With Kojima Production’s first game following its independent reformation now released, Death Stranding is capturing a lot of attention within the industry. Traversing the fractured landscapes of Death Stranding, learning about the game’s systems, and experiencing the long elusive narrative is going to occupy a lot of players' time throughout the course of the game’s runtime.
While traveling the broken landscapes between destinations is going to take some substantial time, there are ways of cutting down the amount time players will need for their journeys. Among the different tools and vehicles that players can unlock over the course of the game is the Floating Carrier, which acts sort of like a hoverboard Sam can keep in tow.
Unlocking the Floating Carrier
Like vehicles and permanent bridges that Sam can construct, the Floating Carrier is going to make traversing Death Stranding’s world map more convenient. First things first, to unlock the blueprint for the Floating Carrier players will have to find the Weather Station. The Weather Station is located just southwest of the Distribution Center South of Lake Knot City.
More importantly, the Weather Station main storyline so players will naturally encounter through the Order for Sam Number 27. This order will see Sam deliver a device to the Weather Station while linking it to the chiral network. Upon reconnecting the Weather Station, players will be rewarded with the level one blueprints for the Floating Carrier, along with a few of other rewards that are pertinent to both the story and gameplay.
How to Use the Floating Carrier
After unlocking the floating carrier and crafting it with the use of a chiral printer, players will need to put it to use. After players have fabricated the Floating Carrier, it will automatically equip to Sam’s back. To attach it to Sam’s suit, players can go into the cargo menu and offload it onto the ground or go into the quick menu using the right d-pad and just drop it onto the ground.
Next, go up to the Floating Carrier and attack it to Sam’s suit by pressing the square button. The Floating Carrier should connect itself to Sam’s suit and begin hovering off the ground. With this, players can attach cargo to it to lighten Sam’s load over the course of his journey. Just make sure not to go too fast for it or go over terrain it can’t easily traverse or the connection will break, meaning players will need to do back and reconnect it to Sam.
Riding and Upgrading the Floating Carrier
If players want to have some fun with the Floating Carrier, it is possible to have Sam ride it. Provided the carrier is empty and connected to Sam’s suit, the option to ride it will appear, turning the carrier will turn it into a hoverboard of sorts. Unfortunately, much like peeing in Death Stranding, the power and speed of the carrier makes riding it…not so much fun. Although it is somewhat convenient for traversing down hilly terrain.
If players want to upgrade the Floating Carrier, it’s going to take a bit of investment. The Floating Carrier can be upgraded by improving one's overall relationship with the Weather Station. This means players will have to complete standard orders for the Weather Station over the course of the game. Upon reaching relationship level 3, players will be rewarded with the level two blueprint for the Floating Carrier.
While Death Stranding is getting mixed reviews from both players and critics, it’s undeniable that the game is getting plenty of attention within the industry. Hopefully, this guide will help players lighten the load over the course of Death Stranding's 40-60 hour runtime.
Death Stranding is out now for PS4, with a PC release to follow in the summer of 2020.
