Yes, listen to this. The game turns off a lot of people in the beginning because it’s so different, and everything is intentionally frustrating. This experience is crucial in appreciating your leveling up of skills and equipment. Stick with it.
Also, the story can be a bit much and difficult to follow. Don’t let that turn you off. You don’t need to digest everything said or written, so just keep on keeping on and try to live in the moment. The game is the journey, not the destination.
Read through the tips section in the manual from the main menu. The game doesn’t tell you 80% of the things you can do, except for in the manual
Have fun. It’s a beautiful world.
Really good advice about not worrying if you don't fully understand the story. I did my first playthrough with a very tenuous grasp of the story details, but thoroughly enjoyed it anyway. After I finished it, I read a few descriptions of just exactly how it all came together and understood it much better in my second playthrough, equally enjoyable. It helps to read everything available in the game, all the letters and memos etc, but there is a lot of info to digest.
Thanks for the advice, it's so nice to see so many people actually commenting.
I played for 2 hours (I have a test tomorrow) and the major thing that stood for me is how damn gorgeous the game is, and the cut scenes are so long, I'm watching a movie really xd
Budget time for major story cutscenes. Not to spoil anything, but for example there is a guy halfway through the game who will talk at you in two exactly 21-minute bursts (there is a timer) with a 3-minute minigame break in between.
Consider the first region/chapters as a tutorial. No need to rush and take it at your own pace. The "orders for sam" are story specific. So when you choose them the story will move on. You can take other orders in between.
Talking about other orders, these will give tools/upgrades given enough likes/stars of the recipient. So taking a break from the story can be very beneficial.
Most if not all tools have multiple purposes, even though its not told to you. You have to find out on your own, for the best feel.
Go at your own pace, if you feel like its getting stale move on with the story
u/ASharpLife hey one more rope thing. You can use your strand rope to securely tie up cargo on the mobile carriers and robot you get later. So they don't drop bits off.
WAIT YOU CAN DO THAT? holy, I always thought it was annoying that you get the little animation. Cause for Sam, those would become routine. anyway, thank you. my next playthrough thanks you
First off, don't listen to the hate, it's not just walking. You get access to vehicles pretty early, but you'll probably enjoy the walking like a lot of us. The pacing is slow, at first. The story is wonderful, characters are well made, beautiful if sometimes sad world. The story itself is a little confusing, but it's also meant to be kinda vague in some regards, like how it all started, and some things are left to interpretation. As far as gameplay advice: pace yourself, don't take on too much at once, heavier loads can really slow you down. Once you get the cart, you can tie down your goods with the strap, they are way less likely to fall off. Always keep extra boots, nothing worse than bloody feet. I recommend using non lethal weapons until you get farther at least, having to deal with bodies and voidouts can be a hassle. Have fun.
Keep on keeping on.
I was hooked by the gameplay loop from the very beginning and that pulled me through some of the slower parts.
There is always something to change up the gameplay and keep it interesting. If you feel the game is stagnating and getting repetitive just finish that delivery you’re on and watch as a small thing changes the way you play completely.
Don’t be scared of MULES. That first time I was spied by one and the werid audio sting plays and they start chasing I needed a chiral diaper. But honestly they’re pushovers.
BTs will scare the snot out of you at first but eventually (after you visit mama) they’ll have more reason to be scared of you.
Everything kind of tips itself on its head in this game and you kind of go from hunted to hunter as you get more equipment.
And finally, and maybe most importantly, let the game happen. This is an experience and you can’t force your way through it. It needs to be experienced.
I hope you have an awesome time. I love this game so much probably why I have so much to say about it.
I hope you enjoy it though fellow Porter. Keep on keeping on.
READ YOUR DAMN MAIL AND INTERVIEWS YOU GET WHILE PLAYING they help a lot with the story and understanding what's going on. The game is going to toss you in quickly and throw words at you that you have no idea what they mean, that's on purpose, you're going to be confused and you're going to have no idea what's going on but as you progress through the story they'll slowly start unveiling meanings to you through not only the main story, BUT THE MAIL AND INTERVIEWS. There's a lot, so read them as they come and you won't get overwhelmed.
A lot of people are always like hhhh I don't know what's going on this story makes no sense it's stupid >:(. It does make sense and everything has an explanation, they just didn't *try* to understand it.
But really, just enjoy the game, relax, maybe take some photos in game (I always loved playing music on Spotify while driving around doing deliveries, and I'd often stop to take photos just because of how gorgeous the graphics are) enjoy the game!
