Games
Sleepless in Seattle
In case you hadn’t noticed, The Last of Us Part 2 launches today, and it’s already received rave reviews.
Unlike Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise, this isn’t a fun action romp. Instead, Ellie must scrap and scavenge to survive this unforgiving world, and it can be a lot to take on.
Thankfully, we’ve put together five SPOILER-FREE tips to help you keep Ellie alive.
Stealth Over Action
Just like the first game, stealth forms a large part of how you’ll engage with enemies. That applies whether they’re infected or not, but there are some handy things to remember.
Firstly, gunfire is incredibly loud. A single shot can give away Ellie’s position in a split second, meaning you’ll want to make every bullet count (more on that shortly).
Secondly, while Ellie is able to grab enemies from behind and hold them hostage for a period, after a while they’ll break free and alert their friends. In truth, there’s no reason to keep them alive, so be sure to kill them before they get the chance to blab.
Unlike Joel, Ellie can lay prone and blend in with long grass, but even this has caveats. Enemies will still spot her if they get close, and sniffer dogs will be nipping at your heels if all you do is crawl.
The trick is to stay hidden but continue moving. Most of the game’s combat scenarios are framed as puzzles, requiring Ellie to get from one end to the other. Stay low, use listen mode (press R1) and proceed with caution.
Save Your Bullets
In the brutal world of The Last of Us 2, ammo is scarce. That makes stealth doubly important, but also places the impetus on making every shot count.
Some weapons allow you to craft ammo, but you can also claim some from bodies and in the environment (more on scavenging shortly).
When aiming, Ellie is likely to sway for a second until she gains a clearer focus. In that moment, she’s vulnerable, so be sure to stay behind cover where possible and wait for a clean window to fire.
Whether facing infected or human enemies, always aim for the head but be prepared to follow up with a dodge if they get too close (L1). You can also counterattack with Ellie’s switchblade by hitting square after dodging, but this is infinitely harder with more enemies.
In situations like these, dodge and run. Which brings us to…
Don’t Be Afraid To Run
At times, the odds facing Ellie are simply insurmountable. Whether you’re out of ammo, down to minimal health, or staring down a whole group of enemies, don’t be afraid to sprint to safety (L1).
As we mentioned earlier, dodging can open up a brief window to put space between you and whoever (or whatever) you’re facing. Once you get away, sprint in a direction and just Ellie’s agility to vault over cover and duck down.
Not only is this a great way to progress without being bogged down in combat situations, but you’ll often be rewarded with an adrenaline-charged chase that feels epic to escape from.
Know Your Enemy
In the interests of keeping this spoiler-free, we’ll only be discussing enemies shown in preview coverage. If you want to keep things unknown, skip on ahead to the next section.
Different enemy types require different strategies, and many of the game’s most challenging encounters feature multiples of each.
When it comes to infected, Runners and Clickers need to ideally be dispatched with stealth. If that’s not an option and a group is approaching, be sure to kill Clickers first - these deaf creatures track Ellie by sound, and can kill in one hit!
Bloaters take plenty of punishment, but they’re slow. You’ll still want to keep your distance though, as their acidic puss can rip through Ellie’s health bar in seconds if you aren’t careful.
Human enemies will often check in with each other, meaning they’ll soon know if something is amiss. If you kill one, be sure to move on as quickly as possible - Ellie can’t move bodies, so waiting near one is just begging to be caught.
Always Be Scavenging
As good as the game’s environmental storytelling is, there are more tangible rewards for exploration. Bottles and bricks can be thrown to distract enemies, but you’ll also find a wealth of crafting ingredients just lying around.
Perhaps most importantly, you’ll also find supplements that Ellie can use to augment her skills. Each skill tree is unlocked with a relevant training manual that you can find in the environment, so be on the lookout at all times.
Finally, scrap is a commodity that allows Ellie to craft new weapon upgrades at workbenches found in the world. These can make huge improvements to the game’s weapons and Ellie’s offensive capabilities, so be sure to seek them out.