The grappling hook is a tool that you can craft early on in Enshrouded. Not only does it give you more choice when it comes to traveling around Embervale, but some areas are inaccessible without it, such as the Hunter Vault or certain roads out of the starting area. It's unlikely you'll be able to reach the top of any Ancient Spires either, which open up extra fast travel options once you ascend them.
Much like the glider, the grappling hook recipe is unlocked as soon as you craft your first workbench, which you can do once you place the Flame Altar as part of the introductory quest. If you need help finding the materials needed to make it, however, here's how to craft the grappling hook in Enshrouded.
If you want to craft a grappling hook, you must place down a workbench first. When you interact with this crafting station, you'll see the tool listed under the Survival section, along with the glider and an early storage option.
Here are the materials you'll need to craft a grappling hook:
String is pretty easy to get hold of—either search around abandoned camps or break boxes and barrels with your weapon. If you have no luck there, you can also craft some with Plant Fibers. Metal Scrap is often looted from humanoid enemies—the crossbow-wielding guy on the north side of Braelyn Bridge dropped some for me, and a camp to the west of the bridge has more, though I also had luck breaking crates and barrels inside ruined buildings.
For Shroud Spores, the final material needed, you'll have to venture into the Shroud and kill enemies there. Not everything you kill will drop them, but most will drop two, so you shouldn't have to spend long farming them. There are a few small Shrouded areas around Longkeep, though you can also venture down into the larger canyon to the north if you're feeling braver.
Once you have all the materials, return to your workbench and craft the grappling hook. Now you'll get a prompt—the E key, by default—whenever you're near a grapple point, which are pretty easy to spot because of their metallic, shiny surfaces.