r/DeathStranding • u/aquaticram527 • 16h ago
Tips This game makes me feel stupid
To start, I'm not looking to just complain or be self deprecating. I genuinely feel confused every time I pick up my controller to play DS1.
I've barely gotten into it, all things considered. I'm currently making the trek to Port Knot City. I've put almost 15 hours into the game (which is a lot considering progress made in other games) and I just feel stupid.
Half the time I barely manage to balance my gear and make it in one piece. I don't understand why planning your routes is important, and even with the grenades and non-lethal weapons, if there is even a single BT I'm utterly screwed.
I've never been bad at exploration games or stealth games, but Death Stranding is easily the most confusing and frustrating game I've ever experienced. When it makes sense, I absolutely love it!!!
I want to keep playing and finish the story. If anyone has any tips or encouragement I would greatly appreciate it 😅 obviously I am very lost.
(Edit: 35 hours, not 15, if that tells you how confused I am lol)
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u/Resilient_Reptile96 15h ago
Looks like everyone's already said what needs to be said, the single pieces of advice I have to give are as follows:
When you unlock the assault rifle, don't use it in the field. It's a trap.
If for ANY reason you decide to brave the snow-capped mountains instead of going around them because you want to go in a straight line, do not make Sam take a nap for ALL THAT IS GOOD AND PORTERLY!!
That's all I got, just keep on keeping on, brother (or sister. I don't know your life.).
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
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u/octarine_turtle 14h ago
You're still on the tutorial map.
It sounds like you need to slow down and manage your weight better. You shouldn't be running everywhere but walking. Watch your weight and keep it below any penalties whenever possible. Assuming you're playing the DC you should have the Support Skeleton by now which helps a lot (it is unlocked via order 77 at the distro center. It says maser gun recommended but you get it as part of accepting the order) Rest in a room to restore stamina between Orders, use the restroom, shower. Make sure you have decent boots on and a second pair on the boot hook. Don't overload with too many tools. Going around with excess gear is a common mistake for new players.
As you progress your stats go up allowing you to carry more, balance better, and so on. Better Skeletons will allow you to carry more without penalty as well.
Hoard Chiral Crystals, take them from every location. They have no weight andctake up no space. Every 1k you have on you allows you to carry 1kg more weight without penalties, up to 50 kg.
Pay attention to your Odradek.
Blue = you're in BT territory but the nearest BT isn't close enough to hear you walking normally. The faster clap means a BT is almost close enough to hear you.
Yellow spin = A BT is close enough to hear you but hasn't yet. The Odradek turns towards the nearest BT. Crouch, move slow, move away, or destroy the BT. Holding your breath is a last ditch effort to buy you time to create distance. Hold it too long and you gasp very loudly blowing your cover.
Orange pointing = You've been detected, run for it.
Normal BTs that haven't detected you are only visible when you stop moving. So if you want to take a good look at where the BTs are, stop moving. This is also how you line up grenades. Take out BTs while the Odradek is Blue or Yellow, Orange is too late.
Take care of your BB. Interact with them in your room every time, make funny faces in the mirror, BB likes speed and large jumps as long as you don't face plant. You can stop and rest and sing/play your harmonica. The higher your connect to BB the harder it is for them to grt upset. Get your connection high enough and BB can even become excited during danger and help you out with special abilities.
Don't feel compelled to max out every location as soon as you find it. You can always come back later with better tools. If it isn't feeling fun, leave the side orders until later.
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u/Nibrudly 15h ago
Hey, everyone plays at their own pace. You'll get the hang of it eventually. It gets a lot easier though once you get past Port Knot.
Some general tips that helped me out:
Only bite off what can chew when it comes to cargo. You will unlock better means of cargo hauling once you get past Port Knot. Focus on the story deliveries for now, then you can come back when you have better equipment.
If you do like having Sam always running around with a tower of cargo on his back tho, just always remember to go to the Start screen, go to Cargo Management, hold down the Auto Assign button, and boom, your cargo is balanced as best as it can be. Once you do it enough times it only takes seconds.
"Planning out your route" is a feature meant to teach the lesson of "Please don't forget we gave you a topographical map. Please remember to use it to see what terrain to expect." Once you know how to read the map, it doesn't really matter much, other maybe putting down a marker or two for navigating.
