Tuxedo Labs put Teardown into Early Access on 29 October 2020 and shipped version 1.0 on 21 April 2022. Every wall, pipe and vehicle across its 40 mission campaign is built from destructible voxels, and the heists are designed around that fact. You get unlimited time to carve a route through a site, then 60 seconds to grab the loot and reach the escape vehicle once the alarm trips.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Trigger nothing until the route is finished
Trigger nothing until the route is finished. Preparation has no time limit whatsoever, and every hole you punch beforehand is still open when the 60 seconds begin.
2. Spray can lines survive the alarm
Spray can lines survive the alarm. Draw arrows on the floor at every corner of your route, because at full sprint you will misremember which warehouse door you opened.
3. Spend your first upgrade money on plank count and shotgun ammunition
Spend your first upgrade money on plank count and shotgun ammunition. Both create routes that did not exist, while sledgehammer damage tiers only shorten swings you already had time for.
4. Vehicles are demolition tools
Vehicles are demolition tools. Driving a forklift or truck through a fence line during preparation clears more material in five seconds than the sledgehammer manages in a minute.
5. The blowtorch answers metal and nothing else
The blowtorch answers metal and nothing else. If the sledgehammer bounces off a gate, chain or container, switch tools rather than swinging harder.
6. Fire spreads through wooden structures and will consume targets you have not collected yet
Fire spreads through wooden structures and will consume targets you have not collected yet. Keep the extinguisher on a bound key for any map with timber framing, which includes the marina.
7. Falling is rarely fatal and usually fast
Falling is rarely fatal and usually fast. Cutting a hole in a floor and dropping two storeys beats taking the stairs once the timer is running.
8. Planks anchor to anything, including a plank you placed a second earlier
Planks anchor to anything, including a plank you placed a second earlier. Chain them into a ramp over water rather than swimming, because swimming is slow and limits what you can carry.
9. Check target placement before choosing a pickup order
Check target placement before choosing a pickup order. The countdown starts on the first target, so begin with the one furthest from your escape and finish with the closest.
10. Sandbox mode hands you every tool with no limits
Sandbox mode hands you every tool with no limits. Learn what a pipe bomb actually removes from concrete there, before you spend a limited charge on a paying contract.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Tunnel Runner (A-Tier):
- Focus on Unlimited preparation, 60 second escape combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Sledgehammer
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Plank Bridge Router (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Blowtorch
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Teardown's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Unlimited preparation, 60 second escape + Destruction that persists into the timer: Most campaign missions split into two phases. Combined with Destruction that persists into the timer, damage you cause during preparation stays on the map when the clock starts.
Tool upgrades bought with heist money + Vehicles as tools and as getaway: Missions pay cash you spend at the computer in the Löckelle Teardown Services office. When paired with Vehicles as tools and as getaway, cars, boats, forklifts and cranes are drivable, and several missions require driving a target vehicle out rather than carrying loot.
Level editor with Lua scripting scaling: Teardown ships the same editor Tuxedo Labs used, with Lua scripting and direct Steam Workshop upload. Community maps, vehicles and custom game modes install from the Workshop in one click.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sledgehammer | Opening interior walls, windows and floors during preparation, when nothing is being timed. | The starting tool and the only one with no ammunition meter. |
| Blowtorch | Metal gates and marina hulls, and any locked door where the frame is the weak point. | Melts through metal, which the sledgehammer simply bounces off. |
| Spray can | Marking the escape path, target positions and plank anchor points before the alarm starts. | Draws coloured lines on any surface and destroys nothing at all. |
| Plank | Crossing water at West Point Marina and reaching upper floors without using stairs. | Fires planks that stick where they land and hold your weight. |
| Pipe bomb | Concrete and stone walls, and pre rigged demolition contracts where the target is the building itself. | A thrown explosive with a short fuse and a blast wide enough to open concrete. |
Location Efficiency
Löckelle Teardown Services (Available from the first contract onward): The campaign hub and your own company office. The computer here accepts contracts and sells tool upgrades using the money missions pay out, and the yard outside is a free place to test explosives.
Lee Chemicals (Campaign part 1, first mission): The opening contract, handed over by Gordon Woo, on a small industrial site. It exists to teach the two phase structure before the maps get complicated.
West Point Marina (Campaign part 1, early missions): A waterfront site spread across two missions, full of boats, jetties and metal hulls. Water blocks the direct line, which is exactly where the plank tool earns its upgrade cost back.
Villa Gordon (Campaign part 1, mid campaign): Gordon Woo's own property, split across two missions, with valuables spread over several floors of a large house. Vertical routing matters more here than raw demolition.
Quilez Security (Campaign part 1, late missions): A security company compound and one of the tighter late part 1 contracts, with a compact layout and targets shut behind metal rather than an open industrial site.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Treating doors and stairs as the intended path. Teardown maps have no correct route, and a hole through two walls is nearly always shorter than the corridor.
- Starting the alarm to find out where the targets are. Walk the whole site first, since the game gives you unlimited time to do exactly that.
- Spending upgrade money on damage boosts early. Plank count and shotgun ammunition change which routes exist, damage only speeds up routes you already had.
- Ignoring fire until it reaches the loot. One stray blowtorch spark in a wooden marina building can destroy a target before you collect it.
- Forgetting the escape vehicle needs a clear path too. A perfect route to the loot is worthless if the getaway is still boxed in by a fence.
Pro Quick Tips
- Trigger nothing until the route is finished. Preparation has no time limit whatsoever, and every hole you punch beforehand is still open when the 60 seconds begin.
- Spray can lines survive the alarm. Draw arrows on the floor at every corner of your route, because at full sprint you will misremember which warehouse door you opened.
- Spend your first upgrade money on plank count and shotgun ammunition. Both create routes that did not exist, while sledgehammer damage tiers only shorten swings you already had time for.
- Start with Plank Bridge Router, switch to Tunnel Runner when ready
- Invest in Sledgehammer above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Löckelle Teardown Services → Lee Chemicals → West Point Marina → Villa Gordon → Quilez Security. See our maps guide
- Unlimited preparation, 60 second escape + Destruction that persists into the timer together are stronger than either alone
More Teardown Guides
- Teardown Teardown Overview
- Teardown Best Builds
- Teardown Tier List
- Teardown Walkthrough
- Teardown Beginner's Guide
- Teardown Weapons Guide
- Teardown Combat Guide
- Teardown Boss Guide
- Teardown Maps & Locations
- Teardown Crafting Guide
- Teardown Classes & Characters
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- Garry's Mod Tips & Tricks: sandbox game with similar mechanics
