Death Stranding | Head Crab Edition (PC) | Director's Cut (PS5)

**Salodin** · 2019-11-26 08:38

Do not read this unless you're PAST the chapter called "Higgs".

Spoiler: show

I'm almost done with the game, saved right at the start of what I assume is the final trek of the game to the boss. The last few chapters really pick up in pace but the "ending" of this game sure does take awhile lol.

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**Elcura** · 2019-11-26 09:49

Originally Posted by Malithar

Storywise:

Spoiler: show

Answer may be spoilery for some, but is there any specific post game content?

Spoiler: show

**Elcura** · 2019-11-26 09:50

Originally Posted by Salodin

Do not read this unless you're PAST the chapter called "Higgs".

Spoiler: show

I'm almost done with the game, saved right at the start of what I assume is the final trek of the game to the boss. The last few chapters really pick up in pace but the "ending" of this game sure does take awhile lol.

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Spoiler: show

**Vil** · 2019-11-26 10:09

lol

Spoiler: show

**Salodin** · 2019-11-27 21:23

Just beat the game. I'll have to write more later, but wow I cant believe how satifying that ending was.

Spoiler: show

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**Salodin** · 2019-11-27 21:36

73hrs totals 16.31tons delivered lol. I must have been reading the save data wrong, I thought I had more playtime

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**Salodin** · 2019-11-27 21:45

Spoiler: show

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**Malithar** · 2019-11-28 02:07

Overall story spoilers and things I don't get.

Spoiler: show

If Bridgette and Amelie were the same entity, but split ha and ka, then what was all the exposition about Amelie being in the hospital until her teens, then she went to the beach permanently in her 20s? When that was revealed that they're pretty much different sides of the same coin, that whole bit confused me.

There's a lot of interviews and such addressing Timefall, but I don't understand the cause. Is it just Amelie speeding the world up towards it's last extinction event?

BTs specifically, I'm not sure on how they came about. I've seen some saying they began when Amelie brought Sam back as it went against the natural order of things, but Bridges was already a thing when baby Sam was shot, and the first void out in Manhattan had already occured about a year ago. If Sam's revival brought BTs, then what caused the void out the year prior?

Was it Amelie that performed the void out at Central Knot at the beginning of the game? It was the same type of BT, though you couldn't make her out as being attached to it. She did mention to Sam towards the end that she had snuck out to come and see him. I didn't quite catch the meaning, but after seeing her BT form, I connected the two.

The chiral network and knots are built off the back of BBs. However, Mama and Lockne developed the Q-pid, the means to connect them all. Maybe I'm thinking on this too much, but without them, they couldn't be connected. Making the chiral network without them and no other means to connect seems foolish. From what was said about the Q-Pid, it was only completed within the past year~ of the start of the game, and the previous expedition was sent out three years prior. Yet, baby Sam was going to be used for a the first BB or as knot decades prior. The time frames just seem awkward.

I forget the cutscene, but it was mentioned that Cliffs wife's last name was Strand, but it wasn't explored further. Was she related to Bridgette?

Repatriates are made a pretty big deal of, but it's insinuated that there are multiple out there. If only Amelie can give that power to you, then how do others have it? Sam has DOOMs (still never learned what that even means), but it's very weak. How are others, other than Higgs, even stronger than him with his proximity and connection to Amelie? Fragile would be a solid example, but based on the grading system mentioned early in the game, it's assumed there are people all along the spectrum.

After looking into it, I'm still confused why Cliff was always accompanied by Amelie's doll BBs, nor any reason why he was able to control BT soldiers.

The previous extinction events threw me off. Heartman made it clear that BTs, Beaches, and the Death Stranding only affected humans, yet those previous ones seemingly affected dinosaurs, mammoths, ammonites, etc, resulting in ambilical cords being created. I guess you're to take away that the stranding can target a group and they'll adapt to having a Beach?

Deadman ended up being my favorite side character. Even though he said he lacked a soul and much humanity due to being 70% made from cadavers, he had a really good personality that came out well. The shower scene was awkward, but it all made sense after lol. I really wish they had dived into him a bit more. Everyone had a past that wasn't delved into. You could have located his creation lab or something and learned a lot.

