Death Stranding 2 Players Discover Frustrating Bulk Delivery ’Efficiency’ Penalty

A Death Stranding 2: On the Beach player discovered that delivering parcels one-by-one, rather than in bulk, results in significantly better reputation gain despite being a more time-consuming method. Following its recent release in June, Death Stranding 2 has received enormous praise from players and critics alike for improving upon the original's unique formula in a meaningful way. Despite occasional claims of being little more than a "walking simulator" by some people, Death Stranding 2's positive reception and stellar sales metrics help cement Hideo Kojima's reputation as an industry titan.

Just like its predecessor, the core gameplay loop of Death Stranding 2 revolves around making deliveries to isolated settlements. Sam Porter Bridges, portrayed by Norman Reedus, often finds himself visiting preppers in far-flung facilities during delivery missions for lost cargo. Each successful delivery to these individuals results in a reputation bump, which, at maximum, can be increased to five stars. Increasing relationships with preppers is not a requirement, but for completionists and those looking to receive all rewards possible, it's a must.

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A user who goes by idontcare235 recently took to Reddit to warn other players in a PSA about making bulk cargo deliveries to preppers in Death Stranding 2. Through testing and personal experience, they discovered that when transporting lost cargo, it's always better to hand over each item separately rather than all at once. Using screenshots of a delivery made at the La Madre outpost as an example, idontcare235 shared that players can not earn more than one star worth of reputation from a single delivery, regardless of how much cargo there is.

Death Stranding 2 Bulk Deliveries Offer Less Reputation Gain Than Anticipated

Reactions among Reddit users were mixed, with some appreciating the tip in the spirit it was given, while others criticized Death Stranding 2 for having this seemingly nonsensical feature in the first place. Some commenters were quick to jump to the game's defense, however, stating that the intended reason behind the restriction to reputation gain from deliveries is clear: to encourage slower, more deliberate progression. User Lekaetos reaffirmed the point by saying, "To 5 stars a base means (in game) that the base trusts you and your effort." Others also pointed out that bulk delivery inefficiency is not a new feature but one that was present in Death Stranding 1 as well, albeit implemented slightly differently.

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Death Stranding 2 is as much about the characters as it is about the gameplay. For those who have been paying attention, it should come as no surprise that Kojima has blocked a method that could potentially trivialize the game’s core focus: relationships. While there is a small chance that this is a bug that may be rectified in an upcoming update, it's much more likely that it was intentional. If anything, this only reinforces Hideo Kojima's unique approach to storytelling in games and how he's never afraid to put player convenience on the back burner for reasons only he seems to understand.