Episode 2 Section 2: MULEs to the Left of me, BTs to the Right...

Navigate MULE and BT territories in Death Stranding Director's Cut. Learn how to handle these threats and complete the 'Rare Metal Delivery' order.

You'll have two new orders at the Waystation terminal. I'd suggest taking "Construction: Postbox" first. It's a simple order that walks you through the steps of constructing a postbox using the PCC (Portable Chiral Constructor). It's a fairly easy matter of running to the designated area and following Die-Hardman's instructions.

A few things of note: you'll be entering Timefall (rain that rapidly ages whatever it touches) area, but you won't be encountering any BTs (Beached Things - spectral enemies). There's liable to be some Lost Cargo scattered around, so feel free to pick it up to gain some more likes.

Another thing you'll start noticing is that you'll run into packages that don't have a destination. These are likely to be called "Resins" or "Metals" with a number beside them. These are not traditional cargo containers; these are materials that you can pick up to take to various settlements, to store or use for fabrication. You can't actually recycle them into the settlements' inventory yet, but you can pick them up and store them in your private locker to recycle when you come back this way. Just remember, as you're picking up extra materials out in the world, to keep an eye on your weight limits.

Once you've built the postbox, head back to the Waystation and take the "Rare Metal Delivery" order for the Distribution Center West of Capital Knot City. You'll be passing through both MULE territory and BT territory on the way. I took a ladder as a temporary bridge across the river, and a PCC so I could place my first postbox on the edge of BT territory.

This route doesn't have any truly rough terrain if you plan it right, but it passes through both kinds of enemies. Later on, a vehicle will make MULE territory a negligible issue, but on my first run I went straight into the MULE camp and nearly lost all my cargo. Not a fun experience!

While MULE territory spans both sides of the river here, their actual camp is on the south-eastern side. The north-western side is lightly patrolled, and often entirely free of MULEs. So keep to the same side of the river as the Waystation for now. Feel free to use George's watchtower, and then pass on through the gap in the rocks next to it.

You'll know you've entered MULE territory when you notice an orange scan, similar to your odraedek scan (a device that detects nearby BTs). There will soon be a whole section detailing ways to deal with MULEs, but for now just keep moving. They don't have anything you want just now, so there's no need to fight them. You should be able to outrun them even at a normal pace, if you're on the northwest side of the river. If not, and you somehow lose your cargo, see the dedicated "dealing with MULEs" section in Tips and Tricks once it's written.

It'll be clear you're past MULE territory because there'll be a brief cutscene of them deciding to stop pursuing you--which is sort of amusing if you never got near any in the first place. This is a one-time cutscene, so keep an eye on your map in the future. You can also tell the edges of MULE territory by the orange pylons, but those can be hard to spot, especially if you're in a hurry.

The reason the MULEs stopped following you is that you've run into a Timefall shower; I've yet to see MULE territory overlap with Timefall in any significant way. This also should be your warning that there are BTs up ahead.

You can drop off extra cargo at the postbox up the hill if you want. You can stay on this side of the river to head through BT territory, as it spans both sides of the river as well. However, I make a habit of crossing the river in between BT and MULE territory, because there'll be a stop on the delivery route on the southeastern side of the river in the future, and you're going to have to cross anyway to get to the Distribution Center. If you don't want to cross now, you can head on over the hill into BT territory after the postbox. If you're following the route I'm putting down, take a left to head toward the river.

There's an excellent spot for a bridge here, which will make future delivery runs with a vehicle much easier. For now, go upstream a little so you can put down a ladder to make crossing the river temporarily easier. Once you've crossed the river, hang a right to follow it upstream.

You'll see the edges of the chiral network after you cross the river; that's actually an area that'll be covered by a prepper shelter, but you're not going to unlock them for a little while. There's a relatively easy path between the rocks that runs right along with the edge of the chiral network for a ways. Following that path now will get it laid down nice and firm for future vehicle runs.

Even on the easiest difficulty you're going to have to run through the BTs at least once here. If you're putting down postboxes at the edges of BT territory like I am, throw it down when you hit your desired spot, but don't bother putting anything in it unless you picked up some Lost Cargo for Capital Knot or the Waystation. You're going to have to carry everything through BT territory anyway. Then you're going to want to sneak through. The edge of BT territory here isn't terribly hard going, since the slope is rather easy (it's just really rocky), so you could keep to the edges. You can also go straight on through if you're confident enough and want to move faster.

Whichever route you choose, be careful and keep from letting any BTs grab you. You don't want to destroy your cargo. It's not as difficult of a task to get through here as it was to sneak through the BTs in Episode 1, largely because you've got plenty of room to edge southeast and avoid the majority of the BTs. If you stayed to the northwest of the river you're in a similar situation, though the terrain's a bit more difficult toward the edge of BT territory.

No matter how close you get to the BTs this time around, at the far edge of BT territory the odradek scanner will suddenly shut down without waving goodbye in its usual manner. You'll get a cutscene where Sam comments that BB (Bridge Baby) doesn't look so hot; this is an unavoidable part of the story progression.