Build 42.22 Ladders & Crowbars — How Climbing and Forcing Doors Actually Work

Build 42.22 added the two features players asked for longest: usable ladders and crowbars that open things. Both are live now — but only on the Pre-Release branch (42.22 landed there on October 27, 2026), not on the stable build, which is still 42.21. This page covers exactly how each one works: the key bindings, what a crowbar can and cannot force, what makes a forcing attempt succeed, what failure costs you, and where ladders change the way you move through Knox Country.

Quick answer

Neither feature requires a mod, a recipe or a new item — the crowbar is the same crowbar you already used as a weapon and for pulling window frames and flooring.

Ladders: how to use them

Ladders already exist all over the map — pool ladders, fire-station access, industrial catwalks — but until 42.22 they were scenery. Now:

1. Walk up to the ladder. You need to be on the tile at its base (or top, for descending).
2. Press E — the default interact key — or open the right-click menu on the ladder tile if you prefer explicit actions.
3. Climb. 42.22 adds new ladder footstep sounds that vary by ladder material and by your footwear — a small but useful audio cue that someone is on a ladder nearby.
4. Check below before you go down. The patch notes are blunt about this: zombies cannot climb ladders, so the base of one is exactly where a crowd can gather while you are upstairs.

Two practical notes from the official notes:

• Ladders cannot be crafted or moved in 42.22. They are "currently fixed in place across Knox Country." Any ladder you had already moved with a moveable-tile tool stays where you put it.
• A ladder is not a barricade. It gives you a vertical route; it does not stop zombies from waiting at the bottom, and climbing is not silent. Treat the descent like opening a door into an unknown room.

What ladders change tactically

• A second-floor base finally has a reliable exit. Before 42.22 the answer was sheet rope: slow to rig, limited by window placement, and destructible. A ladder is a permanent route that costs no materials and cannot be torn down by a zombie.
• Looting tall buildings gets faster. Fire stations, apartments and warehouses no longer force you to loop back to a staircase — you can drop from an upper floor straight to the street.
• Escape routes become one-way in the good sense. Zombies pile up at the bottom; you climb, break line of sight, and leave through a different face of the building.
• Pool ladders are now real. The official post calls this out directly — you no longer have to fear empty pools quite so much.

Crowbars: what you can force open

With a crowbar equipped or simply carried in your inventory, the right-click menu on the relevant tile offers a forcing action:

Forcing is not a guaranteed success, and it is not free:

• Success chance depends on the door type — heavier targets resist more.
• Strength helps. The same stat that governs shoving jammed windows open applies here; weak characters will struggle more.
• Burglars are better at it. The occupation gets a success bonus and performs the action more quietly than other survivors.
• Failure damages the crowbar. The more failed attempts you make on the same target, the higher the chance the crowbar itself takes damage.
• Forcing costs Muscle Strain. The notes compare it directly to attacking a door with a crowbar — so it is a workout, not a free action, and a long forcing session can leave you with an arm you would rather not fight with.
• It is not silent. Doors come open with noise; Burglars are simply quieter about it. If you are already being trailed, forcing a garage door is not a stealth move.

Ladder vs sheet rope

Both get you between floors; they are not interchangeable.

The practical answer for most runs: rig a sheet rope where you sleep, and note the nearest ladder — the rope covers the improvised case, the ladder covers the reliable one.

Where to use them in your first weeks

1. Pre-ladder your base before you need it. Find the closest ladder to your safehouse and walk the route at night once, so you know it works when you are tired and bleeding.
2. Crowbars are now a loot-run tool, not just a weapon. Storage units, garages and back doors with no key become accessible; keep one in the vehicle even if you fight with an axe.
3. Do not crowbar everything. Windows can break, and a broken window in a base you plan to hold is a permanent hole. Force doors on targets you are robbing, not on your own safehouse.
4. Strength characters get a new job. If your build already invests in Strength for shoving and carry weight, you are the group's locksmith now.
5. Burglar just got better. Success bonus plus quieter forcing is a real early-game advantage on locked commercial doors.

Version and server notes

• 42.22 is Pre-Release only. Stable is 42.21; the Pre-Release branch replaced Unstable on October 27, 2026. See the Pre-Release branch guide for opting in and back-up rules.
• Servers need everyone on the same branch. A 42.21 client cannot join a 42.22 server; the game now warns you about version mismatches instead of failing silently (multiplayer guide).
• Existing 42.21 saves should load, per the patch notes, but back up anything you care about before testing — the final 42.22 stable build is not guaranteed to keep pre-release saves.

FAQ

Do zombies climb ladders in Build 42? No. The official 42.22 notes state zombies cannot climb ladders, which is exactly why they tell you to check the ground below before descending.

Can I craft or move a ladder in 42.22? No. Ladders are fixed in place for now; the patch notes call this the "first rung" of implementation. Ladders you moved previously stay where you moved them.

Can a crowbar open any locked door? No. Wooden and metal doors, windows, fence gates and garage doors can be forced. Security doors and jail cell doors are explicitly immune.

Does forcing a door break the crowbar? It can. Repeated failed attempts raise the chance of damaging the crowbar, so if a target resists twice, consider a different entrance.

Is forcing a door quiet? Quieter for Burglars, but never silent. Plan for company if the building is not already clear.

Does the crowbar still work as a weapon? Yes — nothing in 42.22 removes its melee role, and it is still the tool for pulling window frames and flooring.

Verified on 42.22 Pre-Release · Last checked 2026-10-30

Ladder interaction, fixed placement, zombie behaviour, crowbar targets, Strength and Burglar modifiers, window break chance, crowbar damage and Muscle Strain: official "42.22 Patch Notes" (The Indie Stone, PZ Updates, October 27, 2026) and the companion blog "Moving on Up: 42.22 Pre-Release" (October 27, 2026). Branch status and save caveats: the same announcement plus the 42.21 Stable release notice (September 28, 2026). Sheet-rope behaviour: existing base building guide.