Is it profitable to complete side orders in Death Stranding? Death Stranding guide, walkthrough

On this page of the guide to Death Stranding, we explain the cost-effectiveness of side orders. We have also included some tips on how to complete the side missions in the best way to get the best rewards.

As a reminder, the game has Standard orders and Standard orders (for bots). The protagonist can get them at almost any allied location that has been connected to the chiral network. Check the bulletin board - you can find from one to several jobs, and you can choose only the "best".

1. Unfortunately, side orders are rather unprofitable. By default, they are rewarded with a small number of likes - they slowly increase your Connection Level with the location with which they are associated.
2. Premium deliveries are much more interesting - they are more challenging versions of standard orders. More about them on What is premium delivery? page. In short - you can set a higher difficulty level for a given order (e.g. shortening the time limit or making the requirements for the general condition of the cargo more strict). Their main advantage is that premium deliveries guarantee more likes - thanks to them, you will be able to quickly reach the next Connection Level with a given location. If possible, try to complete all side orders as premium deliveries.
3. If you have plans to get a platinum trophy, you have to complete the side orders. The associated trophies are Deliveries Done (for completing 36 "normal" orders), Growth of a Legend (for completing 20 premium deliveries with an S rank) and Best Beloved (achieving the maximum Connection Level in all locations).
4. A good idea is to accept standard orders while performing the main missions. If the order for Sam and standard order have the same destination or aren't far away from each other, add them both to the journal and complete them in a single trip. This will save you a lot of time, give more likes and increase the Connection Level. We also advise you to choose standard orders with less problematic criteria, for example, those that don't require the transportation of very fragile cargo or equipment that weighs a lot.
5. Assigning orders to bots is even less profitable. This is due to the fact that the greatest influence on how the bot will handle it is the terrain. If you haven't built asphalt roads in the area, the bot will have big problems. Even if it completes the order, you will most likely get a low rank (C or close) and a minimum number of likes. If you want to send bots on missions, invest in expanding the roads first.