Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Achievement Guide: Complete

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach carries over the original game’s generous achievement philosophy: 55 achievements, almost none of them missable, and nearly everything earnable in a single thorough playthrough followed by postgame free-roam cleanup. Steam’s unlock-rate data confirms the story achievements clear well over 50%, while the real time investment sits entirely in maximizing facility connections, hitting Porter Grade 40 across every category, and grinding S Rank orders for the game’s only difficulty-gated achievement.

Quick Stats

• Total Achievements: 55
• Estimated Completion Time: 70-90 hours for full 100% completion, including maxing all 42 facility connections and Porter Grade 40 across every category
• Difficulty: Medium overall, with no true difficulty spikes outside grinding time and facility management
• Online Required: No, though the Social Strand System and Bridge Contracts factor into a couple of achievements
• Missable Achievements: No true missables. Everything can be earned in a single playthrough followed by postgame free-roam, and one achievement is only obtainable after completing the main story

Achievement List by Category

Episode Completion (Unmissable Story Achievements)

• “Lou? Can you hear me? Can you see me?”
• “Time to Start a New Journey”
• “Help us Bring Australia into the Network”
• “We’ll Show the World the Hope in Your Rain”
• “Did He Say Nirvana?”
• “To Our Little Family”
• “Sam the Man—In the Dark About Everything”
• “His Name is Neil. Neil Vana”
• “I Don’t Break That Easily”
• “You Will Never, Ever Be Alone”
• “Keep Lou Safe…”
• “To Help You Find the Strength to Carry On”
• “To Forsake Our Flesh and Our Freedom”
• “We Have to Get Tomorrow Back”
• “I’ll Always Be With You”
• “Death Can’t Tear Us Apart”

Delivery and Porter Progression

• Standard Porter
• Seasoned Porter
• Long-Distance Lugger
• Heavy Lifter
• Compulsive Cargo Carrier
• A Premier Porter
• Porters Make the World Go Round

Social and Online Systems

• It’s Like That
• A First Glimpse of the SSS
• A Life Well Liked
• A Porter at Peak Popularity
• Helping People to Connect
• Promising Signs

Building and Infrastructure

• My First Structure
• Master Builder
• Road Restorer
• Dig, Dig, Dig!
• Rail Restorer
• Starting Point
• Keep on Connecting
• Connecting Hearts and Minds

Character Progression and Training

• Self-Improvement
• My First Training Session
• Making It Your Own
• Written in the Stars
• Spring into Life

Wildlife and World Interaction

• Creature Comforter
• Rare Specimen Rescuer
• A Private Show!

Combat and Emergencies

• Emergency Worker
• BT’s Best Friend
• Conqueror of the Golden CC
• Showdown at the Tar Lake

Mysteries and Secrets

• The Headless Riders Unmasked
• So YOU’RE the Pizza Chef!
• The Real Story of the Ghost Hunter
• Savior of Terminal Fort Knot
• The Scars Left by the Giants

Full Completion

• Homo Liberans: The Savior of Humanity

Achievements by Category

Achievement names, unlock rates, and rarity below come directly from Steam’s own achievement data. Unlock requirements below are based on our own testing and verified trophy data.

Episode Completion

“Lou? Can you hear me? Can you see me?”

Unlock Rate: 80.0% (Common)

Requirement: Complete Episode 1: Sam.

How to Unlock: Finish Episode 1 by delivering Main Order No. 7, “Deliver the Present for Lou,” to the Former Geophysics Research Lab.

Tips: This unlocks automatically during the opening hours as you follow the main story path.

“Time to Start a New Journey”

Unlock Rate: 79.6% (Common)

Requirement: Complete Episode 2: Lou.

How to Unlock: Finish all main story content that makes up Episode 2.

Tips: Story-related and unmissable, this follows directly after the previous episode.

“Help us Bring Australia into the Network”

Unlock Rate: 68.1% (Common)

Requirement: Complete Episode 3: Drawbridge.

