The Long Dark Mountaineering Rope: Where To Find & Why It’s Useful (Survival Mode)

Although the majority of the rocks in survival mode dedicated to rope climbing spawn with the rope already deployed, the handful that don’t can make a huge difference.

Finding some rope near undeployed climbing shortcuts generally isn’t too difficult. But getting enough to make use of every single one instead of hauling one around for emergencies certainly can be difficult—especially with bad RNG.

Not all of the main regions have been found to contain undeployed rope in survival mode, so finding all the rope available in Timberwolf Mountain and Ash Canyon is crucial.

Timberwolf Mountain

Timberwolf Mountain contains four known mountaineering rope spawn locations.

The first is the easiest to find, located inside the Mountaineer’s Hut.

The other three are found around the summit of the mountain, two of which are found in shallow caves nearby.

The last rope is a bit tricky to find.

Inside of the plane’s tail section, some of the green wooden crates contain hidden items.

The one with rope inside is near a cardboard box and first aid kit.

Ash Canyon

Ash Canyon has six known spawn locations for the rope, some of which require quite a journey.

Homesteader’s Respite contains one mountaineering rope and three more can often be found in close proximity.

The rope on top of the coal bin behind the ice fishing hut, and the one inside of Homesteader’s Respite can be found with minimal effort.

But the two spawn locations near High Meadow are harder to spot.

One mountaineering rope can be found along the initial journey to Homesteader’s Respite by keeping an eye out for an old campfire after crossing High Meadow’s rope bridge.

The other requires a small detour after climbing the first rope up to High Meadow.

After climbing the first rope on the way up to High Meadow, there will be a small path off to the right containing scrub brush.

Following it to the end reveals a makeshift camp with some wood and rope.

The last two spawn locations in this region are the most difficult to find.

One is on a wooden bridge near the top of the map, and the other is buried in the snow of Wolf’s Jaw Overlook next to a Bearskin Coat.

The rope on the bridge can be found on the southern side, and the other rope can be found near the beginning of the path from Wolf’s Jaw Overlook to the Mining Camp.

Why Is This Useful?

Mountaineering rope is the only way to reach certain areas without risking significant injuries, and it can open shortcuts that massively reduce travel time.

The best examples of this can be found in The Ravine, Bleak Inlet, and Broken Railroad.

Deploying a rope in The Ravine allows you to access the part of Bleak Inlet containing Echo One Radio Tower—a necessity if you want to access the machinery locked behind a keypad in the workshop of Last Resort Cannery.

Deploying a second rope near the lookout just north of the radio tower cuts travel from the higher and lower sections of Bleak Inlet down from a multi-region endeavor to a single rope climb.

In the Broken Railroad region, there’s another area that can only be accessed via rope climb that begins with no rope deployed.

The small ravine at the bottom can contain very high quality items, so it’s generally worth the hassle of getting a rope set up there.

Most regions contain at least one potential location for mountaineering rope to spawn. But some of them don’t have anywhere to deploy it.

There are also regions with no potential rope spawns, but a spot to deploy some, so it’s definitely worthwhile to keep track of where you store any extras you come across.