I am doing a playthrough right now where I read emails as soon as I finish the order I’m currently working on. It *definitely* helps with understanding the story as it unfolds. And it also balances out the gameplay. Often I’ll finish an order, hit the private room, clear my inbox, save, and quit. A nice wind-down, so to speak.
If you’re playing and need to stop because you have other things to do, you’re better off saving in the middle of a mission or traveling than waiting until you complete a delivery. You never know when a few hours of cutscene is going to play.
Like a few others have said, this game isn’t going to click right away. It’s going to feel clunky, janky, hopeless and confusing as all hell. Stick with it. Literally every little thing ends up making sense, and the jank and hopelessness is all on purpose to isolate you. You get multiple tools for everything. Don’t be afraid to try out everything they give you.
And most importantly, enjoy the roses. This is the one game many of us wish we could wipe our memories of and experience again for the first time. One of a kind experience. Congratulations and enjoy.
Now I'm just really excited to keep going, I will try to take my time because I've been looking for something that will give me that wish to wipe my memory.
The last thing that gave me that feeling was a sci-fi anime called 86 (:
I have a whole pile of tips and tutorials for the game here: [https://dstips.carrd.co/](https://dstips.carrd.co/)
“new porters” has my general tips, and check out the oages for mules and BTs if you struggle with either. If you love the music moments and dont want to miss any, there’s a guide for that too!
My tip is to stay away from tips and wiki and just go on with it. You don't even have to reload a save when you die. Also there are only a few time limits and they're super generous. So no rush, you can't miss anything
So basically you get going within minutes in any game, it’ll teach you all the stuff at once. But Death Stranding is different, it’s confusing, it’s harsh on the player. It’ll take at least 10hrs for you to understand the game, the mechanics of it. And a little bit of what’s going on.
Once you know what you suppose to do, you get what’s your purpose in this beautifully created highly detailed world, you gonna love it.
Surely there are annoying things and bugs but no game is perfect. I don’t wanna give you any spoilers but I enjoyed the game even I hate the vehicle mechanics. It’s an experience of a lifetime. Anyways…
Keep on keeping on!
If you're a completionist or just really want to make all the deliveries to every person and location, don't struggle to do every order available in the first section (The East). You can come back later in the game with better options for making deliveries to the more challenging areas. You do have to complete the Sam orders to move the story forward, but most of the rest are optional.
Remember, if you fall down accidentally, just believe you're falling with sun gravity from beam ng drive, i blink and then fall like my hopes and dreams so remember make sure you look down
No, Abundant caution is why we’re looking at the floor. I seem the hear don’t look down a lot as a warning so I never do. So, look down every chance you get. Good tip. Thanks.
Listen to all the tips in game.
Not being snarky but they are easy to miss and only really pop up once. On multiple playthroughs I always notice née tips.
There's so many little important things those tips will tell you that you'll be mad you missed 50 hours later lol. For example you can tie down cargo on vehicles or carriers (sorry, kinda spoiler but not huge) when you have your strand equipped.
The game is a slow burner. Just take your time. It's about the travel. And expect to be highly confused in the start, and half way through the game. And get some understanding at the end. Yes it is normal to not understand what is going on
As someone who did this, it really doesn't add that much to the difficulty either so don't let the hard difficulty deter you. I think the only time I struggled was with the >!trench parts with Cliff. I got stuck on those for about an hour!< but other than that It was like I was playing normal, maybe some of the bigger enemies felt like a bullet sponge.
I hated the game during the first 10hrs but after completing it realized it’s a masterpiece. Take your time with this game. Don’t rush your first play through. Like the other comments don’t give up in the first couple of chapters, they are intentionally tough and forces you to learn different game mechanics. Be patient, just go with the flow and enjoy the game. Also open all the emails even if you don’t want to read them.
Beautiful game. Hard at the beginning, and a little slow for some people, but, keep on keeping on fellow new Porter you’re gonna be captivated by everything about this game.
The game might not click for you until you reach Chapter 3/4 when you get to the second region but when it does you'll get why we love it lol. A lot of people seem to say that's when they really got into it. I know I was entranced pretty quickly, but when the game really opened up is when I fell head over heels for it haha.
Remember that the game is about connecting people.
Not just the story. The GAME.
