Can you put a ladder or roof rack on the School Bus?
Yes. The School Bus, the Hippie Van, the C-Class RV and the Retro RV can each take a Ladder, a Roof Rack and a Motorcycle Holder.
Nomad Drive Blueprints
Nomad Drive Early Access has three blueprints, and each one builds a single upgrade onto an RV: a ladder, a roof rack or a motorcycle holder. This guide covers which vehicles can take them, how to install one, what happens to the blueprint afterwards and where to find the next one.
What do blueprints do in Nomad Drive?
Each blueprint adds one upgrade to one vehicle. The Ladder Blueprint builds a Ladder, the Roof Rack Blueprint a Roof Rack and the Motorcycle Holder Blueprint a Motorcycle Holder.
- Four vehicles take them: the Hippie Van, the C-Class RV, the Retro RV and the School Bus each have room for all three. The Motorcycle cannot take any.
- To install one, hold the blueprint in your hands near the RV, look at the hologram that appears and hold the interact key for about a second.
- The blueprint is used up. The upgrade stays on that vehicle; another vehicle needs another blueprint.
- Where to find them: a Ladder Blueprint and a Roof Rack Blueprint are set to turn up at the first major stop you reach, and more keep turning up along the road. The Motorcycle Holder Blueprint comes after you find the Motorcycle. None of them are in chests.
Nomad Drive blueprint facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Blueprints | 3: Ladder Blueprint, Roof Rack Blueprint and Motorcycle Holder Blueprint. Source: The game files. |
| Vehicles that take upgrades | Hippie Van, C-Class RV, Retro RV and School Bus; not the Motorcycle. Source: The game files. |
| After installing | The blueprint is used up; the upgrade stays on that one vehicle. Source: The game's code. |
| First Ladder and Roof Rack blueprints | At the first major stop you reach, then more along the road. Source: The game files. |
| Motorcycle Holder Blueprint | At the first major stop after you find the Motorcycle. Source: The game files. |
| In chests | No, none of the three. Source: The game files. |
What each blueprint builds
There are three blueprints in Early Access, one for each upgrade. Each upgrade has its own spot on the vehicle, so a blueprint only fits the spot it was made for. A blueprint is the only way to put one of these upgrades on an RV.
| Blueprint | Builds | How you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Ladder Blueprint | Ladder | First major stop, then along the road |
| Roof Rack Blueprint | Roof Rack | First major stop, then along the road |
| Motorcycle Holder Blueprint | Motorcycle Holder | First major stop after you find the Motorcycle |
Which vehicles can take the ladder and roof rack
Every vehicle in Early Access except the Motorcycle has a spot for each of the three upgrades, so yes, the School Bus and the starting Hippie Van can both get a ladder and a roof rack.
| Vehicle | Ladder | Roof Rack | Motorcycle Holder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hippie Van | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| C-Class RV | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Retro RV | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| School Bus | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Motorcycle | No | No | No |
The Hippie Van is the vehicle you start with; where the other four turn up is on our vehicles list, and how to move into a bigger one is in our guide to getting a bigger RV.
How to install a blueprint
The game's own tip reads: "Hold a blueprint near an RV and the locked upgrade appears as a hologram. Hold the interact key on it to build it."
- Take the blueprint in your hands. It has to be the item you are holding, not one you have put away. Our carrying guide covers how the hotbar works.
- Walk up to the RV. The upgrade that blueprint builds shows as a hologram on the vehicle.
- Look at the hologram and hold the interact key for about a second. The prompt reads "Unlock". The key is the one the game shows on screen.
If the hologram does not appear, check that the vehicle is not the Motorcycle and that it does not already have that upgrade.
One blueprint, one vehicle
When the upgrade is built, the blueprint in your hands is used up. The upgrade stays on that vehicle, and only that vehicle: a Ladder Blueprint used on the Hippie Van does nothing for the School Bus. To put a ladder on a second vehicle, you need a second Ladder Blueprint.
A vehicle that already has an upgrade will not take a second one of the same kind, so you cannot waste a blueprint on it.
Where to find blueprints
Nomad Drive hands out loot by how far you have driven from the start, and each direction from the start gets its own share.
- Ladder Blueprint and Roof Rack Blueprint: in each direction, the game is set to give you one of each at the first major stop you reach, such as a gas station, a radio station or a watch tower. After that, more of both keep turning up along the road.
- Motorcycle Holder Blueprint: one waits at the first major stop you reach after finding the Motorcycle. The Motorcycle is never the first vehicle you find; see the vehicles list for when vehicles turn up.
- Not in chests: none of the three blueprints can come out of a chest.
Using the ladder, roof rack and motorcycle holder
Once an upgrade is built, the game explains it with in-game tips.
- Ladder: "Face a ladder and walk into it to climb. Jump to let go at any height; on a roof, turn your back to the ladder to climb down." The ladder is how you get onto the roof of the RV.
- Roof Rack: "Items and furniture you place on a vehicle's floor, shelves, dashboard or roof rack stay put while you drive. Walls take furniture and tools too." Once built, the roof rack is one more surface for things that stay put on the road.
- Motorcycle Holder: "Grab a motorbike by the handlebar to take it with you. Climb onto a tipped-over bike and it rights itself, and a holder blueprint lets an RV carry it." With the Motorcycle Holder built, your RV can carry the Motorcycle.
Blueprint achievements
Two Steam achievements are about blueprints. Fully Kitted counts the three upgrades: the Ladder, the Roof Rack and the Motorcycle Holder.
| Achievement on Steam | What to do (Steam's description) |
|---|---|
 Blueprint Reader | Unlock a vehicle upgrade from a blueprint. |
 Fully Kitted | Unlock every vehicle upgrade. |
The rest are in our full list of Nomad Drive achievements.
Version notes and limits
- Not tested in play: what each blueprint builds, which vehicles take it, how it is used up and where it is handed out come from the game's files and code.
- Not checked: whether finding the Motorcycle again brings another Motorcycle Holder Blueprint, whether an upgrade can be taken off, and how blueprints work for each player in co-op.
- Refresh trigger: we recheck this page when a patch changes the vehicle upgrades, the blueprints or where they are handed out.
For the rest of the game, start at our Nomad Drive guide hub.
FAQ
Can the Motorcycle get upgrades?
No. The Motorcycle has no spot for any of the three upgrades; a Motorcycle Holder on an RV is how you carry it.
Does a blueprint get used up?
Yes. Building the upgrade uses up the blueprint, and the upgrade only goes on that one vehicle.
Can you find blueprints in chests?
No. Ladder and Roof Rack blueprints come at the first major stop and then along the road, and the Motorcycle Holder Blueprint comes after you find the Motorcycle.
How do you get on the roof of the RV?
Build a Ladder with a Ladder Blueprint, then face the ladder and walk into it to climb.
What do you need for Fully Kitted?
All three vehicle upgrades: the Ladder, the Roof Rack and the Motorcycle Holder.
Sources and version history for this guide: Nomad Drive sources and versions.
Spot an error or a post-patch change? See how we label evidence and handle corrections in the Editorial Policy.