Hard Light Bridge

The Hard-Light Bridge as it appears in Portal 2.

“

These bridges are made from natural light that I pump in from the surface. If you rubbed your cheek on one, it would be like standing outside with the sun shining on your face. It would also set your hair on fire, so don't actually do it. Click to listen — GLaDOS

”

A Hard Light Bridge (simply known as a Light Bridge,) is a semi-translucent solid made from natural sunlight beamed in from the Earth's surface. It can act as a bridge for the player, a shield against turrets and other hazards, or even a wall for more complex puzzles the player encounters later on.

The bridges span an infinite length or until stopped by another solid... Although the bridge is made of light, if one portion of the bridge is stopped by a solid object the rest will not continue as a beam of light normally would.

Interactions

Hard-Light Bridges can be redirected with portals. Hard Light Bridges emerging from odd portals are orthogonal to them. Also, portals need to be in the center with the bridge if trying to get it to another place, otherwise it won't pass through.

Chell, P-body, and Atlas can adjust placement of the even portals slightly after redirection of Hard-Light Bridges with portals while standing on them in some situations...

Chell, P-body, Atlas can adjust placement of the odd portals after redirection of Hard-Light Bridges with portals while standing on them in most situations...

Portals pass through Hard-Light Bridges.

Hard-Light Bridges can also be covered in Mobility Gels (Repulsion Gel, Propulsion Gel), allowing the player to use the gels in places where it normally would just fall through. Gels placed on Hard-Light Bridges are not permanent and disappear the moment the bridge dissipates or moves to a different location or when Atlas and P-body die.

A Hard Light Bridge will prevent the Sentry Turret from even detecting the enemy.

Appearances

Portal 2 Single-Player Campaign

• Portal 2 Chapter 3 Test Chamber 11 (introduced)
• Portal 2 Chapter 3 Test Chamber 12
• Portal 2 Chapter 3 Test Chamber 15
• Portal 2 Chapter 3 Test Chamber 17
• Portal 2 Chapter 4 Test Chamber 18
• Portal 2 Chapter 4 Test Chamber 21 (Escape)
• Portal 2 Chapter 8 Test Chamber 6

Portal 2 Multi-Player Campaign

• Portal 2 Co-op Course 3 Chamber 1 (introduced)
• Portal 2 Co-op Course 3 Chamber 2
• Portal 2 Co-op Course 3 Chamber 3
• Portal 2 Co-op Course 3 Chamber 4
• Portal 2 Co-op Course 3 Chamber 5
• Portal 2 Co-op Course 3 Chamber 6
• Portal 2 Co-op Course 3 Chamber 7
• Portal 2 Co-op Course 3 Chamber 8
• Portal 2 Co-op Course 4 Chamber 9
• Portal 2 Co-op Course 5 Chamber 3
• Portal 2 Co-op Course 5 Chamber 4

Sixense MotionPack DLC

• Portal 2 Sixense MotionPack DLC Test Chamber 4 (introduced)
• Portal 2 Sixense MotionPack DLC Test Chamber 7
• Portal 2 Sixense MotionPack DLC Co-op Test Chamber 2
• Portal 2 Sixense MotionPack DLC Co-op Test Chamber 4
• Portal 2 Sixense MotionPack DLC Co-op Test Chamber 5

Gallery

Pre-release texture   Ditto   Ditto   Texture from Portal: The Flash Version MapPack. It shares the same texture with Half-Life 2’s Combine Force Field.   Texture from Portal: Still Alive   Ditto

Videos

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The Hard Light Bridge as it appears in Chamberlock informational videos.

Trivia

• Light Bridges first appeared in the Flash Version MapPack and then in Portal: Still Alive, but were more formally introduced in Portal 2.
  • The bridges in Portal: Still Alive are mostly functionally identical to the ones in Portal 2, but notably cannot be extended through portals (and do not block turrets).
• The Hard Light Bridge was originally referred to as "Blue Plasma Wall" in Portal: The Flash Version
• Despite GLaDOS warning the player that the Hard Light Bridge would set their hair on fire if they rubbed their cheek on one, rubbing any body part on the bridge actually does not cause any harm to the player.

Related achievements

Portal 2

Can't Touch This Dance in front of a turret blocked by a hard light bridge in co-op Bridge Over Troubling Water Complete the first Hard Light Bridge test

Empty Gesture Drop your co-op partner in goo while they are gesturing by removing the bridge under them