| Ladder | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category: | Structural |
| Status: | Functional |
| Function: | |
| Allows players to climb up and down between decks. | |
| Fits large ship and station | |
| Mass: | 1,200 kg |
| Data Controls: | [edit] [purge] (?) |
Ladders are blocks that allow an engineer to scale a 1 large-grid-block wide gap safely. They can be used to climb up or down, or placed horizontally as narrow footbridges. For a related block, see 
Ladder Shaft.
Construction[]
Large grid ladders need 1x1x1 large-grid blocks (Width x Depth x Height) space but are mostly hollow and walkable inside.
Small grid ladders are visually 3x1x5 small-grid blocks in size, but take up 3x5x5 (Width x Depth x Height) to reserve space for the Engineer.
Ladders have three attachment points: the back side of the ladder (on the inner backface of the imagined cube), and one edge of the top and bottom end.
Ladders must be welded up above the functional line to become interactive, meaning it's possible to damage a ladder to prevent others from using it. Ladders don't need power and the Engineer can use them without expending extra suit power.
Usage[]
How to get off a ladder
To use ladders, you look at them and press the (F key). An engineer can jump quite far to reach a ladder: As long as a highlight appears when looking at it, the ladder is reachable.
After grabbing the ladder, you move up by pressing (W key) and down by pressing (S key). To look up or down while climbing, hold the (ALT key) and move the mouse.
At the top, if there is no block above, the engineer lets go of the ladder and stands on the top rung, ready to walk on.
On the bottom rung, or to get off the ladder midway, press (SPACEBAR key). The engineer will jump one block's width backwards to get away from the ladder's space (in case the ladder continues downwards). If there is a floor block at feet level, you will land on it safely.
Special Features[]
Ladders can be built one after another and the engineer can transition smoothly from one to the next, or choose to jump off midway. If the gravity field of the other end is oriented differently, the engineer will rotate and fall in the new down direction after letting go.
When you are on the ladder without pressing any keys, the engineer hangs on and waits. Holding on to a ladder is a similar state to being seated, except that it doesn't recharge suit power.
For example, engineers on ladders will not be flung out of a moving vehicle. Similarly, Jump Drives also transport engineers on ladders as if they were seated. You can open and use the chat while on a ladder, and consume medkits and powerkits from the toolbar. You can open your player Inventory and interact with consumables and datapads in it as well.
Limitations[]
Holding (SHIFT key) does not make the player climb any faster.
While climbing, the engineer will unwield any tools/weapons and you cannot place blocks from the toolbar, either. Though you can open your personal Terminal and Inventory while mid-climb, you cannot access the station Terminal from there.
In contrast to being seated, but not surprisingly, holding on to ladders prevents you from emoting.
Videos[]
- Marek's Infinite Ladder Competition Showcase from March 2019 when ladders were fixed and reintroduced into the game
- Space Engineers Clangbusters: Ladders (Tips, Testing, Tutorials for Survival)
Recipe[]
 Ladder | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component | Large Ship/Station Required | Large Ship/Station Optional | Small Ship Required | Small Ship Optional |
 Small Steel Tube | 10 | — | — | — |
 Construction Comp. | 10 | 10 | — | — |
 Interior Plate | 10 | — | — | — |
History[]
The first version of the Ladder is no longer available. It was replaced by the Passage block in Update 01.017.010.
Keen Softwarehouse "removed it because there was a lot of problems with ladders (going up when gravity is down or perpendicular, ladders on moving and rotating objects etc)." -- Source: Reddit AMA March 2014
In Version/1.189.0 released February 28th 2019, large-grid ladders have been re-introduced into Space Engineers. Small-grid ladders were added in Version/1.193. Their re-introduction has greatly improved them to a smaller profile, a better look, and smaller mass at 230 kg per block.
