Are you utterly perplexed by the ending of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach? There are several convoluted twists and big reveals, as expected from a game crafted by none other than Hideo Kojima. As such, the campaign’s conclusion might leave you with a few questions. Don’t worry, since we’ve got all the details for you right here. Oh, and do expect that there will be major spoilers ahead.

Death Stranding 2 ending explained

Our ending guide discusses several facets related to the closing portion of the game. First, we talk about the final boss battle against Higgs and his involvement with APAS 4000. We then take a look at the fates of various characters, including Fragile, Lou, and Tomorrow, as well as the affair between Lucy Strand and Neil Vana. Lastly, we delve further into what happens after the end credits roll and what you can expect if you continue playing.

To see the ending in Death Stranding 2, you must first defeat your old rival, Higgs, who’s been a thorn on your side all throughout the campaign. The final boss encounter against Higgs is a multi-stage bout, where you’re armed with a Battle Guitar that lets you shoot and slash your foe. Yes, there are even riff-offs that make for an over-the-top and entertaining segment.

As for why Higgs has been hounding Sam the whole time, it’s because he was tasked by none other than the Automated Ported Assistant System (APAS), under the leadership of the mysterious “President.” Here’s the gist:

• APAS 4000 is actually comprised of the souls of the departed–4,000 people who died in a voidout–who ended up merging with the Chiral Network. This “convergence” of sorts allowed it to gain sentience.
• APAS’ goal isn’t the eradication of humanity, but preservation by eliminating flesh and freedom. Movement will be restricted and humans will eventually become part of the Chiral Network in a “Chiralverse” of sorts.
• In the first Death Stranding game, Higgs was left exiled in Amelie’s Beach, where time flowed unnaturally compared to reality. He basically spent thousands of years all alone, until APAS found and recruited him.
• Higgs’ objective was to become a persistent adversary for Sam–i.e. “an existential threat,” as he’s been dubbed–to keep Sam on his toes as he tackles his mission to reconnect Mexico and Australia to the Chiral Network. However, Higgs has ulterior motives as well, as he plans to trigger the Last Stranding (more on this later).
• As for APAS, its sentient will has been severed completely even though Sam has been reconnecting several regions. This is thanks to the intervention of Die-Hardman, who’s kept his guise as Charlie the mannequin/puppet the entire time.

Higgs’ actual plan is to trigger the Last Stranding, a cataclysmic event that’s meant to usher the total extinction of a species. This destructive instance can only be triggered by a powerful being known as an extinction entity.

In the first game, we know that this being was Amelie–i.e. Sam’s sister. (To be more specific, she’s the spirit of Sam’s mother that split from her essence. But, yes, things can get very confusing if we go into detail about that plot point.)

Sufficed to say, Higgs needed someone with a strong connection to Amelie/Sam, which is why he kidnaps Tomorrow during the lead-up to the game’s finale. That’s because Tomorrow is Sam’s daughter. Wait, what?

Throughout the campaign, Sam sees visions of someone else’s memories. All the while, he has to fight a Solid Snake-esque character named Neil Vana. Then, in various cutscenes and during the Death Stranding 2 ending sequence, we clearly see how past events transpired:

• Lucy and Neil were both children when they found themselves in the mysterious realm, akin to a realm of the dead. Lucy would go on to become a therapist, eventually marrying Sam. Neil would later become a Porter, and also one of Lucy’s patients.
• Lucy and Neil had an affair, which Sam later found out about.
• Since Lucy was pregnant with Sam’s child at the time, she decided to end her dalliance with Neil.
• Knowing that a repatriate’s child would be invaluable, and that Bridges wanted to take her baby away, Lucy sought help from Neil. Neil would then claim that the child was his.
• The Bridges organization knew of Lucy and Neil’s plans, and the two were shot and killed as they attempted to escape the facility.

This part of the ending sequence is a flashback where you briefly control Neil’s spirit as he swims in the ether. He sees Lucy’s body in the morgue, though it’s clear that the baby was already taken away by Bridges.

