How To Manage Your Cargo Inventory In Death Stranding 2

Are you planning to manage your cargo inventory in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach? Truth be told, most of the campaign will be spent roaming around from one location to the next, often bringing various wares. That’s why it’s imperative that you’re able to carry what you need given each situation or objective.

How to manage your cargo inventory in Death Stranding 2 – Cargo delivery tips guide

Make no mistake, trying to lug around a bunch of items is nothing short of a daunting task. So, right from the get-go, you should know that you can’t carry everything that you see all the time. There will be instances when you have to drop certain resources just so you could pick up something else that’s more important.

Increase your carrying capacity to lighten the load

The first thing you need to remember if you want to manage your cargo in Death Stranding 2 is that the weight that Sam can lug around is dependent on his carrying capacity. The closer it is to the limit, the greater the strain. Not only will you walk/run slower, but you might just stop moving completely if you exceed this threshold.

As such, it’s a good idea to increase your carrying capacity via a couple of early-game methods:

Collecting Chiral CrystalsCrafting Chiral Antigravity Devices for your backpack

There are other options that you can unlock, including fabricated gear pieces and higher-tier perks, but these two methods should be viable in the long run.

Related guide: How to increase carry weight/carrying capacity

Organize your loot based on slots/parts or auto-arrange them

You can press the up button on the D-pad to see two functions: One allows you to organize your wares manually, while the other automatically arranges stuff.

Organizing your stuff manually lets you move/place crates into separate slots all over Sam’s body:

You have utility pouches and grenade pouches.You can put an item in your tool kit.An extra pair of shoes can be attached to your boot clip.Four items can be strapped to your limbs–i.e. arms and legs.The rest are carried on your backpack.

Not all crates can be selected for every slot. For instance, grenade pouches, naturally, only hold grenades. Those strapped on your limbs, meanwhile, should only be smaller-to-medium-sized containers, not large/heavy ones.

The auto-arrange feature, though, simplifies this action significantly. It will automatically place certain items in valid slots, with heavier crates left on your backpack.

Shift your weight and watch out for perilous terrain

The more items are on Sam’s back and, obviously, the higher the stack of containers, the harder it will be to maintain his balance. This causes periodic sequences where you have to shift his weight to the left or right–i.e. hold L2 or R2, respectively. You also have to hold L2 + R2 just to maintain his balance at certain points.

Sudden movements and turns, as well as attempting to sprint, can prove to be detrimental, as these actions might cause you to stumble or fall. Likewise, the environment tends to consist of rough and perilous terrain, with rocky hillsides, steep crags, and high cliffs. One wrong move and you might drop all your belongings, causing them to get damaged.

Be on the lookout for Postboxes and facilities that allow you to recycle items

You don’t need to bring a bunch of gear with you at all times. Instead, just bring those that are integral to the mission. If you do pick up random loot, either from enemies or from fixtures, then you should consider recycling them (assuming you don’t plan on using them).

Facilities and Postboxes have a recycling function, which turns items into resources like metals, resin, ceramics, and alloys. These can be stored in these locations/devices, and you can pick them up later when you need them the most. Alternatively, it’s possible to store them in your private locker in larger bases.

Note: You might find MULE Postboxes in enemy-held camps, and some tend to be camouflaged with a hologram. These can be hacked to gain more loot.

Offloading your backpack and carrying items by hand

One more thing to remember when trying to manage your Death Stranding 2 cargo is that you can offload and drop your entire backpack. This is done by holding the Triangle button.

Without the weight of all those items bogging you down, you can freely climb and run around the area. This is quite useful in the following situations:

You want to stay mobile while neutralizing several enemies.You don’t want your backpack gear to stick out of the tall grass you’re hiding in.There’s a container on a higher ledge that you need to grab, and you don’t want to risk stumbling or falling down.

Of course, there are other caveats that you must consider, too:

Regular items, if offloaded on their own and left behind, will eventually be lost.Without a backpack, any container that you pick up must be carried by hand–i.e. hold L2 or R2. You have to reequip your backpack so you can place additional crates on it.

Get some rest every now and then to restore your stamina

Sam will eventually be exhausted if you keep roaming around while carrying tons of wares. That’s why it’s important to take a breather:

Holding down the Square button causes you to sit down on the ground. You can massage your neck and stretch your legs to restore a bit of stamina.You can also drink from your canteen to restore stamina.Sleeping in a private room fully restores stamina.Drinking the soda in a private room temporarily boosts your maximum stamina up to 25%.

Find a vehicle so you can place all your goodies in it

Once you’ve found or fabricated a vehicle, you can place your cargo in it. Vehicles tend to have their own cargo capacity separate from Sam’s. You can access this by facing a vehicle and holding the Triangle button, whereupon you should be able to move crates to the trunk/back.

Vehicles help ease exploration immensely. For one thing, you no longer need to worry about the “shift weight/stumble” mechanic, since you’re just driving around. You may also pick up items while driving–you don’t need to exit the vehicle just to grab resources or crates.

Just remember that vehicles run out of battery. You don’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with not a single soul around.

Related guides:

How to get vehiclesHow to recharge vehicle batteries

Make use of the DHV Magellan

The DHV Magellan acts as your mobile base, and it’s pretty much your go-to destination when managing your Death Stranding 2 inventory:

Recycle the items you don’t need and store them in the facility. Any stockpile that’s already full will have the excess moved over to your private locker.Items that you plan on using later can be placed inside the private locker as well.Since the DHV Magellan moves around as part of storyline beats and because you use it to fast travel, you can just leave your materials and various gear pieces whenever you set out.

Related guide: How to fast travel via the DHV Magellan

Utilize the Floating Carrier and Monorail

A few hours into the campaign, you’ll gain access to the West Fort Knot facility in Australia. There, you’ll be allowed to craft the Floating Carrier, which has a higher carrying capacity than the average Tri-Cruiser. The only downside is that it consumes Chiral Crystals periodically, so make sure you’ve amassed a lot.

The Monorail system, meanwhile, provides the best means of transporting large amounts of cargo to and from bases. Certain missions and tasks even lead you to repair stations, opening up new lines that criss-cross the continent.

Related guide: How to unlock the Monorail

Repair containers before their contents get damaged

Still, even if you’re 100% careful in your run, there’s always a chance that your crates get damaged. If the container has taken too much of a beating, then it’s possible that the items/resources inside it become damaged as well. This can pose problems, especially if (a) you’re planning to get more “likes” from your delivery target, and (b) an optional objective requires you to prevent items from getting damaged in the first place.

In any case, that does it for our guide on how to manage your cargo inventory in Death Stranding 2. Don’t worry about mishaps that may occur, since you should be able to repair crates with a few tools and devices. You can learn more about these in our container repair guide.