Death Stranding 2: All Difficulty Levels Explained

Wondering what difficulty levels await you in Death Stranding 2? Find out all options, what they entail, and which you can choose.

Death Stranding 2 has several difficulty levels to choose from [Source: Kojima Productions] — Death Stranding 2 has several difficulty levels to choose from (Source: Kojima Productions)

Death Stranding 2 has quite a few difficulty levels that you can choose from, depending on how you want your in-game experience to be. While there’s no denying that the Death Stranding franchise is heavily story-driven, the game can truly test your skills if you wish to push your luck.

Death Stranding 2 Difficulty Options

There are four difficulty options in Death Stranding 2. They are as follows (along with official in-game descriptions for each):

Story: Allows you to focus completely on the story. Recommended for those who struggle with action games but want to play all the way to the end.
Casual: Gameplay remains relatively effortless, allowing you to enjoy the story. Recommended for those who want to enjoy a few moderate challenges along the way.
Normal: Mixes challenging gameplay with an enjoyable story. Recommended for those who are familiar with action games and want to experience everything this title has to offer.
Brutal: Recommended for those who want a real challenge to accompany the story. Completing the game at this difficulty level will test all your skills and provide a true sense of accomplishment. Your reputation will be legendary, and your standing as a porter unmatched.

Death Stranding 2 - Choosing Which Difficulty [Source: Kojima Productions] — Game Difficulty section in Death Stranding 2 (Source: Kojima Productions)

You will be asked to choose the difficulty level you want to play with when you start a New Game in Death Stranding 2. Thankfully, you are not hardcoded into it and have the option to change it as many times as you want.

Some of the usuals that change with difficulty are the HP of the enemy, the damage they can deal, how difficult it is to bring them down, the wear and tear of materials, and the effect of Timefall on containers. If you are not looking to challenge yourself, we recommend trying out the Casual or the Normal mode, as it will give you a healthy balance of the various mechanics of Death Stranding 2 while hopefully not being overwhelming.

Can You Change Difficulty Levels in Death Stranding 2?

Death Stranding 2 - Difficulty Options [Source: Kojima Productions] — Death Stranding 2 – Difficulty Options (Source: Kojima Productions)

You can change the difficulty level in Death Stranding 2 at any time via the Options menu. It can be either changed from the Options menu at the title screen (under Game Settings) or from the Ring Terminal menu while in-game. For the latter:

Hit the Options button to access the Ring Terminal.
Hit the left button on the D-pad to bring up the Ring Menu.
Scroll down to System.
Select Options and then change difficulty levels under Game Settings.

This allows you to tweak and change your in-game experience as you make your way through different episodes. The option to change the difficulty levels at any time also lets you dial it down if you struggle with any order or mission.

We provide the latest news and create guides for Death Stranding 2. Meanwhile, you can check out the following Death Stranding 2 articles or catch us playing games on Twitch and YouTube: