There are levels to the delivery man game, son, and when Sam Porter Bridges first sets out on his epic quest across America, he’s but a grasshopper. He will, however, improve his balance and stacking techniques so that by the journey’s end he’s able to carry an almost absurd amount. Here’s how to carry more packages in Death Stranding.
As you’ll have noticed even if you’re only an hour or so into Death Stranding, carrying equipment is very much a manual task. Not only do you have to physically hold triggers and/or load packages on Sam’s back to carry them, but there’s also the small matter of keeping his balance, too.
The more you carry, the harder the task of traversing the wastelands of America, and it won’t be long before you’re itching for something to make the process easier.
Fear not, Sam will level up his carrying capacity as the story progresses.
How to Carry More Packages in Death Stranding
If you’re fairly early in the game and struggling with balance, you can read our guide for tips. One brief thing we’ll mention straight away here, though, is that you should always use the triangle button in your cargo menu to auto-arrange Sam’s loadout. The game will automatically set Sam up for the best possible balance, and it makes things much easier.
Moving on, Episode 3 is when Sam will discover a new range of options to help him haul massive amounts of cargo. One of three orders at the start of this episode will task you with delivering cargo to the Engineer, and in exchange for successfully completing that order you’ll get the Power Legs.
Equipping this exoskeleton reduces the amount of cargo Sam can carry on his body (he can’t attach things to his hip), but it will allow him to carry a massive amount of his back, and with much more stability.
Power Legs, which come in different types. We recommend just the standard ones for pure grunt and carrying strength.
Later you’ll have the ability to craft the Power Skeleton, which allows Sam to turn himself into a human mule, able to carry ridiculous amounts on his back.
It should be noted that power gear typically requires batteries to operate, so you’ll need to keep this charged with regular stops at generators.
Moving on, there are actually ways to take the burden off Sam. The Floating Carrier, for example, unlocks about ten or so hours into the campaign and can be fabricated at most outposts, as well as safe houses. It’s particularly handy if you’re picking up a lot of packages and farming resources.
Once you have crafted the Floating Carrier it can be deployed at any moment by opening your equipment menu with the right d-pad and selecting it.
And lastly, of course, there are vehicles, which take Sam out of the equation and can be used to move larger amounts of packages. You won’t encounter vehicles until Episode 2, which introduces you to the bike for the first time. During Episode 3, vehicles can be fabricated, and you’ll actually be able to hijack enemy vehicles.
Indeed, for the purposes of carrying cargo, you’ll want to score a MULE truck. They allow you to carry a hefty amount of cargo, and if you park them near terminals then you’ll be able to re-arrange and organize your cargo without even having to get your hands dirty.
You can either sneak into a MULE camp and steal a truck, or sometimes you’ll come across them in the open world and you can try taking on MULE thieves and stealing it after you’ve incapacitated them.
Essentially, then, it’s just a case of getting through the first ten or so hours of the game when Sam has nothing to rely on but his own two legs and the strength of his shoulders. As the story progresses you’ll find options to unlock and upgrade his carry capacity, either directly or with the assistance of various machines.
That’s everything there is to know about how to carry more packages in Death Stranding. For more useful tips and guides on the game, refer to our extensive guide wiki page.
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