While it may take you a while to get to the end of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach’s incredible story, all good things must come to an end. However, that may not necessarily be true as there is a lot to do in Hideo Kojima’s latest adventure even after you roll the credits on it.
While we won’t dive too deep into the events that bring those credits to your screen to avoid spoilers, we do have a few ways you can continue to enjoy Sam’s latest adventures once you experience his narrative for yourself.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at things you can do once you wrap up Death Stranding 2: On the Beach’s riveting main narrative.
1. Decide to Keep Q-pid On or Off
Once you learn more about Q-pid and its links to Drawbridge, you eventually get the option to keep it active if you so desire, or turn it off completely. It’s a handy addition for players who would like to complete pending deliveries or other missions without having to fret about encountering BTs or Ghost Mechs while doing so. Keeping it turned on achieves this goal, giving you an easier run through the open world.
However, Ghost Hunter missions require that Q-pid stays turned off in order to progress your rank with the mysterious entity. You should also keep it turned off if taking on BTs is how you get your thrills.
2.Complete All Pending Orders and reach 5 stars for all Preppers
You’re sure to have met at least a few Preppers during your travels across Mexico and Australia, and perhaps even helped out with a few Aid Requests or Sub Orders. Finding them all ensures that you have access to all of the cool rewards they offer, but that’s easier said than done considering they prefer to remain away from main settlements. Getting to a 5-star ranking with them all is sure to give you completionists out there a run for your money.
You could also take the time and Sam’s newfound freedom to complete any Orders you may have neglected over the course of his sprawling adventure. It’s a great way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the cool additions that Kojima has made to the game while having the Q-pid turned on lets you play at a more relaxed pace.
3. The Aeronautical Engineer To Unlock Gadgets Like Drones:
The Aeronautical Engineer is one of the Australian Preppers whose quest chains you don’t want to miss considering the rewards he provides you with for your assistance. You can find him east of the region’s central lake at the Eastern Environment Observatory. While it’s a good idea to get started with his requests for aid as early as you can, it is indeed a challenge to find every Prepper in Australia’s vast landscape.
However, helping him out nets you cool rewards like Sentry Drones, the ability to catapult yourself with cargo, improvements to jump ramps, and a couple of cool cosmetics as you increase your ranking with him. They are all quite nifty upgrades that suit a variety of playstyles and are worth sinking some time into as they could change the way you approach other missions in the game.
4. The Fisherman To Unlock Backpack Covers:
In the northern part of the central lake in Australia is the S5 Distribution Center where you can begin The Fisherman’s questline. Once again, this individual is worth seeking out as soon as you can considering that he rewards you with nifty items like Grenade Launchers and Backpack Covers that can be quite handy on your travels.
The Backpack Covers are especially useful, allowing Sam to protect his precious cargo from the effects of Timefall, and require less replacing at higher levels. They are worth it at any stage of the game but can be especially handy when you’re looking to knock out any pending Orders once you complete the story.
5. The Crazy Pizza Chef Cutscene:
If you’re looking to unlock the platinum trophy on Hideo Kojima’s masterpiece, you have some digging to do. If you haven’t sought him out already, there’s a Pizza Chef in Australia who hands over some cool weapons and skills if you were to help him out.
However, searching nearby MULE camps for a secret item lets you return to him and unlock a very amusing cutscene and a trophy too! Kojima’s sense of humor notwithstanding, the Pizza Chef is one Prepper you might want to seek out as soon as you can.
6. Secret Boss Fight With The Lord of the Tar Lake:
Another important part of assisting the Fisherman, the Lord of the Tar Lake is a secret, completely missable boss fight that requires you to max out your approval with the Fisherman and then capturing a BT Dolphin. You will then have to head on over to the map marker for the quest where unleashing your Dolphin lets you take on the boss.
Since it’s a BT, whittling away at its health gives you the opportunity to capture it and use it in battle in a pinch. Pretty neat, huh?
7. Secret Boss Fight With The Headless Riders:
For those of you who like a bit of adrenaline, this is a boss fight that unlocks while you assist the Ghost Hunter. Once the opportunity presents itself, you will want to head on over to the quest marker with a cruiser bike and wait till night falls to take on the Headless Riders.
If your travels end up bringing you there during the day, you could just build a shelter and wait it out or try to return to the area when it’s dark again. It’s quite a fun fight and is something you won’t want to miss considering how unique it is.
