Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding has arrived on PC, causing waves of new players to step into the heavy-duty boots of Sam Porter-Bridges (aka buffed-up Norman Reedus) to run cargo around its post-apocalyptic world.
And while Death Stranding isn’t a ludicrously hard game, it’s so unique that there’s a lot you need to learn before you can ferry around its world with confidence. So we’ve put together some beginners’ tips to help you PC-based porters find your footing in Kojima’s latest work.
Cargo makes for great weapons
It won’t be long before you encounter Mule bandits out in the world. These guys are very effective at tracking you down if you’re in their territory, and often swarm you in packs.
Mules may seem scary with their lightsaber-like spears, but really you can knock any of them out with a single blow from a cargo container. Equip a container in each hand if possible, then go in all cargo a-swingin’.
Your weaponised cargo will break on contact, so best use empty containers or easily replaceable items like ladders. A knocked-out Mule is likely to drop their own cargo too, so you can potentially grab that right away to KO the next one.
Take on premium orders
There’s a lot of information contained in the interfaces of Death Stranding, so it’s easy to miss the option to turn any standard order into a special premium order.
This imposes stricter requirements for the delivery, whether it’s delivering it within a specified amount of time or with minimal damage. These deliveries are more challenging, but get you more likes if carried out successfully.
Premium orders also increase the rate at which you increase your connection level with a given base, which eventually leads to rewards like accessories and weapon blueprints.
Dropped cargo disappears after 1000m
You’ll often need to temporarily drop your cargo in Death Stranding, whether to be less encumbered when sneaking through dicey territory, or so you can carry materials to a nearby structure you’re building.
It’s vital to know that cargo disappears at /approximately/ 1000 metres (although some players have reported it happening sooner, possibly due to terrain elevation). If the cargo disappears, it’ll go into the online aether for other players to pick up, while in your world you’ll need to go back to the origin point of the cargo to start the delivery all over again.
Or just sack off your lost cargo, and be more careful next time.
Hematic grenades make BTs a pushover
BTs are a real menace early in the game. While you can use grenades filled with excrement gathered from your shower and toilet in your sleeping quarters (yes, really), these only momentarily stun BTs, leaving you in continued danger.
But things change once you get hematic grenades. Each one of these blood-filled beauties has five charges, and each direct hit is capable of one-shotting a BT (or several BTs if they’re clustered together). Just remember to carry Bloodpacks in your utility pouch, otherwise you’ll be draining Sam’s blood for ammo.
Once you get hematic grenades, you’ll be pleased to know that you won’t need the pee and turd ones any more (let’s face it - the BTs probably prefer the swift deaths to the stinky stuns too).
Micromanage your backpack
How your cargo is stacked will affect Sam’s balance. In that respect it’s safe and speedy to just pick the ‘auto-arrange cargo’ option, but there’s more you need to consider when sorting your cargo.
Getting into a fight with a Mule or trip over will most likely cause your cargo to scatter. The cargo at the top of your backpack will scatter first, so you may want to keep more valuable stuff towards the bottom of your backpack or strapped to your legs or arms (where it’s scatterproof) to avoid damaging it. Cargo lower in the backpack is also less prone to timefall rain damage.
And with that, you’re ready to go out there and reconnect America. Death Stranding is out now on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
