One small step for mankind, one giant step for a Fallout 4 mod that managed to do the impossible: add functioning ladders for the first time in a Bethesda game.
Not even the developer has succeeded thus far. In fact, their upcoming game, the highly anticipated sci-fi RPG Starfield, may not feature fully functioning ladders. The debut trailer showed the protagonist using one, but Bethesda Game Studios Todd Howard said:
Well, climbing is not... don't read too much into the ladder.
Back to the Fallout 4 mod. It's called Climbable Ladders, and it was developed by modder Neeher. It works in user-created settlements and can even be used by NPCs. Here's a brief FAQ posted on the Nexus Mods page.
Can you make it to where we can place down ladders anywhere, even outside of settlements?
Technically yes, but that feels super cheap and kind of... nonsensical to pull a ladder out of nowhere. Yes, I know you can carry other insane quantities of things but this feels a step (lol) too far. Use a jetpack.
Can you wear Power Armor and climb ladders?
No, Power Armor would break the ladders. Some of these are made out of wood, you know. Thin wood.
Can more ladder styles be made?
Yes, this information will be included in the modder's resource version of this Fallout 4 mod. In short, as long as the sides and the rungs match up to the existing ladders, the animations will line up too.
Can you make the ladders first-person?
First-Person animations don't entirely work the way you'd hope. While it can do ladder stuff, glaring visual limitations don't work well when interacting with world objects. I actually created this Fallout 4 mod in first-person initially to prove ladders could be done without scripts and then decided to properly animate them in third-person.
NPCs? Use them? Will they???
Yes! Lol, NPCs will use them kind of like anything else. They won't know they can use them to path their way up somewhere, but they will use them whenever they feel like. Companions can be commanded to use them too.