If you’ve spent any time grinding for construction resources in Death Stranding 2, you know how frustrating it can be to scrounge up enough ceramic to build a single stretch of road or upgrade a remote shelter. Low-yield surface deposits only give 20 to 30 units per hit, and most delivery orders that reward ceramic only give a few hundred units at a time, barely enough to cover the cost of the gear you used to complete the order. The ceramic mine death stranding 2 fixes all of that, offering thousands of units of high-grade ceramic per run, as long as you know how to find it, get past the threats guarding it, and extract resources without wasting time or gear. I’ve made over 30 runs to this mine since I first found it 2 weeks into the game’s launch, and I’ve narrowed down the exact steps you need to take to make every trip as efficient and low-risk as possible.
Exact Location of the Ceramic Mine in Death Stranding 2
The mine is tucked in a narrow canyon between Mountain Knot City and the new Coastal Distribution Center, in the southwest quadrant of the playable map. You won’t be able to access the area until you complete the “Fragile’s Coastal Supply Run” main story order, as a pre-landslide blocks the canyon entrance until that point. Once you unlock the zone, you can spot the mine entrance from 500m away by the faded blue mining sign half-buried in timefall dust, propped up against a rock face.
For example, if you’re coming from Mountain Knot City, you’ll want to head southeast along the ridge line until you spot the canyon entrance marked with three rusted metal pillars. Don’t take the lower path through the valley, it’s full of deep mud pits that will slow you down and drain your exoskeleton battery 2x faster than normal. The ridge path has a few minor climbs, but you can get past all of them with a single climbing anchor if you don’t want to take the long way around the rocky outcrops. If you have a level 2 scanner, it will ping the mine entrance from 800m away, so you don’t waste time wandering off course.
Preparations You Need Before Entering the Ceramic Mine
The mine and its surrounding area have multiple threats you’ll need to prepare for, from BTs to MULEs to harsh weather. You don’t need to bring your full loadout, but skipping any of these essential items will make your run far more stressful than it needs to be. I’ve tested dozens of gear combinations over my runs, and this list is the bare minimum you should bring:
- Level 3 hematic grenade case: The mine has a small nest of low-tier BTs near the entrance, and you don't want to waste ammo fighting deeper inside if you can avoid it.
- At least two level 2 battery packs: The mine is fully underground, so your exoskeleton won't charge from solar power while you're inside.
- Non-lethal assault rifle with rubber rounds: There are a handful of rogue MULEs camped just outside the mine entrance that will try to steal your collected ceramic before you leave.
- Extra PCC level 2: You can build a temporary safe house right outside the mine entrance to store extra ceramic between runs, so you don't have to make multiple trips back to the nearest distribution center.
Don't forget to bring at least three extra repair sprays if you're planning to stay for more than one mining run. The canyon leading to the mine gets frequent light timefall showers that degrade your gear faster than you might expect, even if you’re only exposed for 10 minutes at a time. I used to skip bringing a PCC on my first few runs, and I regretted it every time. I’d fill up my inventory with ceramic, have to trek all the way back to Coastal Distribution Center to drop it off, then make the 20 minute trip back to the mine to get more. Once I started building a temporary safe house right outside the entrance, I cut my total mining time in half.
How to Maximize Ceramic Yield From Each Run
Not all ceramic deposits inside the mine are equal, and knowing which ones to prioritize will let you get 2x more material per run than the average player. The first 100m of tunnel has regular ceramic deposits that give 50 units per hit, but if you take the right turn at the second tunnel fork, you’ll find a large open cavern full of high-purity deposits that give far more material.
High-purity ceramic deposits give 3x more resources per hit than regular deposits, so prioritize those first. They’re marked with a faint silver glow on your scanner, easy to spot if you turn your scanner on every 10 steps as you walk through the tunnels. If you bring a level 2 porter exoskeleton, you can carry up to 600 units of ceramic per run, which is double what you can carry with a standard all-terrain exoskeleton. I used to bring a truck to the mine entrance, but the road leading to the canyon is full of potholes, so I switched to a porter exoskeleton and it cut my total trip time by almost 40%.
Never hit a deposit until it breaks completely, if you stop when it's at 10% remaining, it will respawn 4 hours faster. Deposits fully respawn every 12 in-game hours, so if you set up a safe house outside, you can sleep to reset the deposits and stock up on as much ceramic as you need in one go. I once spent an hour at the mine doing three consecutive runs, and I left with enough ceramic to build 12km of paved road and upgrade four remote shelters to level 3.
Common Mistakes to Avoid at the Ceramic Mine
Even if you bring the right gear and know where the mine is, small mistakes can turn a quick mining run into a frustrating waste of time. I’ve made almost every possible mistake at this location, so you don’t have to learn the hard way. First and foremost, don’t rush into the mine without scanning for threats first.
Always activate your BB scanner as soon as you step within 100m of the mine entrance, that way you can spot the BT patrol path and sneak around them without using hematic grenades. A lot of players rush past the scanner step and end up getting dragged into a voidout that destroys all their collected ceramic. Another common mistake is bringing too much extra gear and not leaving enough inventory space for ceramic. You only need the gear we listed earlier, leave all unnecessary items like extra food, extra climbing anchors at the safe house before you go in.
You also want to avoid trying to drive a truck into the mine. The entrance is too narrow, and the ground inside is uneven, so your truck will get stuck almost immediately, and you’ll waste 20 minutes trying to get it out, or worse, it will get destroyed by timefall if you leave it outside too long. Finally, watch for glowing red crystal formations inside the mine. Those are chiral anomalies that will trigger a timefall storm immediately if you get too close. If you spot a chiral anomaly, back away slowly and take the alternate tunnel on your left, it leads to the same high-yield deposit area without the risk of triggering a storm.
Once you get the hang of navigating the path to the mine and avoiding its hazards, the ceramic mine death stranding 2 will become one of your most visited locations in the game. You’ll have more than enough ceramic to build out the entire road network between Mountain Knot City and the coast, upgrade every shelter in the region, and complete even the most resource-heavy delivery orders without having to grind for hours. Take the time to set up shared structures near the mine to help other porters, and you’ll get far more benefits than you put in. I left a shared bridge over the canyon gap and a level 3 generator outside the mine entrance last month, and I’ve gotten over 12,000 likes from other players so far, which helped me unlock the level 4 porter exoskeleton 10 hours earlier than I would have otherwise. There’s no downside to learning how to use this mine effectively, so grab your gear and head out on your first run the next time you log on.