How to Unlock: Finish Episode 3 by delivering Main Order No. 14, “Deliver all Terraforming Equipment to Rainbow Valley,” to West Fort Knot.

Tips: Standard Orders become available once you’ve connected the Western Environmental Observatory during this episode, so this is a good point to start picking up side content too.

“We’ll Show the World the Hope in Your Rain”

Unlock Rate: 65.0% (Common)

Requirement: Complete Episode 4: Raindrops.

How to Unlock: Finish Episode 4 by delivering Main Order No. 16, “Deliver All Aid Packages to the Northern Environmental Observatory,” to West Fort Knot.

Tips: Story-related and unmissable on a normal playthrough.

“Did He Say Nirvana?”

Unlock Rate: 64.2% (Common)

Requirement: Complete Episode 5: Conflagration.

How to Unlock: Finish Episode 5 by completing Main Order No. 17, “Escape the Strange Realm,” for Fragile.

Tips: This episode introduces one of the game’s more surreal story sequences.

“To Our Little Family”

Unlock Rate: 57.8% (Common)

Requirement: Complete Episode 6: Chrysalis.

How to Unlock: Finish all main story content that makes up Episode 6.

Tips: Story-related and unmissable as you continue Sam’s journey through Australia.

“Sam the Man—In the Dark About Everything”

Unlock Rate: 50.3% (Common)

Requirement: Complete Episode 7: Pod.

How to Unlock: Finish all main story content that makes up Episode 7.

Tips: The Motherhood facility becomes accessible around this point, which is also where you can start working on Spring into Life.

“His Name is Neil. Neil Vana”

Unlock Rate: 44.5% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Complete Episode 8: Deluge.

How to Unlock: Finish all main story content that makes up Episode 8.

Tips: Story-related and unmissable, continuing the main narrative thread.

“I Don’t Break That Easily”

Unlock Rate: 40.1% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Complete Episode 9: Puppets.

How to Unlock: Finish all main story content that makes up Episode 9.

Tips: Unmissable story progression achievement.

“You Will Never, Ever Be Alone”

Unlock Rate: 38.7% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Complete Episode 10: Isolation.

How to Unlock: Finish all main story content that makes up Episode 10.

Tips: Story-related and unmissable on a normal playthrough.

“Keep Lou Safe…”

Unlock Rate: 38.5% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Complete Episode 11: Quake.

How to Unlock: Finish all main story content that makes up Episode 11.

Tips: Unmissable story progression achievement.

“To Help You Find the Strength to Carry On”

Unlock Rate: 38.1% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Complete Episode 12: Fragile.

How to Unlock: Finish all main story content that makes up Episode 12.

Tips: Story-related and unmissable, continuing toward the game’s final act.

“To Forsake Our Flesh and Our Freedom”

Unlock Rate: 38.0% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Complete Episode 13: Die Hard.

How to Unlock: Finish all main story content that makes up Episode 13.

Tips: Unmissable story progression achievement heading into the endgame.

“We Have to Get Tomorrow Back”

Unlock Rate: 36.9% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Complete Episode 14: Last Stranding.

How to Unlock: Finish Episode 14 by completing Main Order No. 47, “Find an Item with a Deep Connection to Higgs,” for DHV Magellan.

Tips: Story-related and unmissable as the game approaches its climax.

“I’ll Always Be With You”

Unlock Rate: 36.8% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Complete Episode 15: On the Beach.

How to Unlock: Finish Episode 15 by completing Main Order No. 48, “Rescue Tomorrow and Prevent the Last Stranding,” for DHV Magellan.

Tips: Unmissable story progression achievement near the very end of the campaign.

“Death Can’t Tear Us Apart”

Unlock Rate: 36.6% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Complete Episode 16: Tomorrow.

How to Unlock: Finish Episode 16 by completing Main Order No. 49, “Return Home with Lou.”

