I accidentally spoiled some massive plot points for both games and I'm really bummed about it.

Here is exactly what I know: I know Ellie is a lesbian, I’ve heard the story has a "happy ending" (if I am wrong about this, please do not correct me or spoil the real ending), and I know Joel dies.

I feel like I already know the ultimate conclusion of both parts and the biggest main character death.

How much shock value and emotional suspense have I actually lost? Is there still a lot left to experience?

At this point, I'm looking for ways online and through ai to somehow forget these few things even if it takes a couple years, even better now that we know TLOU part 3 or universe extension is coming

Would love to hear from people who went in spoiled.

I made a TLOU II painting in the past week, i decide to make a simple cosplay for this day. Is not crazy but i like it ✨️

over my many playthroughs of this game I’ve had one reoccurring thought. what if other people where immune like Ellie but committed suicide once they got bit? because it never says how Ellie got immunity. what did she do that was different? she lived in the QZ with lots of other people so it’s probably not related to that so if it’s genetic then her mum or dad might be immune. idk i love how open this game keeps theory’s

I always liked the ruger mini - feels very apocalyptic to me. And Joel being from Texas I figured he'd favor something like this. This will replace the assault rifle and will be semi-auto.

Hi! This is going to be my submission for my offices pumpkin decorating contest. I added cardboard, a cut up halloween mask, and expanding sprayfoam to the pumpkin and then from there I just added several layers of paint.

could i try biting a piece off of the cordyceps/clickers? Lets say a clicker head. What if some of it is soft that it becomes edible. I wonder what would happen.

This is going to be a long read. I know it’s a very polarizing opinion, especially years on, to still dislike the second game, but I think my reasons behind it feel like that was indirectly exactly what Neil wanted us to feel about the story he was trying to tell. I had the pleasure of actually watching a walkthrough of the second game when it had just come out without having any of it spoiled for me (I played the game itself only at the start of this year), so I got to experience the full story basically without any external influence.

Now I don’t completely hate the story that was told, I’m just very against the book endings of it. Joel dying feels to me like something that just had to happen for there to be a second game to begin with. A “revenge tour” after losing one of the main characters (it would only work if it was him or Ellie), is the perfect continuation of the first game to me. What I don’t like is the timing of it and how early and unceremoniously it was done. Now there’s something to say about how “realistic” that is. Neil has done a fantastic job throughout the entire franchise of making this “zombie” apocalypse feel very much grounded in reality in all of its aspects, and in this world losing your loved one in the blink of an eye is something you should actually expect rather than be shocked by. But while I love his approach to realism, I feel like at the end of the day, this is a video game that I play for gratification and satisfaction, and I think the first game struck that balance perfectly in ways the second game does not.

I would still have Joel die in this game, I feel it is a good tragedy to center around the game, but I would have had some of the game time we spend as Abby happen before hand, so we can better understand that character. I think killing Joel so early and then forcing me to play as his murderer for as long as we do is kind of annoying and does not allow me to fully experience Abby’s story as Neil intended because I’m just so mad and heartbroken. I would either tell more of the Abby backstory first, or at the very least, have Abby and her group kidnap Joel, and have Ellie Tommy Dina and Jesse go out looking for him for like half the game, basically until the theatre. Kill Joel there, and then run the exact same revenge story that you had for the remainder of the game.

Everything that happened between the killing of Joel to the final river confrontation to me is excellent video game design. The many stories we go through are genuinely captivating, the gameplay is fantastic, the world design is breathtaking, the sound design is excellent, and I actually grew to really appreciate the character building the game does for Abby. For like 25 of the 30 hours of gameplay I was having the time of my life. I was then reminded that I actually dislike the story once we got to the river scene, and this is where my main frustrations lie.

By the time I got here, I had already come to peace with the front end of this story. It felt like it needed to happen for this game to be what it was, and I felt like I was playing towards a goal, get my revenge, get my “happy ending”, and experience the ultimate gratification I look for when I play a video game. Except I was not given that at all. Ellie’s choice to let Abby survive made me angry, but honestly, I feel like it was the anger Neil was trying to invoke as one of his outcomes to how people perceive his story telling for the second game. Some absolute weirdos went way too far with their attacks on the people involved in this game, especially Abby’s voice actor (who by the way absolutely killed it in this game). But my anger was more in line with the story rather than external. I have my grievances with Neil as a person, but one thing I will always give him credit for his that he is an excellent story teller in the video game space, arguably the best (the whole of Naughty Dog are I also want to give them credit). Except here, for as much sense and how well the story was told, it just wasn’t what should have happened in my opinion.