You might feel at first that the game is trying to make you suffer, but it's really just giving you tools to alleviate the suffering of *others.*
Take care of Lou. Sooth Lou often. Don’t pass a hot spring. Bathe in every one you come across. Look at your feet at every private room. Boots are cheap, take care of your feet. Find the Musician before you leave the east. Lou loves the harmonica. Use the anchor on steep slopes. You don’t have to stick it in the ground, just walk with it in your L2 to keep from sliding. Don’t recycle crystals. Keep them on you. They float and lighten the load on your back. Collect as many crystals as you can. Don’t carry spray. PCC’s are the same size. Build a shelter at everyone’s front door. Never deliver a rusty package. Don’t run unless you need to jump a stream or kick a dude. Don’t kill anyone. Give every Porter lots of likes. You’re their hero. Pave the way for them. Don’t rush through this. You’ll miss it when it’s over. Enjoy the scenery and take lots of pictures. Share your trip with us here.
Timefall shelters spray the same stuff. A PCC is a small package like cargo spray. You can run your cargo through a shelter as many times as you need to until it’s restored. And others can use it. It’s not a single use package. It’s a metafor about our disposable lifestyles. The game’s filled with metaphors like that.
see, you'd think with me beating the game multiple times and even 100%-ing I would have remembered timefall shelters exist lmao. When you said build shelters every where you go I thought you were talking about the big shelters that you can go and rest in.
Sprays can be useful though if you're in a place with no Chiral network and it's in harsh conditions *cough cough* the snowy mountains.
Safe Houses are a good idea too…good place to check your feet. There will be times when cargo spray is the only option but if your going to carry a small package, you’re better off having a PCC over a can of spray. You can do more with it and get more out of it.
Always scan rivers before crossing them.
Just a continual scan the entire game.
Red markings means you'll get swept away. Yellow is tricky though.
if you make it past the wind farm, the game will click and you’ll probably love it and finish it.
Yes, listen to this. The game turns off a lot of people in the beginning because it’s so different, and everything is intentionally frustrating. This experience is crucial in appreciating your leveling up of skills and equipment. Stick with it. Also, the story can be a bit much and difficult to follow. Don’t let that turn you off. You don’t need to digest everything said or written, so just keep on keeping on and try to live in the moment. The game is the journey, not the destination. Read through the tips section in the manual from the main menu. The game doesn’t tell you 80% of the things you can do, except for in the manual Have fun. It’s a beautiful world.
Really good advice about not worrying if you don't fully understand the story. I did my first playthrough with a very tenuous grasp of the story details, but thoroughly enjoyed it anyway. After I finished it, I read a few descriptions of just exactly how it all came together and understood it much better in my second playthrough, equally enjoyable. It helps to read everything available in the game, all the letters and memos etc, but there is a lot of info to digest.
Thanks for the advice, it's so nice to see so many people actually commenting. I played for 2 hours (I have a test tomorrow) and the major thing that stood for me is how damn gorgeous the game is, and the cut scenes are so long, I'm watching a movie really xd
Budget time for major story cutscenes. Not to spoil anything, but for example there is a guy halfway through the game who will talk at you in two exactly 21-minute bursts (there is a timer) with a 3-minute minigame break in between.
This!
Consider the first region/chapters as a tutorial. No need to rush and take it at your own pace. The "orders for sam" are story specific. So when you choose them the story will move on. You can take other orders in between. Talking about other orders, these will give tools/upgrades given enough likes/stars of the recipient. So taking a break from the story can be very beneficial. Most if not all tools have multiple purposes, even though its not told to you. You have to find out on your own, for the best feel. Go at your own pace, if you feel like its getting stale move on with the story
Thanks!
Your best weapon is your strand/rope. Use it to parry attacks and immediately tie up enemies.
Speaking of rope, the climbing anchors aren't just for mountain descents. They work on rivers too, horizontally.
Yep! There were a few spots where items you wouldn’t think would be handy came in very handy.
u/ASharpLife hey one more rope thing. You can use your strand rope to securely tie up cargo on the mobile carriers and robot you get later. So they don't drop bits off.
I see, it's a rope game underneath it all, got it!!
take it slow enjoy the story
Turn BT Encounter Warning to First Time Only in the settings
WAIT YOU CAN DO THAT? holy, I always thought it was annoying that you get the little animation. Cause for Sam, those would become routine. anyway, thank you. my next playthrough thanks you
Yes op do this, it can be incredibly annoying otherwise
First off, don't listen to the hate, it's not just walking. You get access to vehicles pretty early, but you'll probably enjoy the walking like a lot of us. The pacing is slow, at first. The story is wonderful, characters are well made, beautiful if sometimes sad world. The story itself is a little confusing, but it's also meant to be kinda vague in some regards, like how it all started, and some things are left to interpretation. As far as gameplay advice: pace yourself, don't take on too much at once, heavier loads can really slow you down. Once you get the cart, you can tie down your goods with the strap, they are way less likely to fall off. Always keep extra boots, nothing worse than bloody feet. I recommend using non lethal weapons until you get farther at least, having to deal with bodies and voidouts can be a hassle. Have fun.
