Outbound Broken Bridges Guide – Locations, Repairing

One of the first major progression walls you will run into in Outbound is the broken bridges scattered around the first biome. At first, they might seem like simple environmental obstacles, but these bridges are actually extremely important because they unlock new routes, shortcuts, landmarks, and major progression areas across the map.

A lot of players get confused during the early hours because the game does not fully explain how bridge repairs work. You may arrive at the bridge with regular wood in your inventory and wonder why nothing happens. The reason is simple: the bridges do not use normal wood. They specifically require Everwood Planks, which can only be crafted using a workstation called the Sawmill.

The good news is that once you understand the process, every broken bridge in the game works basically the same way. This guide will walk you through where all three early bridges are located, how to unlock the Sawmill, how to craft Everwood Planks, and how to repair every bridge properly without getting stuck in the starting area.

Why the Broken Bridges Matter

The bridges in Outbound are much more important than simple shortcuts.

Repairing them helps you:

• Reach new sections of the biome
• Unlock easier travel routes
• Access important landmarks
• Reach Signal Towers faster
• Progress toward later upgrades and story areas
• Explore hidden locations you would otherwise miss

The very first bridge especially is critical because without repairing it, you will remain trapped in the starter side of the biome much longer than intended.

All Broken Bridge Locations in Outbound

There are three broken bridges in the first biome. Even though they are found in different areas, they all require the same material:

• Everwood Planks

However, the third bridge requires far more materials than the others.

Let’s go through them one by one.

First Broken Bridge Location

North of the Fire Lookout

This is the first bridge most players discover naturally during exploration.

To reach it:

1. Start from the starter area
2. Follow the road north
3. Continue past the Fire Lookout landmark
4. Keep driving along the road

Eventually, you will arrive at the broken bridge.

This bridge is extremely important because it opens access to the opposite side of the region and helps you continue progressing naturally through the biome.

Important Thing Beginners Miss

There are actually two crossings connecting this part of the map, but only one is usable early on.

The eastern crossing is a drawbridge, and you cannot activate it from the starting side. You first need to repair the broken bridge, travel around the area, and then lower the drawbridge from the opposite side later.

This confuses many new players because they keep trying to access the drawbridge directly instead of repairing the first broken bridge.

Materials Needed

The first bridge requires:

• 10x Everwood Planks

At this point in the game, most players do not yet have a Sawmill, which means you probably cannot repair it immediately when you first discover it.

That is completely normal.

Second Broken Bridge Location

East of the Starting Area

The second bridge loops back toward the starter section of the biome.

A lot of players accidentally skip this one because they focus only on following landmark objectives instead of fully exploring the map.

Even though it is optional early on, repairing it creates a very useful shortcut later and makes exploration much smoother.

Materials Needed

The second bridge also requires:

• 10x Everwood Planks

Since you already understand the system after repairing the first bridge, this one is usually much easier to handle.

Third Broken Bridge Location

At the Top of the Eastern Mountain Incline

The third bridge is much larger and located far to the east of the biome near the steep mountain road.

You cannot even reach this bridge early on because your campervan lacks enough engine power to climb the incline.

How to Reach the Mountain Bridge

Before you can access the eastern incline, you need:

• Motor I upgrade

Without Motor I, your vehicle simply cannot make it up the hill.

To unlock Motor I, you must:

• Unlock the Vehicle Researcher workstation
• Unlock the Bolt Press workstation
• Craft Bolts using Scrap Metal

The Motor I upgrade specifically requires:

• 10x Bolts

The Bolt Press creates Bolts by processing Scrap Metal.

Once your vehicle is upgraded, you can finally climb the eastern incline and reach the final bridge.

Materials Needed

The third bridge is much more expensive.

You need:

• 30x Everwood Planks

That is a massive jump compared to the earlier bridges, so make sure you bring enough materials before driving all the way up there.

How to Get Everwood Planks in Outbound

This is the part that usually confuses beginners the most.

Picking up regular Everwood logs is not enough.

The bridges specifically require:

• Everwood Planks

To convert wood into planks, you need a workstation called the:

• Sawmill

Without the Sawmill, you cannot repair any broken bridge in the game.

Where to Unlock the Sawmill

Thankfully, the Sawmill can be unlocked fairly early.

Sawmill Signal Tower Location

From the first broken bridge:

1. Head west along the nearby path
2. Continue until you reach a Signal Tower beside rocky terrain

At this Signal Tower, you can download the:

• Sawmill recipe

Important Note

Signal Towers in Outbound sometimes rotate available recipes depending on progression or updates.

If the Sawmill recipe is not available at that exact tower:

• Check nearby accessible Signal Towers
• Towers with available downloads appear white on the map

Materials Needed to Build a Sawmill

Once the recipe is unlocked, return to your campervan and build the workstation.

You need:

• 10x Everwood
• 2x Scrap Metal

Thankfully, both materials are easy to gather early on.

How to Farm Everwood

Everwood is everywhere in the first biome.

You can gather it by:

• Picking logs off the ground
• Exploring near brown-trunk trees
• Chopping dead logs with an Axe

How to Farm Scrap Metal

Scrap Metal commonly appears:

• Around Signal Towers
• Near campsites
• Along roads
• Near abandoned structures

You usually find several pieces directly next to the tower where the Sawmill recipe is unlocked.

How to Build the Sawmill

After returning to your campervan:

1. Set camp
2. Enter Build Mode
3. Open the workstation section
4. Go to the Woodworking category
5. Place a Counter first
6. Place the Sawmill on top of the Counter

This last step is important because the Sawmill is considered a tabletop workstation.

Many beginners accidentally forget the Counter requirement and wonder why the workstation cannot be placed.

How to Use the Sawmill

Once the Sawmill is built:

1. Interact with it
2. Insert Everwood
3. Turn the machine on
4. Wait for processing

You can:

• Continue exploring
• Sleep to pass time
• Let the machine work automatically

Everwood Plank Conversion Rate

The recipe is:

• 2x Everwood = 1x Everwood Plank

That means:

• First bridge = 20 Everwood total
• Second bridge = 20 Everwood total
• Third bridge = 60 Everwood total

This is why gathering wood constantly throughout exploration is very important.

Repairing the Bridges

Once you have enough Everwood Planks:

1. Drive back to the bridge
2. Interact with the damaged section
3. Spend the required planks
4. Repair the bridge

After repairing:

• Vehicles can cross safely
• New exploration routes open
• Additional landmarks become accessible

The broken bridges in Outbound are one of the game’s first major progression systems, and understanding how they work makes the early game much smoother. At first, it can feel confusing because the game introduces several crafting systems very quickly, but once you unlock the Sawmill and start producing Everwood Planks, everything starts falling into place naturally.

The biggest mistake new players make is ignoring exploration and rushing objectives. Outbound rewards slow exploration heavily. The more materials you gather while driving around, the easier every future repair and upgrade becomes.

Take your time, stockpile wood and Scrap Metal whenever possible, and repair the bridges as early as you can. The shortcuts and new areas they unlock are absolutely worth the effort.