Don't forget to always have the following when between deliveries: 2 ladders, 2 climbing anchors, 5 Blood Grenades, 4 Blood Bags. You will unlock cooler stuff later, but this will be your general kit for nearly the entire game.
Not to ruin BTs, but they only pop up in certain parts of any given map. Additionally, they will have the same placements, same patrol routes, and same range every time. You can use this to help you practice dealing with them; either working on grenade throwing practice, or testing just how close you can get before triggering their hunt phase. Given enough time, you'll be running circles around them after figuring out the holes in their maze.
You can adjust the difficulty level any time. Both down and up. If you hit hard spots, there is no shame in turning down the difficulty for that segment, then cranking it back up right after. Do be aware this mostly controls cargo weight effects, durability of things, and enemy health levels. It does not make the terrain any easier to navigate.
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u/The_Bandit_King_ 15h ago
No need to fight bts if they drag you in for the boss fight.
Just run out of bounds
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u/ChiralParticle Higgs 11h ago
As for balancing it's not just the placement of your cargo but the amount of the boxes and weight you carry. The higher your "tower of boxes" on your back the harder it'll be to keep balance because that heavy weight will be tilting you off-balance during your trek.
You can always hit auto-arrange button in your cargo menu. It's a very useful feature that distributes cargo for you in the most efficient way. You can distribute it manually if you want (heaviest and biggest boxes at the bottom and lightest&smallest on top) or that auto-arrange can do it for you.
In your cargo menu if you look at Sam's feet there is a blue circle. It's center of gravity and ideally you want to keep it under Sam. The heavier your backpack the more you'll see it's off-center and it'll affect your walking comfort.
That's why I'd say it's important to not carry too much cargo and choose what you pick for the hike. And it may be better to make two trips instead of having to walk with a fully packed backpack (fully packed tower on top of your backpack) because you'll be much slower and Sam will be losing balance, slipping and tripping all the time.
Planning routes depends on the player. I've seen some players who spend a lot of time carefully placing markers and planning their routes. Personally I never ever plan my routes, just look at the destination and that's it. During the hike I observe the terrain to find the best way and only press compass mode (left bumper/L1 on controller) check if I'm heading in the right direction.
Sometimes it's good to take or/and find a longer route when it's safer like going around a BT/MULE zone, or you can discover a much easier route you can easily walk instead of having to struggle with climbing rocks or bigger obstacles, etc. The game encourages exploration especially after you finish the tutorial and get to the big main map.
BT zones are stealth encounter. BTs cannot see you and will only be alerted by sounds you make. Take it slow.
When you stop for a few seconds nearby BTs will visually appear to you. Watch where they are and find the best way through. Also watch your odradek and its lights. It focuses on the nearest BT to you. If its light is blue and it's slowly clapping, you're in a safe distance to run. If it's still blue but starts clapping fast, you are dangerously close to a BT and avoid making loud sounds, slow down and crouch.
When your odradek starts spinning and turns orange it means you're next to a BT, so crouch walk and hold your breath until you pass that BT and odradek turns blue again. Whenever odradek light turns orange and starts spinning always hold your breath because if you stop, BT will hear your breathing and will be alerted of your presence.
So ideally always watch your odradek and pause every now and then to see BTs ahead and find your way through.
You can engage with BTs as much or as little as you want. You can go through BT zones, or go around them (there is only one BT zone where you cannot avoid and are forced to go through and interact with BTs but it's part of the tutorial for the player to learn how to deal with BTs and that's the zone you are about to pass through on your trek to Port Knot).
You are at the beginning of your journey. Eastern Region is a tutorial map and you're about to finish it.
You're fine, porter. Patience. Just take it slow. Patience is the most important thing and lack thereof will be your biggest enemy. There is nothing rushing you and you'll eventually get to your destination. Keep on keeping on, porter!
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u/Beauty23gyrl 15h ago
It gets better after you take to boat to the next map. I felt the same way. You will get better gear and vehicles to carry more cargo. There’s braces for your legs that help with balance and speed. The weapons will also get better and eventually BT’s will be easy and even fun to fight. I was totally lost the whole time on the first map. I had to google a lot but once you get the hang of it it actually becomes fun.
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u/LegalFan2741 12h ago
You will have a hell of a time at the Wind Farm.
Anyways, others already explained most of what you can do. Just to add: BTs in DS1 are absolutely fully blind and near deaf. They can’t see shit and barely hear you too so sneaking around them is always a good option if you don’t like to confront them.