8. Secret Boss Fight With Savior of Terminal Fort Knot:
If you’re up for a bit of spectacle and a challenging boss fight, you could attempt to max out your star rating with the Ghost Hunter for a boss fight that you’re not likely to forget anytime soon. There’s a giant BT just waiting to meet you at F8 Terminal Fort Knox and it’s arguably the most challenging boss in the game.
While it could be a challenge to improve your standing with the Ghost Hunter, it’s well worth the effort for the rewards he provides, allowing you to kill two birds (BTs?) with one stone. There’s a trophy that unlocks for defeating the boss at Terminal Fort Knox too, making this fight a necessity if you’re chipping away at that long list.
9. The Lone Commander For The Best Stealth Weapons:
Another important Prepper you might want to visit is the Lone Commander, whose rewards include the best stealth weapons Sam can use against those who get in his way as he travels around Mexico and Australia.
He is among the first of the game’s optional settlements, found in the hills around the Government Base. This introverted sniper is very generous with his rewards, providing Sam with sniper rifles and handguns that are equipped with tranquilizing rounds and a very handy smoke grenade that lets you channel your inner Assassin as you take on your enemies and vanish into thin air when you are detected.
10. The Architect To Enhanced Building Mechanics:
Once you have the Pizza Chef connected to the Chiral Network, you might find yourself delivering a piping hot pizza to The Architect, who can be found relatively close to where the Chef is located.
Helping him out is definitely in your interest, as he lets you construct and repair buildings faster as you increase your ranking with him. along with the Chiral Bridge upgrade and a few cool cosmetics. The boosts he gives to your building speed and repairs are not to be scoffed at, and could save you quite a bit of time as you make the world a better place via the Strand System.
11. Keep On Keeping On:
If you’re at the end of the game’s story, it’s likely that you’ve already unlocked Strand Contracts. Death Stranding 2 lets you assist other players who are looking to further their adventure, with the Strand System allowing you to leave key buildings on your map for them to access.
While you can choose to have active Contracts with your friends, random players who happen across your buildings and find them useful have the option to send a few likes your way and perhaps even open new Contracts with them later down the line. It’s a great way to keep engaging with the gorgeous open world in Death Stranding 2 while also giving you more reasons to keep exploring the world.
12. New Items After Completing the Game:
Rolling the credits on the main story and returning to the DHV Magellan sets of the “One Day” episode which is essentially a epilogue chapter with no real objectives or urgent orders to fulfill. Think of it as Death Stranding 2’s postgame content.
There are a bunch of cool new items that Sam automatically gains at this stage that include cosmetics, a couple of new music tracks, and Backpack holograms that you can equip. It’s also an opportunity to try finding any gear or weapons that you may have missed during your playthrough. There’s a lot to see and do and entire regions that the main story does not guide you to, and you never know what else you might uncover.
13. Collect APAS Upgrades:
The APAS Enhancement System was one of our favorite additions to Death Stranding 2. It essentially allows Sam to tailor his loadout based on his objective at any given time and brings several Enhancements that could be very useful on your adventures.
While you can get started on collecting them all as early as Main Order #9 in Australia, and perhaps even unlock a few upgrades as you complete Missions. However, you will want to track them all down eventually, as abilities like the Emergency Vehicle Charger, Proximity Scanner, and faster MULE Box Hacking are all quite useful in their own way.
A very helpful Prepper in this regard is BPAS, whose rewards include Super Aim Assistance, Super Enhancement Switch, Enhanced Balance Assistance, and a very handy upgrade to your Chiralium extraction rate, each of which are excellent upgrades to have at any stage of your playthrough.
14. Take On Brigands and Bandits
If you’ve played it safe by keeping you Q-pid on, the lack of BTs and Ghost Mechs might make your travels a tad lonely. However, there are still brigands and bandits for you to take on when the need arises, and their camps are a perfect opportunity for you to test out all the cool new gear and abilities you’ve unlocked relatively safely.
Plus, it makes sense for Sam to keep fighting the good fight after the ending to his adventure. You’ll see once you get to the end.
15. Explore, Explore!
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is meant to be explored as thoroughly as you can possibly manage. There’s so much to discover out in the world and so many secrets to uncover over the course of this grand adventure.
Consider our list as a beginning to what could be many hours of finding new people to help out, animals to rescue, and more gear to unlock in both Mexico and Australia while your actions can even help other players via the Strand System.