Sam then arrives and carries Lucy away, perhaps attempting to dispose of her body. As Neil, you catch up with the two, which triggers a voidout that wipes out the entire base, leaving Sam as the only survivor.

Arguably one of the biggest twists in the Death Stranding 2 ending is the fact that Fragile has been dead the entire time:

• Early in the game when Sam’s hideout gets ransacked, we’re told that Fragile tried to teleport Lou away to safety. She’s shot by Higgs, though we see that she “survived” and that Lou had died.
• In truth, Fragile actually died at that moment, though her connection with Lou allowed her to teleport Lou to the realm of the dead.
• One part of Fragile’s essence had already died, though the other remained alive throughout due to the different passage of time. It was only during the finale when she truly remembered what had happened to her. Thus, with her mission fulfilled, she had finally decided to rest.

As for Lou, well, let’s recap what we know so far:

• Sam and Lucy had a child, but that baby was taken away to become part of Bridges’ program.
• In the first game, Sam found a BB and he formed a strong connection with her. He names the child Lou.
• During the early portions of the campaign, Fragile dies but she manages to take Lou to the realm of the dead.
• Neil, who’s residing in that very realm, takes care of Lou, keeping his promise to Lucy when they were still alive.
• Lou stays and grows up in the mysterious realm for years. But for us (in reality), only a brief amount of time had passed.
• A young woman emerges from the mysterious realm halfway through the campaign, and the group names her Tomorrow.
• Tomorrow is kidnapped by Higgs due to her strong connection to Sam/Amelie and because she’s an extinction entity. She resists the urge and, instead, manifests as a giant Lou that gobbles up Higgs once you’ve beaten him.
• Back at the DHV Magellan, everyone wakes up and Tomorrow/Lou approaches Sam. She then says: “I’m your Louise.”

In short: Tomorrow is Lou, all grown up from the realm of the dead. And, yes, she is Sam’s daughter.

The Death Stranding 2 ending sequence also shows that time had passed since the group left the Beach. We see how APAS has continued its program of sending out bots instead of human Porters. On the bright side, APAS is but a program/algorithm and not sentient borne by the amalgamation of souls.

We also see Lou/Tomorrow, who’s become a Porter just like her dad Sam. She looks at various photos, including one that shows Rainy and her baby (who looks to be a year old). Lou has Fragile’s gloves and, as she smokes a cigarette, we see someone else sharing a puff. It’s probably Fragile’s spirit since Lou echoes her own words about how “death cannot keep [us] apart.”

Lou then stares at a Plate Gate, though we don’t know which continent it leads to. Perhaps this is a tease for the next game in the series, one where we get to control Lou/Tomorrow and make use of her acrobatic melee skills and keen marksmanship abilities.

After the end credits stop rolling, you’ll be able to see the following:

• Stats: These panels show you how long you’ve been playing, all the structures you’ve built, how many likes you’ve amassed, and more.
• Rewards: You’ll also receive all sorts of rewards, though most are cosmetic or not impactful to gameplay. These include:
  • Red Mask and Golden Mask – Block direct and reflected sunlight.
  • Patch 41: Adult Cryptobiote
  • Custom Hologram: Tomorrow Like and Fragile
  • Music tracks: Fragile Things and To the Wilder ft. Elle Fanning (Tomorrow)

You’re also presented the option to toggle the Drawbridge Q-pid on or off:

• Drawbridge Q-pid On: Makes the game significantly easier since Ghost Mechs won’t be a threat and BTs no longer spawn once banished.
• Drawbridge Q-pid Off: This is the default experience, with Ghost Mechs and BTs that are ever-present and respawning.

That’s it! That’s everything you need to know about the Death Stranding 2 ending. After the credits are done, you’ll find yourself back at the DHV Magellan for Episode 17: One Day. There are no main objectives anymore, though you can still tackle all sorts of activities. For instance, you might want to take out the Lord of the Tar Lake secret boss if you haven’t done so yet.

Humanity yearns to be interconnected once more, and it’s up to you to deliver the goods. If you need more help, then we’ve got you covered in our Death Stranding 2 guides hub.