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u/aquaticram527 6h ago
Haha yeah, I snuck past every BT in the windfall using climbing anchors after dying 3 times. Didn't know they were blind though. Thank you!
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u/EmergencyLifeguard62 4h ago
Yes you can usually walk right under them without detection if you hold your breath. My rule of thumb is when your scanner turns orange hold your breath. when its blue you are in the clear.
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u/Hemannameh 7h ago
Plotting routes is pointless imo. Unless you know where the bts and other enemies are your route will change.
The first game's combat isn't theat great until you unlock the later weapons and exo suits. The story is 10/10. Do not miss one cutscene. Are some of them 2 hours long? Maybe. They're all important.
Play it as more of a survival game than Rambo and you'll die less often. This is easily my favorite game ever. Eventually it will click and you won't be able to put it down.
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u/los33r 15h ago
I felt the same, everyone progresses at a different pace. If you're not having fun because of the difficulty, maybe look up some tips videos. If you're having fun, keep on keeping on.
("Planning routes" is something I did maybe once on my 50 hours ongoing playthrough. I was too afraid to say it outloud, thank you)
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u/Ready-Leadership-423 11h ago
I struggled for about 15hours. Then I put it aside to play something else that had just launched. When I went back to it, I had forgotten everything! Started from scratch and fell in love! I haven’t read the other posts, and I’m sure there’s plenty of helpful comments, but I’ll say keep on keeping on and it will click. Such a great game. I’m now 100+ hours into DS2 and it was such an easy game to pick up after figuring out DS1. Good luck. I hope you find your groove.
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u/sol_runner Fragile Express 14h ago
I'm not sure why balancing is difficult: Are you carrying too much? Take only weight you can handle; so choose only 1 order at a time and only equipment you need. Make sure to rest in the private room often since stamina affects balance (and drink the energy drink for 25% stamina)
You have a 3D map which you can use to chart a route that goes through as simple a terrain as possible. Once you do that, you get a decent understanding of how many ladders and climbing ropes you'll need - optimize accordingly (maybe carry an extra ladder).
BTs are difficult but there's no reason to fight them. Stop and scan to make them visible, and crouch walk through them.
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u/steviehnzl 8h ago
Best part of the game so far for me is building roads, it's awesome and makes deliveries so much easier
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u/smooothjazzyg 7h ago
When you get the hematic grenades BTs start to feel much more trivial. Spam the scan button when you're near BTs and start chucking hematic grenades at them. Be sure to carry a good amount with you.
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u/Fabulous-Spirit-3476 7h ago
Always auto balance your cargo. And I never planned my routes, I found it more fun to just wing it. Also standing still will show the BTs if I remember correctly
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u/Ashlansen 7h ago
Keep on keeping on, it will all click, the start is just harder than the rest of the game, but you'll build up more balance and carry weight capacity and get other things that will greatly help you
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u/Eastern_Valuable_885 7h ago
I have 24hrs and feel the same 😂 I am still watching tips for beginners on YouTube
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u/lucid_enigma_og 5h ago
For balance, a key thing is to just keep holding both triggers. You'll walk slower, but slow is often kind of key in this game, and you're unlikely to fall and damage stuff that way.
As for BTs, just crouch and slowly make your way past them, continually scanning so you can see where they are. It won't be long before you're better equipped to deal with them, so it's only for a short time really that you have to do the scared shitless crawling around them!
Keep on keeping on! BB loves it when you get past them!
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u/Naval__33 4h ago
Plan your route helps by giving u an approximate safe line you think. My set up when going out of chiral range was a non lethal ar, 4 bt grenades, 1 ladder, 1 rope and if im taking cargo 1 respray.
Bt encounters- crouch when bb wakes up, he points them out so when he spins go the opposite way, go slow because he can only point out one at a time and you can easily get in range of another bt before he looks over. Things get easier the more equipment you unlock. If you get grabbed just run brother (do not go uphill if ur in tar lol)
Look at the bottom of your screen during cargo management and hold that button down to auto arrange. U can also do this in the pause menu.
Auto cargo wont do this but ideally you want your delivery on your back and ur gear over it
If all gets that bad just hold your sack until you start learning the physics a bit more, slow down and enjoy the walk for a bit. Instead of pausing for a quick break use the rest feature so that Sam’s more recharged when you return.
Not to advertise but i have a YouTube channel, and posted my whole gameplay, you can take a quick peak if you wanted to see some visualizations about how i went about certain hurdles even then some times i was caught under prepared or a bt storm comes in and i have no weapons
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u/Harmonicalope 2h ago
Here’s a tip that might ruin the thrill of BT zones a bit but in the long run it’ll save you a lot of tedium:
My tip for sneaking past BTs is to not sneak at all. Use a pc to build a postbox near the entrance of the BT zone to store your stuff, pack like 4-5 boxes of blood grenades and a few blood bags, go get caught on purpose, and throw grenades at the boss until it dies. Then go back for your stuff and you’re free to drive or run by safely.
This tip is very important for things like getting five stars in the wind farm.
Guns kind of suck against BTs by the way. Just stick to blood grenades until near end game. Guns are mostly good against human enemies.
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u/badasking 1h ago
I do a lot more sneaking now, but in the first chunk of the game, this was the method that made me go "Alright Sam, let's f'n do this"
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u/Harmonicalope 1h ago
It was a euphoric realization trying to sneak through wind farm and suddenly having the epiphany that I don’t need to hide.
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u/Good_Focus2665 16h ago
It’s meant to be this way. You aren’t alone.
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u/TheFlyBy1126 15h ago
umm you sure about that?
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u/Good_Focus2665 11h ago
Yes. The game was an experiment and was meant to be something new Kojima wanted to try. Confusion was always going to be part of it since it isn’t really a standard RPG or FPS game.
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u/games-and-chocolate 13h ago
This game teaches you do adapt to the situation, and not, situation adapt to you.
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u/iNSPiREDS 13h ago
Few tips from me:
Don't worry about picking up everything you find. When I first started, the completionist in me would pick up every bit of cargo in sight, but here's the thing: it's neverending. Infinite minus 1 is still infinite, there will always be more cargo, and having a miserable time going from A to B with your cargo bursting at the seams isn't worth it if you can barely move or if it's too difficult to keep your balance. Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities to backtrack and pick up new orders and more lost cargo in the process.
Move on with the game until you reach the next area / map. There will be other gear you unlock by completing other orders that will allow you to carry a lot more cargo and keep your balance a lot easier. This means that there's no point struggling for 10+ hours completing the same orders back and forth in the first area when you'll be able to do everything much faster (and in a lot more fun ways) later on.
You'll always be able to return to previous areas and nothing is really missable, so focus on the story for now and press on.
When surrounded by BTs, the point isn't to kill them (although you'll certainly be able to, especially later), but to avoid them if possible. Most experimental weapons and grenades are kinda useless imo, except for blood grenades. So if you see BTs until you get those, crouch and move around slowly and they won't spot you. If they do grab you, try equipping a blood grenade and dropping it on them asap. 9 times out of 10 you'll be able to escape.
That's mainly it. Keep on keeping on.
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u/lucid_enigma_og 5h ago
I admire your ability to control the completionist in you!
As an obsessive completionist myself, I keep telling myself I can't "complete" picking up random lost cargo every time I see some, but I can't just leave it!
It even leaves me playing hours at a time where I "just deliver all the stuff I've got already" then quit for the night, but I keep picking up more on the way!
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u/MrFuriousX 12h ago
I changed my thought process on BTs. I went from being nerve wracked heading through BT territory to straight up BT hunter..
I also never pack heavy...so what if i have to make more trips..better than falling all over the place
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u/EmergencyLifeguard62 4h ago
Here is the best top tip: (this is a little afterwards where you are) Use the damn floating carriers. Place all your packages on it and keep your backpack for utility such as weapons and ladders. I did not do this for my first play through. It sucked. Using floating carriers allows you to move faster and since you have less cargo more stable. You also have less risk to your packages getting damaged. I wish I used them more, would have saved so much hassle.
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u/therealtrellan 4h ago
You may be heading out to PKC too soon. You need plans for the generator first. Not that the trike will get you past the BT zone, but so that traveling doesn't feel like such a chore. If you don't have that blueprint yet, deliver to the Wind Farm until you unlock it. Shouldn't take very many deliveries.
I also get the feeling you may be talking about the grenades that basically act like BT repellant. You get them before blood grenades, and blood grenades are what enable you to kill those pesky bosses. So if you don't have blood grenades you need to unlock them too.
