---
title: Death Stranding 2 Notes
excerpt: 'Post-100% musings: Latin naming easter eggs, character writing, and music picks'
date: 2026-04-01
tags:
    - Games
lang: en
i18n:
  cn: /death_stranding_2
  translation: 2
updated: 2026-05-23 00:30:59
---

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At 1:04 AM on March 30th, I finally unlocked every achievement in *Death Stranding 2*. Here are some thoughts and collectibles from the playthrough.

Having time to go for full completion is mostly because senior year leaves me with nothing to do. If I still have the energy to grind achievements in the future, that means ~~I'm unemployed~~ (putting it nicely: retired).

## Achievements

### Connecting Hearts and Minds

The second-to-last achievement I unlocked: "Reach 5-star connection level with all facilities."

Some of the NPC facilities are:

1. Orders that are刁难 for players or genuinely challenging: adventurer / Mr. Impossible / time-sensitive express deliveries
2. Levelling up requires a high number of likes, making it unavoidable to grind the same orders repeatedly. I don't enjoy repeating myself, so these facilities were relatively tedious — thankfully there aren't many of them.

### Homo Liberans: The Savior of Humanity

The platinum achievement, unlocked after all other achievements are completed.

I paid special attention to this achievement's naming. When all five porter grade dimensions reach level 60, the title displayed under your in-game ID is "Homo Liberans."

"Homo" means "man" — as in *Homo Sapiens* (wise man). I first came across this word in high school as a subculture meme (homosexual); later, visiting museums, I learned its proper taxonomic meaning.

"Liberans" turns out to be the present participle of the Latin *liberare*; closer to English idiom would be "The Liberating Man," i.e., "the liberator." In Latin, placing the participle after the noun is more common.

Whether on the Kojima Productions website or in in-game text, you can find plenty of "Homo + xxx" constructions:

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  <accordion-item title="Example 1: Homo Ludens">

> From Sapiens to Ludens
>
> We are ==Homo Ludens==[^1] (Those who Play).
>
> From the moment we enter this world,
>
> We instinctively invent ways to have "fun",
>
> and share our inventions with those around us.
>
> We are not asked to do this,
>
> nor do we need reasons to create.
>
> It is simply who we are.
>
> We find one another and compete with one another.
>
> We laugh together and cry together: all while playing together.
>
> Our experiences bind us and liberate us.
>
> To share our most valuable experiences,
>
> we create stories, invent tools, and evolve the art of play.
>
> Play has been our ally since the dawn of civilization.
>
> "Playing" is not simply a pastime,
>
> it is the primordial basis of imagination and creation.
>
> Truth be told, Homo Ludens (Those who Play) are simultaneously ==Homo Faber== (Those who Create).
>
> Even if the Earth were stripped of life and reduced to a barren wasteland,
>
> our imagination and desire to create would persevere beyond survival,
>
> it would provide hope that flowers may one day bloom again.
>
> Through the invention of play, our new evolution awaits.

**KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS**

We are Homo Ludens. We are those who play.

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Homo Demens (Mad/Insane Man), an extremist terrorist organization led by Higgs, opposes humanity's connection and revels in violence. See [Death Stranding Wiki | Fandom](https://deathstranding.fandom.com/wiki/Homo_Demens)

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## Music

- **BB's Theme:** In the first game, this was the lullaby Cliff Unger sang to Sam; in the sequel, it was covered by Die-hardman and Higgs. Spotify has the original by Lidvig Forssell & Jenny Plant, plus Higgs' cover version.
- **Grimm Grimm**[^2]'s "Cliffhanger" and "Let's Not Say In Another Word" are both excellent. Producer Koichi Yamanoha plays the Tar Therapist in-game.
- **Woodkid** plays the Mechanic in-game; "Are You There" is a background track that can randomly trigger when Sam rests — Lou also makes a timed reappearance at those moments. Other favorites: "Story of Rainy," "To the Wilder," "Minus Sixty One."
- **CHVRCHES**[^3]' track "Death Stranding" — the band members cameo as Ian, Laura, and Martin at the animal shelter in-game, bringing warm yet slightly lonely melodies.
- **Magnolian**[^4]'s "Woods," "Famous Men," "Indigo," "Rome."
- **Low Roar**'s "Give Up."

