Death Stranding 2: Is Lou dead, explained

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach kicks off with a pretty intense and tragic scene in the game’s opening hours. We understand that, after the first game, Sam is chilling Mexico in safety while raising Lou, but he gets found by Fragile after the neighbours get connected to the Chiral Network.

It seems almost too heartbreaking, too tragic to take Lou away from Sam here, now. So what’s really happening here? Let’s explain. We've avoided any late-game spoilers for the first explanation, but the second explanation is spoiler-filled, so beware.

Is Lou dead after Mexico? – DS2

If you check the Corpus for the story section titled “Homeward Bound,” which is the final story section in Mexico, it reads as follows:

“Sam takes Lou’s present that Deadman has prepared and heads home, where Fragile and Lou are waiting.

“But upon returning to his shelter, Sam is met with further tragedy. While he was gone, Fragile and Lou were attacked by a group of unidentified assailants, all clad in red. Fragile risked her life to try and save Lou, but was unable to.

“The particle form of Lou that Sam sees in his BB pod was basically something resembling a BT. Lou is dead, and Sam’s grief plunges him into a state of deep despair.”

So, that’s pretty conclusive. At the end of the Mexico portion of Death Stranding 2, Lou is most certainly dead, and Sam seems to be in a state of denial.

Is Lou really dead though? Spoilers – DS2

Massive spoilers for some major plot beats in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach that you might not have seen yet — don’t read on unless you’re sure you won’t care about knowing everything in advance.

Bridge Babies – BBs – have always had a deep connection to the Beach (death), and so it makes sense that Lou’s death would be different, too. Fragile’s attempt to jump with Lou was actually partially successful, leaving her soul on the Beach (oh, that’s why it’s called that). Lou’s spirit grows fast there, and eventually returns to the world in a human form that Sam finds. The team names her Tomorrow.

Tomorrow is equipped with unique powers and abilities that thrive in the tar and through her connection to the Beach. If you’re an eagle-eyed player, you’ll probably notice that a blonde baby girl went “missing” and an adult blonde woman was found shortly after. Once you see her protect Sam with her abilities, the truth should be clear.