Which Difficulty Is Best For Death Stranding 2? All Levels Decoded

Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2 invites players back into a surreal, post-apocalyptic world — but how punishing (or peaceful) your journey becomes is entirely up to you. The game offers four difficulty levels, each crafted to suit different player preferences, whether you're here for the cinematic storytelling or the white-knuckle survival.

Here's a full breakdown of what each difficulty mode offers and how it affects your gameplay and rewards:

Story Mode: Purely Narrative, Minimal Resistance

If your main goal is to experience the game's rich narrative without the distractions of combat or delivery mishaps, Story Mode is the way to go. This setting turns the game into a near-cinematic experience. Enemies pose little to no threat, cargo damage is barely a concern, and your character automatically regenerates health. It’s designed to remove gameplay friction so you can focus entirely on the emotional arc and world-building. However, performance-based evaluations, such as rankings for delivery missions, are not part of this mode.

Casual and Normal: Balanced Gameplay with Measured Challenge

Casual Mode offers a slightly more engaging experience while still keeping the stakes low. You’ll face a few more obstacles compared to Story Mode, but gameplay remains forgiving. Damage from enemies and cargo deterioration is reduced, making it a great option for players who want just a bit of challenge while still enjoying a laid-back playthrough.

Normal Mode is considered the standard setting and provides a balanced experience. It’s tuned for players who are familiar with action games and want to engage with both the gameplay mechanics and the narrative on equal footing. You’ll need to manage combat, cargo durability, and terrain carefully — but the satisfaction of completing a delivery under pressure is worth it. At this level, high-performance delivery missions earn you better in-game evaluations.

Brutal Mode: The Ultimate Test

For players seeking a relentless challenge, Brutal Mode turns Death Stranding 2 into a truly demanding experience. Enemies are far more aggressive, cargo is extremely fragile, and mistakes are heavily punished. Every step becomes a calculated risk. This difficulty setting is aimed at veterans who thrive under pressure and want to master the full complexity of the game’s systems. It rewards top-tier performance with the highest possible in-game evaluation titles.

Trophies and Progression: What You Need to Know

Interestingly, Death Stranding 2 doesn’t force players into Brutal Mode to earn every trophy. While finishing the game on the hardest setting is an accomplishment in itself, it isn’t required for a platinum trophy. However, there is a specific trophy that demands at least Casual difficulty or higher — players need to complete 10 delivery, recovery, and elimination missions with top rankings. This means Story Mode won’t qualify for completionists aiming to collect every reward.

Whether you’re a relaxed explorer or a hardened porter ready for battle, Death Stranding 2 offers a difficulty mode that aligns with your style. Just make sure you know what you’re signing up for before you hit the road — the path ahead may be more treacherous than it first appears.