Weak Structures are cracked walls and floors that bullets, grenades and melee cannot break. You open them with an Explosive Charge: stand next to the structure, place the charge, then step back before it detonates. You pick up your first charges in Factory West, in a small room unlocked after the second Security Turret fight. Each structure uses one charge, and you craft more at any Safe Room Workbench, so carry at least two when you explore.
What counts as a Weak Structure
The game uses the label for damaged sections of the facility that act as one-way locks on your route: cracked wall panels, weakened flooring and rubble-filled gaps. They look like scenery until you scan them. The Scanner tags them, which is the quickest way to tell a breakable wall from a dead end.
| You see | What it is | What opens it |
|---|---|---|
| Cracked wall panel | Weak Structure (wall) | Explosive Charge |
| Damaged floor section | Weak Structure (floor); you drop through the hole | Explosive Charge |
| Door "locked from the other side" | Shortcut, not a Weak Structure | Reach the far side and open it |
| Anchor point across a gap | Traversal point | Grappling Hook |
| Sealed Hatch | Separate lock | Not a charge target; see the cheat code guide |
Where to get your first Explosive Charges
- Reach Factory West after Maintenance and the Energy Node Door.
- Clear the second Security Turret encounter. Every enemy in the room has to die before the door on your left unlocks.
- Go through that door. The Explosive Charges are in the small room on the table by the Workbench.
- From this point the story requires them, so you cannot skip the pickup.
Guides describe the exact surface differently, as a table or a Workbench, but agree on the room: just past the second turret fight. If you have been through Factory West and have no charges, return there before trying any cracked wall.
How to blow a Weak Structure
- Scan the wall or floor to confirm it is a Weak Structure.
- Walk up to it until the interaction prompt appears, then place the charge.
- Step back and wait for the detonation.
- Go through the opening, or drop through the hole if it was a floor.
Each structure costs one charge. Running out is the most common reason players think a wall is bugged. Craft more at a Workbench in any Safe Room with Fragments. The October 10 patch made crafting cheaper, which helps if you are short; see the patch notes.
Weak Structures on the Factory West route
Factory West is where the game teaches the mechanic, so several breakable sections sit close together. In walkthrough order:
| Location | Type | What is behind it |
|---|---|---|
| West toward the lift, in a dead end northwest of a small bridge | Wall | A room with crates, a robot and a trapdoor; break the crates to find the floor hatch |
| Outside the room after the second turret fight, above you | Wall | A terminal with Factory West Map Data and a broken bridge |
| Further along the main path | Floor | A drop to the Security Sentinel boss, then the route to the Factory West SCU |
| Second floor, on the left, then a hidden wall inside the next room | Two walls | An Energy Cell in a Large Item Box; you need two charges in a row |
| Left of the Safe Room before the second turret fight | Wall | A control room with a Latcher and an optional Health Booster route |
Energy Cells raise Suit Power, which decides which Suit Mods you can equip, so the two-wall room is worth the charges. Bring at least two before you go up.
Weak Structures later in the game
Charges stay useful after Factory West. Several secrets and Data Shard routes for the secret ending are blocked by breakable walls, so when you backtrack for 100%, check the Scanner for any marked structure you passed earlier. Nothing behind them is missable: every area stays open after the credits.
- Keep two or more charges before leaving a Safe Room to explore.
- Mark unopened structures on your map so they are easy to find again.
- If a wall will not take a charge, scan it again: doors locked from the other side cannot be blown open.
Weak Structure FAQ
Can grenades break weak walls?
Guides describe Weak Structures as surfaces conventional weapons cannot break and name the Explosive Charge as the tool. Use grenades for fights instead; see weapons.
Is the Sealed Hatch a Weak Structure?
No. Sealed Hatches are a separate lock. Cheat-code guides open one with the Grappling Hook, and the Sealed Hatch room in Maintenance holds an Energy Cell. Save your charges for marked walls and floors.
This page only uses details from official store pages, developer statements and hands-on press previews. Anything unconfirmed before the October 1, 2026 launch is left out and will be added once verified. Last research pass: October 17, 2026.
Sources
References and further reading for this article.
