If you’ve spent any time wandering the post-apocalyptic United Cities of America in Death Stranding 2, you know Kojima Productions loves hiding weird, wonderful tools that do way more than you’d first expect. I stumbled on the death stranding 2 guitar halfway through my second playthrough, and it completely changed how I approached long stretches of empty terrain and tense BT encounters. Most players either miss it entirely, or write it off as a silly cosmetic Easter egg with no real in-game value, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get the most out of this underrated tool.
Where to Find the Death Stranding 2 Guitar Early in Your Playthrough
The guitar is not locked behind late-game story progress, which is a pleasant surprise for players who want to get their hands on useful tools early. You can grab it as soon as you complete the third delivery order for Fragile after arriving in the Central Region. It’s stashed in a hidden bunker just east of the Central Region distribution center, off the main path that leads to the first timefall farm.
I almost missed it on my first playthrough, because I was so focused on hitting all the marked delivery points that I didn’t bother veering off the main path to explore. That cost me a lot of unnecessary hematic grenade runs later on, so I always tell new players to carve out 10 minutes to grab the guitar as soon as they reach the Central Region. You don’t need any special tools to access the bunker, just scan the area with your odradek when you’re within 300m of the rocky outcrop, and the bunker door will pop up on your map.
You can unlock the guitar as early as 5 hours into the game, no story progression required beyond the first Central Region introduction. Just make sure you bring at least two hematic grenades with you when you go. The area around the bunker has a small group of low-tier BTs, and you don’t want to get caught off guard without a way to escape if they spot you before you can grab the guitar.
Core Functions of the Death Stranding 2 Guitar You Probably Missed
When you first pick up the guitar, the game only tells you that you can play it for fun, but it has four hidden functional uses that make it one of the most versatile items in the entire game. I tested all of these across 120 hours of playtime, so you can trust that they work consistently even on the hardest difficulty settings:
I was shocked when I first noticed the stamina buff, because the game never explicitly tells you about it. I was playing a random chord while hiking up a steep mountain near Mountain Knot City, and I realized my stamina bar wasn’t dropping nearly as fast as it usually does. I tested it a few more times after that, and sure enough, it’s a consistent buff that works every single time.
The BT repellent effect works even during heavy timefall, so it’s a great backup if you run out of grenades mid-encounter. It doesn’t work on the giant high-tier BTs that show up during story missions, but it will get you out of almost any random encounter you run into during open-world exploration.
Tips for Using the Death Stranding 2 Guitar Effectively During Runs
Like any tool in Death Stranding 2, the guitar works best if you know when and how to use it, instead of pulling it out randomly. The first thing you should do as soon as you pick it up is add it to your quick access menu. Bind the guitar to your D-pad up slot, that way you can pull it out in half a second even when you’re carrying a full load of cargo. You don’t want to fumble through your inventory when BTs are surrounding you, and this quick bind will save you more times than you can count.
Save the stamina buff for steep climbs or long stretches of deep snow, instead of wasting it on flat ground where you don’t need it. I usually trigger it right before I start the climb up to the remote weather station in the northern part of the Central Region, because that climb would normally drain two full stamina bars even with a light load. With the guitar buff, I can make the whole climb without stopping to rest once.
If you’re playing co-op with friends, assign one person to carry the guitar and trigger buffs for the whole group. The buff applies to every player within 50m, so you can have one person focus on support while the rest carry heavy cargo. Playing the guitar for 10 seconds near a damaged player structure will repair 20% of its durability, no repair kits required. That’s a great way to give back to the community without using up your own supplies.
There is one small downside to keep in mind, though. If you play the guitar for more than 30 seconds straight in unsecure areas, you’ll attract rogue porters who will try to steal your cargo. Don’t stand around playing for fun in zones with high rogue porter activity, or you’ll end up in a fight you didn’t plan for.
How to Unlock Custom Skins and Upgrades for Your Death Stranding 2 Guitar
Once you reach connection level 3 with the Musician NPC in the southern part of the Central Region, you can upgrade your guitar at any distribution center to unlock better perks. The first upgrade extends buff durations from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, which is a huge improvement for long cross-country runs. The second upgrade makes the BT repellent effect work on mid-tier BTs that would normally ignore the base guitar, and the third upgrade adds a built-in chiral scanner that marks nearby collectibles while you play.
You can also unlock custom skins for the guitar by completing specific side orders and hidden challenges. The Fragile-themed skin unlocks when you complete all 12 of her special timefall delivery orders, and it gives you an extra 10% stamina buff when you use it. The Higgs-themed skin is a hidden unlock you get if you play the guitar at the site of his final boss fight from the first Death Stranding, and it makes BTs run away twice as fast as the base guitar.
The only upgrade that’s worth skipping is the extended battery pack, it adds extra weight to your cargo and the guitar’s default battery lasts for 3 hours of play time, which is more than enough for most runs. You’re better off saving your chiral crystals for other upgrades like better exoskeleton parts or extra cargo pouches.
Most skins are purely cosmetic, so you don’t have to grind for them if you don’t care about how your guitar looks. The only two skins that have functional buffs are the Fragile and Higgs skins I mentioned earlier, so focus on those if you want a small gameplay advantage.
The death stranding 2 guitar is one of those little Kojima touches that makes the game feel so much more alive than your average open-world title. It’s not a mandatory item by any stretch, but if you take the time to find it and learn how to use it, it’ll make every delivery run feel less like a chore and more like a unique adventure. I still bring it with me on every single run, even when I’m carrying a full load of heavy cargo, and it’s saved me from more BT encounters and brutal stamina drains than I can count. Don’t write it off as a silly Easter egg on your next playthrough, grab it early, mess around with the chords, and see what little hidden surprises you can unlock with it.
