When looking at both the game itself and the trophy list,Death Stranding 2: On the Beachis very much an expansion upon what was done in the original. Some areupset over this controversial part ofDeath Stranding 2, but as an achievement/trophy hunter, it makes the process of comparing the two titles much easier. I’ve gotten all the achievements inDeath Stranding 1twice, once for the now-delisted 2022 base game Xbox PC version and the 2024 Xbox Director’s Cut. I can say without a doubt that obtaining the platinum inDeath Stranding 2was harder.
DS2is significantly bigger, resulting in a longer completion time, and the game added one brutal mission required for the platinum. According toPSNProfiles, fewer than 10% of players have obtained the six hardest trophies, and I can say from experience thatthey will take dozens of hours to accomplish. These six trophies aren’t the statistically rarest inDS2; this is my opinion after completing the platinum trophy. Even trophies that are tricky in their own right, likeThe Scars Left by the Giants, are nothing compared to the hardest of whatDeath Stranding 2has to offer.
6A Premier Porter - 9.59%
One Of The Last Trophies You’ll Get
LikeDeath Stranding 1, there’s a trophy requiring you to reach a certain grade in all five delivery categories. In the original, you had to reach grade 60, whereas inDS2, you must reach grade 40. This doesn’t matter much, as the levels inDS2are adjusted so thatgrade 40 is the final main grade, like 60 was previously. The two hardest categories to level up are combat and stealth. Combat should level up naturally as you grind your way to maxing out all 42 facilities, but stealth is a bit trickier.
Perhaps the game still counts those ghost mechs and BT areas, even with the Q-pid turned on.
While the stealth mechanics are more fleshed out inDS2, the fastest and easiest way to clear out enemy encampments is still to headshot everyone in sight. However, there is a neat trick to level up stealth while not engaging in any sneaking whatsoever. After you beat the game, turning on the Q-pid removes the ghost mechs and lessens the threat of BTs. From my experience,this seemed to alter the leveling systemas I would get 100 stealth XP or more for a delivery, even though I wasn’t anywhere close to an enemy base or BT area.
Perhaps the game still counts those ghost mechs and BT areas, even with the Q-pid turned on. That’s my only explanation, as I gottons of stealth XP while doing basic deliveries with the Q-pid active. Still, reaching grade 40 in all five categories will take a long time and should be one of your last trophies to get.
5Showdown At The Tar Lake - 6.39%
You’ll Need A Bigger Gun
There are four total facilities inDeath Stranding 2that require you to complete sub orders to max out their connection. One of them is The Fisherman, located just south of The Metagenomicist. The ongoing story with The Fisherman revolves around his desire todefeat the Lord of the Tar Lake, a huge boss fight that will be the final sub order required for maxing out the facility. That final sub order, however, is a bit annoying.
Maxing out The Fisherman doesn’t take too long, unlike another facility later in the game.
To make the big boss appear, you’ll have to summon another large BT in the tar lake. There’s already a trophy for capturing a large BT, but you’ll need a specific BT to make the creature appear. I actually went to the tar lake right away and summoned an already captured large BT,and it didn’t work. You’ll have to capture the BT that’s requested in the sub order, which is a bummer. you’re able to’t even fish for it, either, asDeath Stranding 2doesn’t have fishing,a big missed opportunity.
The boss fight itself has to be thelongest and hardest boss in the game. The Lord’s health bar is ginormous, so make sure to bring a lot of rockets to the fight, as well as avoid its devastating attacks. I played the fight on Normal mode, and his multi-hit spit attack almost one-shotted me from a full health bar. You’ll get the Showdown at the Tar Lake trophy as soon as it’s killed, but make sure to return to The Fisherman to complete your order as well.
4Master Builder - 4.40%
A Test Of The Mind
One area whereDeath Stranding 2is a bit easier thanDS1is the building/fabricating trophies.InDS1, you had to fully upgrade all structures and fabricate all weapons and equipment, which took a wild amount of time. You had toparticipate in several side activities,such asthe race tracks.DS2makes this significantly easier by removing the fabricating trophies entirely and eliminating the fully upgraded requirement for structures. To get the Master Builder trophy, you must build all structures, plus tools, the deployable shield, the electric trap, and any sign.
