The Last of Us Part II Guide & Walkthrough

What is The Last of Us Part II?

The Last of Us Part II is Naughty Dog’s action-adventure follow-up set five years after the first game, trading the open road for a story about the cost of revenge. You spend most of the campaign in post-apocalyptic America — decaying buildings, overgrown forests, flooded streets — moving quietly and fighting only when you have to. What separates it from a standard shooter is that the game deliberately makes you uncomfortable: it hands you control of more than one character, including Ellie and Abby, and asks you to live with the consequences of their choices.

Getting started

This is a third-person action-adventure for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Combat rests on three tools: firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth. Ammunition is scarce, so the intended rhythm is to avoid fights, thin out enemies silently, and only escalate when you are spotted. Once things go loud, your character’s agility matters — both Ellie and Abby can jump, climb, and squeeze through gaps, and the level design lets you use height and vertical routes to break line of sight or get above an enemy.

The opening sequence puts you briefly in control of Joel before the story moves to Ellie and later Abby. Don’t fight the switch: each section is tuned for that character’s situation, so adapt your approach rather than carrying over one fixed playstyle.

Start by playing the early chapters slowly. Learn how enemies patrol, listen for audio cues, and get comfortable with the idea that retreating is a legitimate tactic. If a section feels impossible, the problem is almost always that you are taking a fight you were meant to avoid.

Tips for beginners

1. Treat stealth as the default, not a bonus. Most encounters can be resolved without firing a shot.
2. Count your ammo. Before a fight, check what you actually have — running dry mid-encounter is how most deaths happen.
3. Use improvised weapons first. They are expendable, and they save the bullets you will need later.
4. Move vertically. Jumping and climbing to a rooftop or ledge gives you a vantage point and an escape route at the same time.
5. Break line of sight, then reposition. Enemies lose track of you quickly if you keep moving.
6. Explore thoroughly between fights. Supplies tend to sit where the environment looks interesting, not on the main path.
7. Watch the story beats. The game’s emotional weight comes from context — pay attention to who you are playing and why.

Is it worth playing?

Yes — with a caveat. As an action-adventure game it is one of the most polished on PlayStation, and its 90.1 rating reflects how tightly the combat, stealth, and pacing fit together. But it is a heavy, deliberately uncomfortable story, and the character switches and bleak tone will not suit everyone. If you want a tense, methodical survival experience and you are willing to sit with difficult material, it is essential. If you want something lighter, look elsewhere.