With The Last of Us Part II looming ever closer, it's about time to take another look at the original game. If one played it on the PS3 seven years ago when it launched, this article might still be worth reading as a refresher. Now, for those jumping into this game for the first time on PS4, these tips will make that first playthrough easier and thus more enjoyable.
This is not listed below as a tip but just be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. Grab some tissues. It still packs a punch no matter what hardware one plays it on. It is truly is one of Naughty Dog’s greatest achievements.
Updated on October 4, 2022 by Patrick Armstrong: The Last of Us has a reputation for excellence. Its critical acclaim and commercial success are well-deserved. Its story, graphics, and mechanics were groundbreaking when they first appeared, and the game has stood up well to the test of time. The Last of Us is a brutal world, it takes everything the player has to survive. Ammo and medical equipment are in short supply, and stealth is often the only thing keeping the player alive. The player will need all the help they can get in navigating this bleak environment. Here are some essential tips to ward off death and get ahead after the end of the world.
13 Grab A Brick
The Last of Us is notorious for its visceral combat. With a variety of guns and melee weapons at the player’s disposal, there are plenty of ways to take down the enemy without having to resort to one’s fists. That’s a good thing, because having only one’s hands against enemies as ferocious and crafty as this is a good way to end the game as a corpse.
There’s one quick and easy solution that’s available to the player doing many fights: grabbing a brick. By no means is it ideal, and it certainly isn’t pretty. But if the player finds themselves without other options, snatching up a nearby brick and using it to bludgeon the enemy can be a good way to get out of a desperate situation without having to expend precious ammo.
12 Be Flexible With Stealth
In many games, stealth is an all or nothing affair: either the enemy knows the player is there or they don’t. In such games, once the player has been detected, there’s nothing to be done expect fight it out. Depending on what resources the player has available and what enemies they are facing, that could easily mean disaster.
The Last of Us is more flexible when it comes to stealth, allowing the player to be more flexible in their own approach. Even after the player has been detected and the battle has begun, the player has the option of running away and finding a place to hide. Enemies will begin searching the area, giving the player a moment to collect themselves and come up with a better strategy before the enemy is breathing down their neck once more.
11 Learn Enemy Behaviors
It’s not just humans that want the player dead in The Last of Us. With a variety of deadly opposition for the player to deal with, the player will need just as much variety in their tactics. Different enemies bring different strategies and abilities to the table, and the player needs to adapt accordingly if they’re going to survive this difficult stealth experience.
Whereas Runners attack in packs, humans tend to fan out. Humans also take cover if the player starts shooting, so even if the player doesn’t have a good shot, laying down fire can be a good way to force the enemy down long enough to move to a better position. Just don’t waste too much ammo that way. Learning the nuances of each enemy will help the player last much longer than they otherwise would.
10 New Game Plus
There is a new game plus mode that unlocks after the first playthrough. It lets players keep upgrades made to guns and their body upgrades, but it does not let them keep equipment.
Once players get the shotgun and upgrade it, for example, it will be upgraded to the same point in the plus mode. Also, this only works on the difficulty players initially choose, so if one plays on easy, the next run they make also has to be on easy.
9 Fighting The AI
While it may feel disheartening to play on easy, The Last of Us is still not a walk in the park on the lowest level. There will be more materials and ammo, but the AI, for both human and Clicker enemies, is just as strong.
Prepare to be rushed. If this is the player's first run, or even their second, there is no shame on playing on easy just to get through it for the sequel.
8 Aim Assist
This tip whizzes by in the early sections of the game, but there is an aim assist option on the menu. It, as the name suggests, sort of locks onto enemies, which is a big help.
The weapon sway is very breezy early on before this strength gets boosted, so it might be a good idea to turn this on to save ammo.
7 Take One For The Team
Speaking of ammo, every bullet counts. There are actually more ways to craft shivs and medkits than there are bullets. Players should thus be careful about conserving their supply.
With the ample amount of melee weapons around, it might be a good idea to bum rush small groups of enemies instead of wasting ammo. Don’t worry if it drops health faster. Again, healing is no big thing.
6 Pill Upgrades
In order to upgrade the body, there are special pills hidden in levels. Two of the first things one should upgrade is one’s health along with the aforementioned weapon sway.
This costs 50 pills each and then 200 total more to upgrade them fully. It takes a while to do it, but it will help more than the other stuff in the long run once these both fully unlock.
5 Headphones
Some tip articles suggest upgrading the hearing sensitivity, which allows Joel to see/hear enemies from a greater distance. Know what a cheaper way to do this is? Wear headphones.
Naughty Dog has always been masterclass audio designers, and wearing headphones to locate enemies proves it. It also makes the game more terrifying.
4 Gun Upgrades
As for weapon upgrades, here is the priority list. First, upgrade both extra holsters, which allow Joel to access two saved guns on either side of him. Second, upgrade ammo capacity.
This allows more ammo to be carried along with saving the time to have to reload more often. Three, don’t waste scrap iron. It’s okay to hoard it for that next big thing even if it is hours away.
3 Material Usage
There will usually be more materials scattered around than one needs. If one comes across a big stash and they have no room, that’s a good time to start crafting in order to free up space.
Also, on the other side of this equation, always keep enough materials to craft at least one of everything. One never knows when a dire situation will arise, like needing a shiv to open a locked door.
2 Save Often
The game does a good job with auto-saving often and setting up checkpoints. That said, totally relying on the game alone is a bad decision for any game. Always keep at least three saves, rotating them as one goes.
One never knows if a particular encounter will go south, thus draining players of precious resources needlessly. It is always good to have a backdoor.
1 Photo Mode
Here is one final, very small tip. If one is playing on PS4 then that means Photo Mode will be an option. One can turn it on in the menu to allow L3 to activate it.
This tip doesn't really help with gameplay, but it is something players can use to capture some of the stunning graphics the game offers. The Last Of Us is an amazing game, and this feature lets players make some memories.