Tips: This unlocks the postgame free-roam mode, which makes achievement hunting for everything else considerably easier thanks to expanded traversal options.

Delivery and Porter Progression

Standard Porter

Unlock Rate: 70.4% (Common)

Requirement: Complete a standard order for the first time.

How to Unlock: Complete any Standard Order, a side-quest type that unlocks after Order 10 in Episode 3, Drawbridge.

Tips: Standard Orders are plentiful once unlocked, so this happens naturally during normal side content.

Seasoned Porter

Unlock Rate: 6.4% (Very Rare)

Requirement: Complete 10 deliveries, 10 recoveries, 10 elimination/destruction standard orders with an S rank in Casual difficulty or above.

How to Unlock: Complete 10 Standard Orders in each of three categories, deliveries, recoveries, and elimination/destruction, all earning an S rank, while playing on Casual difficulty or higher.

Tips: This is the only achievement with a difficulty requirement. Elimination and destruction orders are the rarest type, so focus on regions like Mexico where they appear more frequently, and keep cargo undamaged on delivery and recovery orders to secure the S rank.

Long-Distance Lugger

Unlock Rate: 66.2% (Common)

Requirement: Reach a total distance traveled of 80km upon completion of an order.

How to Unlock: Complete a single order where your total travel distance for that delivery reaches 80 kilometers or more.

Tips: Look for long-distance delivery requests between distant facilities to knock this out efficiently in one trip.

Heavy Lifter

Unlock Rate: 65.5% (Common)

Requirement: Deliver cargo weighing a total of two tons.

How to Unlock: Accumulate a cumulative total of two tons of delivered cargo weight across your playthrough.

Tips: This is cumulative rather than a single delivery, so it will come naturally as you complete orders throughout the story.

Compulsive Cargo Carrier

Unlock Rate: 38.4% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Deliver a total of 500 pieces of cargo.

How to Unlock: Accumulate a cumulative total of 500 individually delivered cargo pieces.

Tips: This adds up over a full playthrough and postgame cleanup, especially if you’re also chasing Seasoned Porter and facility connection achievements.

A Premier Porter

Unlock Rate: 23.4% (Rare)

Requirement: Achieve a porter grade of 40 or higher in all categories.

How to Unlock: Raise every Porter Grade category, including delivery volume, combat encounters, and Bridge Link, to 40 or higher.

Tips: The Bridge Link category specifically requires forming Bridge Contracts with other players through the Social Strand System, so don’t neglect that category while focusing purely on deliveries and combat.

Porters Make the World Go Round

Unlock Rate: 15.6% (Rare)

Requirement: Barter with another porter.

How to Unlock: Complete a bartering exchange with another porter for the first time.

Tips: This ties into the online Social Strand features, so make sure your connection settings allow interaction with other players’ porters.

Social and Online Systems

It’s Like That

Unlock Rate: 89.1% (Common)

Requirement: Send a Like for the first time.

How to Unlock: Send a Like to another player’s structure, cargo, or delivery using the Social Strand System.

Tips: This is one of the earliest and easiest achievements, triggered simply by liking something you encounter while exploring.

A First Glimpse of the SSS

Unlock Rate: 88.1% (Common)

Requirement: Read an SSS post for the first time.

How to Unlock: Read any Social Strand System post left by another player.

Tips: SSS posts appear naturally throughout the world, so this happens early without any special effort.

A Life Well Liked

Unlock Rate: 83.0% (Common)

Requirement: Receive a total of 2,400 or more Likes for completing orders.

How to Unlock: Accumulate a cumulative total of 2,400 Likes earned from completing orders.

Tips: This will happen naturally as you continue completing deliveries and other orders throughout the story.

A Porter at Peak Popularity

Unlock Rate: 60.7% (Common)

Requirement: Receive a total of 50,000 or more Likes for completing orders.

How to Unlock: Accumulate a cumulative total of 50,000 Likes earned from completing orders.

