it is one of the weakest items in the game, it doesn't exactly have much tech on its own, the most complex you can do with only the ladder is place it mid-air and use it as a quick thing to hop off. but if you need to cross a gap, you can place it under you, start jumping facing the opposite direction you want to go, and the force will tip the ladder over then you just stay at the top part of the ladder and jump when you think you can make it.

using a bomb, you can place a bomb down, jump on the bomb and place the ladder for an even greater boost upwards with the combined force of the bomb pushing on you and the ladder. the same can be done with the impulse.

you can get much more benefit from the ladder if you know how to manipulate its low gravity. it has a lot of applications as a sort of air board, as you will fall slower if your stanting on it while falling, making it useful it, say, there's a portal just under the level. you can place it mid-air and use it to hover down and jump off of into the portal, or to use as something to item boost off of.

um yeag i like ladder. it aint great, but its not a brick of an item, there is a technique to using one.