If you played the first Death Stranding, you know half the fun of the game is chasing that perfect S rank on every delivery, unlocking new gear, and building connections with scattered settlements across the apocalyptic United States. When the sequel launched, one of the first questions I had as a long-time fan was death stranding 2 how many orders I’d need to grind through to hit 100% completion. Orders aren’t just throwaway fetch quests here either, they tie directly to story progression, exclusive unlocks, and even small, heartfelt side stories that make the world feel alive. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about order counts, types, rewards, and how to knock them out without wasting hours on avoidable mistakes.
What Is the Total Count for Death Stranding 2 How Many Orders?
First, let’s get the core question out of the way. For the base game, you’ll find 192 total playable orders available if you unlock every single optional and hidden mission. That means the answer to death stranding 2 how many orders is 192 for full base game completion, plus 8 extra limited-time deluxe edition orders if you purchased the higher tier version of the game. These deluxe orders only reward cosmetic items, so you don’t need to complete them to get the platinum trophy or unlock all core gameplay content.
It’s important to note that only 142 of these orders are mandatory for story progression. You can beat the main campaign without touching any of the optional premium or hidden orders, but you’ll miss out on most of the game’s best gear, quality of life upgrades, and charming side content. I skipped most optional orders on my first casual playthrough, and I didn’t even realize I was missing the unlimited battery backpack until I started my second completionist run.
The count also doesn’t include random side requests you get from NPCs while you’re out exploring, like small item deliveries for isolated survivors you find wandering the wasteland. Those are separate from the formal order system, and they don’t count towards 100% completion, though they do raise your connection level with nearby outposts.
Breakdown of Order Types and Difficulty Tiers
Not all orders are created equal. Each type has different requirements, rewards, and unlock conditions, so it’s helpful to know what you’re signing up for before you accept a mission. The full breakdown of order types is:
- Standard Story Orders: 142 total, mandatory to progress the main narrative, unlock new regions, core gear, and key story cutscenes. You can’t skip these if you want to finish the game, and they have relatively lenient time limits and cargo damage rules for first-time players.
- Premium Orders: 38 total, unlocked after you hit 3-star connection with a Knot City or outpost. These are harder versions of existing standard orders, with tighter time limits, stricter cargo damage rules, and far better rewards than the standard versions. You can only unlock a premium order after you complete the corresponding standard order first.
- Hidden Community Orders: 12 total, unlocked only when you hit 5-star connection with a remote outpost or rare NPC. These often tie to small, self-contained side stories, like delivering a custom instrument part to a retired musician or care packages to a group of kids living in an isolated bunker. You won’t see these listed on your order board until you meet the connection requirement, so it’s easy to miss them if you rush through the story.
Most players unlock the majority of premium orders naturally as they play through the story, but the hidden community orders are far easier to miss. I missed three of them on my first playthrough because I never bothered maxing out my connection with the mountain weather station, which has three of the hidden orders tied to it. If you’re going for 100% completion, make sure you check every outpost’s connection level before you move on to a new region.
You can track how many orders you’ve completed of each type in the menu under the “delivery history” tab. It’ll also show you your rank for each order, so you can easily go back and redo any orders you got a C or B rank on if you want to unlock better rewards.
Rewards You Earn for Completing All Orders
The rewards for completing orders go far beyond just extra likes from outposts. If you’re willing to put in the work to finish every order, you’ll unlock some of the most useful and fun gear in the game. For example, finishing all 142 standard orders with at least an A rank gets you the exclusive golden delivery suit, which is 50% more resistant to timefall and MULE attacks than the standard high-level suit.
Finishing all 38 premium orders with an S rank unlocks the unlimited battery backpack, which is a total game-changer for long cross-country deliveries. You’ll never have to stop to charge your exoskeleton or zip line gear again, and it makes exploring the snowy mountain region far less frustrating. It also unlocks access to the highest tier of construction materials from all Knot Cities, so you can pave roads and build zip lines way faster.
Finishing all 12 hidden community orders unlocks the custom BB pod skin designed by the game’s art team, plus a series of short cutscenes that expand on the backstories of minor NPCs you meet throughout the game. These cutscenes aren’t critical to the main plot, but they add a lot of depth to the world, and they’re well worth the extra effort of maxing out outpost connection levels.
Even if you don’t care about 100% completion, it’s worth knocking out a few premium orders every time you unlock them. The extra rewards like better cargo shields, faster exoskeletons, and higher capacity trucks make the rest of the story missions far easier to complete, and they save you a lot of time in the long run.
Pro Tips to Complete Every Order Efficiently
Completing all 192 orders doesn’t have to take 100+ hours if you work smart instead of hard. I’ve done two full completionist runs now, and these tips cut my total playtime by almost 20 hours the second time around. First, prioritize unlocking the road network first in every region you visit. Paving all the roads in a region cuts delivery time by 70% for most overland orders, and you won’t have to deal with rough terrain damaging your cargo or slowing down your truck. You’ll get plenty of ceramics and metals from standard orders to fund road construction, so don’t hoard those materials.
Second, use shared player structures whenever possible. Other players’ zip lines, bridges, and rest stops are a lifesaver, especially in the snowy mountain region or the coastal swamp area where terrain is almost impossible to cross on foot. Make sure you leave likes on structures you use, too, because other players get bonus materials when their structures get likes, and it encourages them to build more useful stuff for everyone.
Don’t take on more than two orders at once if they have tight time limits, even if you have a big truck with lots of cargo space. I once tried to take five premium orders at once across the mountain range, ran into a MULE ambush, lost half my cargo, and had to redo all five orders. It’s way better to finish one order with an S rank than mess up three because you overloaded your cargo or bit off more than you could chew.
Finally, check the weather forecast before you leave every outpost. Timefall can degrade your cargo super fast, even if you have timefall-resistant covers, and storms can make roads slippery or even knock you off your bike. If a storm is coming, either wait it out at a nearby outpost for 10 in-game minutes or plan a route that uses tunnels and covered roads to avoid the worst of the rain. It’s a small step that saves you from having to redo orders because your cargo got destroyed halfway to the destination.
At the end of the day, figuring out death stranding 2 how many orders you need to complete depends entirely on what you want out of the game. If you’re just here for the main story, you only need to knock out the 142 standard orders, and you can skip all the optional stuff entirely. If you’re a completionist chasing every reward and the platinum trophy, you’ve got 192 total orders to work through. Take your time, use the tools the game gives you, and remember that connection is the whole point of the series – don’t be afraid to rely on other players’ help, and leave your own structures up for others to use too.
