Death Stranding 2 Fast Travel Guide: Unlocking and Getting Around Easier ~ HaploGamingChef

What Is Fast Travel in Death Stranding 2?

Fast travel in Death Stranding 2 gives players a way to move across previously visited locations without the usual long hauls. Unlike walking or using a vehicle, fast travel cuts out the time and effort — but it comes with some trade-offs you’ll want to understand before relying on it too much.

This guide breaks down how fast travel works, how to unlock it, and what you need to consider when deciding whether or not to use it.

How and When Fast Travel Unlocks

You won’t have access to fast travel immediately. In fact, you’ll need to get deep into the game — specifically, the end of Mission 12 in Chapter 3 — before it becomes available. After a major boss fight wraps up and all the cinematic cutscenes finish, you’ll find yourself back at the facility known as The Mellin.

At this point, a notification will pop up letting you know that fast travel is now unlocked. There’s no complex process or puzzle required — it simply becomes part of your travel toolkit at this stage of the story.

Where You Can Fast Travel

Fast travel isn't just open-world magic — there are some limitations. You can only travel between pre-visited or unlocked locations. That means every spot you want to jump to must have been reached manually at least once. If you haven’t stopped by a place or built a connection with it, it won’t be available as a fast travel point.

Also, keep in mind that you’re not choosing random coordinates — you’re moving between specific facilities. These include safehouses, distribution centers, and other major structures. If it’s not on the list, it’s not a destination.

How to Activate Fast Travel on the Map

Activating fast travel is simple once it’s unlocked. Open your map interface, and glance at the top-right corner. You’ll see a button prompt to bring up the fast travel system — usually labeled “Hold X” depending on your controller setup.

Once the fast travel menu opens, move your cursor over the available locations. Highlight the one you want to visit, confirm the choice, and your character will instantly transition to that point. No animations, no cutscenes — just a clean teleport between destinations you’ve already accessed.

What Fast Travel Doesn’t Do

Here’s the catch: fast travel does not move your cargo. That includes standard orders, mission packages, and custom-built deliveries. If you use fast travel to reach a location where you were planning to deliver items, they won’t come with you.

In addition, using fast travel won’t trigger rewards or experience for deliveries. The game tracks your presence and effort — so instant warping won’t count toward your five-star rating progress or cargo milestones. If you’re trying to level up your connections, you still have to walk, ride, or use a vehicle to make those trips.

Why Use Fast Travel At All?

Even with its limits, fast travel can be a huge time-saver. Once you’re deep into the game and exploring large regions, fast travel allows you to return to earlier hubs quickly to:

Start side quests
Upgrade past delivery stars
Pick up missions you skipped
Manage storage or rest
Revisit familiar characters

If your current goal doesn’t involve moving cargo or delivering anything specific, fast travel can seriously cut down on time spent walking long distances just to initiate a task.

Best Times to Use Fast Travel

There are a few key moments when fast travel really pays off:

After finishing a delivery and having no cargo to carry
When revisiting locations for five-star rankings
When backtracking to complete side missions
After building up a network of safehouses and want quicker access

Using it strategically keeps your momentum up without taking away the satisfaction of actual traversal when it counts.

How to Prepare Before Fast Traveling

Before initiating fast travel, it’s smart to store or drop off all essential cargo. Otherwise, you’ll risk leaving behind items you meant to deliver or use.

Visit a private room or locker, stash your deliveries, and then head to the map to start your warp. This avoids inventory headaches and ensures your return trip is smooth when you come back for the real trek.

Additionally, check your current stamina and equipment. Fast travel restores your character’s condition — but once you land, you’ll need to be ready for the next mission or terrain. Don't teleport into a snowy mountaintop in sandals.

Can You Fast Travel With Vehicles?

Nope — vehicles don’t move with you during fast travel. If you’ve parked a truck or bike at one location, it stays put. That means you can’t fast travel to a remote station and expect your ride to be waiting.

If you're planning on long-distance deliveries afterward, factor this into your travel route. You’ll need to craft or recover a vehicle after landing at your new location — or just go on foot.

What Structures Still Matter When Using Fast Travel

Fast travel is purely for player movement — not cargo, not vehicles, and not structure interaction. However, post-fast-travel activities often rely on built structures.

So if you’re planning to warp somewhere to start a delivery streak or explore the wilderness, make sure that location has access to:

Charging stations
Ziplines or paths
Safehouses
Generators

You don’t want to fast travel to a barren facility only to realize you’ve got zero infrastructure to support your next mission.

Fast Travel and Story Progression

While fast travel is a great way to save time, you’ll notice that story missions still require traditional movement. You can’t fast travel during specific quests, and you definitely can’t skip crucial travel sequences by using it.

The system is built to complement exploration — not replace it. So even once unlocked, expect to spend a lot of time delivering cargo the slow, deliberate way as part of the experience. That’s the core gameplay, and fast travel simply gives you more flexibility between those moments.

Can You Fast Travel Across Regions?

In Death Stranding 2, fast travel typically works within regions, not across the entire map. If you’re in a mountain area, for example, you’ll only be able to jump between locations within that same zone.

The system may expand as you progress, but generally, you won’t be able to instantly warp from one end of the country to another. Inter-region movement is still handled the classic way: walking, riding, or crossing through set story routes.

Final Tips for Using Fast Travel Efficiently

Here are a few quick tips to keep in mind as you start using fast travel regularly:

Don’t forget to save before warping, just in case you need to backtrack.
Use it to loop through earlier areas and knock out easy star upgrades.
Double-check delivery status before jumping — avoid leaving behind high-reward cargo.
Plan around vehicle access — if you’re going to a tough region, make sure you can build or reclaim a ride.