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## In-Game Screenshots

To be done...

Not a fan of the desert maps, but the snow mountains in this game are absolutely stunning. The central mountain range is peak 👍

## Characters

### Fragile

Among the DHV Magellan crew, Fragile felt the most fully fleshed out — probably because she already had substantial screen time in DS1. In the Director's Cut epilogue, there's even a side mission (Order No. 79) that delves into Fragile's past, her mother Coffin, and her relationship with Higgs:

> Coffin was originally a passionate Porter who believed in "rebuilding America" and had Fragile with her husband. Later, she accidentally discovered that the cargo she was delivering was actually live infants (for Bridges' BB program). Shocked, she abandoned her work and formed an extremist group opposed to BB experiments, with the goal of destroying the UCA's BB facilities.
> ...

The other crew members — Dollman and Tarman each get one dedicated cutscene, and Rainy and Tomorrow aren't developed much either. Also, Rainy's character model hits uncanny valley territory — player reviews say "Asians have smooth skin and the facial capture doesn't work well, etc."

Late in the main story, Sam realizes his incubation pod is empty. After finishing the main quest, Fragile leaves the ship too — a bittersweet feeling, similar to when Ciri leaves in The Witcher 3. I actually quit to the main menu right then and didn't want to play anymore. Thankfully there's a reversal later — Ciri comes back after stopping the White Frost 🥰

On Xiaohei (a gaming platform), it says Rainy and Tomorrow disembarked together, but I distinctly remember that after finishing the main quest, sleeping on the DHV Magellan still triggered Rainy's Sui-Tang quiz.

### Die-Hardman / John Blake McClane

The contrast between his appearances across the two games is massive — just watch these two cutscenes:

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### Higgs Monaghan

Played by **Troy Baker**[^5], who also played protagonist Booker DeWitt in *BioShock Infinite* — another game with a standout story.

BTW, Sam's abilities compared to Higgs are frankly underwhelming 🥲

Also, Higgs' equipment gets nerfed when it ends up on Sam. The coffin and guitar both got dialed back. At least Sam can summon giant BTs now.

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- 23:28 ~~whole roasted sheep mmm~~

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[^1]: _**Homo Ludens**_ is a book originally published in Dutch in 1938 by Dutch historian and cultural theorist [Johan Huizinga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Huizinga "Johan Huizinga"), and "Ludens" has been the symbol of KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS ever since the company was founded in 2015.
[^2]: **Grimm Grimm** is a musical project of London-based songwriter, composer, recording artist and producer **Koichi Yamanoha**. He has released three solo studio albums and nine singles on independent labels since 2014. Grimm Grimm has collaborated with various artists, including [Lætitia Sadier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A6titia_Sadier "Lætitia Sadier"), [Le Volume Courbe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Volume_Courbe "Le Volume Courbe"), [Bo Ningen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Ningen "Bo Ningen"), [Josephine Foster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Foster "Josephine Foster"), [Klein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klein_\(musician\) "Klein (musician)") and [Hideo Kojima](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideo_Kojima "Hideo Kojima"). [Grimm Grimm - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimm_Grimm)
[^3]: **Chvrches** (stylised **CHVRCHΞS** and pronounced "Churches") are a [Scottish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland) [synth-pop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synth-pop "Synth-pop") band from [Glasgow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow "Glasgow"), formed in September 2011. The band consists of [Lauren Mayberry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Mayberry "Lauren Mayberry"), [Iain Cook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_Cook "Iain Cook"), [Martin Doherty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Doherty "Martin Doherty") and, unofficially since 2018, Jonny Scott. Mostly deriving from the synth-pop genre, Chvrches also incorporate [indietronica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indietronica "Indietronica"), [indie pop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_pop "Indie pop"), and [electronic dance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_dance_music "Electronic dance music") into their sound. [Chvrches - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chvrches)
[^4]: **Dulguun Bayasgalan**, better known under his stage name **Magnolian** is a Mongolian [indie folk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_folk "Indie folk") artist, singer-songwriter, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He sings in both [Mongolian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_language "Mongolian language") and English and describes himself as a [crooner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crooner "Crooner"). [Magnolian - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolian)
[^5]: **Troy Baker** is an American voice actor and musician. He is known for his numerous roles in video games. [Troy Baker - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Baker)