I liked Die-Hardman too, but only towards the end. Prior to that, he was just your CO chiming in telling you what to do. I liked Higgs, but I didn't feel his last fight was earned. He didn't cause THAT much trouble for you. It wasn't until you completed the pizza deliveries that you really got more info on him, completing the picture. Had more of that been revealed through dialogue, I think I would of cared more about him as a villain.

Maybe kind of spoilerish combat detail.

Spoiler: show

The more I think on it all, I think I'm definitely more in the positive camp. I enjoyed the game for what it was. I'll still have memories of annoyance or frustration where you scaled some massive mountain, only to trip on some random tiny rock or vehicle that someone left, or trying to shoot your weapon, only to pick up that box next to you, or arriving at a prepper entrance, only for there to be 2-4 vehicles in your way, or pulling up with a load of stuff to deliver, but being a hair away from the terminal, so I couldn't turn stuff in, or falling off of your zipline at a junction because the BT scene loaded, or trying to balance yourself with a PCC in hand, only to build whatever random thing you were on. Things like that grated me, but they didn't ruin the experience.

That said, now that it's over, I don't really see much reason to continue. The only thing I have left to do is get every memory chip and legend status every shipment. I haven't found anything online concerning new content unlocked at endgame, beyond some memory chips spawning. I feel like there may be other odds and ends available, like interviews or mail that may reveal more about the story. Not sure if I'll go through all that though. Well worth the 100+ hours I put in.

**Salodin** · 2019-11-28 07:10

Originally Posted by Malithar

Spoiler: show

Overall story spoilers and things I don't get.

Spoiler: show

If Bridgette and Amelie were the same entity, but split ha and ka, then what was all the exposition about Amelie being in the hospital until her teens, then she went to the beach permanently in her 20s? When that was revealed that they're pretty much different sides of the same coin, that whole bit confused me.

There's a lot of interviews and such addressing Timefall, but I don't understand the cause. Is it just Amelie speeding the world up towards it's last extinction event?

BTs specifically, I'm not sure on how they came about. I've seen some saying they began when Amelie brought Sam back as it went against the natural order of things, but Bridges was already a thing when baby Sam was shot, and the first void out in Manhattan had already occured about a year ago. If Sam's revival brought BTs, then what caused the void out the year prior?

Was it Amelie that performed the void out at Central Knot at the beginning of the game? It was the same type of BT, though you couldn't make her out as being attached to it. She did mention to Sam towards the end that she had snuck out to come and see him. I didn't quite catch the meaning, but after seeing her BT form, I connected the two.

The chiral network and knots are built off the back of BBs. However, Mama and Lockne developed the Q-pid, the means to connect them all. Maybe I'm thinking on this too much, but without them, they couldn't be connected. Making the chiral network without them and no other means to connect seems foolish. From what was said about the Q-Pid, it was only completed within the past year~ of the start of the game, and the previous expedition was sent out three years prior. Yet, baby Sam was going to be used for a the first BB or as knot decades prior. The time frames just seem awkward.

I forget the cutscene, but it was mentioned that Cliffs wife's last name was Strand, but it wasn't explored further. Was she related to Bridgette?

Repatriates are made a pretty big deal of, but it's insinuated that there are multiple out there. If only Amelie can give that power to you, then how do others have it? Sam has DOOMs (still never learned what that even means), but it's very weak. How are others, other than Higgs, even stronger than him with his proximity and connection to Amelie? Fragile would be a solid example, but based on the grading system mentioned early in the game, it's assumed there are people all along the spectrum.

After looking into it, I'm still confused why Cliff was always accompanied by Amelie's doll BBs, nor any reason why he was able to control BT soldiers.

The previous extinction events threw me off. Heartman made it clear that BTs, Beaches, and the Death Stranding only affected humans, yet those previous ones seemingly affected dinosaurs, mammoths, ammonites, etc, resulting in ambilical cords being created. I guess you're to take away that the stranding can target a group and they'll adapt to having a Beach?

Deadman ended up being my favorite side character. Even though he said he lacked a soul and much humanity due to being 70% made from cadavers, he had a really good personality that came out well. The shower scene was awkward, but it all made sense after lol. I really wish they had dived into him a bit more. Everyone had a past that wasn't delved into. You could have located his creation lab or something and learned a lot.

I liked Die-Hardman too, but only towards the end. Prior to that, he was just your CO chiming in telling you what to do. I liked Higgs, but I didn't feel his last fight was earned. He didn't cause THAT much trouble for you. It wasn't until you completed the pizza deliveries that you really got more info on him, completing the picture. Had more of that been revealed through dialogue, I think I would of cared more about him as a villain.

Maybe kind of spoilerish combat detail.

Spoiler: show

The more I think on it all, I think I'm definitely more in the positive camp. I enjoyed the game for what it was. I'll still have memories of annoyance or frustration where you scaled some massive mountain, only to trip on some random tiny rock or vehicle that someone left, or trying to shoot your weapon, only to pick up that box next to you, or arriving at a prepper entrance, only for there to be 2-4 vehicles in your way, or pulling up with a load of stuff to deliver, but being a hair away from the terminal, so I couldn't turn stuff in, or falling off of your zipline at a junction because the BT scene loaded, or trying to balance yourself with a PCC in hand, only to build whatever random thing you were on. Things like that grated me, but they didn't ruin the experience.

That said, now that it's over, I don't really see much reason to continue. The only thing I have left to do is get every memory chip and legend status every shipment. I haven't found anything online concerning new content unlocked at endgame, beyond some memory chips spawning. I feel like there may be other odds and ends available, like interviews or mail that may reveal more about the story. Not sure if I'll go through all that though. Well worth the 100+ hours I put in.

There's a lot here so I'll just go down the list. This entire post is a story spoiler:

Spoiler: show

Bridgette Strand was first, as a normal EE like the EEs of the past 5 extinctions with the undying umbilical cord. They did some experiments in her 20s that ended up spliting her Ha and Ka, and stranded Amelie on the beach while Bridgette went on. At this point she/they knew what was up, and decided to speed up the end of times. At this point it's pretty important to realize that Amelie/Bridgette aren't people, they're literally the manifestation of the end of times.

Timefall is just a weather phenomena related to the increased Chiral density and yada yada yada. It's just an unfortunate side effect on Strand expediting the end of days. It's a gameplay mechanic given a canon reason lol.

BTs you think are more important, but at the end of the day they're just literally ghosts who have not moved on. Prior to the Death Stranding, people just moved on from their beach to the afterlife, but after Strand started testing and building the BBs, some BTs, people who couldn't move on because of their strong connection holding them to the world, started coming through. This is what caused the first void out in Manhatten. Following that, she continued her experiments and eventually BTs started killing and creating more BTs which started making void outs happen more often, then add timefall and after a little short than a decade later we're at the start of this game.

The chiral network as we know it was developed by Mama/Locke yes, but the OG network was different. The duo just improved it and allowed it to do all the amazing things we use in the game. Apparently BBs are the backbone of the network, so I'm assuming every waystation we've connected has a BB of it's own acting as a modem into the chiral network lol. Makes sense, since we delivered a BB to Edge Knot City to get it hooked up.

Cliff's wife last name was Lisa Bridges. That was the jaw dropping moment of the finale. Them slowly walking you through all those cutscenes and then Cliff drops her name and thats when it all came together. My gf wasn't following along the entire game, but she started watching the finale with me and even she was like OH SHIT haha. "They said your name was Sam Porter, but youre Sam Bridges"; it puts into context all the times Sam was caught by the chiral hurricane and Cliff would hug him and send him back.

DOOMs is the new autism spectrum lmao. Sam was just the first one, but unless theirs data notes in the game they didnt expand on it anymore than fragile did in the opening cutscene. It's related to Chirilium in the body and how you adjust. It's basically the new type of radiation, and the suffers are the new types of X-Men. Normally the stuff is fatal, but those who survive become DOOMs sufferers. They don't focus on this enough in cutscenes, but the Chirilium can also affect your mental state and drive you crazy, like Higgs. That's why he cried tar, he was completely infected and turned by the Chirilium in him, which is also why he was probably the strongest DOOMs person around.

