Players Say Death Stranding 2’s Supply Requests Are Ruining the Map—and They Might Be Right

The shared world in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was always going to be noisy, but players are quickly finding themselves stuck in a wave of unwanted icons. Supply requests—meant to help connect players—are overwhelming the landscape. What was once a clever part of the “strand” system is turning into a mess of accidental clutter.

If you’ve played the first Death Stranding, you’ll recognize how the Chiral Network connects your solo journey to those of other Porters. You leave behind signs, structures, gear, and even the occasional meme-worthy “like” zone. These ideas return in On the Beach, with Kojima Productions doubling down on the philosophy of indirect cooperation. You don’t see other players, but you live in their echo.

One of the returning tools is the supply request—basically, a beacon placed by another player asking for help with a certain item. It worked well in the first game, where these requests were tied to Postboxes and mostly showed up where Porters gathered. You could check them, fill them, or just move on. No problem.

But in Death Stranding 2, things have changed. The new APAS enhancement (short for Automatic Porter Assistance System) includes a feature that posts a supply request whenever you’re low on materials. It sounds helpful. You’re running out of blood bags or hematic grenades? A request goes up. In theory, another player nearby fills it. Everyone wins.

Except it’s not working out like that.

"These icons are clutter."

wrote Redditor Jec1027, one of many frustrated voices in the Death Stranding subreddit. Their post gained traction fast. The APAS system isn’t subtle—it spams the map with requests every time someone has a shortage, whether they want help or not. And most players don’t even realize they’re broadcasting requests across the world.

It’s led to a strange new layer of noise. The once serene vistas of Iceland-inspired terrain are now peppered with floating supply beacons, often for items like basic boots or ladders. Players have compared it to visual spam, with more than a few saying it ruins the contemplative tone the series is known for.

And it’s not just about visual noise. In our earlier look at Death Stranding RTX, we pointed out how much effort Kojima’s team put into making the environment feel natural and immersive. Seeing a hundred overlapping request markers right next to a beautiful mountaintop doesn’t just look messy—it breaks the mood.

This isn't the first time Kojima's decisions have sparked mixed feelings. Our deep dive into Kojima’s weirdest decisions highlighted how some of his most ambitious systems also create friction. But this time, it might just be a matter of over-engineering. The social features are powerful, but the automation can get in the way of player intent.

What’s ironic is that Death Stranding 2 offers one of the most advanced mapping systems in any open-world game. You can place your own icons on the map—arrows, warnings, reminders, even custom notes. These signs can act as personal breadcrumbs or community signals, marking safe paths or warning of hazards. Compared to most open-world titles, where maps are either cluttered by default or barely interactive, On the Beach gives players real tools for cartographic expression.

But when the APAS floodgates open, those carefully placed icons get buried. That’s the bigger issue players are hinting at. In a game where communication is mostly visual and symbolic, the supply request spam drowns out the nuance.

If you’ve read our Death Stranding PC player's review, you’ll know how important pacing and solitude are to the core experience. In On the Beach, unless you turn off APAS manually, your supply requests just keep multiplying—and so does everyone else’s.

To be clear, some players are still engaging with the system. A few are going out of their way to fill random requests, especially near high-traffic routes. But the consensus seems to be that this automation should have been opt-in, not opt-out.

There’s a simple fix. Go into your APAS settings and disable automatic supply requests. That single change can help restore the map’s readability, reduce clutter, and make your own contributions feel more meaningful. Until a patch drops—or until Kojima’s team tunes the system—this might be the only real solution.

It’s another example of Death Stranding 2 trying to balance its unique multiplayer design with player agency. The “strand” idea remains strong. But just like the “pretend you won” boss skip we talked about in our earlier article on Death Stranding 2 Skip boss fight, giving players too much convenience can sometimes take away what makes the experience powerful.

As of now, the community is already adapting. Some players are placing custom markers near clusters of auto-requests that read “Ignore these” or “Turn off APAS.” It’s weirdly fitting—using the game’s tools to correct its own overreach.

Death Stranding 2 is still one of the best-looking games out right now, as we mentioned when covering its environmental design and new visual tech. But that beauty gets lost when the interface starts fighting back. For a game about a subtle connection, the supply system has become too loud.

The good news? Players are paying attention, and once again showing how much they care about Kojima’s world, just maybe with a little less spam.