mandatory in a Grappling Hook build. Select them only when the objective and your available slots justify the trade; the published material does not verify a universal combination.
Common mistakes and fixes
Calling a route safe because it is vertical
Symptom: You reach a roof or balcony and are immediately visible from several angles.
Fix: Identify hard cover and the next route before firing the hook. Height improves information only when you can survive the exposure it creates.
Carrying duplicate weapon roles
Symptom: Both weapons are comfortable at the same distance, but neither works after an indoor landing or during a retreat.
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Spending the escape route on damage
Symptom: You use the hook to chase a retreating opponent and later cannot cross the final gap to extraction.
Fix: Set a reserve rule before the raid. If the hook is your only reliable route over the next obstacle, preserve it unless the fight directly blocks extraction.
Assuming Snap Hook and Grappling Hook are upgrades of one another
Symptom: You choose the Snap Hook for a route that needs several angle changes, or the Grappling Hook for a single committed burst where speed is the only requirement.
Fix: Match the gadget to the movement identity described by Embark: Snap Hook for burst, committed traversal; Grappling Hook for flexible swings and climbs.
Applying the explosive ARC change too broadly
Symptom: You expect the armor-plate bonus when shooting fragile parts or a Raider.
Fix: Keep the qualification attached to the fact: the official figures concern explosive weapons against ARC armor plates and fragile parts. Reassess the weapon when the target area changes.
What is and is not established about acquisition
Gadgets are equipped before a raid and can be assigned to quick use. The current guide describes loot, crafting and blueprints as acquisition channels, with some gadgets also available from traders. However, its new-item entries include details not yet established, and the cited sources do not establish a confirmed Grappling Hook recipe, trader price, rarity or exact unlock requirement. Check the live game’s loadout and crafting interfaces for those values before spending resources or planning a progression route.
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Bottom line
There is no confirmed single best Grappling Hook loadout. Use a close-range pairing to turn a controlled landing into pressure, a flexible mid-range pairing for general repositioning, a conserved hook and reliable weapon for extraction, or an ARC-focused setup when armor plates are the stated objective. Compare every choice by route flexibility, landing exposure, target coverage and the resources you can afford to spend. That framework remains useful even as individual weapons, map conditions and gadget values change.
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