Making deliveries might be the name of the game in Death Stranding, but Sam still has to get his hands dirty in combat now and then. North America is full of Mule and terrorist camps with enemies you can’t always avoid. Mules want your cargo, and terrorists prefer to kill you. Sam must also fight BT bosses, Higgs, and the mysterious combat veteran Cliff Unger in some episodes. Here are some Death Stranding combat tips to help you get on top of Sam’s foes.
Read also: 10 Death Stranding Tips for Delivering Cargo
Use Non-Lethal Weaponry Against Mules and Terrorists
Death Stranding includes non-lethal weaponry for a good reason. Killing enemies with lethal guns will leave dead bodies lying around that will later go necro and trigger massive voidout explosions if not dealt with. First, you’ll receive a warning, but Die-Hardman will tell you about dead bodies that are about to go necro later in the game. Failure to deliver a dead body to the cremator in time will amount to a game over.
You can easily avoid such a necrosis nightmare by using non-lethal guns. Non-lethal assault rifles, shotguns, and bola guns are all good alternatives to weapons that kill. It’s also relatively straightforward to knock out unarmed Mules with melee combat. So, stick to non-lethal weaponry throughout Death Stranding.
A terrorist downed with a non-lethal firearm.
Don’t Attack Camps Carrying Lots of Delivery Cargo
Nothing weighs Sam down more than tons of cargo. Attacking camps when you’re carrying lots of ordered goods will make Sam slower in combat. A large cargo stack on Sam’s back also exposes his position when in the long grass. Furthermore, delivery cargo will get damaged (maybe even stolen) when you’re fighting Mules and terrorists. So, it’s best not to infiltrate camps when you’re carrying delivery cargo. Complete your orders first before attacking camps.
Chuck Stun Bombs at Manned Turrets and Vehicles
Enemies can inflict a lot of damage with manned gun turrets at their camps. Stun bombs (or grenades) come in handy for dealing with hostiles at manned turrets. Chucking stun bombs at enemies firing with turrets will temporarily stun them for a few seconds. Then you can directly approach turrets and knock out hostiles before they get a chance to start firing again.
Stun bombs are also useful against manned enemy vehicles. Chucking a stun grenade at an approaching moving vehicle will briefly stop it and briefly stun all the Mules or terrorists aboard. That will get you a little time to take out one or two enemies clinging to the vehicle before they recover from the stun effect.
A turret gun
Aim for Heads With the Bola Gun
The Bola Gun is a non-lethal weapon that fires binding wires. Body shots with that gun entangle enemies, but you’ll still need to manually knock them out with a good kicking. However, Bola Gun headshots will immediately knock out enemies. Thus, it’s better to aim for targets’ heads with Bola Guns.
Use the High Ground to Your Advantage
Many Mule and terrorist camp areas run alongside elevated hill or mountain terrain. Such terrain provides you with an advantage in combat since you can shoot down over Mules from hills and mountainsides. It’s harder for enemies to close in on you when you’re up a cliffside or steep slope. There are also usually lots of rocks on mountainous or hilly terrain that provide cover from enemy fire.
Sam overlooks a camp from elevated terrain.
Try to make the most of any high ground alongside camps’ perimeters. If there isn’t any high ground directly beside a camp, you can still alert Mules to your presence by walking up to scanning pylons along its perimeter. Then scamper up some high ground and wait for enemies to come to you.
Hide in Long Grass for Stealth Attacks
You don’t have to go in all guns blazing when infiltrating Mule and terrorist camps. There are usually many large patches of very high grass within camp areas that will camouflage Sam when crouching. That kind of grass is perfect for mounting stealth attacks with the strand. Sneak through long grass to approach nearby enemies without them seeing you. Then you can wait for the right moment to bind an enemy from behind.
Sam approaches a camp through long grass.
Use the Cargo Scanner to Find Blood When Fighting Cliff
Death Stranding has three battlefield combat episodes in which Sam fights it out against the deceased special forces veteran Cliff Unger and his BT soldiers. Those are episodes in which you’ve got to pick up all the weaponry you can find to fight Cliff with. However, you won’t stand a chance without any blood bags, which are effectively your ammunition for anti-BT weaponry.
Thus, it’s imperative to find all the blood bags you can grab when in combat with Cliff. Using the cargo scanner makes it much easier to find all blood bags, weapons, and other items when fighting Cliff. So, make the most of that scanning tool in the combat episodes to ensure you don’t miss any blood bags or guns.
Sam in a jungle battlefield
Make the Most of Cover
Cover is also important in your battles against Cliff. Gunfire from Cliff and his soldiers inflicts more damage than regular Mules. To complete those combat episodes, you’ll need to make the most of the cover provided by trenches or battlefield debris to protect Sam from enemy fire. Hide behind the cover to wait for blood bags to replenish health when you’ve taken a lot of hits.
Cliff Unger
Complete Optional Orders to Get More Weaponry
Completing orders increases connection levels with prepper facilities and unlocks new gear for Sam to play with. However, better weaponry will help you in Death Stranding combat more than anything else. Complete more optional orders to get better weapons. These are some of the new weapons you can get by from prepper locations:
- Mountain Knot City: Level three non-lethal Assault Rifle (connection level three)
- Photographer: Level one and two Riot Shotgun (connection level four)
- Engineer: Level one and two smoke grenades (connection levels two and three)
- Distribution Center North of Mount Knot City: Level two Assault Rifle (order 43)
- Evo-devo Biologist: Multi-Rocket Launcher (connection level four), Grenade Launcher (order 61)
Use the Riot Shotgun at Close Quarters
The Riot Shotgun is a short-range weapon that packs a lot of punch in close-quarter combat. You can take out almost all Mule and terrorist enemies with one or two precise shots from close range with the Riot Shotgun. So, that’s a non-lethal firearm worth equipping when you need to blast through an enemy camp.
Sam holding a Riot Shotgun.
Some combat is unavoidable in Death Stranding. You can make light work of hostiles by sticking to those Death Stranding combat tips. Fighting enemies will enable you to complete orders in which you need to retrieve stolen goods and help yourself to all the cargo, materials, and equipment you’ll find within camp stockpiles.