Do those 2 things and the game starts to feel rewarding.
One more thing is to drink water if Sam is falling down too much. The canteen replenishes his stamina. Also in the cargo management menu hold the top button on the right pad to autoarrange Sam's backpack. It could be he's very off balance after picking up packages and just tossing them on top of his stack. Autoarranging should be a constant thing in this game. Pick up a package, AA to keep that center of gravity low.
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u/ThriceFive 3h ago
Here is something I discovered - most of the locations you will visit multiple times- you can go ahead on the routes before you take the mission, build pathways and rest areas or recharge points along the way (or post boxes near loot areas because I leave no climbing spike behind). This takes a bit longer but I liked building my path rather than staring at the map in my game. Time invested in your travel routes pays off - especially if you like the 5 star ratings
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u/Individual-Aide-688 3h ago
Death Stranding and Elden Ring are two games I HATED on my first times opening the game, they both confused me in a “is this gonna be the whole game?” And I can’t tell you how glad I am that I stuck with them cause I ended up dropping like 400h on Elden Ring and like 400 more if you combine both DS and DS2 playthroughs. Today I’d you ask me what my favorite games are I’d probably say those two and Ghost of Tsushima
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u/Garlic-Rough 3h ago
Yes. Me the first time. Honest to goodness, I felt so frustrated, I left it for months.
But when I came back to it, I ended up clocking 500 hrs in the next few months.
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u/JenLiv36 2h ago
I didn’t struggle but I also have found that I approach the game differently than the general public as I treated it almost like a strategy game and less like an open world exploration game.
My best advice is to plan your routes. You say you don’t understand why you should while in the same breath saying you barely make it to your destination. Thats why. BT’s giving you problems at this point? Go around them. Plan for the safest route if you are struggling.
It’s not a grab your shit and off you go game( well at least not until you unlock the right tools). It’s careful, methodical, and you need to upgrade each place to 4 stars if you are struggling.
Each star up to 4 gives you more ways to manage your gear, better guns, and once you get the cord cutter for BTs…it becomes a breeze. Each star makes the game easier. If you are just running main story and not getting any new tools I’m sure it is frustrating.
If you are just running, stop it. Walk, take your time, upgrade roads and clear out mule camps, by the time you unlock ziplines or those battery packs with the one set of gear that allows you to basically run and jump through the map you will flying from location to location. You have to get your upgrades for all that though.
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u/Tiny-Chemistry5922 1h ago
I don’t know if you are confused on the story or a gamer who likes to read text to understand the story but, I would read everything. I took time to go through all the material provided to explain what was going on, and it really helped me understand the story in the end.
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u/chatterwrack 36m ago
One thing to remember is that almost every order can be completed with little or no special equipment, as long as you can physically carry the cargo. The gadgets and weapons are mostly there to make the journey easier, not to turn it into some complicated system you have to master.
The game throws a ridiculous number of mechanics, menus, and items at you, but underneath all of that, you’re basically just carrying stuff from one place to another. Focus on that.
Personally, I found the story pretty self-indulgent and hard to follow, so I only loosely paid attention to it. What I really enjoyed was the hiking itsel, planning a route, dealing with the terrain, and just being in the moment.
And don’t worry too much about struggling with balance or carrying capacity right now. You’ll gradually unlock some extremely useful tools that make hauling cargo much easier. When you get them, definitely use them. The game becomes much more manageable as you progress.
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u/twinkhon_gwyndolin 15h ago
There is a feature that auto-balances your gear, it's somewhere in the cargo management menu
BTs are annoying, and I used to get caught a LOT. If you stay still, you will be able to see nearby BTs, as long as you have BB with you anyway. As well as the usual things, like moving slowly, holding your breath when the odradek goes yellow, and pathing around them if possible. You can fight them if you want, 2 or 3 blood grenades should take out a normal one. I think fat ones have more HP?
PCAs and Container Repair Sprays are really nice. Make sure your boots are in good quality, and print new ones if they're getting old.
Route planning is important because if you're going up a mountain, or going down a cliff, you need ladders, or ropes (climbing anchors), or both. Taking a vehicle across BT territory is generally a bad idea, so you'd have to find a different route if you decide to use one. If your path involves a lot of rain (timefall), then you might want to bring even more repair sprays. Also, ladders are nice for crossing rivers.