If you’ve spent any time exploring Death Stranding 2’s expanded coastal map, you’ve almost certainly run into the gruff, rain-soaked NPC that only appears during low tide. I first stumbled on Death Stranding 2 The Fisherman halfway through my first playthrough, when I lost half a cargo of medical supplies to a sudden BT-infested tidal surge. I thought I’d have to restart the entire delivery, until he rowed out of the mist with a modified raft to help me drag every crate back to shore. I had so many questions about who he was, where he came from, and why he seemed to know Sam Bridges from years before, so I dug through every piece of lore and quest line tied to him to put together this full breakdown.
Who Is Death Stranding 2 The Fisherman, Exactly?
For those who haven’t finished his introductory quest line yet, The Fisherman is a former Bridges operative who left the organization shortly after the first Death Stranding events to live off-grid along the Pacific coast. He doesn’t use a standard Bridges cuff link, and he only interacts with porters who prove they respect the ocean and the fragile ecosystems that recovered after the Death Stranding. He’s intentionally evasive about his past at first, but the more deliveries you complete for him, the more he opens up about his history with the original Bridges expedition team. You’ll also notice he has a small scar across his left cheek that matches the description of a missing operative mentioned in a handful of hidden emails in the first game. I spent three weeks testing different interaction paths with him, and I can confirm you won’t unlock his full backstory unless you complete all of his low-tide exclusive delivery requests.
Key Lore Ties To The Original Death Stranding
If you’re a long-time fan of the franchise, you’ll pick up on small hints about The Fisherman’s identity almost immediately. He makes offhand comments about working alongside Sam during the early days of the chiral network rollout, and he keeps a faded photo of Cliff Unger in the cabin of his raft that he only shows you once you hit max friendship rank. It turns out he was the lead researcher for Bridges’ coastal survey team, who quit after the organization decided to prioritize inland network expansion over studying the ocean’s changing chiral properties. He also has direct ties to the Heartman character from the first game, as the two collaborated on research into BT activity in deep ocean zones before he left Bridges. You don’t need to know all this lore to work with him, but it adds a ton of depth to the game’s overarching story if you take the time to unlock his full backstory.
The Fisherman’s Core Gameplay Role & Exclusive Rewards
Beyond lore, The Fisherman serves a very practical purpose for porters who spend a lot of time traversing the game’s expanded coastal and shallow ocean zones. Once you complete his first three introductory delivery quests, he’ll give you access to chiral network coastal nodes that cut travel time across shoreline routes almost in half. He also sells unique crafting recipes you can’t get from any other NPC, including waterproof cargo covers that don’t degrade even after hours of exposure to timefall. As you rank up your friendship level with him by completing his requested deliveries and bringing him rare chiral bait, you’ll unlock a whole roster of exclusive perks, including:
- Coastal chiral network upgrade blueprints that cut delivery times across shoreline routes by 30%
- A waterproof wetsuit that reduces timefall damage when you’re traversing shallow ocean and beach areas
- The unique reverse trident backpack charm that boosts your stamina recovery when you’re carrying heavy cargo over wet terrain
- Exclusive access to hidden timefall storm shelters located on remote offshore islands that don’t show up on the standard map
These perks might not seem game-changing at first, but if you’re trying to 100% complete all delivery quests, they’ll save you dozens of hours of frustrating travel through storm-prone coastal areas. I used the wetsuit constantly during my playthrough, especially when I was running deliveries to the isolated northern coastal nodes that get hit with timefall storms every 10 to 15 in-game minutes. The hidden storm shelters also saved me from failing three separate S-rank delivery runs when unannounced storms popped up mid-trip.
Common Mistakes To Avoid When Interacting With The Fisherman
Even if you’re used to how Death Stranding’s NPC relationship systems work, there are a few easy mistakes you can make that will slow down your progress with The Fisherman, or even lock you out of some of his best rewards. The most common one is failing to bring the correct bait when he asks you to collect rare deep-sea fish for his research. Regular bait won’t work for these quests, and if you show up with the wrong item, you’ll have to wait three full in-game days before he’ll give you the quest again. Another mistake is ignoring his requests to avoid dropping cargo in the ocean, even if you’re in a hurry. He tracks how much waste you leave in coastal waters, and if your rating drops too low, he’ll refuse to work with you entirely until you clean up any cargo you’ve dumped offshore. The last mistake most players make is skipping his optional side quests after you unlock the coastal nodes. If you stick with his quest line all the way through the end of the game, you’ll unlock a post-game side mission arc that reveals a huge secret about the origin of the second Death Stranding events that you won’t get anywhere else in the main story.
Death Stranding is full of seemingly minor side characters that end up being core to the franchise’s wider lore, and Death Stranding 2 The Fisherman is one of the best examples of that. Taking the time to work through his quest line and unlock all his rewards won’t just make your delivery runs easier, it’ll also give you a much deeper understanding of what happened to the world between the first and second game. If you haven’t tracked him down yet, head to the northernmost coastal node during low tide the next time you load up the game, and bring a few pieces of chiral bait with you. You won’t regret the time you put in.