It makes perfect sense, Ellie ends the cycle of violence that got so many of her loved ones killed, and pushed more of them away from her life as well. She finally came to peace with all the tragedy that she experienced and decided she wanted to take fate into her own hands than let the situation with the apocalypse turn her into any more of a monster. She was better than Abby, and she wanted to prove it by not killing her. Keeping Abby alive also allowed for Lev to have someone to have take care of them. Ellie could get her revenge on Abby, but she would also have to take out Lev in order to stop them from coming after her in the endless cycle of violence and revenge, thus killing what is essentially an innocent kid. This is the type of realism and tragedy Neil and Naughty Dog are so good at bringing to you, but it’s just too much for me. I want to experience ultimate satisfaction when I finish a game, and seeing Ellie basically sacrifice everything, losing basically everyone she loved, and not even being able to play Joel’s guitar because she lost two fingers, it felt like it was all for nothing if we don’t ultimately complete the mission we felt like we were setting off to complete. What’s even worse, Abby, the main antagonist (whether or not she’s even a villain is really up to your personal opinion either way makes sense for me)technically comes out the winner. She too lost basically everyone she loved in this quest to avenge her father’s death, but at least she did it, she completed her mission, and on the way, walked out with at least one person who she cares for. Ellie couldn’t complete the mission, and walks out with even less than Abby. What the hell is that. And again, this is a very realistic scenario in this world that Neil built, but I’m not looking for a moral lesson in my games, I’m looking for ultimate gratification.

I think the best way to have saved this game for me, is if I was given a choice. I can choose to let Abby survive, walk away, and end the cycle of violence. Or I can choose to kill Abby, complete my mission, and avenge Joel. Because there are ultimately two camps, those who feel Ellie basically started turning into the villain with her killing spree, and people who relished in it knowing they were doing it to avenge Joel. Let both parties be happy with a choice, I think that’s the best approach. My sort of rationalization as to why one ending was preferred over the other is that Abby and Lev are going to be in whatever the next game is, and as a result couldn’t be killed off. If that’s the case, then egg on my face, and I look forward to seeing what’s next. If not, I think at the very least, Neil should let HBO tell an alternate ending to the story, where Ellie does complete the mission, just so people can see in real time what both outcomes could look like. The show has done a fantastic job in season one in adding extra details or tweaks to the story without breaking it, I think this is something they can explore for season 3.

Ultimately what I want to say is that Neil and ND have produced excellent story telling for both games, and my discomfort with the second game should actually be seen as a compliment to the story, as it’s more my love for the first game that makes it so hard for me to digest the story of the second, even if I do think a vast majority of it is great. I also think the first season of the show was the best television I’ve ever watched, so much so I still haven’t been able to bring myself to watching the second season past episode 1, mainly because again, I can’t deal with the heartbreak of knowing I can’t get my ultimate gratification from my entertainment at the end.

I assumed the Rattlers are using the fireflies' name to lure people into slavery, but wiki apparently thinks, the Rattlers just intercepted a radio call between Abby and the actual fireflies.

The place Ellie was living in was literally Joel's garage, so she was technically still living in his house. I think they were still talking, they were just more distant. But they obvoiously never talked about salt lake until the porch scene, and thier father-daughter relationship was pretty much inactive.

It'd just be kinda weird if they didn't talk at all in two years.

Currently the best way to play TLOU on mobile is via PS4 emulation which gives an experience avg 15-25 FPS. PS3 version gives around 10-20FPS combined with a massive stutter and the PC version is way too demanding for a mobile phone. This brings me to the conclusion that we need an OG TLOU recomp project like the Nathan Drake collection. I myself managed to get the game booting into the black screen and freeze looping on some thread and getting past that is pretty much over my head. So here is my appeal for a hero amongst us that will bring mobile playable TLOU to existence.

Thank you for your attention on that matter

--RealMcDonald

I am currently playing on a 1080p 60Hz IPS monitor. The story has incredible momentum right now, and part of me doesn't want to put the controller down. However, I am planning to upgrade to a 2K or 4K OLED monitor soon.

Knowing how heavily these games rely on tense, dark environments and stunning overgrown scenery, I’m torn on how to experience the rest of this journey.

Is the visual upgrade and environmental beauty of these games on an OLED screen worth pausing my playthrough for?

Or should I just stick with my 1080p IPS so I don't lose the narrative momentum?

What would you do in my shoes?

I always see people saying they would’ve received the story better if we played as Abby first.

Honestly, I disagree. Doing it that way just turns it into a standard "two sides to every story" trope that we’ve seen in games like Nier: Automata.

My argument is that the game needs you to hate her at first.

