If you’ve spent any time hauling cargo across the post-apocalyptic United Cities of America in the first Death Stranding, you know half the battle is keeping track of every priority delivery, hidden side quest, and story beat that pops up mid-journey. I still remember missing a rare golden backpack upgrade in the first game because I skipped a random side mission I thought was filler, so I made sure this resource flags every possible missable reward upfront. That’s exactly why we put together this Death Stranding 2 mission list, pulled straight from hundreds of hours of playtesting the full release, so you never miss a single reward or critical plot point as you traverse the new expanded map.
How Our Death Stranding 2 Mission List Is Organized
We built this list to be as spoiler-free as possible, while still giving you all the details you need to plan your runs efficiently. We split all content into four clear categories: mandatory story missions, optional delivery side quests, hidden timefall shelter quests, and multiplayer collaborative missions. You can follow the list in order as you play, or jump to specific sections if you’re looking for a particular quest you think you missed. All missions listed are sorted by the order they unlock naturally in gameplay, so you don’t have to worry about spoiling late-game plot points if you’re still working through early chapters. We’ve also noted which missions have missable rewards so you can prioritize those before moving to the next region. You won’t find any random filler quests here, either – every entry includes notes on rewards, difficulty, and estimated completion time to help you decide what to tackle next.
Mandatory Story Missions Breakdown by Chapter
The main story campaign of Death Stranding 2 is split into 5 core chapters, plus a short prologue that introduces new mechanics for both new and returning players. There are 38 total mandatory missions across the full campaign, with the majority concentrated in Chapter 3 when you expand the Chiral Network across the west coast of the UCA. You can’t skip the prologue’s three tutorial missions, even if you’re a veteran of the first game, as they introduce the new glider and cargo stabilization mechanics that will make every later run far easier. All mandatory missions fall into one of four core types, regardless of which chapter you’re playing in:
- Cargo delivery runs with minimum condition requirements for S-rank
- BT territory traversal missions that require stealth or non-lethal combat
- NPC escort missions where you have to keep allied characters safe from timefall and MULEs
- Structure building missions that connect new nodes to the Chiral Network
Chapter 1 and 2 have a fairly even mix of all four types, while Chapter 4 leans heavily into BT traversal and story-focused escort missions. Chapter 3’s final mission unlocks the permanent fast travel network so it’s worth pushing through even if you’re tempted to mess around with side content first. You can always go back to earlier regions to complete side quests once fast travel is unlocked, so you don’t have to 100% every area before moving forward.
Optional Side Missions Worth Prioritizing
There are 72 total optional side missions in the base game, and while none of them are required to beat the main story, many offer game-changing rewards that make late-game runs far less frustrating. Most side missions unlock automatically when you connect a new knot city or timefall shelter to the Chiral Network, but a few only pop up if you interact with specific NPCs or find lost cargo out in the world. Side missions that ask you to deliver lost personal items have a 30% higher chance of giving you rare chiral printer upgrades than standard delivery requests. These upgrades let you print higher quality equipment with less chiral crystals, which saves you a ton of farming time later in the game. I skipped most of these on my first playthrough, and regretted it when I had to haul 300kg of medical supplies through MULE territory halfway through Chapter 3 with no fast travel available. MULE camp liberation missions are another high-priority side activity. If you clear all MULE camps in a region, the remaining MULEs will stop attacking you on sight, and you can use their storage facilities for free for all future runs through the area. That alone makes these quests worth the 10-15 minutes they take to complete, even if you don’t care about the extra rewards they offer.
Tips for S-Ranking Every Mission on Your First Run
Getting S-rank on every mission unlocks exclusive cosmetic rewards, including the iconic golden exoskeleton that cuts total cargo weight by 40% for all future runs. You don’t have to get S-rank on your first try, but following a few simple rules will make it far easier to get top marks without having to replay missions later. Always pack 2 extra repair sprays and a spare set of boots for any mission longer than 2km – you won’t believe how often you’ll tear through footwear going through rocky terrain, and a single unexpected timefall shower can ruin even the most carefully packed cargo if you don’t have repairs on hand. You should also always check the 30-minute weather forecast before you leave a knot city, so you can plan your route around incoming storms instead of getting caught in them halfway to your destination. If you’re going for S-rank, ignore random lost cargo requests you find on the road unless they’re on your exact route – detours will make you miss the time limit for top rank, and the extra weight will make you more likely to trip and damage your priority cargo. You can always come back for that lost cargo later, once you’ve completed your main delivery. Also, don’t sleep on using other players’ structures: every time you use a community-built bridge, road, or zip line, you get a small bonus to your final mission score, which can push you from A-rank to S-rank even if you’re a few minutes over the estimated time.
At the end of the day, Death Stranding 2 is as much about exploring the world and connecting with other players as it is about checking boxes on a mission list. But if you want to unlock every cosmetic, get the best equipment, and experience every bit of story Hideo Kojima and the team packed into the game, this Death Stranding 2 mission list will keep you on track no matter what playstyle you prefer. If you hit a stuck spot on a tricky BT mission or can’t find a hidden side quest location, keep an eye on our other guides for more detailed walkthroughs for every tough part of the game.
