How to Defeat a Catcher in Death Stranding
If BTs overwhelm you before you can dispatch them with blood weaponry, you’ll be dragged through the tar – but this isn’t game over. You’ll be thrust into a sort of mini-boss fight, as you’re taken to the center of the BT area as its transformed into a large tar pool, and a large BT known as a Catcher emerges to kill you. The shape of these animal-like creatures can vary, but you’ll need to act fast or risk defeat.
Unlike regular BTs, it will take more than one hit from a blood-based weapon to defeat them. Instead, you’ll want to get to higher ground as soon as possible to get out of the tar and their attack range. Once on temporarily safe ground, use your Odradek scanner to figure out where they’ll emerge from the tar, and either throw Hematic Grenades or use Anti-BB guns to start dealing damage fast before they submerge again.
The Catcher will regularly ram into your high ground and cause it to sink, so to fight effectively you’ll need to constantly be on the move, and plan your escape path in advance so you don’t get stuck in the mud. Be sure to ping your scanner too, as you may find extra weapons or gear in the mini-boss arena.
If you run out of ammo, you still have some options: Be on the lookout for other online players. They aren’t actually in your game, but you can see these white figures bearing names of people you may have seen using their equipment, and they’ll automatically lift up items like Hematic Grenades or extra Blood Bags to toss your way. However, if things are too dangerous and ammo scarce, you can always run for the edge of the Catcher’s territory – look on the map and you’ll see the black ring, and you can plan your escape towards the side closest to you.
If you whittle down the health of the Catcher, or just escape their massive territory, the battle is over. Defeating them will earn you a lot of Chiral Crystals – but either victory or escape will always clear the area of any timefall and BTs, allowing you to traverse the area without worry for a long while! This is especially important when delivering important cargo – as sometimes it’s better to clear an area before starting a big order, so you don’t run the risk of damaging your cargo.
