To upgrade or build structures in Death Stranding, you’ll need to add resources to them. Most smaller structures can be made without going through this process, but to upgrade them or build larger ones, you’ll need to add a certain amount of resources. The game doesn’t make it explicit how to do this, but its rather easy once you know how.
How to add resources to structures in Death Stranding
When you approach a structure that needs resources, you have the option to add them by holding the Options button on your controller. When you do this, the building menu will pop up, and here you can customize it (if applicable) or use the options to add resources to upgrade, repair, or build it.
One thing to note is that resource amounts work a bit weird in Death Stranding. When adding materials to a structure, you have to add all of them in a stack. So, if you need 50 Metal to complete an upgrade and all you have is a single 100 Metal, you won’t get a refund. You have to be careful with this, because you don’t want to end up wasting materials you could be using to build, repair, or upgrade other structures.
How to add materials to a structure from a vehicle in Death Stranding
You can add resources to a building in Death Stranding straight out of a vehicle. However, sometimes, the detection can be a bit tricky. In particular, when adding materials to an auto-paver, you’ll need to drive up the little set of stairs leading up to the terminal. Just parking nearby the auto-paver won’t do the job.
Since you can haul an enormous amount of resources in a truck, this will be your primary method of transportation when working on large construction projects. So, just make sure you’re parked as close to the building terminal as possible if you want to add materials straight from the bed.