One of the most exciting aspects of any new world is learning about the power systems and abilities that its characters have, andDeath Stranding 2has perhaps one of the most interesting ones I’ve seen so far.
The eponymous, mysterious, apocalyptic Death Stranding brought with it not just haunting BTs and Timefall, but alsoDOOMS, a rare and enigmatic (and often damaging) condition inextricably tied to the realm of the dead, granting its sufferers supernatural abilities.
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Because of the nebulous and mysterious nature of DOOMS, each manifests differently from person to person. The only common trait between each DOOMS ability is that they started to manifest post-Stranding. Because of the sufferer’s strong connection to the Beach and the world of the dead, being near anything related to the other side–like chiralium and BTs–often causes allergic reactions like rashes and tears.
DOOMS, much like the rest of the Death Stranding lore, can be quite confusing, so let’s take a look at each notable DOOMS sufferer as featured inDeath Stranding 2.This is perfect for anybody who’s completed the game and still has questions about how DOOMS works.Warning: Mild story spoilers ahead!
10The Hydrologist
I Threw Up
Not all DOOMS sufferers have cool powers. Some just have rare conditions that make their life miserable.The Hydrologist is one of these people.
Much like Heartman, whose heart stops every 21 minutes, the Hydrologist’s DOOMS makes her vomit every 21 minutes. Heartman was just lucky enough to be able to find a way to make his DOOMS work for him.
As Heartman’s friend and research partner,the Hydrologist can be found sequestered in his lab as she studies water from the Beach. Because her body is particularly more attuned to the tides and tar currents, her stomach has become incredibly sensitive, so much so that she is unable to eat solid foods and resorts to fluid intake to acquire nutrients.
The Hydrologist and her daughters, the Chronobiologist and Metagenomicist, all suffer a 21-minute syndrome.Coincidentally, they also bear the likenesses of the family of Nicolas Winding-Refn, a Danish director whose likeness is used for Heartman.
9The Doctor
She’s All Right
One of the most striking features that you’ll notice about The Doctor is the fact thatshe has two right hands.
Played by Debra Wilson, The Doctor is a former Bridges member and self-proclaimed “psychic midwife” who resides in the northeastern regions of Australia and serves as the leader of The Motherhood, a sanctuary for women and children in need of shelter from the dangers of post-Stranding Australia.
Her DOOMS ability allows her to reach into a Stillmother’s womb and extract the fetus with her two hands and place it into a BB pod, without the need for C-sections or any other invasive procedures and tools.
Thanks to her DOOMS ability, she was able to help Rainy check in on her baby and confirm that she would eventually give birth.
A Porter’s Best Friend
Dollman serves as not just a talkative expository machine but a much-needed friend on your lonely journey across Australia.
Not much is known about Dollman before the story, other than the fact thathis DOOMS ability once allowed him to interact with the dead like a medium would with spirits.
As told by Dollman himself, he came to his doll form when he died trying to help his daughter see her mother again, who had died and become a BT. Tragically, both perished, and Dollman was able to replace his daughter’s soul with his own, trapping his Ka (soul) in her doll.
Ever since turning into a doll,Dollman no longer has his DOOMS abilities, but still maintains a connection with the other side,allowing him to help you sense BTs and giving him a better understanding of the Beach.
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Heartman is one of Bridges' top researchers, andhis DOOMS allows him to visit other people’s Beaches.
But before he knew of his powers, Heartman was undergoing heart surgery, which was botched by voidouts that killed his wife and daughter, cutting the power and stopping his heart for three minutes.
Because of this,Heartman suffers from an even rarer condition that causes his heart to stop every 21 minutes, making him clinically dead for three minutes before his AED resuscitates him.
Heartman uses that time to find his dead family’s Beaches so that they can reunite, and can also use his expertise to help Sam and the rest of Drawbridge investigate the mysteries of the Death Stranding.
Because of the cardiac arrests that he suffers, Heartman also has an abnormally shaped ticker that resembles a cartoon heart. Anticipating that his heart won’t last much longer, Deadman donated Heartman his heart before passing on to find his own Beach.
Cost An Arm And A Leg
Tarman is a new character introduced inDeath Stranding 2, and an invaluable member of Drawbridge.
As pilot of the DHV Magellan,his DOOMS allows him to insert his arm stump into the nav console to sense the tar currents, which he can use to navigate the black tar and take the crew where they need to go.
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As explained by Tarman himself, he lost his hand when he and his son were caught in a storm, where he tried to catch him and lost him to the tar currents underneath.
