A crater left from a voidout
A voidout is an explosive annihilation event triggered when a Beached Thing (BT) consumes a human.[1]
This occurs when the anti-matter within a BT comes into contact with matter from the physical world. The result is a massive, violent explosion, powerful enough to leave behind a crater large enough to destroy an entire city.
Repatriates have the unique ability to return from a voidout. However, the craters left by a repatriate-induced voidouts are significantly smaller in comparison to those left by non-repatriates.[1]
Story[]
According to reports, the first known voidout occurred at an unspecified time before the Death Stranding when a doctor attempted to deliver a baby from a brain-dead mother. The operation proceeded normally until the doctor made contact with the baby's umbilical cord. At that moment, he was able to sense the presence of another entity in the room—a BT. The voidout occurred moments later. At the time, this event had no immediate significance, as no one understood what had transpired.
It wasn't until the Death Stranding triggered simultaneous voidouts across the globe that people become aware of their existence. Initially, the explosions were first misidentified as terrorist attacks, but no one could identify the cause. They didn't present any of the characteristics of a conventional or nuclear detonations, and unidentified matter was discovered within and surrounding the craters.
Using the first recorded voidout as a model, the American government began experimenting with Bridge Babies (BBs). Unfortunately, one of these experiments caused another voidout, resulting in the complete annihilation of Manhattan and the death of the acting president, who was subsequently succeeded by Bridget Strand. Following the incident, the BB program was officially terminated due to the risk of triggering additional voidouts—though Bridget continued the program in secret .
Voidouts have been responsible for the destruction of multiple cities, including Central Knot City.
Gameplay[]
A voidout is triggered when Sam is caught and devoured by a Catcher. Upon death, Sam enters the Seam and, when he repatriates, the location where he was caught becomes a massive crater. This area is rendered inaccessible to Sam; because of the high chiralium density, he will begin to float and won't be able to proceed any farther. BTs in the affected area become stronger, take on a golden appearance, and can even appear in other players' worlds.
Voidouts can also occur from Sam’s failure to properly dispose of a corpse. If 48 in-game hours pass without the cremation of a MULE or terrorist's body—or if it isn't thrown into a deep tar pit or handed over to Corpse Disposal—it will go necro, triggering a massive voidout that results in a game over.
Voidout craters contain a distinct tar handprint at their center, which can be seen both in gameplay and on the map
Because a voidout can render an area completely inaccessible, they cannot be triggered in plot-critical locations to prevent players from being locked out of story progression.
Gallery[]
