Hematic Grenade

Overview

The Hematic Grenade is a blood-based explosive weapon in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, engineered specifically for heavy BT combat and boss encounters. Like the Blood Grenade, it utilizes the innate toxicity of Sam Porter Bridges's repatriate blood against BTs — but the Hematic Grenade prioritizes concentrated explosive yield over the area spread of a standard Blood Grenade. It is the primary damage-dealing throwable for players going up against Catcher-class BTs and other formidable BT bosses.

How to Craft

Hematic Grenades are crafted through standard terminal fabrication using Sam's blood as the primary ingredient. Like Blood Grenades, they rely on Sam's renewable blood resource, making them consistently replenishable throughout the game. Because both Blood Grenades and Hematic Grenades draw from the same blood supply, players must make strategic decisions about how to allocate blood reserves between the two grenade types depending on the threats they anticipate on an upcoming route.

Combat Usage

Hematic Grenades are the go-to weapon for BT boss encounters in Death Stranding 2. When facing a Catcher — the massive, grotesque BT boss type that erupts from tar pools when smaller BTs latch onto Sam — Hematic Grenades should be thrown directly into the tar pool as the Catcher begins to emerge, and then aimed at the boss's glowing weak points as the fight progresses. Their concentrated explosive payload deals substantially more single-target damage than the spray of a Blood Grenade, making them far more efficient for burning down a boss's health.

Comparison to Blood Grenades

While both Hematic Grenades and Blood Grenades draw from Sam's blood supply and deal damage to BTs, they serve distinct roles. Blood Grenades have a wider splash radius, making them the better choice for dispersing clusters of Gazer-type BTs during traversal. Hematic Grenades, by contrast, deliver a more focused explosive blast with greater single-target damage output, making them optimal for boss fights where sustained damage on a specific target is required. Players should carry both types and switch between them depending on whether they face swarm BTs or a boss-tier threat.

Tips and Strategies

Before entering any area with a known BT boss or a region likely to trigger a Catcher encounter, fabricate as many Hematic Grenades as Sam can carry. During the fight, prioritize throwing them at the boss's glowing weak points — the luminescent regions on a Catcher's body indicate concentrated vulnerability to blood-based attacks. Open every boss fight by pre-emptively throwing a Hematic Grenade into the tar pool before the Catcher fully surfaces — this deals damage during the emergence animation and can shorten the fight considerably.