How to customise your backpack in Death Stranding

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Traverse desolate terrain in style.

death stranding backpack cover
(Image credit: Kojima Productions)
Stay on track with these Death Stranding guides

(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

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One of the key reasons to customise your Death Stranding backpack is to keep your cargo safe and your batteries charged. This is an extra feature to the game that can be overlooked during the main campaign, so I'm here with this guide to give you the lowdown on this missable mechanic.

Since you'll be spending the vast majority of your time trudging from place to place, you're going to want to take advantage of backpack tweaking so you can get greater efficiency when delivering cargo. Here's how to do it and unlock all-important talismans.

How to unlock backpack customisation

Edgar Wright’s Death Stranding cameo character, Thomas Southerland, is who you’ll have to please to unlock backpack customisation; he's stationed at the Distribution Centre South of Lake Knot City, a place you’ll visit as part of the main narrative. 

Before you do, make sure you spend a little time delivering cargo from the surrounding area to this Prepper so you can rank him up and retrieve the ability to customise your pack. To maximise efficiency, check stations surrounding the Distribution Centre and use a Truck to load as much cargo as possible to speed up the process.

How to customise your Death Stranding backpack

Now you must head to your private room and look at the wall where BB is cooing and select ‘Customise Backpack’. Once you’re there you’re given the option to add items to the back of your backpack to aid you in your journey. From stabilisers to extra batteries, here’s everything you can add to your backpack:

  • Spare Ammo Container 
  • Grenade Pouch - carry more grenades
  • Utility Pouch 
  • Large Grenade Pouch
  • Stabilizer
  • Extra Battery (Lv. 1,2,3)

How to get talismans and the Death Stranding backpack cover

You can also apply a Death Stranding backpack cover, which will keep the lower cargo that you’re carrying extra safe against Timefall snow and rain. This is incredibly useful when you have fragile deliveries. You can get it once you start taking on Episode 3 deliveries for Distribution Centre South of Lake Knot City. It's close to the optional Death Stranding Collector Prepper.

When it comes to adding customisable items to your backpack, look out for talismans. Sam always has his special Dreamcatcher hanging on his back, but you can also add trinkets that will afford useful buffs. Applying them is easily done on the aforementioned backpack customization screen. Here’s a list of what you can unlock, what each talisman does, and where to find them in the world:

  • Cryptobiote: Heartman’s Lab 
  • Weather Talisman: Weather Station
  • One Dollar Coin: Spiritualist (Increases chance of finding Chiral crystals)
  • Monster energy: First Prepper
  • Bell: Novelists Son 
  • Love Knot: Spiritualist
  • Windmill: Distribution Center South of Lake Knot City