That raw anger is exactly what makes the narrative hit so hard. It forces you right into that "us vs. them" tribal mentality.

Just being conflicted isn’t enough; the game wants you to feel genuine hate so you can actually experience how human bias and cycles work.

Plus, there is a massive difference between just watching a character do something terrible and being the one forced play as them.

Interactivity changes everything.

By making us physically play as Abby after what she did, the game weaponizes our own attachment and bias against us.

We aren't just witnesses we are forced to be complicit. I get why people hate that feeling, but it’s the exact reason the game resonates so deeply with the people it connects with...

The parallels between these events are so similar. Their tone and outcome mirror each other so well. I can't believe it took me this long to realize it. The calm after the storm.

I honestly can’t stand Joel and Ellie. To me, they’re the real villains.

Joel had one job: deliver Ellie to the Fireflies. Instead, he slaughtered them all just because he couldn't let go of his own trauma. He robbed humanity of a cure and then lied straight to Ellie's face, taking away her choice even though he knew she would've sacrificed herself.

Abby was completely justified in killing Joel. But instead of accepting it, Ellie went on a delusional revenge spree. The worst part? Ellie knew the truth about the hospital and why Abby did it. Still, she abandoned Dina and the baby, and killed dozens of people—including a pregnant woman—just to kill someone who brought her father's murderer to justice.

Abby wasn't looking for a bloodbath. She only wanted Joel and spared both Ellie and Tommy. Even when Ellie destroyed Abby's entire group in Seattle, Abby still let Ellie live twice.

Joel and Ellie aren't tragic heroes to me. They're just selfish villains.

Settle this for me and my friend :)

Santa Barbara Ellie

Haven Abby

Both have access to full maxed out gear, and the fight takes place in the theater once again. My argument was that Santa Barbara Ellie is far more focused and deadly than she ever was in Seattle. I don’t see Abby wiping out the rattlers as Ellie canonically does. What do you think?

Hi all, this question is just because I'm curious about you guys opinion/ thoughts and because I started playing guitar because of this game. So in the 5 years that Ellie and Joel lived peacefully in Jackson we know that Joel teaches Ellie guitar. We are given 5 full song covers be it in game or in the trailers. Those being:

1. Future Days - Pearl Jam (Joel)

2. Through the Valley - Shawn James (Ellie)

3. True Faith - New Order (Ellie)

4. Take on me - A-ha (Ellie)

5. Wayfaring Stranger - Johnny Cash (Ellie and Joel)

Covers heard in game but not fully released:

1. Helpessly Hoping - David Crosby, Graham Nash en Stephen Stills (Joel)

2. Ecstacy - Crooked Stills (Ellie)

Now is was showing my gf some cutscenes online comparing a scene from the HBO show to the game and she said "I wonder what other songs the would play". Now this got me thinking. In those 5 years Ellie and Joel must have played other songs then those 7. So i wanted to know what you guys think what kind of songs they would play.

I think stuff like "Hurt" by Johnny Cash is a bit on the nose but i could totally see them playing. Other songs i thought of were: Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton, House of the Rising Sun - the Animals, Have you ever seen the rain - CCR, Forever Young - Alphavilla and Lonely Road - the Shivers. All those songs give me the same kind of vibe that could be pulled of well if played by either of them.

Ps: this post is also me trying to find new songs to play on guitar because i dont have any inspiration.

I have played through the game many times but never encountered this.

Playing as Abby fighting the Seraphites, I forgot to reload and peeked from behind cover and my gun went click at which point the Seraphite said:"Wolf can't count". That got me thinking, how many things like this have I missed?

Please share some cool combat voice lines for either Ellie, Abby, The WLF, Seraphites or even Rattlers. Better yet, details you're sure 99% of the playerbase missed.

Because everything just fits so well together.

Does it have low resolution 2013 assets? No doubt. But that slides right in with the lower quality character models, animation and ps3 era game design.

The remake is very weird. It has 2022 level textures, but the game design is stuck in 2013. It has high quality character models, but the animation is nowhere near part 2 because they are based on the OG.

The remake just is a weird hodgepodge of a 2013 and 2022 game. It’s an uncomfortable Frankenstein.

Meanwhile the OG is just so natural. Everything fits together perfectly. Even the less than great aspects form a cohesive whole because it serves as a 2013: time capsule.

I was a champion of the remake. But I’ve been falling out of love with it and back in love with the OG.

I was just a wee lad of 19yrs when i 1st experienced this game on my ps3

"Hi, Burak. Nice to meet you! I really appreciate you reaching out. It's a pleasure to get a chance to communicate with TLOU fans in Turkey. Thanks for making it happen."

