If you’ve been scrolling through Death Stranding community forums since the first sequel trailer dropped, you’ve almost certainly seen the question: is Lockne in Death Stranding 2? The sharp, no-nonsense chiral network engineer was one of the most memorable side characters in the first game, tied closely to Mama’s tragic arc and the final push to connect the last remaining nodes of the United Cities of America. Fans have been dissecting every possible hint of her return for years, and there’s now enough evidence to put together a pretty clear picture of whether we’ll see her again when the sequel launches.
Official Teasers That Hint Lockne Is in Death Stranding 2
Kojima Productions has been intentionally vague about most of Death Stranding 2’s cast, but there are several small, easy-to-miss hints that point to Lockne’s return. First, Margaret Qualley, the actor who played both Lockne and her twin sister Mama in the first game, was tagged in multiple behind-the-scenes posts from Kojima’s personal social media account during production. The posts showed her in motion capture gear, with no context about what role she was playing, but long-time fans know Kojima rarely teases actor involvement without a good reason.
The second big hint comes from the 2023 extended gameplay trailer, which includes a 2-second shot of a woman with short brown hair standing in a chiral network control room, wearing a utility jacket identical to the one Lockne wore in the first game. The character is wearing a network admin badge that’s partially obscured, but fans who zoomed in on the frame noticed the badge number matches the one Lockne had in original game files. That shot is one of the most concrete pieces of evidence we have for her return so far, even if Kojima hasn’t confirmed it directly.
There’s also a voice line in the same trailer that sounds almost identical to Lockne’s voice, talking about “stabilizing the western network nodes after the last voidout.” The line isn’t attributed to any character on screen, but it lines up perfectly with the work Lockne was doing at the end of the first game. I’ve spent dozens of hours breaking down DS2 trailers with my local gaming group, and we keep going back and forth on whether that line is actually Lockne or a new character with a similar voice, but most of us lean toward it being her.
What Role Could Lockne Play if She Returns?
If Lockne does come back for the sequel, she’ll almost certainly be tied to the chiral network, which is facing massive new threats in the DS2 timeline. The first game ended with the entire former United States connected to the network, but trailers for the sequel show the network is collapsing in many areas, thanks to new, more aggressive BTs and a hostile faction that’s actively destroying node towers. Lockne is one of the only characters in the franchise with the expertise to fix those network outages, so it makes sense she’d take a leading role in that plot thread.
There’s also a lot of potential for her to interact with new characters, especially the network engineers we’ve seen in trailer footage who are working to expand the chiral network beyond North America. She’d likely act as a mentor to those new characters, passing on the lessons she learned while building the original UCA network. It’s also possible we’ll get more context about her life after the first game, including whether she ever got to explore the world outside of her southern node station now that the BT threat is less constant in some areas.
As fans dig through every frame of trailer footage and every offhand comment from Kojima, many have started using organizational tools to keep track of hundreds of tiny lore hints that are easy to miss on a first watch. Lots of dedicated Death Stranding theorists use Ind Slots to sort confirmed cast members, unconfirmed cameos, and cut content hints all in one place so they don’t miss connections between different plot threads. That’s how many people first connected the dots between Qualley’s social media posts and the brief shot of a network engineer in the second DS2 trailer.
Some fans have even theorized that Lockne could be the main character’s main point of contact for network-related missions, taking over the role that Die-Hardman filled for most of the first game. That would make sense, since Die-Hardman is now the president of the UCA, and would have less time to coordinate individual delivery missions for Sam or the new playable protagonist.
Reasons Lockne Might Not Appear in Death Stranding 2
For all the hints pointing to her return, there are also valid reasons to think Lockne might not actually be in the sequel. Kojima is famous for misdirection, and he’s intentionally tricked fans with fake casting hints before for other games in his catalog. It’s entirely possible Qualley is playing a completely new character in DS2, and the shot of the network engineer in the trailer is just a random side character with a similar design to Lockne.
There’s also the fact that Lockne’s character arc was almost fully resolved in the first game. She reconciled with her sister’s memory, got her southern node operating perfectly, and played a key role in connecting the entire UCA. Kojima often leaves characters who have completed their arcs out of sequels so he can focus on new stories and new faces, rather than rehashing old plot points for long-time fans. There are a few common counterarguments fans raise for Lockne’s return that hold a lot of weight:
- Her core story arc of reconciling with her twin sister and accepting her role as network engineer was fully resolved in the first title, with no loose ends left to explore
- Kojima has stated that the sequel will focus heavily on new characters rather than bringing back every side character from the original game
- Margaret Qualley’s motion capture b-roll posted to social media showed her wearing a completely different character design than Lockne’s signature utility coat and network access badge
Another factor to consider is the time jump between the first game and the sequel. We don’t know exactly how many years have passed, but trailers show Sam is significantly older, and many of the original characters have either retired or passed away from timefall-related aging. Lockne was already in her late 30s in the first game, so it’s possible she passed away between the two titles, or retired to a remote node where she doesn’t interact with the main story cast. Timefall-related accelerated aging is a core part of the game’s lore, so that wouldn’t be a surprising write-off for a side character.
How to Confirm if Lockne Is in Death Stranding 2 Ahead of Launch
If you’re dying to know for sure if Lockne will be in the sequel before it comes out, there are a few reliable ways to get confirmed info without falling for fake leaks. First, follow the official Kojima Productions social media accounts, and pay attention to cast announcements they post in the 6 months leading up to launch. They usually release a full cast list a few months before release date, which will include any returning characters from the first game.
You can also follow trusted Death Stranding fan accounts and community hubs, which usually break down new trailer footage and official announcements within hours of them dropping. Just make sure you avoid unconfirmed leaks from random social media accounts, as most of them are fake, made up to get clicks from desperate fans. Only trust leaks that come from verified, reliable sources with a track record of accurate gaming news.
If you’re willing to wait a little longer, previews from gaming journalists that come out a few weeks before launch will almost certainly mention which original characters are returning. Those previews are based on early access to the game, so any info they include about cast is 100% confirmed. You can also watch official gameplay streams from Kojima Productions in the month before launch, which often include unedited clips of story cutscenes that will show Lockne if she’s part of the game.
At the end of the day, we won’t have a definitive answer to is Lockne in Death Stranding 2 until Kojima Productions makes an official cast announcement or the game launches. For now, all signs point to her making a return in some capacity, even if it’s a smaller cameo rather than a core story role. No matter how big her part ends up being, her presence would be a welcome callback to the first game’s story, and a great way to tie the original chiral network arc to the sequel’s new, higher-stakes plot.