Tips: This is a long-term accumulation goal that comes naturally over a full playthrough with substantial delivery activity.

Helping People to Connect

Unlock Rate: 80.2% (Common)

Requirement: Complete an aid request for the first time.

How to Unlock: Complete any single aid request from an NPC or facility.

Tips: Aid requests are a common side-content type, so this happens naturally during normal exploration.

Promising Signs

Unlock Rate: 49.4% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Construct an online aid request sign for the first time.

How to Unlock: Place a single online aid request sign for other players to see and assist with.

Tips: This is a simple, one-time interaction tied to the game’s online sign-placement system.

Building and Infrastructure

My First Structure

Unlock Rate: 94.9% (Common)

Requirement: Build your first structure (any structure – signs, ladders, etc.).

How to Unlock: Place any single buildable structure, such as a sign or ladder, using your Odradek or PCC.

Tips: This is one of the very first achievements you’ll unlock, happening within the opening hour of play.

Master Builder

Unlock Rate: 6.5% (Very Rare)

Requirement: Build every structure type, including tools, deployable shields, electric traps and any sign.

How to Unlock: Construct at least one of every buildable structure type available in the game across your PCC and building menus.

Tips: This requires unlocking a wide range of blueprints through story progression and facility connections, so it’s best pursued during a thorough completionist pass.

Road Restorer

Unlock Rate: 63.9% (Common)

Requirement: Restore one section of road.

How to Unlock: Use the Auto-Paver to restore any single section of road.

Tips: Locate any Auto-Paver and supply it with the required materials to trigger this achievement.

Dig, Dig, Dig!

Unlock Rate: 41.6% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Restore three mines.

How to Unlock: Restore any three of the nine total mines scattered across the map.

Tips: Start with the Smoke Hill Mine early in Australia, then the Twin Valley Mine east of the F2 South Distribution Center, since both require fewer materials than the larger mines.

Rail Restorer

Unlock Rate: 33.5% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Restore and fully reopen a monorail line.

How to Unlock: Restore every tracklayer segment along one complete monorail line out of the three available.

Tips: The Northwest Line, running from West Fort Knot up to the Mine North of F1 and on to the Mine Near F3 Crater, is generally considered the easiest full line to complete.

Starting Point

Unlock Rate: 92.4% (Common)

Requirement: Connect your first facility using the Q-pid.

How to Unlock: Use the Q-pid device to connect any single facility to the Chiral Network.

Tips: This is one of the earliest achievements, unlocking naturally within the opening story missions.

Keep on Connecting

Unlock Rate: 17.0% (Rare)

Requirement: Connect all facilities using your Q-pid.

How to Unlock: Connect all 42 facilities across Mexico and Australia using the Q-pid.

Tips: This is a long-term goal spanning the entire map, so track your remaining unconnected facilities as you explore both regions.

Connecting Hearts and Minds

Unlock Rate: 5.5% (Very Rare)

Requirement: Maximize your connection level with all facilities.

How to Unlock: Max out your connection level, five stars, with all 42 facilities across the game.

Tips: This is one of the most time-intensive achievements in the game, since maxing every facility’s connection level requires repeated deliveries and aid requests well beyond the main story alone.

Character Progression and Training

Self-Improvement

Unlock Rate: 76.9% (Common)

Requirement: Activate an APAS enhancement for the first time.

How to Unlock: Activate any single enhancement in the APAS skill tree system, covering stamina, carrying capacity, and combat abilities.

Tips: APAS enhancements unlock through normal story progression, so this happens naturally within the first several hours.

My First Training Session

Unlock Rate: 41.5% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Complete a VR Training program for the first time.

How to Unlock: Access any VR Training terminal, found on the DHV Magellan or in a facility’s Private Room, and complete a single training program.

Tips: VR Training terminals become available once you’ve unlocked the relevant facilities, so check the DHV Magellan early if you want this achievement sooner.

