If you’ve poured dozens of hours into the first Death Stranding, you know that the game’s rugged, post-apocalyptic locations are far more than just pretty background scenery. Every hill, river, snow drift and BT-infested valley directly impacts your delivery routes, cargo safety and overall survival as Sam Bridges. As we wait for the sequel’s official launch, every new tease of a death stranding 2 location has fans dissecting every frame to figure out what new challenges and stories Kojima Productions has in store. We’ve compiled all official reveals and credible rumors in one place to help you prepare for your next cross-country delivery run.
Confirmed Death Stranding 2 Location Details We Know So Far
Official trailers released over the past two years have given us a clear look at several confirmed areas set to appear in the game. First up is the expanded United Cities of America territory, which now stretches far south of the original game’s map into what was once northern Mexico. These zones include tropical coastal archipelagos we saw Sam traversing via a new speedboat vehicle, a feature completely absent from the first Death Stranding’s mostly landlocked map.
We’ve also gotten extended footage of volcanic ash-covered highland regions that appear to be located in what was once the Rocky Mountains. Kojima has already confirmed these ash zones will come with unique challenges: ash will clog your exoskeleton filters after extended exposure, forcing you to carry replacement filters as part of your cargo load, and visibility will drop to just a few meters during regular ash storms. BT encounters in these zones are also far more frequent, as the ash masks their usual chiral signature until they’re almost on top of you.
The final confirmed area we know of so far is the frozen tundra in what was once southern Canada, shown in the background of Fragile’s cutscenes in the first full trailer. These zones will have permanent blizzard conditions that make even short trips feel dangerous, and ice patches can send you and your cargo sliding down steep slopes if you don’t equip the right traction upgrades for your boots.
Rumored Location Leaks That Haven’t Been Confirmed Yet
As with any high-profile Kojima Productions release, there are dozens of unconfirmed leaks floating around social media that claim to reveal more Death Stranding 2 locations. Some of these leaks come from credible insiders with a long track record of correct reveals for the studio, while others are just fan art or speculation passed off as official content. It can be hard to tell the difference, so we’ve put together a quick list of checks to run before you get excited about a supposed leak:
- Consistent details across multiple unrelated insiders with a proven track record of correct Kojima Productions reveals
- Visual assets that match the distinct visual style of Death Stranding’s post-apocalyptic world, including unique chiral network visual effects
- No conflicting details with officially released trailer footage or public comments from the development team
Using those checks, there are two rumored locations that seem particularly credible right now. First is a floating mobile city hub run by a new independent faction that’s not affiliated with the UCA. Leaks say this city moves across the ocean on a regular basis, so you’ll have to track its current location every time you want to turn in deliveries or pick up new contracts. The second credible rumor is a set of ruined pre-Death Stranding research facilities located in the former Arctic Circle, which are tied to the origin of the new extinction event that drives the sequel’s plot.
How Locations Will Tie Into Death Stranding 2 Gameplay Changes
One of the biggest criticisms of the first Death Stranding was that many biomes felt visually distinct but had very similar gameplay impacts outside of extreme weather. The development team has directly addressed that feedback for the sequel, and every new location will come with unique gameplay mechanics that change how you plan your routes and pack your cargo.
For example, the tropical archipelago zones won’t just require you to use a boat to get between islands. They’ll also have regular monsoon events that cause flash floods, which can wash away any unanchored cargo or even small vehicles if you don’t find high ground fast. The volcanic ash zones we mentioned earlier will also prevent you from using certain pieces of equipment, like standard zip lines, because the ash clogs their moving parts within minutes.
That means you’ll have to carry specialized heavy-duty building materials if you want to set up permanent structures in these harsher zones, which cuts down on the amount of delivery cargo you can carry at one time. Multiplayer structure sharing will also work differently per biome: popular, low-difficulty routes will have tons of shared structures from other players, but remote, high-risk locations will have almost no shared support, so you’ll have to be fully self-sufficient if you want to take on those jobs.
Returning Locations From The First Game That Are Getting Updates
Kojima has confirmed that players who know the first game’s map like the back of their hand will get to revisit several familiar locations in the sequel, but none of them will be exactly how you remember them. The events between the two games triggered a new wave of Death Stranding events that completely reshaped large parts of the UCA, so even routes you’ve run hundreds of times before will feel fresh and challenging.
Mountain Knot City, for example, is now almost completely buried under permanent snowfall after a regional ice age set in following the first game’s ending. The steep paths leading up to the city are now covered in ice, and the area around the city is infested with new ice-adapted BT variants that can move through snow without making a sound. The central region’s wide, grassy plains, which were some of the easiest areas to traverse in the first game, are now dry, rocky badlands with frequent dust storms that block your map and chiral network connection.
Even small, iconic landmarks like the incinerator west of Capital Knot City are getting updates. The incinerator is now abandoned, and the area around it is a dead zone where the chiral network doesn’t work at all, so you can’t use any network-reliant equipment like your odradek scanner when you’re nearby. It’s a great touch that rewards long-time fans of the series while still keeping the gameplay experience new for everyone.
We’re still waiting for Kojima Productions to drop a full map reveal ahead of the game’s launch, but the details we have already make it clear that every death stranding 2 location will be packed with new challenges, lore and opportunities for creative traversal. Whether you’re excited to explore brand new tropical islands or revisit the changed zones you know from the first game, there’s going to be something for every type of player. I’m personally most excited to test out the boat mechanics in the coastal archipelagos, as I always wanted more water-based gameplay in the first entry. For now, replaying the first game to refresh your memory of the original map is a great way to prepare for all the changes coming in the sequel.
