Summary
Death Stranding 2: On the Beachis finally here after six years of waiting for the first game’s release on the PS4. While that game did get a special version on the PS5 with new additions, the world didn’t change that much.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beachis the first game thatallowed Hideo Kojimato put his team on the PS5 in full force, and it shows. He’s always been able to get the most out of consoles early on and late into a generation cycle. Suffice it to say, Mexico and Australia are big environments in this game with lots of side and story places to visit. Let’s go through the areas players should visit first and why it matters.
7Former Geophysical Research Lab
The End Of The Line
Death Stranding 2: On the Beachisone of those open-world gameswhere you should follow the story exactly to a certain point. Players can think of the beginning of this game like the Great Plateau inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildin that it’s recommended to get off as quickly as possible.
ForDeath Stranding 2: On the Beach, players should pass through Ciudad Nudo Norte, Villa Libre, and C1 South Distribution Center, and then finish their journey in the Former Geophysical Research Lab as quickly as possible without any detours. That’s because this facility will unlock Sam’s first vehicle, the Tri-Cruiser, which will make backtracking easier between deliveries in Mexico.
6The Artist
Changing Colors
Once the Tri-Cruiser is acquired, players can start to do side jobs inDeath Stranding 2: On the Beach,like at The Artist. This compound can be found slightly northeast of the C1 South Distribution Center, and players will probably have found some items that belong to the main NPC there, Lauren Tsai. Lauren is an artist, so most of her rewards upon delivery will allow players to change Sam, Dollman, the Tri-Cruiser, and other things into different colors.
It’s not an impressive set of rewards compared to others that unlock weapons, but players should find and unlock The Artist compound regardless. More customization options in an open-world game are a big plus for some.
5The Bokka
A Porter By Any Other Name
The Bokka is both the name of the facility inDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachand the name of the resident within which is located south of the Villa Libre. The Bokka is a type of Porter, although his ideas about deliveries are a bit wild, like reaching a state of mind.
Talking to him can be entertaining, but he has some good rewards too if players stick with his deliveries, including a new type of boot. The Trekking Boots will degrade less fast than Sam’s normal footwear, which can be a pain to print out after a few deliveries.
4The Government’s Base
Australia Here We Come
After The Bokka and finishing all side quests in Mexico, which there aren’t a lot of, players should continue the story back to Sam’s place and then to the Plate Gate Q-pid Terminalto reach Australia. On the other side, they will make their first contact point at The Government’s Base.
This facility is a smaller bunker, but it will serve as a hub run by an older gentleman named Old Oz. He doesn’t have an eyepatch, but he does have one of his glasses shaded over to give off that pirate-like effect. Progressing through Old Oz’s social status can earn players the ever-important Chiral Antigravity Device, which is a tool that will lighten the load of Sam’s backpack which is huge.
3The Lone Commander
Pick Up Sniping Skills
Above The Government’s Base is one of the trickiest bunkers to get to, The Lone Commander, which is not part of the story. As challenging as it is, players should try and make it through this BT-infested area to reach The Lone Commander, as the resident, who shares his name with the facility, has some good weapon rewards.
The best of which is a gun, the Tranq Sniper Rifle, which will help Sam take down the various early bandit camps in Australia. Even after connecting to the Chiral Network, this northern region will remain heavy with BTs, so players should always prep deliveries as a stealth mission.
2Western Environmental Observatory
Highway To The Danger Zone
The Western Environmental Observatory will be the next story location after The Government’s Base. The problem is that it has been taken over by a large number of bandits, which is where the Tranq Sniper Rifle weapon comes into play. After roleplaying asa slick sniper, players will unlock a very good reward from this bunker.
Thanks to the facility’s research, players can start to make highways similar to the mechanics from the first game. This will make traveling between facilities quick, and they can charge vehicles without a problem, beyond other rewards from the Western Environmental Observatory, like exoskeleton suits for Sam.
1West Fort Knot (F1)
Fast Travel Unlocked
After the Western Environmental Observatory, players should fast-track themselves through other locations and missions to get to West Fort Knot (F1), which is the twelfth main mission. This mission will consist of one big boss battle, and it’s a doozy. Afterward, they can meet Olivia Westbury, who runs the facility, and technically, the biggest reason to reach this point has nothing to do with West Fort Knot (F1).
Instead, this part of the story will unlock fast travel via the DHV Magellan. Players will get bad marks if they use fast travel to make deliveries, but they can still use the ship to flip between regions more easily. It’s not the best fast travel system in an open-world game, but at least it givesDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachplayers fast travel options.
