Last Of Us: Part 2 - 11 Tips To Help You Get Started

The Last Of Us: Part 2 pulls no punches. This is a challenging game, and if you don’t play carefully, a whole world of hurt will come down on you. Infected, vengeful military preppers, religious zealots, and Ellie-sniffing dogs are just some of the challenges you’ll face, and if you want to overcome the odds, you just might need a tip or two.

As experienced The Last Of Us players, and having put a dozen plus hours of the new game under our collective belts, we’ve put together a quick list of 11 tips that starting players really need to know about. From finding secret manuals, to scoring stealth kills, to tips for defeating dogs — we’re providing all the info you need for a game that really doesn’t explain very much.

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1: Loot Everything & Always Be Crafting

To keep a healthy stock of health kits, molotov cocktails, and other handy items in your inventory, you’ll need to loot everything you can. If there’s a building that looks optional, a path you can explore, or just a room with an open door, you absolutely need to check these dark areas out.

Smash glass panes to find hidden loot in gas stations or markets, and open every drawer. Heck, it helps to read every note so you can get safe combinations.

NOTE: Sometimes, rooms can only be access through glass windows. Throw a brick or bottle to smash the glass and you’ll be able to climb through!

On top of all that loot, you can also find one-of-a-kind upgrades like training manuals, weapons, and holsters. If you miss these, they tend to spawn in multiple locations. So try your best to loot every optional area you can, and don’t rush through empty areas too quickly. If you aren’t being hunted, it’s time to search for that sweet, sweet loot.

2: Knowing Your Infected | Clickers & Runners

There are two types of infected you’ll deal with through most of the game. These poor souls have unique attributes that TLOU2 doesn’t really explain if you’re a new player — runners can see, and you can fight them like any other enemy. Clickers are blind, and they’ll kill you instantly if they get in melee range. Basically, clickers are high priority!

When you’re stealthing, keep in mind that clickers are blind but have enhanced hearing. If you fire a weapon or move too quickly, they’ll attack. But, you can stealth kill them even if you’re standing right in front of them. Runners are often in a ‘deactivated’ state, where they’ll stand still and look at the floor. You can stealth these guys from any direction too. Just make sure to use your listening [R1] to see where they are.

3: The Best Gun Upgrades To Get First

As you collect weapon parts, you’ll be able to upgrade your guns in a variety of ways. In TLOU2, your weapons are generally better than the previous game, so I don’t highly recommend weapon capacity. You’ll want to save up for Damage upgrades first — these often have accuracy or stability upgrades too.

Damage is the best upgrade, and you can get it for your Bolt-Action Rifle and your Revolver. For your pistol and shotgun, you’ll want to focus on fire rate and stability. I especially recommend increasing the Fire Rate for your standard pistol. You normally shoot so slow you can’t effectively pin down an enemy at close range. The faster you can shoot, the better. The Bolt-Action can also get an Accuracy and Stability upgrade, which are both great choices for scoring those long-range headshots.

4: Skills, Training Manuals, And What To Get First

Ellie starts with only the Survival Skill Tree, but if you search Chapter 9 thoroughly, you can gain the Crafting Skill Tree. Later on, you’ll run into a book store; in the cafe inside, you can get the integral Stealth Training Manual. They’re all great, and looting for pills is important if you want to get the best skills early.

For Survival, rush to get Increased Health for a +25% boost. On the Crafting Tree, you’ll want to get the valuable Smoke Bombs which make escape easier when you’re fighting swarms of crazed gunmen. Stealth has a crazy handy Craft Silencers Skill, unlocking silencers for your pistol. Get that and you’re gold.

5: Dealing With The WLFs

Eventually, Ellie and pal will fight more than just infected. The WLFs are your first human enemies, and they’re tricky to deal with. Never fight a pitched battle against enemies armed with guns; take your shot, then get out of there. If you’re surrounded, just run for it! Better yet, drop a Smoke Bomb to cover your escape. The new prone crawl ability is absolutely essential for sneaking away from human opponents.

Whenever you fight, try to stay stealthy instead of barreling ahead. The more enemies you can take out with stealth kills the better. Safe yourself ammo and resources! Don’t forget, you can hold up enemies after grabbing them and move them somewhere safer.

Get the rest of our tips on the next page.