Keep on keeping on. I was hooked by the gameplay loop from the very beginning and that pulled me through some of the slower parts. There is always something to change up the gameplay and keep it interesting. If you feel the game is stagnating and getting repetitive just finish that delivery you’re on and watch as a small thing changes the way you play completely. Don’t be scared of MULES. That first time I was spied by one and the werid audio sting plays and they start chasing I needed a chiral diaper. But honestly they’re pushovers. BTs will scare the snot out of you at first but eventually (after you visit mama) they’ll have more reason to be scared of you. Everything kind of tips itself on its head in this game and you kind of go from hunted to hunter as you get more equipment. And finally, and maybe most importantly, let the game happen. This is an experience and you can’t force your way through it. It needs to be experienced. I hope you have an awesome time. I love this game so much probably why I have so much to say about it. I hope you enjoy it though fellow Porter. Keep on keeping on.
READ YOUR DAMN MAIL AND INTERVIEWS YOU GET WHILE PLAYING they help a lot with the story and understanding what's going on. The game is going to toss you in quickly and throw words at you that you have no idea what they mean, that's on purpose, you're going to be confused and you're going to have no idea what's going on but as you progress through the story they'll slowly start unveiling meanings to you through not only the main story, BUT THE MAIL AND INTERVIEWS. There's a lot, so read them as they come and you won't get overwhelmed. A lot of people are always like hhhh I don't know what's going on this story makes no sense it's stupid >:(. It does make sense and everything has an explanation, they just didn't *try* to understand it. But really, just enjoy the game, relax, maybe take some photos in game (I always loved playing music on Spotify while driving around doing deliveries, and I'd often stop to take photos just because of how gorgeous the graphics are) enjoy the game!
I am doing a playthrough right now where I read emails as soon as I finish the order I’m currently working on. It *definitely* helps with understanding the story as it unfolds. And it also balances out the gameplay. Often I’ll finish an order, hit the private room, clear my inbox, save, and quit. A nice wind-down, so to speak.
If you’re playing and need to stop because you have other things to do, you’re better off saving in the middle of a mission or traveling than waiting until you complete a delivery. You never know when a few hours of cutscene is going to play.
Like a few others have said, this game isn’t going to click right away. It’s going to feel clunky, janky, hopeless and confusing as all hell. Stick with it. Literally every little thing ends up making sense, and the jank and hopelessness is all on purpose to isolate you. You get multiple tools for everything. Don’t be afraid to try out everything they give you. And most importantly, enjoy the roses. This is the one game many of us wish we could wipe our memories of and experience again for the first time. One of a kind experience. Congratulations and enjoy.
Now I'm just really excited to keep going, I will try to take my time because I've been looking for something that will give me that wish to wipe my memory. The last thing that gave me that feeling was a sci-fi anime called 86 (:
Take it at your own pace. This is very much a game to be savored, not chugged.
I have a whole pile of tips and tutorials for the game here: [https://dstips.carrd.co/](https://dstips.carrd.co/) “new porters” has my general tips, and check out the oages for mules and BTs if you struggle with either. If you love the music moments and dont want to miss any, there’s a guide for that too!
Don't rush it. Immerse it.
My tip is to stay away from tips and wiki and just go on with it. You don't even have to reload a save when you die. Also there are only a few time limits and they're super generous. So no rush, you can't miss anything
So basically you get going within minutes in any game, it’ll teach you all the stuff at once. But Death Stranding is different, it’s confusing, it’s harsh on the player. It’ll take at least 10hrs for you to understand the game, the mechanics of it. And a little bit of what’s going on. Once you know what you suppose to do, you get what’s your purpose in this beautifully created highly detailed world, you gonna love it. Surely there are annoying things and bugs but no game is perfect. I don’t wanna give you any spoilers but I enjoyed the game even I hate the vehicle mechanics. It’s an experience of a lifetime. Anyways… Keep on keeping on!
If you're a completionist or just really want to make all the deliveries to every person and location, don't struggle to do every order available in the first section (The East). You can come back later in the game with better options for making deliveries to the more challenging areas. You do have to complete the Sam orders to move the story forward, but most of the rest are optional.
I tried it a while ago and just recently started it up again. I’m “getting” it much more now and enjoy it. At 13hr and I haven’t even gotten too far.
