Completing the Electric Rod Quest in Death Stranding 2

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Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is fundamentally a walking simulator. Every step counts as you meticulously manage your cargo to avoid tipping over. While there’s more to the game, the act of walking constitutes its core experience. The various tools available serve primarily to assist in this journey.

Each delivery improves your connection with the recipients, sometimes earning you new items as a thank-you. Early in the game, you encounter La Madre, a pregnant woman living with a few elderly residents in Mexico. Assisting her is rewarding both emotionally and materially.

Starting the Lost Cargo Recovery Aid Request

After connecting La Madre to the Chiral Network, she introduces a unique kind of mission: Aid Requests. These operate differently from standard orders, so you may need guidance on how to proceed. First, though, you’ll want to reach Villa Libre.

Getting to Villa Libre

At the beginning, Sam’s goal is to visit the La Ciudad Distribution Center and link it to the Chiral Network. Once you settle in your room, you receive a new request to deliver Remote Medical Units to Villa Libre, a remote settlement with a pregnant woman and a few seniors who are in desperate need of medical supplies due to their isolation.

When planning your route to Villa Libre, you can choose between two paths. The northern route leads through a bandit camp, while the alternate route is obstacle-free but potentially treacherous due to flooding. If you opt for the safer option, be aware that rivers might overflow, complicating your navigation. However, if you’re confident in your stealth or combat skills, the bandit camp could be the faster choice.

Tip

If you go through the bandit camp, try not to let the cargo sustain too much damage for the best ranking.

Regardless of your path, be prepared for floodwaters; it’s wise to carry two ladders to cross the river effectively. After crossing, take care to walk cautiously since the ground could be slippery from the flooding, increasing the risk of falling.

Unlocking the Lost Cargo Recovery Request

Upon reaching Villa Libre and delivering the medical supplies, La Madre will introduce the next mission leading you through a bandit camp and ultimately connecting the next Distribution Center. She also provides your first Aid Request: several cargo pieces, containing walking sticks for the elderly, were washed away in the flood and are too close to the bandits for safe retrieval. You can collect these at your leisure without a formal order.

How to Find the Walking Sticks

Since this is your first Aid Request, it’s fairly straightforward. The walking sticks are four small pieces of cargo, so make sure to have enough space in your inventory before heading out. They’re located near the riverbanks close to a bandit camp. Aim to collect them when there’s no flooding, and consider nighttime for stealth against the bandits.

Once you have all four pieces, the journey back to Villa Libre should be relatively smooth. Just hand them over to La Madre to complete the aid request.

Unlocking the Electric Rod

As in the original Death Stranding, progressing your connection level with various Preppers and Distribution Centers nets you valuable rewards early in the game. La Madre offers an especially enticing item: the Electric Rod. This weapon, familiar from your encounters with Mules and Bandits, becomes available after achieving a two-star connection level with her.

You can boost your connection through various actions, including delivering lost cargo. However, completing the Lost Cargo Recovery Aid Request is the quickest way to reach that two-star threshold.

How to Use the Electric Rod

Once you acquire the Electric Rod, you’ll discover it has many of the same capabilities as when used by the Bandits. You can swing it as a powerful melee weapon, although that will reduce its durability.

Additionally, you can use it defensively by holding L2 to block attacks without worrying about timing or dodging. The Electric Rod can also be thrown: a quick tap of R2 will toss it in the direction you’re facing, or you can hold R2 to aim further. It has an area-effect ability that can knock out nearby enemies and disable electrical devices and vehicles.