Making It Your Own

Unlock Rate: 14.6% (Very Rare)

Requirement: Use a screenshot taken in Photo Mode to decorate your private room.

How to Unlock: Take a screenshot using Photo Mode, then select it to decorate your private room.

Tips: Simply pick any available Photo Mode image from your gallery when customizing your private room to trigger this achievement.

Written in the Stars

Unlock Rate: 20.0% (Rare)

Requirement: Study the night sky for the first time.

How to Unlock: Sit in a hot spring at night under clear skies, then hold the “Look at the Stars” prompt to study the constellations.

Tips: This requires both a hot spring and clear night weather, so you may need to wait for the right conditions if it’s raining or cloudy.

Spring into Life

Unlock Rate: 20.4% (Rare)

Requirement: Dig a hot spring for the first time.

How to Unlock: Reach the Motherhood facility during Episode 7, use the hot spring outside, then choose the option that leads to Heartman’s Lab, where the Hydrologist adds the Hot Spring Digger to your PCC. Use this tool at the marked location west of Heartman’s Lab.

Tips: This is a multi-step unlock tied to a specific NPC questline, so follow the Hydrologist’s dialogue closely the first time you encounter the hot spring.

Wildlife and World Interaction

Creature Comforter

Unlock Rate: 49.9% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Deliver a wild animal to the Animal Shelter for the first time.

How to Unlock: Approach any wild animal outside of an order, capture it, and carry it all the way to the Animal Shelter yourself.

Tips: Animals required to complete orders do not count, and you cannot entrust the animal to another porter. You must personally deliver it to the shelter.

Rare Specimen Rescuer

Unlock Rate: 18.2% (Rare)

Requirement: Deliver an albino animal to the Animal Shelter for the first time.

How to Unlock: Find and deliver an all-white albino animal to the Animal Shelter, either by spotting one naturally or completing the Pioneer’s specific order to locate an albino kangaroo.

Tips: The Pioneer’s dedicated order tasking you with finding an albino kangaroo is the most reliable way to guarantee this achievement rather than hoping to spot one randomly.

A Private Show!

Unlock Rate: 22.6% (Rare)

Requirement: Watch a live performance in your private room.

How to Unlock: Trigger and watch a live performance event while in your private room.

Tips: This ties into the game’s private room entertainment features, unlocked through story or facility progression.

Combat and Emergencies

Emergency Worker

Unlock Rate: 27.9% (Rare)

Requirement: Deliver emergency support for the first time.

How to Unlock: Complete any single emergency support delivery when a facility requests urgent aid.

Tips: Emergency deliveries are typically time-sensitive, so keep an eye on facility terminals for urgent request prompts.

BT’s Best Friend

Unlock Rate: 36.8% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Capture a large BT for the first time.

How to Unlock: Use an EX Capture Grenade to capture a large BT enemy.

Tips: You’ll need the EX Capture Grenade unlocked and equipped before encountering a large BT, so make sure you have one crafted before heading into BT-heavy territory.

Conqueror of the Golden CC

Unlock Rate: 27.9% (Rare)

Requirement: Defeat the golden chiral creature.

How to Unlock: Find and defeat the golden chiral creature, a rare unique enemy variant.

Tips: This creature is a special encounter rather than a common enemy, so you may need to explore thoroughly or track down its specific spawn location.

Showdown at the Tar Lake

Unlock Rate: 16.4% (Rare)

Requirement: Defeat the Lord of the Tar Lake.

How to Unlock: Find and defeat the Lord of the Tar Lake boss encounter.

Tips: This boss has a notoriously large health pool, so bring plenty of rockets and upgraded EX grenades before engaging.

Mysteries and Secrets

The Headless Riders Unmasked

Unlock Rate: 42.6% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Solve the riddle of the headless riders.

How to Unlock: Ride a Tri-Cruiser at night to trigger the headless riders event, then follow through to solve the mystery.

