The Porter Grade system in Death Stranding 2 remains largely the same from the original game. However, for newcomers or those who just haven't played the first game since it first released, it can be a little bit confusing trying to understand what each of the five categories or 'skills' that make it up are and how players can level them up. This Death Stranding 2 Porter Grade guide will explain how it works, what the nickname or 'handle' you get means, and how to increase each of the five stats that comprise your overall score.
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What Is Porter Grade in Death Stranding 2?
Delivery Report Card
The Porter Grade can be considered a 'scoring' system for your performance throughout Death Stranding 2. Each time you complete an order, you'll be scored based on how you approached the mission. The more you do of a certain type of action or activity during a mission, the more you'll level up a specific category or 'skill' of the Porter Grade.
Five categories make up your overall Porter Grade, and your score in each of these determines your overall Porter Grade. The five skills are:
- Porter
- Combat
- Stealth
- Servicemanship
- Bridge Link
How to Increase Porter Grade in Death Stranding 2
It's All About How You Play
Your overall Porter Grade is calculated by combining your score across the five different categories that make it up, visualized by the star at the end of each completed order. As such, players need to perform actions that will level up each of these different aspects of their Porter Grade. I've outlined the different actions that you can carry out to level up each aspect of your Porter Grade below.
|
Porter Grade Category |
Actions That Level It Up |
|
Porter |
Completing orders from Facilities and carrying heavy loads. |
|
Combat |
Engaging in combat with enemies or completing combat orders. |
|
Stealth |
Taking down enemies without them detecting you, or completing deliveries without enemies noticing you. |
|
Servicemanship |
Return Lost Cargo to facilities, complete orders, and fulfill Aid Requests. |
|
Bridge Link |
Create structures that other players find useful, interact with other players' structures, and fulfill Cargo Delivery Aid Requests for other players. |
Out of the five, the least clear and most difficult category to level up is the Bridge Link. While the other four can be pretty easily deduced from their names what they require you to do, Bridge Link isn't, nor does the game do a great job of explaining it. This will also be the slowest Porter Grade aspect to level up at the beginning of the game, but make sure you're completing Aid Requests from other players, placing structures that are useful to you and others during missions, and contributing materials to any road and monorail developments.
You might have noticed a lot of players place signs outside of facilities that you regularly visit during the story. Each time a sign is walked through, it triggers a certain action, which rewards the player who placed it with a Like. This is a quick and easy way to rack up tons of Likes and level up your Bridge Link more easily.
What Does Your Porter Grade Do in Death Stranding 2?
Nifty Skills
As you level up your Porter Grade, you'll begin to unlock more APAS Enhancements. These enhancements cost 'APAS Enhancement Memory', which is essentially a currency you earn by increasing your connection rating with facilities and outposts. The APAS Enhancements you unlock are determined by how much you've leveled up each category of the Porter Grade. For example, if you have massively focused on a Stealth-based approach to combat, you'll unlock enhancements that allow you to scan for nearby enemies and sneak up on them more easily.
Alongside unlocking APAS Enhancements, increasing your Porter Grade will also get you a new 'nickname.' Like the enhancements you unlock, this nickname is also based on your playstyle and which Porter Grade categories you've leveled up the most. For example, if you've increased your Porter category the most, you'll likely have some sort of 'Mover' nickname, such as 'Adapt Mover' or 'Expert Mover.'
Finally, there is a silver trophy called 'A Premier Porter' which is unlocked by reaching Porter Grade 40 in all five categories. While it's easy to hit 40 for Porter and Servicemanship, Stealth, Combat, and Bridge Link might take a little bit longer to reach, depending on your playstyle. However, as you progress through the game and build more structures, these three will begin to level up faster.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- June 26, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
