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Death Stranding 2 combat offers a major change in feel from the first game. Gunplay is more satisfying, encounters give players room to choose their approach, and new tools make stealth and improvisation more useful. The result draws clear inspiration from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain while fitting into a game built around exploration, deliveries, and connection.
How Death Stranding 2 Combat Builds on Metal Gear Solid V
Across more than 25 hours of play, combat stands out as a stronger part of the sequel. Assault rifles, shotguns, and sniper rifles each feel more impactful, and enemy camps can be approached in several ways. Players can sneak in, distract guards, take enemies down quietly, or retreat when spotted and try again.
This flexibility recalls Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, where encounters can develop differently depending on a player’s choices. Death Stranding 2 also accommodates a more direct approach. During a press Q&A, Hideo Kojima said he enjoys the sequel most as an action game rather than a stealth experience. Its varied equipment helps support both styles.
Gadgets make stealth more adaptable
Stealth Holograms create an illusion of cover, such as a large boulder. If enemies do not see the hologram being deployed, Sam can use it to hide, including in exposed areas where physical cover is limited. For a practical approach, place one near a useful ambush point before engaging a camp.
Decoy grenades create holographic distractions that vary with the enemy and situation. A projection might draw a guard away from a watchtower, or briefly startle an enemy during a retreat. That short opening can be enough to slip past or take an opponent down from behind.
A broader arsenal rewards exploration
Returning Bola and Maser guns add familiar options, while movement-boosting skeleton legs can make a running melee attack a surprisingly effective choice. Some equipment is earned through side objectives, including package deliveries for preppers. Completing these tasks can therefore offer more than a change of pace: it may unlock useful tools for later encounters.
Players can also switch tactics mid-fight. They might lure enemies out with a loud sniper rifle, attempt a quiet clear, or drive through a camp and fight openly. Unlike the first game, the weapons described here incapacitate foes rather than killing them and risking a voidout. That change removes one significant reason to avoid combat.
Death Stranding 2 Combat Makes BT Encounters More Engaging
BT encounters are also more inviting. Watchers, a humanoid-like BT type, can detect Sam by sight, unlike BTs that rely on sound. Staying outside their line of sight is a useful way to avoid provoking an attack, but blood weapons provide a direct counter when a confrontation begins.
These weapons draw on Sam’s blood and include grenades that release a damaging red mist, as well as blood-powered assault rifles and shotguns. The Blood Boomerang, obtained in Australia, offers a quieter way to strike BTs while conserving ammunition. Choosing between stealth and a blood-weapon fight gives players options beyond simply avoiding these encounters.
Boss fights add spectacle without losing challenge
The large-scale boss fights in the preview range from strong encounters to elaborate visual set pieces. They are described as challenging but manageable, with flashy effects and a more energetic pace than the boss battles in the first game. Their visual scale is part of the appeal, while clear combat options help keep the fights playable.
Why Death Stranding 2 Combat Matters
More responsive weapons, useful gadgets, and flexible encounters help combat sit alongside the sequel’s exploration and delivery systems instead of feeling like an interruption. Players can experiment with different tactics, and optional objectives can expand their equipment choices. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach launches on June 26 for PlayStation 5. Overall, Death Stranding 2 combat appears designed to reward both careful planning and spontaneous action, with Metal Gear Solid V providing a recognizable influence.
