Despite being one of the more controversial parts of The Last of Us 2's narrative, Abby is one of the most talked about characters that Naughty Dog has introduced in quite some time. Her role in the game's narrative was shocking, and while it didn't resonate with some, Abby's impact on the sequel and the future of any upcoming Last of Us games cannot be overstated. By the time the credits roll and players get to see Abby and Lev's boat resting gently on the beaches of Catalina Island, players are left with one big question regarding the ex-WLF soldier: do Abby and Lev make it to the Fireflies?

Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann said last year that there are no plans for any sort of story DLC for The Last of Us 2. However, as these sorts of things are usually meant to be created in secret until their reveal, it's still possible that DLC is on the way. If it is, it would make the most sense for it to focus on Abby and Lev's journey following the emotional and brutal finale to The Last of Us 2. The potential DLC should tie up Abby and Lev's quest to find the fireflies in order to provide a little bit more closure and set things up for the potential Last of Us 3.

RELATED: The Last of Us' Cordyceps Development Could Be Very Different in TLOU 3

Abby and Lev's Meeting with the Fireflies

Before the pair get kidnapped by the Rattlers in the final Abby section in The Last of Us 2, Abby and Lev discover that the Fireflies still exist and are residing off the coast of California on Catalina Island. As mentioned above, once the player completes the game's story, the title screen background changes from the boats ominously bobbing in the water off the shores of Santa Barbara to Abby and Lev's boat sitting on the beach of Catalina Island, implying that the two made it to their destination. Players are then left to ponder if the Fireflies were actually found.

The reason that this question is the one to be answered in the DLC is that it's one of the major hanging plot threads that The Last of Us 2 leaves up to the player's interpretation. If DLC for the game were to launch and feature Abby and Lev without confirming or denying if they had a meeting with the Fireflies, it would feel like something of a waste of time. There's far too much at stake to not answer the question or help set the stage for the potential third game in the series.

Setting Up The Last of Us 3

the last of us 2 fireflies header

Earlier this year, Neil Druckmann said that he and Last of Us 2 co-writer Halley Gross had written an outline for The Last of Us 3, but wanted to stress that the game isn't in development and that the script was just an outline and nothing more. If Naughty Dog is to go forward with a third game in the series, it, like The Last of Us 2, would hopefully get straight to the point and not need to directly answer a lot of questions lingering from previous titles. It's for this reason that definitively saying before The Last of Us 3 if Abby and Lev met up with the Fireflies would be beneficial for the game and its pacing.

RELATED: Now is the Best Time to Play The Last of Us 2

While that plot thread could definitely get resolved for Abby and Lev, the DLC could do more than simply confirm or deny their intended meetup. In addition to providing answers, The Last of Us 2 DLC could set up some of what's to come in the third entry. Although they were absent for a majority of The Last of Us 2's plot, the Fireflies have been turned into a big question mark following the gruesome end of the first game in the series. If they're to come back in a major way for a third game, then hopefully Naughty Dog will set that up before the game actually comes out via the hypothetical Abby and Lev DLC. If the two groups do meet up, questions about if Abby will tell them about Ellie and Jackson begin to arise, and the additional story might give some insight as to what the faction's next move will be.

The Last of Us 2 Intergrade

The Last Of Us 3 Ellies Story

If the story elements to The Last of Us 2's DLC were long enough, it might serve Naughty Dog to treat it like the recent release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade: an additional release that adds enough new content to justify the price tag, while also bringing The Last of Us 2 to the PS5. There's already been a PS5 upgrade for the game, but there aren't any physical copies being sold as a PS5 title. As such, including the DLC as a bundle with an upgrade might make sense as it's been done for other Sony published titles like FF7Ghost of Tsushima, and Death Stranding. 

If it truly had to justify its price tag and a potential physical rerelease of the base game, the DLC wouldn't just need to focus on Abby. There have been cases for The Last of Us 2 DLC revolving around characters like Tommy, Ellie, and even Dina, with the proposed expansions being similar to the first game's Left Behind DLC. In the same way that The Last of Us 2 switched perspectives throughout its narrative, its DLC could do something similar, providing smaller pieces of the larger narrative puzzle and giving closure on some other unresolved plot threads.

There's also a possibility that the teased and rumored sequel to The Last of Us: Factions could provide answers regarding Abby and Lev. If it were to include the Fireflies as one of the titular playable factions, they could expand the game's plot without having to directly include traditional narrative elements like cutscenes. In the same way that multiplayer-only games give tidbits of lore here and there, like Apex Legends or OverwatchFactions could do a similar thing regarding Abby's status on Catalina Island.

The Last of Us Part 2 is available now on PS4.

MORE: Games to Play If You Like The Last of Us