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Here's what Magellan evaluation means in Death Stranding 2

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So you tried to transport cargo using the DHV Magellan…

Death Stranding 2 Magellan Evaluation - Sam
(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

You were greedy. As soon as you gained access to fast travel in Death Stranding 2 you started concocting a scheme in your brain; a plan to conveniently transport all of your lost cargo to its destination using the DHV Magellan, letting you speedily accrue likes and rank up with each shelter for new upgrades.

But just when the plan seemed foolproof and you were about to set sail, a message prompt appeared before you:

  • You will receive the 'Magellan evaluation' for order or request where the DHV Magellan is used to transport cargo.
Disclaimer

This guide is based on the PS5 version of Death Stranding 2, but we'll update it if anything changes as and when the PC version arrives. If the first game is anything to judge by, we could see it coming our way in around six months time.

Now, how do I know all that? Because I am you, dear gamer. After this prompt appeared, I was similarly confused by its cryptic wording and figured I'd do a little experiment to see exactly what the 'Magellan evaluation' is so I could provide that info here.

I delivered two separate pieces of cargo by hand and with them stored onboard the DHV Magellan during fast travel to see what the difference was. These were:

You'll get this mysterious prompt when you try to fast travel with cargo (Image credit: Kojima Productions)
  • Fluffy Pajamas
    • Before fast travel: 45 likes
    • After fast travel: 11 likes
  • Lost Filtration Equipment
    • Before fast travel: 393 likes
    • After fast travel: 101 likes

As you can see, the cargo transported via fast travel is worth less, and judging by the ratios here, the Magellan Evaluation reduces cargo value by around 75% or to 25% of its overall value, phrased another way.

Image 1 of 2
Death Stranding 2 Magellan Evaluation - Before fast travel
Cargo delivered without fast travel(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

I imagine this was implemented to discourage players from gaming the system and amassing cargo onboard the Magellan with a view to quickly gaining all the rep rewards at every shelter. Well played, Kojima.

I guess you can still easily deliver cargo using it, but it'll take you a lot longer to farm up those likes, so you're better off porting the ol' fashioned way by sticking with vehicles or your trusty legs, and improving your carry capacity.

Death Stranding 2 statsDeath Stranding 2 APAS EnhancementsDeath Stranding 2 carry capacityDeath Stranding 2 vehiclesDeath Stranding 2 repair vehiclesDeath Stranding 2 fast travel

Death Stranding 2 stats: Level up each one
Death Stranding 2 APAS Enhancements: Porter Grades
Death Stranding 2 carry capacity: Porter-bility
Death Stranding 2 vehicles: All rides
Death Stranding 2 repair vehicles: Charged and ready
Death Stranding 2 fast travel: Skip the scenery

Sean Martin
Sean Martin
Senior Guides Writer

Sean's first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation and his taste has stayed much the same since. When not scouring games for secrets or bashing his head against puzzles, you'll find him revisiting old Total War campaigns, agonizing over his Destiny 2 fit, or still trying to finish the Horus Heresy. Sean has also written for EDGE, Eurogamer, PCGamesN, Wireframe, EGMNOW, and Inverse.

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