Open the prison counterweight door
Open the prison's Big Door by repairing the broken levers with Iron Rods, raising both Counter Weights, and supplying Chains to the separate Mechanism. Pass through while the door is open, because it closes again after a while.
Gather the materials for each repair
There are 3 broken prison controls named Fix Lever, and each requires 1 Iron Rod before it can be pulled. One opens another door, while the other two raise the Counter Weights. The counterweight Mechanism needs its own Chains repair, so keep Chains available alongside your rods.
Look for ready-made Iron Rods in the prison area: 2 lie in the open, and a small chest holds 2 more alongside a Small Key. Collect these before spending your rods on other equipment. If you need a replacement supply, a Smelter turns Scrap Metal and Coal into Iron Rods.
A small chest in the prison area starts with 3 Chains. Chains can also appear among prison loot, so check your inventory and stored supplies before crafting more. Bring the Chains back to the counterweight Mechanism rather than treating them as another lever repair.
You can craft Chains at a Workbench using 2 Iron Rods once you have found Chains. The recipe requires you to have had Chains in your inventory first, so rods alone do not unlock it. If the recipe is missing, pick up found Chains before checking the Workbench again.
Repair the levers and raise the Counter Weights
- Repair the Fix Lever for the first wooden door with 1 Iron Rod. This makes the door's lever usable.
- Pull the repaired door-opening lever. The wooden door opens, letting you continue into the prison.
- Repair a counterweight Fix Lever with 1 Iron Rod. Its control is now ready to raise the connected Counter Weight.
- Repair the other counterweight Fix Lever with 1 Iron Rod. Both counterweight controls are now usable.
- Pull a repaired counterweight lever to raise its Counter Weight. This completes part of the Big Door's opening requirement.
- Pull the other repaired counterweight lever to raise the remaining Counter Weight. Both weights must be raised for the Big Door to open.
- Supply Chains to the separate counterweight Mechanism. With its repair complete and both Counter Weights raised, the Big Door opens.
- Pass through the Big Door while it is open. Make the crossing your priority, since the door closes again after a while.
Power the prison elevator after the door
Farther along, operate the 3 fuse or cell switches that power the prison elevator. Once the elevator is powered, ride it toward the Giant Spider encounter. Finish the counterweight door sequence before moving on to this next part of the prison route.
Check these repairs if the Big Door stays shut
If the counterweight levers work but the Big Door stays shut, check the separate Mechanism for its Chains repair. Repairing the levers with Iron Rods does not complete that interaction. The door needs both raised Counter Weights and the repaired Mechanism.
Look for the Mechanism's message, “Bring Chains to Fix it.” The missing repair prompt was fixed in patch 1.0.50.0. Update the game if that message is absent, then return with Chains to complete the repair.
Opening the wooden lever door does not finish the counterweight puzzle. That lever has a different job from the pair that raises the Counter Weights. When checking your progress, account for the door-opening lever, the counterweight controls, and the separate Chains repair.