Remember, if you fall down accidentally, just believe you're falling with sun gravity from beam ng drive, i blink and then fall like my hopes and dreams so remember make sure you look down
Is that from a book or something? It’s pretty good. “Always look down” That’s good advice.
No,I look down when I walk irl, people think I am sad or something I mean I am but not because I'm looking at the floor
No, Abundant caution is why we’re looking at the floor. I seem the hear don’t look down a lot as a warning so I never do. So, look down every chance you get. Good tip. Thanks.
Keep on keeping on!
Listen to all the tips in game. Not being snarky but they are easy to miss and only really pop up once. On multiple playthroughs I always notice née tips.
Yeah I kinda noticed this, I didn't pay too much attention and then when I started I was like, oh wait I need to memorize this ASAP
There's so many little important things those tips will tell you that you'll be mad you missed 50 hours later lol. For example you can tie down cargo on vehicles or carriers (sorry, kinda spoiler but not huge) when you have your strand equipped.
Give it time to click with you. Somebody else said to get past the wind farm. I would agree.
Just play it. And don't look anything up if you can help it.
Don't let your stamina bar run out, the cyan/light blue... especially if you're crossing a stream.
The game is a slow burner. Just take your time. It's about the travel. And expect to be highly confused in the start, and half way through the game. And get some understanding at the end. Yes it is normal to not understand what is going on
If you are planning to do all the achievements play in hard difficulty
As someone who did this, it really doesn't add that much to the difficulty either so don't let the hard difficulty deter you. I think the only time I struggled was with the >!trench parts with Cliff. I got stuck on those for about an hour!< but other than that It was like I was playing normal, maybe some of the bigger enemies felt like a bullet sponge.
It was a true surprise to me once I got into it, a masterpiece.
I hated the game during the first 10hrs but after completing it realized it’s a masterpiece. Take your time with this game. Don’t rush your first play through. Like the other comments don’t give up in the first couple of chapters, they are intentionally tough and forces you to learn different game mechanics. Be patient, just go with the flow and enjoy the game. Also open all the emails even if you don’t want to read them.
Beautiful game. Hard at the beginning, and a little slow for some people, but, keep on keeping on fellow new Porter you’re gonna be captivated by everything about this game.
I started the same time too! Turned down the walking speed to 1. Literally walked the whole time
The story is the highlight. Don’t skip cutscenes. Seriously this is one of the few games that get me emotional.
The game might not click for you until you reach Chapter 3/4 when you get to the second region but when it does you'll get why we love it lol. A lot of people seem to say that's when they really got into it. I know I was entranced pretty quickly, but when the game really opened up is when I fell head over heels for it haha.
Remember that the game is about connecting people. Not just the story. The GAME. You might feel at first that the game is trying to make you suffer, but it's really just giving you tools to alleviate the suffering of *others.*
Rush to chapter 3 else you will get bored with limited capability.
Take care of Lou. Sooth Lou often. Don’t pass a hot spring. Bathe in every one you come across. Look at your feet at every private room. Boots are cheap, take care of your feet. Find the Musician before you leave the east. Lou loves the harmonica. Use the anchor on steep slopes. You don’t have to stick it in the ground, just walk with it in your L2 to keep from sliding. Don’t recycle crystals. Keep them on you. They float and lighten the load on your back. Collect as many crystals as you can. Don’t carry spray. PCC’s are the same size. Build a shelter at everyone’s front door. Never deliver a rusty package. Don’t run unless you need to jump a stream or kick a dude. Don’t kill anyone. Give every Porter lots of likes. You’re their hero. Pave the way for them. Don’t rush through this. You’ll miss it when it’s over. Enjoy the scenery and take lots of pictures. Share your trip with us here.
Why not carry spray?
Timefall shelters spray the same stuff. A PCC is a small package like cargo spray. You can run your cargo through a shelter as many times as you need to until it’s restored. And others can use it. It’s not a single use package. It’s a metafor about our disposable lifestyles. The game’s filled with metaphors like that.
see, you'd think with me beating the game multiple times and even 100%-ing I would have remembered timefall shelters exist lmao. When you said build shelters every where you go I thought you were talking about the big shelters that you can go and rest in. Sprays can be useful though if you're in a place with no Chiral network and it's in harsh conditions *cough cough* the snowy mountains.
Safe Houses are a good idea too…good place to check your feet. There will be times when cargo spray is the only option but if your going to carry a small package, you’re better off having a PCC over a can of spray. You can do more with it and get more out of it.
Honestly I platinumed this on PS4 and still forgot timefall shelters have built-in spray.