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Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£35.99View Deal Essential Hardware PC Gaming Show Dune: Awakening Recommended reading PSA: Grab the best upgrades from Death Stranding 2's first area before you leave 11 little Death Stranding 2 improvements that made me say 'hell yeah' Death Stranding 2 sounds like everything I hoped it'd be Death Stranding 2 reviewers say it's a sequel that's 'more Metal Gear Solid than ever,' but it's 'still beautifully odd' Death Stranding 2 cements Hideo Kojima's legacy as a PC game designer still living in the console world Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding 2 has so much tactical espionage action that even his own staff 'worried it was getting a little Metal Gear-ish' Death Stranding 2 guide Death Stranding 2 PSA: Death Stranding 2 tells you exactly what gear every character unlocks Morgan Park 30 June 2025 Take the hints, or choose to be surprised by cool stuff. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Kojima Productions) Death Stranding 2 is, conceptually, a game about delivering packages for the betterment of humankind's vestiges. In practice, it's also about sliding boxes onto shelves and receiving little prizes as a thank you—a tranq gun here, new pair of boots there, maybe the odd pair of designer sunglasses. Keep delivering packages to preppers and they'll keep handing out goodies up to a 5-star maximum rating. In the first Death Stranding, what gear each character unlocked was a mystery until you received it (or looked it up online), but the sequel is surprisingly transparent. The Corpus, DS2's in-game guide, plainly states what gear is left to unlock from each contact. Just open the menu from Sam's Ring terminal, select the Corpus from the left d-pad menu, tab over to "Databank" and find the bio for the character in question. Scroll down to the bottom of the bio and you'll find a not-so-vague hint at what gear the character has to offer. For instance, here's what my Corpus says about Alex Weatherstone, an early contact on the Mexico map: Related Articles PSA: Grab the best upgrades from Death Stranding 2's first area before you leave 11 little Death Stranding 2 improvements that made me say 'hell yeah' Death Stranding 2 sounds like everything I hoped it'd be "Continue to develop your connection level with him and his facility and you might receive…a component for increasing the tri-curiser's defense." For the record, "might" means "absolutely will." It's just a matter of completing orders, retrieving lost cargo, and racking up those S-tier ratings to increase Sam's relationship score. I noticed these messages will also update if you've unlocked some of a character's gear, but not all of it. I've unlocked three items from The Lone Commander, for example, but his bio still lists one more I haven't earned yet. (Image credit: Kojima Productions) If you are out of gear unlocks with a character—which will usually happen even before you've reached a five star rating—their bio will say you'll next receive "the ultimate showing of their gratitude." Of course, you can only use the Corpus to peer into the unlocks of characters you've met, so you can't see everything about the future. Thanks to the helpful tips, I realized I overlooked an opportunity to get my favorite returning item from Death Stranding 1—if you love the Sticky Gun as much as I do, head back to Mexico and deliver some orders for The Bokka. (Image credit: Kojima Productions) A few other early contacts and what they unlock: Old Oz: Backpack ammo pouches Alex Weatherstone: Tri-cruiser attachments The Artist: Customization colors Norberto Puente: An automatic handgun Animal Shelter staff: Hologrenades for distracting enemies I like how these disclosures are handled. They're a little too spoilery for me, but I reckon that's why Kojima Productions tucked them into the bottom of character bios. Most of the time, I'm happy to take random orders and be surprised by new unlocks, but I'm glad I read up on that Sticky Gun unlock, because there's no way I would've gone back to the Mexico map to find out naturally. As we await Death Stranding 2's inevitable PC port, check out Wes' impressions after dozens of hours with the PS5 version, and my favorite quality-of-life features as a DS1 diehard(man). 2025 games: This year's upcoming releases Best PC games: Our all-time favorites Free PC games: Freebie fest Best FPS games: Finest gunplay Best RPGs: Grand adventures Best co-op games: Better together The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Morgan Park Social Links Navigation Staff Writer Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn't pay him. He's very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news, reviews, features, the occasional guide, and bad jokes in Slack. Twist his arm, and he'll even write about a boring strategy game. Please don't, though. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. PSA: Grab the best upgrades from Death Stranding 2's first area before you leave 11 little Death Stranding 2 improvements that made me say 'hell yeah' Death Stranding 2 sounds like everything I hoped it'd be Death Stranding 2 reviewers say it's a sequel that's 'more Metal Gear Solid than ever,' but it's 'still beautifully odd' Death Stranding 2 cements Hideo Kojima's legacy as a PC game designer still living in the console world Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding 2 has so much tactical espionage action that even his own staff 'worried it was getting a little Metal Gear-ish' Latest in Action How to forge Clerk Vambraces in Monster Hunter Wilds How to unlock Lagiacrus in Monster Hunter Wilds Ubisoft can't button its yap about the not-so-secret Black Flag remake—now Edward Kenway's voice actor is telling AC4 fans 'You might have to beat it again' Space Marine's underwhelming remaster is getting an extended refund window, and a discount for owners of the original This new 'roguelike deckbuilding typing game' is like Mavis Beacon Teaches Balatro, and I'm here for it Monster Hunter Wilds second Title Update arrives next week with 2 returning monsters, but I'm more interested in whether its promised performance fixes can help rebuild its reputation Latest in Guides How to forge Clerk Vambraces in Monster Hunter Wilds How to get bigger crops in Grow a Garden Persona 5: The Phantom X tier list for the best characters How to get better seeds in Grow a Garden How to unlock Lagiacrus in Monster Hunter Wilds How to use the Sound Recorder in Phasmophobia HARDWARE BUYING GUIDES LATEST GAME REVIEWS Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads Best graphics card for laptops in 2025: the mobile GPUs I'd want in my next gaming laptop Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most Best 14-inch gaming laptop in 2025: The top compact gaming laptops I've held in these hands Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I've tested Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 review Razer Joro & Basilisk Mobile review Glorious Model O Eternal review LaCie Rugged Pro 5 SSD review Seagate Ultra Compact review PC Gamer is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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