Tips: This event is specifically tied to nighttime Tri-Cruiser rides, so try exploring after dark if you haven’t encountered it yet.

So YOU’RE the Pizza Chef!

Unlock Rate: 39.4% (Uncommon)

Requirement: Discover the truth about the Pizza Chef.

How to Unlock: Follow the Pizza Chef side mystery through its associated NPC interactions until the truth is revealed.

Tips: This is one of several optional lore mysteries scattered through the game, so keep an eye out for related dialogue and delivery requests.

The Real Story of the Ghost Hunter

Unlock Rate: 13.8% (Very Rare)

Requirement: Reveal the truth about the Ghost Hunter.

How to Unlock: Complete the Ghost Hunter’s full storyline through its associated quest chain.

Tips: This connects directly to Savior of Terminal Fort Knot, since both are tied to the same Ghost Hunter narrative thread.

Savior of Terminal Fort Knot

Unlock Rate: 8.2% (Very Rare)

Requirement: Prevent Terminal Fort Knot from falling victim to a voidout.

How to Unlock: Complete the Ghost Hunter’s final quest in time to prevent Terminal Fort Knot from suffering a voidout.

Tips: This is the culmination of the Ghost Hunter storyline, so make sure you’ve progressed that questline fully before this final moment arrives.

The Scars Left by the Giants

Unlock Rate: 16.3% (Rare)

Requirement: Arrive at the BT nexus in the F3 crater.

How to Unlock: Obtain the Coffin Board, then travel to and arrive at the BT nexus located in the F3 crater.

Tips: The Coffin Board is a prerequisite item needed before this location becomes accessible, so make sure you’ve acquired it first.

Full Completion

Homo Liberans: The Savior of Humanity

Unlock Rate: 5.2% (Very Rare)

Requirement: Unlocked all achievements.

How to Unlock: Earn every other achievement in the game.

Tips: There are no hidden requirements beyond completing every other achievement on this list, though the facility connection and Porter Grade achievements will be your biggest remaining time investment by this point.

5-Phase 100% Completion Roadmap

Phase 1: Main Story Playthrough Play through all 16 episodes naturally on any difficulty, picking up every episode-completion achievement along with early achievements like My First Structure, Starting Point, It’s Like That, and Self-Improvement that trigger from normal play.

P2: Facility and Infrastructure Building Focus on connecting all 42 facilities for Keep on Connecting, restoring roads, mines, and monorail lines for Road Restorer, Dig Dig Dig, and Rail Restorer, and building every structure type for Master Builder.

P3: Wildlife, Social, and World Interaction Sweep Track down Creature Comforter and Rare Specimen Rescuer through the Animal Shelter, work through the Pizza Chef, Headless Riders, and Ghost Hunter mysteries, and pick up social achievements like A Life Well Liked and A Porter at Peak Popularity through continued delivery work.

P4: Combat and Optional Bosses Take on Showdown at the Tar Lake, Conqueror of the Golden CC, and BT’s Best Friend once you have strong enough gear, since these optional encounters demand more preparation than story-mandatory fights.

P5: Full Completion Grind Use the postgame free-roam mode, unlocked after Death Can’t Tear Us Apart, to max out every facility connection level for Connecting Hearts and Minds, reach Porter Grade 40 in every category including Bridge Link for A Premier Porter, and grind Seasoned Porter’s S-rank order requirement before finally unlocking Homo Liberans.

Conclusion

Death Stranding 2’s 55 achievements follow the same generous, single-playthrough-friendly design as its predecessor, with no genuine missables and a clear postgame free-roam mode that makes cleanup easier than during the main story. The real time sink is entirely in the numbers: maxing 42 facility connections, hitting Porter Grade 40 across every category, and grinding S-rank orders for Seasoned Porter. Budget 70-90 hours for full completion, and don’t rush Connecting Hearts and Minds or A Premier Porter, since both are cumulative goals that reward patient, continued play far more than any single difficult encounter.