Death Stranding Tips: Don't Miss This Useful Upgrade

After sinking tons of hours in the third episode of Death Stranding, you're likely to have gathered a ton of useful gadgets and upgrades that expand your toolset in all sorts of handy ways (big shout outs to the Bola Gun and the Power Skeleton). But have you ever found yourself wondering why Sam’s backpack in Death Stranding is always open, exposing your precious cargo to the wild and unpredictable Timefall elements of the world? If you ask us, it seems pretty unprofessional of an expert porter.

But what if we told you that it's possible to unlock a cover that fits around your backpack--something to keep all of those high priority deliveries safe? Well, it's just for the cargo directly inside the confines of your backpack and not placed above it, but still, the backpack cover upgrade is an invaluable tool that's especially useful during late game deliveries when you're up against intense weather conditions.

So how do you find this wonderful (and fashionable) upgrade you ask? Allow us to explain below where we highlight how to get one of the most important upgrades for Sam. But for more Death Stranding features, check out our in-depth beginner's guide and our feature highlighting all the most significant celebrity cameos we've found so far.

How To Get The Backpack Cover

The backpack cover becomes available to get once you start doing deliveries at the Distribution Center South of Lake Knot City during Episode 3. It's the closest landmark to an optional prepper, known as The Collector, that you can connect to the Chiral Network. Upon doing so, they will reward you with the backpack cover and its subsequent upgrades.

To find the Collector, head slightly southeast 400 meters from the Distribution Center South of Lake Knot City along the right side of a crevice that runs perpendicular from the Distribution Center. Be sure to bring a ladder with you--you're going to need it. Be mindful to send some Odradek scans along the way to check for any lost cargo tagged with the Collector, so you can take it to him. They're worth grabbing ahead of time if you're able.

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Along the crevice, you should see a small path that leads down, take it and keep walking along the bottom and to the right until you reach some pools of water and a MULE scanning pylon. Stand near that pylon and look up and to the north, and you should see a cartoony fox painted on the wall. Place your ladder here and climb up to meet the Collector. If you're actually familiar with Japanese games magazine Famitsu, then you might recognize the Collector's likeness as the magazine's former editor-in-chief, Hirokazu Hamamura. And that Fox on the wall? It's the magazine's mascot.

You need to increase your standing with the Collector to unlock the backpack cover. If you didn't find any lost cargo tagged with the Collector before you arrived, then don't worry. Interacting with his terminal should give you an order to steal back some game consoles from the MULE camp nearby. Complete that delivery and he should give you more orders that'll help bolster your rank enough with him to unlock the backpack cover.

As stated above, the cover only fits around the main compartment of Sam's backpack. Any excess cargo will be stacked on top of his backpack and consequently exposed to Timefall. The cover itself comes in two flavors: a level-one version that comes in shiny silver, and a level-two version with increased durability that's colored an eye-catching gold! Despite its limitations, the backpack cover is a lifesaver and is an upgrade you shouldn't miss.