How Fast Travel Affects Exploration

One of the reasons players love Death Stranding 2 is because of its immersive open-world experience. Fast travel can be useful, but it slightly removes the need to engage with the landscape — and that’s a big part of the game’s identity.

If you rely too heavily on warping, you might miss out on discovering:

New terrain features
Rare resources
Online player structures
Environmental storytelling moments

So while it’s tempting to always teleport, balance it with organic exploration. The game rewards players who go off the beaten path with valuable encounters and helpful upgrades.

Is Fast Travel Optional?

Yes — totally. You never have to use fast travel if you prefer walking everywhere or making full use of your vehicles and gear.

Some players actually choose to skip the system altogether because they want a more immersive experience. Others only use it late in the game when they’ve got a huge list of places to revisit for five-star rankings or missed objectives.

Whether you use it sparingly or often, the feature is designed to offer convenience, not replace exploration.

Fast Travel and Timefall

A side benefit of fast travel is skipping exposure to Timefall. Since you’re not crossing through the environment directly, you avoid rain-damaged gear, vehicle wear, and those tense BT encounters on foot.

If you’re in a rush or trying to reach a dry area for planning purposes, fast travel is a safe, instant way to skip bad weather conditions and re-establish your footing before your next major trek.

Ideal Fast Travel Locations to Prioritize

As you explore and unlock new areas, keep track of which facilities will help you the most later in the game. Some of the most useful places to unlock fast travel points include:

Main distribution centers
High-altitude safehouses
Key relay stations
Locations near fragile terrain or rivers

These spots become even more valuable if you plan to repeat missions or deliver to hard-to-reach areas. Having a nearby warp point can save serious time.

Balancing Fast Travel With Delivery Goals

If your main goal is maxing out facility reputation, then fast travel can only take you halfway there. You'll still need to make physical deliveries to increase likes and star ratings.

Think of fast travel as a tool for positioning, not completing deliveries. It helps you move to a target location quickly, but the grind for reputation always involves doing the legwork.

This is especially true for long-haul delivery routes that give the biggest reputation boosts — you need to earn those by completing full, uninterrupted transport missions.

Using Fast Travel to Backtrack Missions

A really handy use of fast travel is going back to earlier areas to complete missions you missed. Maybe you skipped a side delivery, or a facility you only visited briefly is still at one star.

Instead of hiking all the way back, just fast travel to the closest unlocked spot. You can often find new jobs, update gear, or engage with previously ignored parts of the map by doing this — all without spending an hour getting there on foot.

What to Avoid When Using Fast Travel

There are a few common mistakes players make when using fast travel for the first time:

Forgetting cargo: Always double-check that you don’t need to bring items with you.
Misjudging region limits: Some places you think are nearby may actually be in a different region entirely.
Relying on it too much: Overusing fast travel can make the gameplay feel repetitive or remove a sense of challenge.

Stick to a strategy that supports your goals — not one that turns the game into a glorified loading screen simulator.

Conclusion

Fast travel in Death Stranding 2 is a great feature once you know how and when to use it. While it won’t replace the core experience of delivering cargo across dangerous terrain, it does give you more control over how you spend your time in the game. Whether you’re backtracking to complete side missions, revisiting older facilities to earn five-star ratings, or just want to skip some of the early grind, fast travel can be a huge quality-of-life upgrade.

Just remember that it's best used alongside walking, driving, and route planning — not instead of it. Once you unlock the system at the end of Chapter 3, use it smartly to make your journeys smoother and more strategic.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I unlock fast travel in Death Stranding 2?
Fast travel becomes available automatically after you complete Mission 12 in Chapter 3. You’ll get a notification when you return to The Mellin.

Can I fast travel with cargo or vehicles?
No. Fast travel only moves your character. You’ll leave behind all cargo and any vehicles you were using.

Does fast travel work for deliveries?
No, fast travel doesn't count for delivery rewards. If you want to earn likes and experience, you still have to walk or use vehicles.

Where can I fast travel?
You can only warp between major facilities you’ve already visited. If you haven’t unlocked a place yet, it won’t appear in the fast travel list.

Is fast travel available in every region?
Not right away. Fast travel is mostly limited to facilities within the same region. You can’t warp from one end of the map to the other until much later.

Does fast travel restore stamina or gear?
Yes, when you fast travel, your character's stamina is reset. But damaged gear stays damaged, and you’ll have to repair or replace it manually.

Can I turn off fast travel?
You don’t need to — it’s completely optional. You can choose not to use it at all if you want a full immersive delivery experience.

Does fast travel help with five-star upgrades?
Not directly. You still need to complete deliveries to boost star levels, but fast travel lets you return to those places more efficiently.

Stay Connected with Haplo Gaming Chef

Haplo Gaming Chef blends gaming guides with casual cooking streams for a truly unique viewer experience. Whether you’re here for clean, no-nonsense walkthroughs or just want to chill with some cozy cooking content between game sessions, this is the place for you. From full game unlock guides to live recipe prep and casual chats, Haplo Gaming Chef delivers content that’s both informative and enjoyable.

You Can Follow Along On Every Major Platform:

YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, Flipboard, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Medium, Blogger, and even on Google Business.

No filler, no fluff—just straight-up help for gamers and fun for foodies. Join the community today!
For More Guides Visit: Haplo Gaming Chef Website!