That’s 18 total, and you unfortunatelyhave to remember them, as the in-game stats don’t tell you which ones you’ve already built or placed down. Remember, certain structures, such as safehouses and bridges, require additional resources to fully construct, so ensure they are placed near a facility for easy resource access. PCC structures have a nice wheel menu, so simply go clockwise around until you’ve built them all. After that, place down a ladder, guidepost, climbing anchor, shield, an electric trap, and a sign for the trophy to pop.
3Seasoned Porter - 3.04%
Hard For The Wrong Reasons
One of the hardest achievements inDeath Stranding 1was getting a Legend of Legends rating in 20 unique premium deliveries per category. That was 80 total, and the equivalent forDeath Stranding 2seems easier on paper, but in practice, not so much. The Seasoned Porter trophy requires you to get 10 unique standard order S ranks per category on Casual or above. There are only three categories this time around, so30 S ranks don’t seem bad at first.
The problem is that the last category, elimination/destruction orders, hardly spawn at all. I was so nervous towards the end of my platinum journey, because I still had one elimination/destruction order to S rank, even though I’ve nearly maxed out all the facilities. I tried to complete all standard orders in Mexico, as there were four elimination/destruction orders; however,the last one wouldn’t trigger, even though I had completed everything available.
Thankfully, I managed to trigger my final elimination order for The Metagenomicist by killing a batch of three BTs for an F5 East Distribution Center recovery order. If you still can’t find more of these types of missions, I recommendlooking up a complete standard order list for the game, as it will give you clues on how to trigger them by doing available missions located in the same area.
2Savior Of Terminal Fort Knot - 2.98%
The Second-Longest Questline In The Game
It’s understandable why Savior of Terminal Fort Knot is one of the rarest trophies in the game. To complete this trophy, you must complete all sub orders forThe Ghost Hunter, a facility you may only interact with when the Q-pid is turned off. This, by itself, makes the process of maxing out The Ghost Hunter more challenging than usual, but the actual reason why so many don’t have this trophy is that it takes an extremely long time to build the connection.
The Ghost Hunter has some stellar orders from The Pioneer that contain 350 kg or more, and these build up the connection quickly.
It’s not as bad as The Adventurer, which takes even longer, but you’ll still need to wait for standard orders to reappear to continue working towards the facility. As such, it’s best to work on The Ghost Huntershortly after beating the gameso that you may work on other facilities in the meantime. Unlike The Adventurer, The Ghost Hunter has some stellar orders from The Pioneer that contain 350 kg or more, and these build up the connection quickly.
Thankfully, the giant BT boss fight sub order to end the questline isn’t too bad, especially compared to the Lord of the Tar Lake. Its attacksaren’t nearly as deadly. Like Showdown at the Tar Lake, the trophy pops immediately when killing the BT.
1Connecting Hearts And Minds - 1.88%
The Long Haul
Death Stranding 2has a whopping42 facilities to max out for the trophy, three more than the last game, and the map design isn’t in your favor. Unlike the original game, which was very vertical, allowing for easy transportation via roads,DS2is circular in design, making it much more inconvenient to deliver orders to a batch of facilities.
The impossible challenge is nerve-wracking.
This game took about 10 more hours to 100%completion thanDS1, with most of the playtime dedicated to achievingthis one trophy. However,Death Stranding 2turned things up a notch with a single order. There’s a facility called Mr. Impossible, and to max it out, you must complete the"impossible challenge.“Starting from the Mr. Impossible facility, you must make your way around the entirety of Australia, snatching up cargo from all seven enemy encampments. To boot, you have a 50-minute time limit.
This was brutal, and I managed to make it through numerous bumps along the way, having two minutes to spare. The impossible challenge is nerve-wracking, for sure, although still not anywhere near as hard asMetal Gear Solid 2,which puts this game to shame. This trophy alone makesDeath Stranding 2harder than the first game.
