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Death Stranding 2 eschews the traditional video game convention of consumable flasks, potions, and stims with a healing system based around blood bags. An extension of this is that damage from human enemies, falls, and the shadowy BTs is measured in blood loss rather than physical damage that eats into a health bar.
This all means that healing works a little differently in Kojima’s latest game and it may not be immediately obvious how to go about ensuring Sam is in peak condition when out ferrying cargo and completing orders. In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the details around healing and blood bags in Death Stranding 2.
You can hold up to four blood bags in the Utility Pouch. Captured by VideoGamer
You can fabricate blood bags at any Delivery Terminal. Captured by VideoGamer
How to heal in Death Stranding 2
Health is automatically replenished in Death Stranding 2, but you will need to have at least one blood bag in your inventory for healing to happen. These are bags of purified blood that are synthesised to match the properties of Sam’s own blood. There’s no button prompt required or need to equip the blood bag – it’s all done automatically.
Sam’s health appears on the HUD as a red horizontal bar with two portions. The first denotes his current health out of 1000ml, while the second is indicates how much blood is left in the blood bag you currently have in your inventory. The system tends to list the bag with the least amount of blood even though you might have several that are full. Each blood bag contains 500ml of blood, meaning you’ll need two bags to fully replenish his health.
You can equip up to four blood bags in the Utility Pouch, but you can also carry more as you would standard cargo in the backpack or on the suit. If you have multiple blood bags in your inventory and one is emptied, it will be automatically replaced by one with blood still in it.
Blood bags can be fabricated at settlements, facilities, and prepper hovels using a Delivery Terminal. Each one requires 15 Chiral Crystals and 10 Resins to make. They can also occasionally be found out in the wild, in postboxes, and in and around boss fight areas.
Healing with Cryptobiotes and private rooms
Aside from blood bags, you can also heal by finding and capturing Cryptobiotes, small worm-like creatures that appear at random intervals out in the wild, typically on small mounds of rocks with colourful mushrooms growing on them. You can use the R1 scanner to show any in close proximity. Cryptobiotes work similarly to more traditional healing items that you’ll find in other games. Tap the triangle button near a Cryptobiote to capture it (or eat it if your health is low). You can then eat it by holding down the right D-pad to you’ll rapidly top up your blood levels and therefore your health.
Lastly, you can restore health by resting in a private room at facilities and distribution centres. Enter a private room and Sam will automatically replenish his full health and stamina.
For more Death Stranding 2 help, check out all the Mexico connection level rewards, our quick explainer on the DOOMS birthday effect, and whether refusing Fragile’s offer to help connect Mexico to the Chiral Network has any lasting impact.
About the Author
Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
- Platform(s): PlayStation 5
- Genre(s): Action, Action Adventure, Adventure
