What breaks the bars in Deep Dish Dungeon?
The Hammer, and only the Hammer. In the demo's game files, the rusty metal fences ignore every other weapon.
How to Break Bars in Deep Dish Dungeon
To break bars in Deep Dish Dungeon, you need the Hammer. The bars you can break are rusty metal fences, and in the demo's game files they take damage from the Hammer and nothing else. The demo has one Hammer, lying in the sewers right beside one of these fences, so you have to reach it from the other side first.
How to break bars in Deep Dish Dungeon: the short answer
Everything on this page describes the Deep Dish Dungeon demo, Steam build 23712006. For what the game is and our other guides, start at the Deep Dish Dungeon guide hub.
- What breaks the bars: the Hammer. The War Hammer does not work on them.
- Where the Hammer is: in the sewers, beside a rusty fence.
- Roots, goo piles and rock piles: none of them can be cleared in the demo.
- Spider webs: burn them with a lit torch.
Deep Dish Dungeon obstacles at a glance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Rusty metal fences (the "bars") | Break with the Hammer only. Evidence: The demo's game files (build 23712006); players on Steam call them metal bars. |
| The Hammer | In the sewers, beside one of the fences. Evidence: The demo's game files (build 23712006); route from player reports on Steam. |
| War Hammer | Does not break the fences; the game counts it as a sword. Evidence: The demo's game files (build 23712006). |
| Roots | Cannot be cleared in the demo. Evidence: A developer reply in the official Discord, February 28, 2026, matched by the demo's game files. |
| Goo piles | Cannot be cleared in the demo. Evidence: The demo's game files (build 23712006) and player reports on Steam. |
| Rock piles | Cannot be cleared in the demo. Evidence: The demo's game files (build 23712006) and player reports on Steam. |
| Spider webs | Burn with a lit torch. Evidence: The demo's game files (build 23712006) and player reports on Steam. |
Every row describes the demo, Steam build 23712006.
Every row was checked on October 5, 2026.
How to get the Hammer in Deep Dish Dungeon
The demo's only Hammer lies in the sewers, right beside one of the rusty fences, with a Handwheel and a small chest of Scrap Metal and Wood Planks a few steps away. Players report seeing it through the bars before they can reach it, which makes it the demo's biggest sticking point: one player on the Steam discussion board wrote that they spent about an hour looking for another tool before working it out.
The fence in front of the Hammer is not the way in. Players reach it from the other side. Their route, as reported on the Steam board:
- Get into the sewers. From the main camp room, go up the main stairs to the second floor, hang a Rope on the hook in the wall and climb down. The game labels that hook "Nail". If you have no Rope yet, the crafting menu makes one from 2 Vines and 1 Stick, in the demo's game files.
- Change the water level. Players report turning a Handwheel near the room with the workbench to raise the water in the flooded sewer room where the Hammer is.
- Swim. You need to swim through the flooded part; the game does not tell you that you can swim, which puts some players off.
- Follow the hallway to its far end. Keep going down the long passage past the water.
- Crouch-jump along the pipe. At the end, climb onto the pipe, crouch and jump where the ceiling is low, and follow it all the way back to the Hammer.
Players found the pipe section the hardest part. Several said they only got through by crouching and jumping at the same time. You can read the full walkthrough post in the Steam discussion "Finished Demo".
The same sewer level also hides a small chest with your first Leather; our Leather guide explains why it matters.
How to break roots, goo piles and rock piles
You can't clear roots, goo piles or rock piles in the demo. Each one needs a tool or weapon the demo does not give you.
- Roots. A developer said in the official Discord on February 28, 2026 that the roots need a tool that is not in the demo, and that players will have it in the full game. The demo's game files point to an axe; the demo's only axe is disabled.
- Goo piles. In the demo's game files, goo piles only take damage from a pickaxe, and the demo has no pickaxe to find. If you are trying to break goo for Clay, see our guide to getting Clay in Deep Dish Dungeon.
- Rock piles. The files set rock piles to break only to explosives, which the demo does not give you.
Players on the Steam board and in the official Discord reached the same answer by trying: the torch and the Hammer do nothing to roots, goo or rock piles in the demo. If one of these is in your way, the way forward is somewhere else.
How to get past spider webs
Spider webs hang near the prison. In the demo's game files they take damage from the Torch and nothing else, so light a torch and burn them away. Players on the Steam board describe the same fix. Keep a torch lit in your hand; hitting a web with any other weapon does nothing.
Version notes and limits
Four items are still open: exactly which Handwheel changes the water in the Hammer room, how many Hammer hits a fence takes, whether the workbench's Hammer recipe can be made in the demo, and which tools the full game adds for roots, goo and rock piles.
When the full game launches on October 13, 2026, we will read its game files and update every obstacle that changes.
Deep Dish Dungeon bars and obstacles FAQ
Where is the Hammer?
In the sewers, beside one of the rusty fences. Players reach it from the far side: they raise the water with a Handwheel, swim through, follow the passage to its end and crouch-jump back along a pipe.
What do you need before going after the Hammer?
A Rope to climb down into the sewers from the second floor, and the confidence to swim. Players report the route runs through a flooded room, and a Rope takes 2 Vines and 1 Stick in the crafting menu.
Does the War Hammer break the bars?
No. The game counts the War Hammer as a sword, so it does nothing to the fences.
How do you break roots in Deep Dish Dungeon?
You can't in the demo. A developer said the tool for roots is not in the demo but will be in the full game.
Can you clear goo piles or rock piles in the demo?
No. Goo piles need a pickaxe and rock piles need explosives, and the demo has neither.
How do you get past spider webs?
Burn them with a lit torch. Spider webs take no damage from anything else.
Sources and version history for this guide: Deep Dish Dungeon sources and versions.
Spot an error or a post-patch change? See how we label evidence and handle corrections in the Editorial Policy.