Amelies doll was her "memento" that allowed people to be connected to her so she could teleport them. The same thing as Sam's dreamcatcher and Amelies quipu. Cliff had them because that's how Amelie stayed connected with him and controlled him. Cliff kept sending Sam back, and Amelie kept bringing Cliff back.

Heartman originally made that clear, that humans only have beaches, but later on he realized Beaches are just personal manifestations and others can have them too. Don't forget, the only reason people stranded on beaches is because of Amelies experiments with the network. Normally everything and everyone just passes through on their way to the otherside. This situation hasn't repeated itself 6 times, it's just that this time the process was going about in a way to make it the final extinction.

Deadman was great. That shower scene was so fucking awkward until you realize what's going on lol. My only regret is a lot of his exposition comes in codex form and I get it cause canonically he isn't as interesting as other characters. The dude is strictly support.

Diehardman started off as my least liked, and throughout the entire finale he just became more and more sympathetic. God damn man once you realize he knew this whole damn time who Sam was, and he went along with it anyways for the people and America he loves, knowing full well he is the last person alive responsible for the Death Stranding ughhhh. His speech after becoming President, where he goes to thank the unnamed person who brought them together mean so much fucking more. And then confronting him in the hallway and letting it all out? Fuckkkkk

The Higgs shit doesn't feel earned while you're doing it, but fuck if that ENTIRE CHAPTER IS THE BEST THING IN THIS GAME. Between the CQC fighting, the fucking boxing in the tar, the music going in the backround, HNGGHHH. It blew my fucking mind to realize he combined the final boss encounters for MGS3 and MGS4 when he did this, making the sneaking CQC fight to slow him down like MGS3, and then the health bar popping up boxing match like MGS4. SOOOO good. You become sympathetic to him as you read his journal entries, but yeah they feel less weighty cause by the time you learn about Higgs he's already been stranded for lord knows how long lol.

Your combat spoiler is very spoilery.

This is up there as one of my favorite sci-fi plots, even if it's not as dense as say Mass Effect. The universe he created is pretty darn interesting and the way he revealed it all was clearly cinema quality. You're right though, replayability is pretty eh, just like all his games. I don't see myself coming back to this ever, and if I do it'll be many many years down the road. I enjoyed the 70ish hours I put into the game, but I can't bring myself to recommend it to many people cause of the gameplay. It's just not the type of game for everyone. The ironic part is I don't think the story beats feel as good as they do if you don't play the game and have to trek through the country. For example,

Spoiler: show

**Tyrath** · 2019-12-03 13:42

This has spoilers

**6souls** · 2019-12-08 23:05

**6souls** · 2020-03-02 11:32

Heading to Steam June 2nd

Spoiler: show

505 Games and Kojima Productions are thrilled to announce that Death Stranding will launch simultaneously on the Epic Games Store and Steam on June 2, 2020.

What’s more, the PC edition of Death Stranding will also feature the following:

• Photo Mode
• High frame rate
• Ultra-wide monitor support
• Content from Valve’s iconic franchise, Half-Life

Purchase Death Stranding on launch day to get the following:

• Selections from ‘The Art of Death Stranding’ digital art book (by Titan Books)
• Death Stranding Original Score Expanded Edition by Ludvig Forsell (including 10 unreleased tracks)
• Ludens mask sunglasses (chiral gold and omnireflector)
• Gold and silver power skeleton
• Gold and silver all-terrain skeleton
• Gold and silver armour plate (LV2)

Pre-purchase Death Stranding to receive the above and a bunch of additional items.

• Death Stranding HD wallpapers
• Chiral gold and omnireflector sunglasses
• Chiral gold and omnireflector cap
• Gold and silver speed skeleton
• Gold and silver armor plate

One final thing... To celebrate the launch of the new PC Death Stranding website, a selection of mobile wallpapers and ringtones are available to download for free!

https://deathstrandingpc.505games.com/