Death Stranding 2 Includes Surprising Melee Weapon

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will let Sam Porter Bridges use a surprising melee weapon that has already been featured in the game’s previous trailers, known as a “battle guitar.” The sequel to 2019’s Death Stranding will finally launch on the PlayStation 5 on June 26, and will pick up with Sam and Fragile trying to reconnect the world like they did with the Cities of America in the first game. Death Stranding 2 also introduces a few mysteries, like the disappearance of Lou, the shocking return of Higgs, and the secret behind Sam’s new ally, Tomorrow.

With just a few weeks to go before the game’s launch, the ESRB has released its official rating for Death Stranding 2, which is “M for Mature.” The description for this rating mentions Sam fighting humans, robots, and “ghostly apparitions” using melee weapons, guns, and stealth tactics. This tracks with Hideo Kojima’s statements that Death Stranding 2 will have a clearer focus on combat, but there is one small element in the aforementioned description that might catch some fans by surprise.

The Death Stranding 2: On the Beach ESRB content description mentions a “battle guitar” among the melee weapons Sam uses in the game, as pointed out by IGN. Eagle-eyed gamers might recall that Higgs, the antagonist from the original Death Stranding, is shown wielding a sort of futuristic guitar that can shoot electricity in the second Death Stranding 2 trailer. He even shows off with a shredding guitar solo before battling a rogue robot holding a samurai sword.

Death Stranding 2 Will Let Players Wield Higgs’s ‘Battle Guitar’

Judging from the ESRB description, Death Stranding 2 will let players take this unorthodox weapon’s power for themselves, though it isn’t clear how they will get it from Higgs. Perhaps Sam will commandeer the guitar after a boss battle against the Homo Demens leader, who returns from the beach with a new rocker/jester look following his defeat at the end of the original Death Stranding. There’s also the possibility that Higgs himself could be playable at some point.

Hideo Kojima will appear during this week’s Summer Game Fest 2025 event, followed by a special Death Stranding 2 Game Premiere livestream on June 8. This latter showcase will feature special guests and live gameplay from Death Stranding 2 just a few short weeks before players will step back into the ruined world for another round of highly dangerous deliveries. Maybe players will get a glimpse of Sam taking out enemies using his new guitar weapon, but it is too early to tell.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Systems

Released

June 26, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Engine

Decima

Franchise

Death Stranding

Number of Players

Single-player

PS5 Release Date

June 26, 2025

• 

•