There are many worrying threats in The Last of Us, and HBO’s The Last of Us episode 2 introduced one of the meanest and creepiest dangers that lurk in this post-apocalyptic world: the clicker. Clickers are a danger and an iconic infected design that takes the Cordyceps brain infection into disturbing yet oddly beautiful directions.

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With clickers becoming the newest threat in HBO’s The Last of Us, and the result of many game-overs for players in The Last of Us video games, it’s probably a good idea to revise things about the clickers that are important or interesting to learn about.

Warning, spoilers ahead!

7 Stage Of Infection

the last of us hbo clicker

Clickers are a variety of infected in The Last of Us and exist in the third stage of infection. Clickers usually take just over a year to develop into their namesake, as prolonged exposure to the fungus envelops their faces. It just goes to show the distance between zombies and Cordyceps infections, as zombies would just rot, whereas those with the Cordyceps virus become one with the fungus.

The fact that one needs to be infected for over a year shows how the dangers that lurk in The Last of Us are always present. People get infected every day in this world, and the longer they are left in that condition, the stronger they will become as a threat to humanity.

6 What Comes After A Clicker

The Last of Us Part I Bloater

Considering that clickers are the third stage of infection, it’s worth noting the direction of the stages. The first infected is that of the runners, and after a few weeks, to a year, runners become stalkers. With clickers being the third stage of infection, many might wonder what could be beyond that of a clicker, and what is the fourth stage of infection.

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The fourth stage of infection is the bloater, a rare and intensely dangerous member of the infected evolutionary chain. Bloaters take years to develop and need many years of fungus infection to grow an armored fungus that protects their skin and brains. They are a hulking mass of death and have the brute strength to show for it.

5 Armored Heads

The Last of Us 2 Clicker

Considering that the Cordyceps virus affects the brain, it’s no surprise that the fungus would grow around the brain to protect it. With the virus untamed, clickers develop more fungus around and inside their heads, until they sacrifice their eyesight for layers of protective armor on their heads.

It’s no secret that going for the head is the easiest and safest option for death, which is why clickers can be so scary. A shot to the head will just cause fungus to crumble from the clicker, as it acts as armored plating around their heads.

4 How To Kill Clickers

Joel using a shiv on a Clicker in The Last of Us Part 1

With a great feat of strength and armored heads, many might ask how to kill clickers in The Last of Us. Since sound is their greatest ally, people that want to fight clickers should remain quiet, and behind walls to not alert the clicker. Getting behind a clicker with a sharp item, like Joel with a shiv, allows for a fatal stab to the neck, an unguarded spot on the clicker.

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Alternatively, clickers aren’t too fond of fire, much like most living beings. If clickers are set on fire with a flamethrower or a Molotov cocktail, they will scream and flail their arms around until they are reduced to nothing but a cooked and charred fungus.

3 Echolocation

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The terrifying sounds of the clicker are not just for audio goosebumps. The constant clicking, and namesake of the “clicker”, comes from the fact that they click with their throats and tongues for echolocation. This is shown in HBO's The Last of Us, where the introduction scene for the clickers is memorable and terrifying. Much like bats, clickers will use sound to navigate themselves through life without sight.

The site has been lost on the clickers, as the fungus has formed around their eyes, leaving them blind and forced to look for alternative methods to sight, and spreading their infection further. Clickers pay close attention to sound, which is why it’s best to keep silent.

2 Voice Talent

Clicker and Joel wrestling in The Last Of Us

The disturbing clicking noises that haunt players and viewers of The Last of Us come from the talent of Misty Lee and Philip Kovats. These two talents provide the voice work for the clicker sounds of all male and female clickers in The Last of Us and returned to commit to the same terrifying sounds in HBO’s version of The Last of Us.

The voices of the clickers are unforgettable, thanks to the eerie pitch and croaks of their clicking tongues, teeth, and throat. The voice work of the clicker is very important to their design, as their distinct sounds warn players and viewers that it’s time to keep quiet.

1 Berserker Mode

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Clickers have greater strength than the average human. Their adaption with fungus has given them brute-like abilities and pairing that with their armored faces, they can be unstoppable to the unprepared. Clickers can show people this intense strength if they enter into a berserker-like state if they hear a noise too loud. This makes bricks and bottles pretty obsolete.

In this berserker-like state, clickers will wail their arms in a frenzy, and walk faster to the target that they seek. This aggression is activated once the clicker believes they have found a human to infect, and thus they will march forward. During this mode of aggression, clickers do not flinch at gunshots and will take bullet after bullet until they are ultimately eliminated.

The Last of Us is streaming on HBO Max.

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