How to Defeat BTs in Death Stranding
If avoidance is unlikely and confrontation inevitable, there are a few tools you can use to take the fight to them, but given your limited resources, they should usually be a last resort.
Due to Sam’s unique condition as a “repatriate”, his blood and bodily fluids has an inverse effect on BTs. Early on, you will find that while resting in your private room, you can shower, urinate, and defecate to earn special EX Grenades that can be used on BTs.
While they can’t outright kill the ghosts, EX Grenade 0 (from showering) and EX Grenade 1 (from urination) can be thrown at a BT you’ve spotted to make them run away for a bit, and EX Grenade 2 (from fecal matter) will stun BTs with a larger cloud for a greater amount of time – but they are only really good for quickly moving past a dangerous area.
The only real way to deal with BTs is with blood-based weaponry, like the Hematic Grenades you’ll obtain near the end of the Episode 2. Though it requires your own blood to use, a grenade can cause one or even several of the spectral BTs to get caked in red, and float up into the air before vanishing – leaving behind Chiral Crystals. Once you advance into Episode 3, you’ll be able to start accessing more weapons, including Anti-BT Guns that fire special blood-infused bullets.
These can actually take out a BT in a single shot – but again, they require your own blood to work, so prep for these encounters by having extra Blood Packs equipped so you don’t bleed yourself dry. The Bola weapon can also bind and stun BTs long enough for you to bypass them, but they don’t deal any damage. However, you may encounter a tool later in the game to dispatch BTs at close range that works extremely well paired with the Bola Gun.
