Sam Bridges is tired. Honestly, by the time you've dragged a stack of ceramic crates halfway across a mountain range in a literal thunderstorm of time-accelerating rain, you’re probably tired too. But Hideo Kojima’s weird, meditative masterpiece isn't really about the cargo. It’s about the people hiding in the holes. Finding Death Stranding all preppers isn't just some completionist chore—it's how you actually survive the endgame without losing your mind.
Most players just stick to the main "UCA" hubs. They hit Capital Knot City, Port Knot, and maybe Lake Knot, thinking that’s the whole deal. It isn't. Not even close.
The ones hiding in the rocks
You’ve got these isolated survivalists, the "Preppers," who think the United Cities of America is a total joke. They’re cynical. They’re lonely. Some of them are just plain jerks. Take the Ludens Fan, for instance. He’s tucked away in the Eastern Region, and if you aren't looking for that specific crevice near Capital Knot City, you’ll walk right past him. He’s a cameo of Geoff Keighley, which is a bit of a fourth-wall break, but in the world of the game, he’s just a guy obsessed with "ludenic" history.
Why bother? Because these guys give you the good stuff.
The Musician is another one people miss constantly. He’s south of the Distribution Center West of Capital Knot City. If you find him, he gives you a harmonica. Suddenly, Sam can play tunes for BB while resting. It’s a tiny detail. It’s also the difference between a stressful trek and a moment of genuine peace.
Moving to the Central Region: Where things get messy
The Middle Grid is where Death Stranding all preppers start to become essential rather than optional. You’ve got the Engineer, the Craftsman, and the Elder. The Elder is a grim one. He lives on top of a mountain, he’s sick, and if you stop delivering his meds, he actually dies. Like, for real. His hologram turns into a BT. It’s haunting.
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Then you have the Collector. He’s living in a crack in the ground south of the Distribution Center South of Lake Knot City. He’s obsessed with old video game consoles. If you level him up, he gives you a cover for your backpack that protects your cargo from Timefall. That isn't just a "nice to have" item. It is a mandatory piece of gear if you want to tackle the snowy peaks without your equipment melting in five minutes.
And we have to talk about the Veteran Porter. He’s a stubborn old man located way out near the Timefall Farm. He hates the UCA. He hates you. Getting him on the network requires finding his lost cargo scattered around the mountains. It's a grind. But he represents the core theme of the game: even the most isolated, bitter people eventually need a connection.
The absolute pain of the mountains
The Mountaineer, the Roboticsicist, the First Prepper. These names still give me a bit of a headache. The First Prepper is notoriously difficult to "five-star." You’ll deliver a massive haul of high-quality materials, and his connection level will barely move. It’s a literal pixel of progress.
You have to read his emails.
That’s the trick. A lot of people get stuck trying to find Death Stranding all preppers and get them into the UCA because they think it’s just about delivery volume. It’s not. It’s about time. You deliver, you go to a private room, you sleep, you read their mail, and then they’ll trust you more.
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The Mountaineer is vital because he’s your gateway to the All-Terrain Skeleton. If you’ve ever tried to run through waist-deep snow without it, you know the pain of Sam stumbling every three seconds. It’s frustrating. It’s meant to be. The game is basically poking you, saying, "Go find the specialist who can fix this problem."
The ones you probably missed
- The Son of a Novelist: He’s in the rocky plains between the Distribution Center North of Mountain Knot City and the Waystation. He’s easy to overlook because his shelter blends into the environment.
- The Junk Dealer: You meet him during the story, but his side quest involving the Girl Shipped in a Crate (yes, really) is what unlocks the high-level Speed Skeleton.
- The Peter Englert Saga: This is the guy who constantly asks for pizza. He’s a meme in the community. But if you actually deliver every pizza—all the way from the first one near Lake Knot to the final one in the mountains—you get access to his shelter at the end of the game. It contains the most significant lore reveal in the entire Central Region. No spoilers, but look at the walls when you finally get inside.
Is the "All-Prepper" run worth it?
Honestly, yeah. But not just for the trophies.
When you get Death Stranding all preppers onto the Chiral Network, the map changes. It stops being a lonely wasteland and starts being a shared infrastructure project. Suddenly, you see ziplines appearing. You see bridges that other players have built because the "bandwidth" of the area increased.
By connecting the Photographer, you get better binoculars. By connecting the Waystation North of Mountain Knot City, you get better armor plating. Every single one of these hermits has a specific technological contribution that makes Sam’s life easier.
The "hidden" preppers like the First Prepper or the Veteran Porter are the hardest to find because they don't show up on your map with a mission marker. You have to find "Lost Cargo" belonging to them out in the wild. Once you pick up a package labeled for "The Collector," a vague icon will pop up. That’s your breadcrumb trail.
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Real-world logic in a weird world
Kojima based these interactions on the "Dunbar’s Number" theory and the idea of social friction. In our world, we click a button and a package arrives. In Death Stranding, you have to prove your worth to a guy living in a cave before he’ll let you use his 3D printer.
The most common mistake? Ignoring the "Small Deliveries." Sometimes, a prepper just wants a few 1kg seeds or some old magazines. These small trips build the "link" faster than one giant 200kg delivery of metal.
How to finish the map
If you’re serious about finding everyone, stop using the roads for a while. Take a scan with the Odradek while standing on a high peak. Look for those faint blue pings that don't match the usual rocks or ladders.
Steps for the dedicated porter:
- Scour the area around the Ruined Factory in the Eastern Region for the Ludens Fan.
- Search the deep crevices south of Lake Knot for the Collector.
- Look for lost cargo near the waterfall for the Musician.
- Check your emails constantly. If a prepper isn't leveling up, it's because they have something to say to you first.
- Bring PCCs. You’ll want to build a generator or a postbox near these remote locations because they are usually in areas that drain your battery or are infested with MULEs.
The game is a slow burn. It’s about the "Great Deliverer" becoming a guy who just helps out his neighbors. By the time you’ve found every single person hiding in the United Cities of America, the world feels smaller. Less scary. You’ve turned a post-apocalyptic nightmare into a functioning postal route. That’s the real victory.
Once you have every prepper on the grid, focus on maximizing your connection with the Craftsman and the Roboticsicist first. The Custom Grenades and the high-level All-Terrain Skeletons they provide are the most impactful upgrades for the final stretch of the story. Don't waste time on the Elder’s furniture deliveries until you have a zipline network established, as his mountain is a nightmare to climb repeatedly. Finally, always carry a spare ladder and an extra climbing anchor when scouting for the First Prepper; his location is notoriously vertical and easy to fall from if you get caught in a sudden BT encounter.