If you’ve spent hours trekking across the first Death Stranding’s desolate, BT-infested American landscape, you’re probably already curious about what new terrains and hidden spots await in the upcoming sequel. death stranding 2 locations have been the subject of nonstop fan speculation ever since the first trailer dropped, with Hideo Kojima and his team teasing bits and pieces of a far larger, more varied world than we saw in the 2019 original. Unlike the first game, which stuck mostly to a narrow stretch of North America, the sequel is set to expand across multiple continents, with terrain types that force you to rethink all the traversal tricks you picked up last time around. I’ve spent months parsing every trailer, developer interview, and leaked snippet to put together the most complete breakdown of confirmed and rumored locations you’ll find anywhere.
Confirmed Death Stranding 2 Locations We’ve Seen in Official Trailers
Many fans were shocked to see that death stranding 2 locations span multiple continents, a big shift from the first game's narrow North American setting. Every confirmed spot we’ve seen so far has unique terrain, hazards, and NPC settlements that feel distinct from anything we explored in the first game.
The first confirmed zone is the Central African Savanna Zone, first shown in the 2022 TGA trailer. This wide, grassy landscape is dotted with acacia trees, abandoned wildlife reserves, and BT-infested watering holes. You’ll have to contend with extreme daytime heat that drains your stamina twice as fast as temperate zones, plus new BT variants that hide in tall grass and leave almost no chiral footprint until they’re a few feet away. The area also has scattered prepper settlements built into old safari lodges, where you can stock up on heat-resistant gear and rare crafting materials.
Next, we have the Coastal Japanese Ruins, a flooded stretch of what used to be Tokyo’s shoreline. Half-submerged skyscrapers stick out of shallow, murky water, and you’ll need upgraded floating carriers to navigate the area without damaging your cargo. Water-dwelling BTs lurk just below the surface in deeper sections, so you’ll want to keep your BB close and scan constantly as you move. There are also hidden prepper shelters in the upper floors of intact office buildings, where you can find rare pre-stranding tech and side delivery requests from local survivors.
The third confirmed zone is the South American Andean Mountain Passes, shown in the latest 2024 gameplay snippet. These steep, snow-capped peaks have far higher altitude than the mountain zones in the first Death Stranding, so your stamina will drain even faster when climbing, and blizzards can cut visibility to near zero with no warning. Ancient Incan ruins are scattered across the area, holding rare chiral crystals that you can use to upgrade high-tier equipment. Chiral network coverage is extremely spotty here, so you can’t rely on shared player structures or map markers to find your way.
Rumored Locations That Could Make It to the Final Game
Beyond the confirmed spots we’ve seen in trailers, there are a handful of rumored locations that have popped up in playtest leaks and offhand developer comments. None of these are 100% confirmed yet, but they fit Kojima’s pattern of picking diverse, visually striking real-world locations to adapt for the game’s post-apocalyptic setting.
The most widely rumored spot is the Australian Red Desert, referenced by three separate anonymous playtesters in late 2023. This zone is said to have massive dust storms that can blow cargo right off your back if you don’t secure it properly, plus underground mining bunkers that hold huge stockpiles of rare crafting materials. Playtesters also mentioned a unique type of chiral crystal that only forms in the desert’s high-radiation soil, which can be used to build permanent portable structures that don’t rely on chiral network coverage.
Another rumored location is the Arctic Ice Shelf, mentioned by a Kojima Productions level designer in a casual podcast interview earlier this year. The designer referenced “frozen landscapes where even BTs move slow”, with thin ice that can crack if you carry too much weight, forcing you to plan your route carefully to avoid falling into icy water. Abandoned research stations scattered across the ice are said to hold pre-stranding medical supplies that are impossible to find anywhere else in the game.
Take all these rumored spots with a grain of salt for now. Kojima is famous for cutting content late in development if it doesn’t fit the final story, so some of these locations might not make it to the public release. We’ll update this guide as soon as we get official confirmation of any new zones.
Key Traits of Every Death Stranding 2 Location You Need to Plan For
Every location in the sequel has unique hazards and perks that change how you approach deliveries, and you don’t want to head into a new zone unprepared. I learned this the hard way in the first Death Stranding, when I headed into the snowy mountain region without extra insulation and lost three high-priority deliveries to frozen electronics. Don’t make that same mistake.
Here are the core factors you should check before you step foot in any new area:
- Chiral network stability: Zones with low stability won't let you place portable structures or access shared player builds, so you'll need to carry all your own ladders, climbing anchors, and repair sprays with you.
- Local BT variant: Each location has BTs adapted to the terrain, from water-dwelling types that drag you under the surface to desert variants that leave almost no trace of their presence until they're right next to you.
- Cargo sensitivity to local conditions: Extreme heat will melt temperature-sensitive cargo like medicine or food, while extreme cold will freeze electronic equipment unless you pack proper insulation.
- Prepper settlement density: Sparser areas have fewer places to restock supplies, so you'll need to carry extra food, water, and battery packs for your equipment for longer trips.
It only takes 30 seconds to scan these details before you accept a delivery, and that quick check will save you hours of backtracking if you run into unexpected hazards. I always keep a small note on my second screen listing the required gear for each confirmed location, so I don’t forget to pack insulation or extra water for specific routes.
Hidden Secret Locations You Won’t Find on the Main Map
Kojima is famous for hiding easter eggs and secret areas in all his games, and Death Stranding 2 is no exception. We already have hints of a few hidden spots that won’t be marked on your default map when you start the game, and you’ll have to do specific side content or follow hidden clues to find them.
The most exciting rumored secret spot is the hidden Kojima Productions studio bunker said to be located somewhere in the Japanese ruins zone. Leaks say this bunker holds exclusive cosmetic items for your porter, plus a full set of developer commentary logs that talk about the making of the game. You’ll only unlock access to the bunker after you complete a specific side delivery for a retired game developer prepper, who gives you a series of hidden chiral signals to follow to the spot.
Another confirmed secret location is the wildlife conservation memorial in the African savanna zone. Kojima mentioned this spot in a recent interview, saying it’s a tribute to real-world wildlife conservation efforts. Visiting the memorial gives you a unique charm that reduces the chance of BT attacks for 24 in-game hours, so it’s well worth seeking out early in your playthrough.
Some secret locations only unlock after you beat the main story, so don’t write off areas you already explored during the main campaign. Go back and wander off the main path once you finish the final mission, and you’ll find all kinds of hidden rewards you missed the first time around.
At the end of the day, half the fun of any Death Stranding game is wandering off the beaten path and finding spots no other porter has stumbled on yet. The death stranding 2 locations we know about so far promise a far more varied, surprising world than the first game, with enough hidden spots and unique terrain to keep you exploring for hundreds of hours after you finish the main story. Don't rush through the main deliveries just to beat the game fast. Take the time to wander, check out odd landmarks, and test out new traversal routes, and you'll find all kinds of hidden rewards you'd miss otherwise. We'll update this guide as more official location details drop, so you'll always have the latest info before your next trek.
