Quick Links
InDeath Stranding 2: On The Beach, you’ll be in silence a lot of the time. For most of the game, Sam will be alone with just his thoughts, the sounds of the wind, and the odd remark from Dollman. But outside of the Chiral Network, the only music you will witness are the scripted moments.
Of course, that does not need to be the case. Beyond just the music player, Sam can make some music of his own with a handy instrument - the harmonica. Returning from the original game, the harmonica allows Sam to belt out some tunes of his own, even if they are much less professional. Here’s how to get the harmonica, and learn what exactly it does.
When Do You Unlock The Harmonica?
Unlocking the harmonica is simple. In fact, you might already have it and not even noticed. For most players,you’ll likely end up finding it while trying to search for the music playergiven to you by the Musician prepper. He doesn’t give you the harmonica, however, despite him being the logical one to do so.
In fact, you are not really given the harmonica at all. It simply appears in Sam’s inventory. The harmonica is automatically added to Sam’s headwear selectiononce he arrives in Australia after completing Main Order No. 8. Dollman will potentially tell you this when you’ve been walking for a while and have the chance to rest, but since the early areas of Australia are filled with BTs, many players end up missing it.
Don’t worry,you don’t actually have to give up wearing a hatto equip and use the harmonica.
How To Use The Harmonica
Using the harmonica is simple, and identical to the process in the original game. All you have to do isaccess Sam’s headwear while in gameplay, and equip it. This can be done alongside any existing pieces of headwear without conflicting.
Note thatyou can only equip the harmonica from the menu during gameplay. You cannot equip it from the sink in the Magellan or Private Rooms.
Once it’s equipped, there is only a single way of using it, and that is by resting. With the harmonica equipped while resting,Sam can play it by pressing on the right side of the touchpad. As such, this replaces his ability to call out to signs and others while resting.
Each time you press the button, Sam will play a different little tune for a moment. It’s not curated musical playlist, but it’s honest music, right from the soul.
What Does The Harmonica Do?
So, what does the harmonica actually do? In the original, it served the keen purpose ofgiving you music in a game that otherwise only played some during key segments of gameplay. With Death Stranding 2 providing you with a music player to create custom playlists, the harmonica seems somewhat redundant.
And in a way, it is. The purpose it served is mostly unneeded now, except for those more extendedjourneys outside of the Chiral Network’s connectivity. However, it does still have one key function that the music player is missing.
Lou just loves the harmonica. Playing it while resting is a great way to improve Lou’s mood, which has them giving you a few likes. However, since Lou also uniquely enjoys the sounds of the harmonica, they throw in some extra likes too. So if Lou is in need of cheering up and you’re on a solemn journey, whip out that harmonica and give it a whirl.
