Leveling Preppers to 5 stars in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is more than about bragging rights; every rank now unlocks something meaningful. You unlock new APAS Enhancements, handy equipment, unique vehicles, and quality-of-life improvements. Though the final push to five stars can be like a slog, especially when you’re staring at a bar that barely moves despite hauling half the continent on your back. You need to know where to focus your energy so you don’t burn hours on low-yield runs. Our Death Stranding 2 guide explains the best ways to grind connections to level up 5 Star Preppers and locations.
Order Filtering
The Orders list can become very cluttered once you’ve unlocked a bunch of Preppers, so filtering is a lifesaver. Head to the Orders tab, hit R1, and switch over to the search options. Set “Deliver/Report Destination” to whichever Prepper you’re targeting. With that, you will only see a list of important deliveries rather than random jobs. This makes farming specific Preppers way less chaotic. For example, if you want to five-star Cook, you’ll see who’s sending him an order, not only what he offers. You only have to focus on the orders that are still not greyed out; these are only the active ones.
Lost Cargo
Lost Cargo can be the backbone of getting Preppers to 5 stars if you approach it with purpose. Lost Cargo gives direct Likes to the Prepper it belongs to, and unlike some fetch quests, it doesn’t require you to track down a specific Order. You clean up the map while earning reputation, and better yet, the game spawns most of it within 500–1000 meters of its facility.
How to Maximize the Grind
- Pickup Off-Roader is the unsung hero of cargo farming. Load it with Sticky Guns, and you’ll never have to get out every five steps. Load cargo into the truck bed and keep rolling. Pair that with Floating Carriers at nasty terrain for marathon runs.
- Use Odradek to keep scanning constantly. With the right APAS Enhancements like the Sensor Mode Change that trades width for longer range, you’ll be able to sniff out cargo before it’s even in sight. Equip fast recharge from the Stealth skill tree to sweep an area without missing a single container.
- Small and medium containers aren’t flashy, but stack a dozen of them and you can quickly bank 1,000 Likes in a single drop-off. XL containers are jackpot runs that often earn you 300–400 Likes each.
High-yield Farming Spots
- BT Zones: Risky, but they’re piñatas full of XL containers. One trip through a BT-heavy valley can net you a big sum of Likes if you play it smart. Clear the BTs first (Blood Grenades or Hematic Rounds make it manageable), and you’ll have the whole area to yourself.
- MULE Camps: Their postboxes are cargo vaults. Once you clear the camp or sneak in, you can walk away with enough cargo to bump a Prepper by an entire star in one go. The Swift Postbox Hacking APAS perk cuts down the “standing around while hacking” risk.
- Watchtower: Dropping a Watchtower near enemy bases or common cargo routes is a simple but underrated move. It highlights cargo in a wide area, saving you from running blind.
You can also give a look at Shared Lockers, you’d be surprised how often they’re stacked with deliveries for the same Prepper you want to level 5-star connection. Even if you don’t want to haul them yourself, you can entrust them to Porters and still collect Likes.
Aid Requests
Aid Requests don’t give you big Likes, but they’re almost always easy, such as to place a ladder where someone got stuck, or to fetch a single lost item nearby. You can check them through the Aid Requests tab from the Ring Terminal, and you’d better check them mainly if shy of hitting the next star with a Prepper.
Split Deliveries
Don’t hand over a mountain of cargo in one delivery. The system only allows you to gain one star per delivery, no matter how many Likes you get. Any excess carries over, but if you want steady progression, splitting your cargo into smaller batches can keep the stars ticking upward instead of wasting effort on a single dump. It becomes extra important in the late game, where the fifth star demands huge Likes.
Let Porters Do the Work
Most often, the smart work is better than the hard work, and the smartest play here is to let someone else carry the load. If you entrust cargo to NPC Porters, you’ll still earn most of the Likes on each delivery. It can take a few in-game hours, but it’s free progress while you focus on more engaging jobs.
Tip: Raid the Shared Lockers at terminals. Other porters often drop off half-forgotten cargo for same Preppers you are making connection. You can either deliver it yourself or ask someone else for passive gains.
The fifth star is designed to be a slog whether it’s the Lone Commander, the Environmental Observatory, or the dreaded Data Scientist, some Preppers demand massive Likes compared to the first four stars. It’s easy to be discouraged when a big haul barely nudges the meter. That’s intentional. Kojima Productions possibly wanted that last push to be for completionists, not casual progress. If you’re chasing the Platinum trophy or perfect maps in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, pace yourself and don’t try to 5-star everyone in one sitting.
