How do you dig holes without stairs?

[|Nick]

If I want to build just a hole, can I do it somehow without building a seperate staircase? Maybe with a mod?
Because afaik you cant remove the staircase without having another tunnel with a staircase or your dwarfs are stuck.

[graalGGTV]

You can dig a hole without stairs, but the miner will end up stuck at the bottom of the hole. I'm not even sure how you would want to fix that with a mod either

[Astronomygoon]

I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for but you can dig a channel, that will dig down to the layer below but leaves a ramp to access the lower level. It's not a hole with vertical walls but I think it's the closest you'll get without stairs.

[Skyler Ringtail]

My approach is usually:
1. Channel the hole (this leaves ramps so dwarves can get in and out)
2. Dig an exit staircase near the hole.
3. Remove the ramps.
4. Once all dwarves are out, construct a floor over the top of the staircase to block further access. Walls, hatches, and the like are also options.

Hope that helps!

[graalGGTV]

Originally posted by Astronomygoon:

I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for but you can dig a channel, that will dig down to the layer below but leaves a ramp to access the lower level. It's not a hole with vertical walls but I think it's the closest you'll get without stairs.

That only works for a single floor down. If you dig more than 1, the ramp at the bottom won't lead anywhere