1. Do you have any challenging or interesting memories from shooting Tommy's mocap and voice-over scenes in The Last of Us?

"I think I remember every moment from shooting the MOCAP and the booth recording sessions for both games. When an experience hits all the marks—the degree of difficulty, the quality of the material, the work being done by the other actors, the trust you have with the director and writer—it stays with you, almost as much as having the actual experience would. So, as you can imagine, all of the experiences in TLOU left a mark, but in the best way possible."

2) Do you feel that Tommy is a character you can relate to? Do you think you share similar traits with him?

"Tommy is close to me in a lot of ways. Neil really catered to my strengths, so when I sit into his voice and accent, the work feels really easy. I'm not playing 'myself', but I think Neil instinctively saw ways that I could live Tommy's empathy while also abandoning it in Part II. I think there is a lot of Neil in Tommy, too, which is why he and I get along."

3) How did you react when you first learned that Joel was going to die in the story?

"I was shocked when Neil Druckmann told me that Joel was going to die, but in the best way possible. It was exciting to know something that bold was going to lead into a story that explored how vengeance, even if it feels righteous at the outset, becomes a self-destructive act. It's what makes TLOU II great storytelling, instead of just a great game. The power of it lies in the fact that without changing a thing in Part One, when you replay the first game the experience is changed, a new level of depth in all the relationships is layered in."

4) Were any scenes filmed depicting Tommy's three days in Seattle?

"No. We didn't shoot any scenes that ended up cut."

5) Which scene in The Last of Us series is your favorite or holds the most special meaning for you?

"I love it all. I love Joel and Tommy's reunion at the dam. I love the goodbye at the house before Joel and Ellie continue. I love the opening of Part II: 'Jesus Christ, Joel... What'd you do?' — 'I saved her...' I love the scene with Ellie when I tell her not to go to Seattle, then I go. I love teaching Ellie to shoot the sniper rifle, the reunion at the theater, and the farmhouse scene where I try to force her to go after Abby. I love all of them individually."

6) Have you played both The Last of Us games to completion? In Part II, who do you think was right: Abby or Ellie?

"I've played both multiple times, and talking about it now, I want to replay now! 🙂 Nobody is right. I think that's what makes the story ring true. A wise woman once told me, 'The more righteous you feel, the more wrong you probably are.' Great, difficult stories are vital to our ability to be complete human beings. Yes, some people turned away from the games because of Joel's death and how angry it made them. The good news is, the story will still be there for them when they are able to digest the entire thing."

7) What is it like acting in video games? How does it differ from acting in films or theater?

"Acting in games is no different than acting on stage or in a film. You have to be a complete actor—voice, body, character, text, subtext, behavior—but as long as you have honed those tools, it's the same skill set."

8) What was it like working with Naughty Dog and Neil Druckmann?

"Neil and the Dogs are the best. I don't have a definitive behind-the-scenes story, but when you show up to set or the sound booth or a catch-up dinner, it feels like coming home to family."

9) Will we be able to play as Tommy in either of the two The Last of Us games Naughty Dog is currently developing? Is Ellie's story over? Also, what do you think about fans who want to see a prequel telling the story of Joel and Tommy's past?

"I don't think there is a TLOU without Ellie, but I have no idea! I would love it if Tommy showed up in future games there, but, with 100% honesty, I have no clue if that's going to happen. (If I did know, I would just say 'No comment'.) I've seen the online conjecture, but none of that is coming from Neil or Naughty Dog and until that happens, take any 'breaking news' with a grain of salt. If it happens, I'll be overjoyed. If it doesn't, I'll be stoked to experience whatever story they create."

To the Turkish TLOU community:

"What an age we live in, where we can connect across the globe and share a story around a digital campfire.

We live in some dark times right now, but there is the possibility to come together via stories, see our common humanity with all its faults and contradictions, and leave that experience better than before we went in.

With love and respect to you all,"

— Jeffrey Pierce

(More than 60 questions were submitted; it was impossible for me to ask them all. From these, I selected the 9 that I felt people were most curious about and posed them. I apologize to those whose questions I could not include :/)

So I'm writing a fanfic after watching the series. I kinda want people to give me ideas and stuff cause I want to improve it? Anyone wanting to read it, thank you. Not sure if self promo is even allowed on here?
No AI used in writing, but did for the cover.
https://www.wattpad.com/story/418189860-what%27s-left-of-us

Could very well exist in tlou too.In australia people would have. fled to the deserts because the fungus cant grow there no plants no buildings and basements and also you can the infected down with trucks and cars