As the many trailers have already explained, the role of the protagonist of Death Stranding, Sam Bridges, is to be a deliveryman for the UCA, in a world in the midst of an apocalypse. This activity may seem mundane under the circumstances but on the other hand, many games are used to entrust dozens of delivery quests to the hero. Here is all we know about it.
Purpose of deliveries
The objective of the game will be to forge or rebuild relationships literally and figuratively, according to the game director. This concept may seem obscure, but delivering things that people absolutely need to survive is a good excuse to do so. Sam's mission will be to visit the various cities and outposts that serve as a link to the Chiral Network, a futuristic version of the Internet. He will then synchronize the Q-pid around his neck.
However, these cities are isolated in the middle of hostile wilderness and BTs are running around. As a result they lack almost everything. Trade is also the primary reason for communities to communicate with each other.
To convince these cities to cooperate and help them survive, Sam will have to take the time to transport goods from one city to another. Since he already has to make the trip, he might as well not do it empty-handed.
In a more recent message, Kojima also revealed that your decisions, and your deliveries will also affect the fate of certain individuals. For example, a certain sick and isolated old man needs drug deliveries. As you deliver, he will tell you his past and stories, but your own progress will take you further and further away from the area, and you will likely forget to deliver to him for a long time. In this case, he will die when you return to him, creating a kind of bond.
Loading and preparations
Before you leave the Bridges depot to venture onto the world map, you will need to manage your inventory at a terminal. You will then be able to setup the transported goods and their position on your character. This may not seem important, but in practice their placement will have a significant impact on Sam's overall balance.
Hiking in the mountains with poorly balanced crates on your back is no easy task. Some crates can fall, like in The Drop trailer, or when crossing a river for example.
It seems that Sam is able to carry 120kg (265 lbs) of equipment at the beginning, which is a very honorable performance for a human being with hundreds of kilometers to walk on steep terrain. It also includes the weight of the rest of his equipment, such as the retractable ladder, the Bridge Baby, grapples and other obligatory tools such as spare shoes.
It's probably better not to overload Sam, because he has to manage his endurance, and you can always find additional gear on the way.
Increasing the weight limit
Be aware that sooner or later it will be possible to unlock new tools specifically designed for the purpose of transporting more. In addition to vehicles such as motorcycles, you may also choose to equip a exoskeleton that will exponentially increase your weight limit.
Other methods will also be available such as the floating carrier. This small flying platform will be able to carry a huge quantity of merchandise, and it will follow you faithfully. If necessary, it can also be transformed into a vehicle.
It's likely that other tools will be added to your arsenal, but you will have to wait until Death Stranding is released on PS4 on November 8, 2019 to find out.
