Everyone knows that Kojima games are full of confusing jargon, but Death Stranding 2 almost immediately throws an interesting dilemma your way: your birthday. It might sound simple on paper, but—as the prompt cryptically notes—a birthday “can determine a person’s experience of DOOMS”.
Below, I’ll explain what your birthday actually does, what DOOMS means, and whether it’s worth fudging the numbers a little. If you’ve played the first Death Stranding, then you’ll have an idea of what to expect.
This guide is based on the PS5 version of Death Stranding 2, but we’ll update it if anything changes as and when the PC version arrives. If the first game is anything to judge by, we could see it coming our way in around six months time.
What does your birthday do in Death Stranding 2?
Just like the first game, your birthday in Death Stranding 2 determines your constellation—Cancer, Pisces, Cetus, Delphinus, or Gigas—but it has no tangible impact on gameplay. You’ll also get a special birthday cutscene and items if you visit your private room in the DHV Magellan on your birthday, which is unlocked a few hours into the game during Episode 3: Drawbridge.
With this in mind, I recommend either setting your birthday as your actual date of birth or entering a date shortly after you start playing. You’ll only be able to access this cutscene on the specific date you enter, so be sure to give yourself enough time to unlock the Magellan first—if you miss it, you’ll have to wait until next year. After the cutscene, you’ll get:
- 900 Likes
- A slice of stamina-boosting pizza
- Heartman’s Star-Shaped glasses
While your constellation supposedly influences how Sam experiences DOOMS—a rare condition that lets a person sense BTs, among other things—this doesn’t seem to actually change gameplay.
That said, the dates for each constellation are as follows, if you want to experiment for yourself, too:
- Cancer: June 21 to July 23
- Pisces: February 19 to March 20
- Cetus: November
- Delphinus: September
- Gigas: January
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