Death Stranding, the strange yet beautiful open-world action game from Kojima Productions, is the latest title from legendary developer Hideo Kojima. Set in the remains of a United States shattered by a supernatural apocalypse (the titular Death Stranding), the game tasks players with pulling society back together through trade and resource-sharing.
Players take the role of a Porter, a kind of human pack-mule who carries these essential supplies from one celebrity Death Stranding cameo to the next. Of course, it's not always an easy task when the wastelands are awash with cult-like bandits, rain showers that cause accelerated aging in everything they touch, and supernatural creatures apparently formed from living tar and hatred. The last of these threats is perhaps the most deadly of all, and should almost always be avoided. Here's a guide to spotting these BTs on the map before they get a chance to engage.
Know Your Enemy
Without spoilers, Beached Things, or BTs as they're commonly known, are a type of unknowable and undeniably hostile entity that stalks the ruins of post-apocalyptic America, attacking any living soul that they sense. Given how hard they are to deal with, and how dangerous they can be to a Porter's precious cargo, direct confrontation is definitely unwise.
Fortunately, there is a way to spot BTs even before they're in visual range, using a combination of the Odradek mechanical arm, and the map. Players are first alerted to the presence of BTs by a deluge of black rain, known as a Timefall. This will cause the Odradek to activate, and turn to face the nearest BT. While this is useful for avoiding the closest threat, it isn't as good for planning a longer route, as is often necessary in Death Stranding.
Using the Map
By activating the Odradek's scanning ability, and then immediately opening the map, players will notice lots of tiny flickering stars on the display. Each of these represents the location of a BT, even if it's out of visual range, or a considerable distance away. With this constellation of danger to warn them, players should be able to pick the safest route through without finding themselves in a dead end.
If this is an impossible task, and the only safe routes past the BTs are blocked by difficult terrain, then it may be necessary to engage one in order to pass. Fortunately, there are some Anti-BT weapons that players can call upon, including blood grenades and an electrified bola that can stun them. Even if forced to attack, players should take care to use the map detection method to avoid as much combat as possible, and get their cargo safely to its destination.
Death Stranding is out now for PS4 and will be out on PC in Summer 2020.