Tired of trekking across Death Stranding 2’s perilous landscapes on foot? Fast travel is finally here-but unlocking and using it comes with its own set of secrets and trade-offs that every porter needs to know before they embark on their next delivery.
Below, we explain when you can unlock fast travel in Death Stranding 2, how to use it, and what the Magellan Evaluation is.
How to unlock fast travel in Death Stranding 2
Fast travel in Death Stranding 2 becomes available after you complete Order 12, which takes place near West Fort Knot in the Australia region. To unlock this feature, you need to defeat the boss at the end of this mission, link West Fort Knot to the Chiral Network with your Q-Pid, and then rest in your Private Room or aboard the Magellan. Once you wake up, you’ll receive a notification that fast travel is unlocked, allowing you to travel quickly between previously visited safe locations connected to the Chiral Network. This landmark progression typically occurs deep into the story, around Chapter 3, after about 10-15 hours of main missions.
Death Stranding 2’s fast travel unlocks automatically as you progress through the story and defeat the boss in the 12th delivery mission (using the “pretend you won” option counts as defeating it as well), at which point the monorail is back in commission. After that, you can use the Magellan to instantly travel to any named location with an icon that you’ve already visited in Mexico or Australia. That includes major settlements and individual bunkers like the Artist’s home, and you can take cargo with you for deliveries as well.
Open your map, select a location, and choose to travel there with the Magellan by pressing the X button. You can move the ship without Sam in it or transport him and his cargo.
However, there’s a catch.
What is the Magellan Evaluation in Death Stranding 2?
The Magellan Evaluation in Death Stranding 2 is a
If you use Magellan to fast travel for a cargo delivery, Death Stranding 2 warns you that you’ll get the Magellan Evaluation – without saying what that is. Magellan deliveries come with a serious penalty to the likes you earn from completing a delivery.
The number of likes you get determines how quickly Sam’s relationship with a location or person increases, so in other words, using Death Stranding 2’s fast travel to complete delivery orders means it takes longer to rank up and unlock new schematics. Your best bet to avoid the Magellan Evaluation penalty is to just clear jobs in a specific area before moving on and accepting new orders.
What surprising tricks can make fast travel in Death Stranding 2 more efficient
Several lesser-known tricks can make fast travel in Death Stranding 2 notably more efficient:
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Pre-connect Locations: The Magellan and Transponder fast travel systems only work between sites you have personally visited and linked to the Chiral Network. Proactively expanding the network and activating as many facilities as possible early helps maximize your fast travel options later and avoids detours.
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Strategically Manage Cargo: Using the Magellan for fast travel lets you carry cargo, but comes with a catch: you’ll get the “Magellan Evaluation,” reducing the likes and slowing your reputation progression with NPCs for that delivery. Conversely, Transponders are speedier but won’t transport your cargo. Choosing the right method based on your delivery’s importance is an underrated efficiency tweak.
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Plot Return Trips: Get in the habit of checking whether fast travel has become available immediately after completing main story orders or before setting out on multi-step side quests. Sometimes, the Magellan is only accessible after a rest or a story cutscene-timing your missions to align with these windows can reduce unnecessary manual travel.
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Recall the Magellan Remotely: If you aren’t near the Magellan, you can summon it to your current zone using the in-game terminal’s “Chart Course” feature; this saves time moving back to where you last left the craft, especially on large maps.
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Maximize Fast Travel Hubs: Networking with as many “preppers” (NPC outposts) as possible before advancing the main plot means more fast travel hubs when you need them, greatly improving route flexibility and efficiency for future travel.
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Rest to Refresh Options: After certain main missions, you may need to rest in your Private Room or aboard the Magellan to reset and unlock fast travel for the next stretch.
These strategies take advantage of the game’s unique fast travel balance-leveraging systems to avoid tedious backtracking while still maximizing delivery rewards and exploration opportunities. Be mindful, however, that overly relying on fast travel may undercut your delivery ratings and relationship building with NPCs, so weigh the benefits based on your current goals.
How can upgrading transponders enhance your fast travel efficiency in Death Stranding 2
Upgrading transponders in Death Stranding 2 directly enhances your fast travel efficiency by expanding your travel network, reducing manual travel time, and adding critical flexibility to route planning.
Key benefits of upgrading or expanding transponders include:
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Shortcuts Across Difficult Terrain: By upgrading and strategically placing more transponders, you can create fast-travel shortcuts in hard-to-navigate regions like mountain crossings or sites far from standard routes, reducing the need for long, hazardous treks.
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Flexible Network Expansion: Higher-level transponders or building more of them using a PCC Lv.2 lets you increase the total number of available jump points within the Chiral Network, allowing for more direct and customized connections between mission-critical outposts and safe houses.
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Community Access and Collaboration: When upgraded transponders are built in online mode, you and other players can share access, multiplying the number of potential destinations and streamlining logistics network-wide.
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Time Savings: Efficient transponder routes let you bypass BT-infested areas, rough geography, and redundant backtracking, dramatically speeding up traversals for objectives that don’t require you to haul cargo (since personal cargo is left behind).
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Prioritizing Upgrades: Placing or upgrading transponders near delivery bottlenecks, high-traffic routes, or across chiral network gaps ensures consistently faster travel across your usual play areas.
However, the trade-off is that fast traveling with transponders does not move your cargo-you’ll need to return for it later, so upgrades are most efficient for scouting, NPC interactions, and resource runs rather than active deliveries.
In summary, regularly upgrading and smartly positioning transponders lets you build a fast travel network tailored to your playstyle, maximizing time saved and minimizing tedious travel, especially as you revisit older areas or explore new regions.
