Death Stranding is a big piece and the best part of the game is discovering all its gameplay mechanics and huge Maps. Based on this observation, the first advice you could be given is to do it without any help in order to get the most out of Kojima Poductions' first title. That said, our job is still to give you a hand, so if you feel that the title is causing you some problems from the very beginning, here are some tips that will help you better understand Sam Porter's epic.
Finding the right balance
The whole Death Stranding gameplay is based on the delivery of commodities from point A to point B, only many elements will shake up the deliveries: the topography of the terrain, the number of cargoes you are carrying and so on.
To make sure you have a good trip, look at the maximum weight available for Sam and make sure you stay below 15% of this limit, so you can move forward normally without getting too tired.
Before leaving, always press the cargo optimization button to ensure that everything is well distributed, but be careful, it will not load anything into your cart or vehicles.
Understand the goods menu
At any time, once you are on the map, keep pressing the key indicated on Sam's icon to enter the merchandise menu. There is one essential thing to understand on this menu: it includes all goods, even those that are ashore within a radius of about 5 meters.
Let's thing about this: you are in the middle of a pampas, a time shower is coming and you have around you 10 crates to equip and a vehicle capable of being loaded as well. Entering the merchandise menu will allow you to distribute all this without time running out, so get into the habit of poking around in this menu, it's intimidating at the beginning of the game, but you'll see, in the end, it's very well done!
Magic scanner, I choose you!
The R1 key is probably the one you will request the most during your deliveries, since it launches a field scanner that will tell you just about everything you need to know about the next 100 meters of your progress: objects, structures, ground conditions.... It is simply your best ally during the game.
For example, before crossing a river, bim, little scan to check its depth: if it indicates red crosses, you will necessarily be carried away by the current. Similarly, the yellow plots are more likely to slip, so if possible, stay on the valid terrain as much as possible if you plan to optimize your trips. Avoid overusing it if you know that a MULe camp is in the area, it will directly attract these leeches to you.
Night cargo
A cargo item is generally composed as follows: it first has a container, which will be the first thing that will have damage in case of a fall or rain, unless there are major shocks.
If the box is no longer healthy, then it's the content that gets hurt and you're in trouble. If during delivery you take a major shock, the contents can take a direct toll, which will be indicated by a flashing of the conveyor belts: if they are colored red, it clearly means that your goods have been damaged more than reason and that your evaluation will suffer as a result.
Fortunately, a regenerating spray should be available very quickly in your list of crafter items, needless to say that you will need to plan 2 or 3 at all times to effectively counter temporal showers. In any case, we will have the opportunity to review everything necessary to have with you whatever the type of delivery in another guide.
Likes Hunting and experience points
Death Stranding does offer a progression system based on the Likes you will receive during your deliveries and as you interact with the world. There are many ways to win Likes and we will have the opportunity to come back to them in a complete guide dedicated to them.
In the meantime, keep in mind that these are not just there to look good: not only will your delivery rank increase with your level in each category, but in addition, Sam's abilities will improve every 10 levels, depending on what you have been able to up: maximum weight, stability, strike force... Note that the statistics concerned by the Likes received depend on the type of delivery you have made.
Porter's itinerary
Setting up an itinerary will not necessarily be very useful during your first major missions: they are short trips, often feasible in one go, and the obstacles you encounter will not pose any problems. Better yet, take advantage of these first few trips to familiarize yourself with Sam's physics and the construction of early minor structures such as ladders or anchors to abseil down steep cliffs.
However, as soon as you start interacting between several delivery points, establishing an optimized route will be the best way for you to stay on the same guideline.
Please note that it is only possible to draw straight lines (A1 to A1, then A3 for example). The big advantage of this system is that it will draw a holographic line directly into the game world. We often tend to deviate from it, so don't hesitate to get into the good habits with this feature of Porter's handcuffs.
Helping others is helping yourself
First of all, remember that online gaming is very important in Death Stranding, it will really help you to better enjoy the trip, for many reasons: already, it fits perfectly with the theme of the game, then, putting structures in the right places will help make you a better deliverer.
So, when you decide to put, for example, a sharing box that everyone can use, study the place where you will place it beforehand, it will help to make it popular with carriers from other worlds.
Fatigue and BB
These are two very important elements to manage.
First of all, if your BB is in trouble and its gauge is empty, it will then be out of order and you will no longer be able to detect stranded aircraft during time showers.
To raise this gauge, you have three options:
- Switch to SPF view, then take the BB capsule and shake the controller slightly (it is possible to replace motion detection with keys in the options) so that it gradually rises. It won't please BB either, but it can save you the day in case of a perilous situation.
- Rest in a shelter, the simplest and quickest way to rest the little one in a jar.
- The hot springs that you can find during your exploration are excellent resting places for you and the Bridge Baby.
Fatigue is indeed not to be neglected during your deliveries and going through steep roads considerably increases the risk of tripping and therefore forcing you to recover, which will make old Porter even more tired. We are not even talking about sprints to escape the MULEs or the potential clashes with them. All these actions will gradually decrease Sam's overall endurance until he can hardly move and take breaks very regularly. Don't let that happen, even if it means turning back to less hostile lands.
Chapters 1 and 2: An introduction
In order to improve relationships and gain more and more information about the world of Death Stranding, it can be tempting to do everything, from your first visit. We won't spoil any more, but it's a "waste of time", since you can be much more efficient from chapter 3 of the adventure. The equipment you earn during this chapter will greatly facilitate your task and you can then return to the first areas to complete the first 100% outposts in no time at all.
Discover our verdict on Death Stranding, the new game from Hideo Kojima — available exclusively on PlayStation 4 as of November 8.
