Delivering cargo is pretty much the name of the game in Death Stranding. Sam Bridges must make America whole again and save the world from extinction by delivering cargo to connect preppers with the UCA’s chiral network. Trekking across the varied landscapes of North America to deliver cargo isn’t always easy with hostile BTs (Beached Things), Mules, and armed terrorists all getting in Sam’s way. Here are some Death Stranding tips for delivering the goods.
Read also: 6 Hidden Prepper Locations in Death Stranding
Don’t Carry Too Much Excess Baggage
Weapons, equipment, tools, and resources (metals, resins, etc) are all extra baggage that will weigh down Sam on top of his delivery cargo. Carrying more baggage makes it harder to maintain balance and slows Sam’s movement speed whilst completing orders. So, don’t carry more weapons, equipment, and tools than you’ll ever need for deliveries. When you get saddled with lots of cargo for orders, place some gear in your private lockers to lighten the load.
Accepting multiple orders will also weigh you down with more cargo. So, don’t do any more than two deliveries at once. You can use delivery bots for completing more standard orders later in the game.
Use the Auto Arrange Option
Back-stacking lots of cargo can throw Sam off balance. However, you can also attach cargo to Sam’s arms for more even distribution. The best way to optimize your cargo arrangement is to select the Auto-Arrange option. That option automatically optimizes your cargo load in the best way for maintaining balance.
The Auto-Arrange Cargo option
Plan Your Delivery Route on the Map
Always look at the map carefully to plan your delivery routes before setting off to complete orders. Check the map to see if there are any rivers, Mule or terrorist camps, and mountainous terrain that are going to be on the route to the delivery location and plan accordingly. Player-constructed roads are an undoubted bonus that will help you reach your destination quicker with or without vehicles. When you’ve got a battery-powered exoskeleton equipped, a battery recharge station can also be a useful thing to pass by.
To plan a delivery, place point markers for your route on the map you can walk toward by activating your compass. Doing so will give you clear shorter distance markers to head for. You can also press the middle mouse button (on PC) to draw a connecting line on the map between the marker points, which will be visible when you’re walking.
A custom marker point
Take Your Time in Dangerous Terrain
Any sloped and rocky landscape is dangerous terrain in Death Stranding. That’s the kind of terrain you must show some patience with to avoid a tumble that will damage your cargo. Never run through rocky terrain or down steep slopes. Make sure you use the balance controls (hold both mouse buttons) when walking on steep slopes.
Bring Climbing Ropes and Ladders for Mountainous Terrain
Death Stranding’s Central Region map is full of dangerous mountainous terrain that can be a bit of a hiker’s nightmare for Sam. That’s especially the case when Sam hits the snowy mountain peaks from Episode 5. Then the mountains get very high with some big drops and steep slopes that will destroy your cargo should you fall.
Sam climbs down a cliff with a rope.
Climbing ropes and ladders can be very useful for traversing mountainous terrain. You can use ropes to climb down steep cliffsides, which will save you from having to find a way around them. Ladders are useful for getting up cliffsides on the mountains. They also come in handy for getting across rivers and streams on flatter terrain. So, pack a few climbing ropes and ladders for any delivery you’ll need to hike through a mountain.
Replenish Sam’s Stamina
The more you walk, the more Sam’s stamina depletes. If it gets too low, he’ll start panting and wheezing. Low stamina makes it harder to retain balance and reduces Sam’s movement speed during deliveries.
So, you’ll complete deliveries better by replenishing Sam’s health when it drops low. You can do so almost at any time by sitting down. It’s best to sit down on flat terrain where you can also select to massage Sam’s shoulders or even sleep for fast stamina recuperation.
Sam resting to replenish stamina.
Also, drink the energy cans in Sam’s safehouse rooms before starting deliveries. You can temporarily boost Sam’s stamina by up to 25 percent by drinking those drinks.
Stamina drinks
Equip Power Skeleton
The Power Skeleton is an invaluable exoskeleton to equip for delivering cargo. That exoskeleton is one of the best you can equip because it reduces cargo weight and increases the amount you can carry. Less weight means better balance, which makes it somewhat easier to avoid stumbling when delivering cargo.
You can obtain Power Skeleton models from the Engineer prepper Sam gets directed to at the beginning of Episode 3. Delivering more standard order deliveries to him will unlock the Power Skeleton Lv 1, 2, and 3 connection rewards at ranks two, three, and four. Make sure you unlock and equip those Power Skeletons models ASAP.
The Power Skeleton
Utilize the Floating Carrier for Big Deliveries
The Floating Carrier is another handy bit of gear to have for deliveries you can obtain from the Weather Station prepper. That enables you to dump about one kilogram of cargo within a floating trolly attached to Sam. You can use it to take a lot of the weight off Sam’s shoulders and make life easier for the beleaguered porter. None of the cargo within the carrier will get damaged even if you do fall a few times during deliveries.
However, note that using the Floating Carrier depletes your chiral crystal supply. So, some players might prefer to use this equipment only for orders that stuff Sam with lots of heavy cargo. You can make do without it for more lightweight delivery orders. If you must use it for all orders, make sure you collect plenty of chiral crystals.
The floating carrier
Avoid Mule and Terrorist Camps When Delivering Cargo
Mule and terrorist camps will inevitably get in the way of your delivery routes as there are quite a few of them in the Central and Western Region of America in Death Stranding. You’ll damage your cargo by scrapping with Mules and terrorists regularly, which will lower your delivery gradings. In a worst-case scenario, you’ll lose your cargo completely if they deliver a knockout blow. Then you’ll have to go back to your last save point.
So, it’s best to avoid sounding alarms at Mule and terrorist camps as much as you can when delivering cargo to preppers. To do so, walk around the camps’ areas marked on the map instead of through them. Keep a very close eye out for scanner pings on the perimeters of the camps and steer clear of them. You can always infiltrate those camps for supplies when you’re not on a delivery run or to complete orders that direct you to retrieve stolen cargo from them.
Make the Most of Vehicles
Using vehicles will enable you to deliver goods much more quickly and safely. So, make the most of bikes and cargo trucks for your deliveries whenever you can. Build new vehicles at prepper stations with garages for deliveries across flatter terrain. However, BTs, mountains, and rocky terrain will considerably restrict where you can utilize them.
Sam on a bike
You can become a master porter by sticking to those Death Stranding tips. Delivering cargo faster and in better condition will enhance your overall delivery grading. Then you’ll reach level milestones and boost Sam’s abilities all the quicker.
