Tips for Lowering the Drawbridge and Repairing Bridges in Outbound

Your cozy camper road trip in Outbound hits a snag with a raised drawbridge, and the other bridges over the river are also out of commission. To keep your journey rolling, you’ll need to repair those broken bridges to lower the drawbridge.

While swimming across isn’t an option, the fix is straightforward. A bit of exploration will yield the materials you need, and then you can get back on the road. Here’s how to tackle the bridge repairs in Outbound.

There are damaged bridges on both sides of the drawbridge—just drive north or south along the road to find them. Each bridge requires 10 Everwood Planks for repairs, which will allow you and your van to cross the river.

You can craft Everwood Planks at a Sawmill, a handy crafting station for your van. Some bridges in the area may need even more wood, so it’s wise to keep your Sawmill stocked with Everwood early in the game.

If you haven’t unlocked the Sawmill blueprint yet, explore nearby paths for Signal Towers that offer new recipes. Also, stop at campsites along the way to clean up Litter in exchange for Download Coupons.

Once you have the Sawmill, you can convert 20 Everwood into 10 Everwood Planks (don’t worry about the odd conversion ratio). If you need logs, gather them from the wooded areas by the river. If you’ve unlocked the Axe, you can also chop down dead Everwood trees for five logs each.

After gathering enough Everwood Planks, head to either bridge to make the repairs. The prompt to fix the bridge will pop up when you get close, but make sure the planks are in your inventory, not just in your van’s storage.

Once you’ve repaired at least one bridge, you can cross the river and look for a way to activate the drawbridge. It doesn’t matter which bridge you choose; both will lead you to the bridge controls.

After crossing, make a sharp turn and drive toward the drawbridge. You’ll find a small control center to the right of the bridge.

Go inside and flip the switch to lower the drawbridge. There’s also a Bottle Cap on the counter—grab it for later and try your luck at a Cap ‘n Snap machine.

The bridge will stay down after you flip the switch, so you only need to do this once. Don’t forget to return and fix the other bridge when you have enough wood; having multiple routes across the river will make navigating the first map much easier.

On the other side of the river, you’ll discover new resources, including a different type of wood and a tough ore blocking the tunnel to the next map. To harvest these materials, you’ll need to craft better tools and upgrade your van, so keep an eye out for Signal Towers and other key locations to unlock new blueprints.