While the game doesn’t reveal much else about Tarman’s abilities, we do know that he has a psychic connection with his right hand, which seems to still be connected to his lost son, allowing him to feel the flow of the tar and help him chart a course.
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
Rainy can automatically summon Timefall wherever she goes, and has even been shown to summon heavier showers at will.
As one of the newest members of Drawbridge, Rainy suffered a tragic life of ostracization from not just her community but her own family, who accused her of witchcraft because of her DOOMS powers. Fragile found Rainy while she was at a dark point in her life, and helped her realize the true extent of her power.
A side effect of Rainy’s DOOMS is that rain that touches anything around Rainy’s immediate bubble is restored to its previous state.Dubbed “corefall,” this part of Rainy’s ability reverses the rapid-aging effects of Timefall, as evident by her ability to heal Fragile’s withered skin.
Thanks to this realization, Rainy has become crucial in Drawbridge’s and humanity’s effort in terraforming the Australian continent back the way it used to be and eventually healing the world.
We’ll Always Be Connected
Tomorrow is a mysterious girl whom Drawbridge discovers from the realm of the dead after Sam’s first battle with Neil Vana. Though she first appears to have the mind of a child, Tomorrow has shown to mature incredibly quickly thanks to her strange nature.
Tomorrow has a powerful manifestation of DOOMS, which allows her to produce tar from her body and rapidly age everything she touches,capable of decaying apples within seconds and disintegrating ghost mechs with the blink of an eye.
Such a combination of powers makes Tomorrow a deadly fighter, asshe can move freely and quickly through tar,allowing her to save Sam several times by annihilating her enemies, making her a formidable foe against even Higgs himself.
We later find out in the story that Tomorrow’s high DOOMS level comes from a rather predictable plot twist thatshe is Lou and Sam’s daughter, whose preexisting DOOMS ability increases her connection to the other side.
Big Hater Energy
As themain antagonistof both Death Stranding games and the biggest hater in gaming,Higgs has the impressive ability to summon and control BTs to his will as well as teleport.
But his DOOMS wasn’t always this strong. According to lore entries in the first game, Higgs originally had no powers before Amelie used her Extinction Entity powers to bestow him his DOOMS abilities, making him the unhinged villain whom we see today.
Since his defeat at the end of the first game, Higgs has been stuck on the Beach for a long time, slowly being driven more insane and hellbent on getting his revenge on Fragile and Sam.
InDeath Stranding 2, Higgs now has the additional ability to control ghost mechs thanks to his connection with the other side.
But Not That Fragile
Fragile is a high-level DOOMS sufferer who has the ability to “jump,” or teleport across great distances instantaneouslyby slingshotting herself, objects, and other people via the Beach.
Jumping, according to Fragile, requires some kind of attachment to the destination and physical contact. In the first game, her presence in the story allows Sam to fast travel to anywhere within the UCA’s chiral network.
However, because of the constant jumping,Fragile has since been diagnosed with “jumpshock,” a unique condition that prevents her from jumping to the Beach without great risk to her well-being,damaging her body, and making her sick.
Fragile’s beach jumping abilities are rarely seen inDeath Stranding 2, but it seems to have been developed into technology, as you can now beach travel through transponders, which can bebuilt via PCCsand are featured on Safe Houses and most facilities.
1Sam Bridges
Die And Respawn, Again And Again
Sam’s DOOMS ability is repatriation, which allows his soul to return to his body every time he dies,even coming back from voidouts from BTs, though that is never properly explained how his body regenerates when voidouts supposedly obliterate everything in their blasts.
Canonically, Sam is the first ever person to suffer from DOOMS (and the first BB) prior to the events of the firstDeath Strandinggame. Because of the circumstances of his premature death as a baby in the first game, he was brought back to life by Amelie on the Beach, rendering him effectively immortal.
Sam’s repatriation also means that his soul will never reach the Beach;the farthest it can go on its own is the Seam, which is a transitory place souls go before the Beach and then the world of the dead. Eventually,immortality becomes a curse more than a blessing,as enemies like Higgs can take advantage of Sam’s repatriation.
It’s important to note that Sam’s aphenphosmphobia–his fear of touch and connections–is unrelated to his DOOMS, as it is more of a psychological disorder caused by a lack of social interaction during his upbringing, or a condition he was born with.
On the off chance Sam dies on the Beach itself, it is possible that he can permanently die, as both his body and soul are closer to the Beach than normal.
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