The Last of Us Complete Walkthrough and Guide
When you gain control of Joel, feel free to approach Tess and engage in an Optional Conversation. After talking with your partner in crime, squeeze through the hole in the wall and fire up the generator, then take an elevator ride down.
Head along the only possible path until you spot a patrol, then climb up and head toward the tractor trailer a short distance ahead. Pass through the trailer to trigger a cut scene that will reveal a little bit more about why Ellie is so important to the Fireflies.
When the scene ends and backup has arrived, crawl under the structure in front of you, then take cover from the searchlight of the vehicle up ahead. This part is fairly simple. Since Tess is leading the way, just mimic her movements and do your best to avoid the spotlights from the military.
As soon as you hit a wall and Tess tells Ellie to follow you, head along the wall, stopping at the far end and taking note of the soldier standing on the edge of the cliff. When his searchlight moves away, sneak up so you’re directly underneath him, then move forward, continuing to hug the left wall as you go.
When you emerge at the ground level and hear that there are soldiers up ahead, make your way through the broken building, waiting to progress until the lone guard moves away. When the coast is clear, head forward and raise the garage door to reach the next area.
The best way through this portion of the chapter is to move along the right wall. First, head up and take cover behind the old police car, then the armored vehicle a few feet away. Head further right and into the broken building, then when a soldier approaches, throw a brick back the way you came to distract him. When he moves to investigate, sneak forward just a little bit more.
You should be relatively safe from here, so move forward, only concerning yourself with one guard who is in the middle of the street. When you come to a burned out bus, climb up and use it to sneak through to the other side. Continue to move forward until you drop down and enter a drain pipe.
You’re safe from prying eyes for the moment, so move forward, making sure to check the room for any items of interest. When you emerge, stick to the left wall and sneak forward to avoid more searchlights. The path you want to take is on the right, but there is a room to the left which you need to loot before you go.
With the room cleaned out, enter the drain pipe and follow it until there is a metal grate overhead. You’ll get a scare, but it’s just that; nobody will see you down here. Continue to move forward until you have to open a metal gate. Once you emerge, there won’t be any more soldiers to worry about.
Head straight forward until you spot the capitol building, then turn to your right and make your way through the rubble and to a nearby door. Once you’re in the building, search every nook and cranny, but just continue along the only path you can until you have to rip a dead Clicker that blocks a door.
Once you get through the door, continue to search the rooms for supplies, then get Tess to help you bust down another door. On the other side you’ll have your first encounter with a live Clicker, so follow the on-screen prompts to fend it off before you continue on your way.
Tip: You can’t go toe-to-toe with a Clicker. The moment they get their hands on you, you’re dead. Make sure you always use stealth, or long ranged weapons to take them out.
Continue to scavenge for supplies in the next few rooms, then when you find one with a ledge and some yellow caution tape near it, boost Tess up, then jump up yourself. As soon as you reach the top you’ll be faced with your second live Clicker, and this doesn’t come with any handy on-screen prompts. Wait for Tess to throw a Bottle, then move to the left, staying behind cover as you go. Keep moving clockwise around the room, then when you get to another ledge, toss a Brick or Bottle back the way you came to distract your foe one more time. Use the opportunity to climb up and get out of the room.
Now that you’re safe — for a moment — hop over the railing and then drag a filing cabinet back toward you. Hop down, then head out through the broken window to some scaffolding and around the building. When you get back inside, continue to descend until you hear the sound of some Infected below you.
Before you drop down, make sure to pick up a melee weapon that is nearby, as well as the Revolver that lays on the ground. Take these as signs of the trouble you’re about to encounter, but don’t be afraid, we’ve got your back.
After a few deep breaths, hop down through the floor and go straight, turning left and choking out the Runner that has his back to you. When he’s down, backtrack the way you came, passing under the hole you dropped through and turning left at the first door you can. Make sure to check the area by focusing Joel’s hearing.
At least one or two of the Infected will patrol inside the room, so use the counters for cover, then choke them out when you get the opportunity. If the Clicker comes in the room, make sure you have a Shiv crafted to take it out. If you want to continue to draw the Infected to you, use Bricks and Bottles to create noise, then take them out when they come to investigate.
Tip: As long as you take out the Clicker, the rest of the Runners should be no trouble and can be easily neutralized with a melee weapon, or even a strong attack using Joel’s fists.
When the area is finally clear of threats, Joel will shout for Tess and Ellie to join him. Before you proceed, make sure to check the area for anything of importance, then pull the cart away from the door so that Tess can pass through and prop it open.
Continue to descend into the bottom of the building, making sure to pick up anything you see along the way. When Tess points out a dead Firefly, pick up the Molotov and add it to your inventory before passing through a crawl space where you’ll find a room full of Infected.
Tip: Use Joel’s focused hearing to locate of enemies as you go. Keep in mind, however, that this hearing does have an effective range, and just because you can’t see someone doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
Stay behind the cover that you’re given as you enter the area, then make sure to check the lockers to your left for some supplies. If you can craft a Molotov or Shiv, now would be a good time to do so. When you’re ready, toss a Bottle or Brick in front of you, which should draw some Infected into what we’ll call the kill zone. When they get near, hit them with a Molotov. The bonus here is that the Clickers respond to sound, and will actually run into the fire and burn themselves alive. Sometimes this tactic works great, and other times it might take an extra Molotov. Either way, this will significantly reduce their numbers and allow you to collect loads of valuable items.
Tip: If you can’t be bothered and don’t care about Parts of crafting items, you can sneak through here and just exit the area, but you’ll miss out on a lot of great stuff.
When you’ve taken out the bulk of your adversaries from your starting point, head inside and start working your way around the room in a clockwise fashion. The first room on your left will contain a note inside a drawer called, Note to Derek. If you read the note you’ll be given a combination to a safe, keep that in mind.
The exit — which is guarded by a Clicker or two — is on the opposite side from where you entered, but there are a lot of goodies to pick up before you make your escape, including the safe which is in a store on the right side of the area from where you began. Continue around the room, eliminating any leftover Infected and checking all the stores on the outer wall. Once you reach the safe, you will automatically enter the combination of 3-43-78, opening the lock and claiming your reward. When you’re satisfied that there is nothing left for you here, make your escape by pulling down the ladder and climbing up.
After dropping down into the subway tunnel, make your way up the rubble until you see a building with a blue rooftop. Rather than go straight inside, sneak around to the left and use the side door. Once you’re inside, feel free to choke out the three Runners that occupy it. They’re fairly passive so you shouldn’t have any problems clearing them out. When you’re done, check the room for supplies and then drag the dumpster outside, placing it against the tractor trailer as a way to climb up.
As soon as you drop down, turn around and check the trailer for supplies, then go forward and raise the garage door using the provided chain. You’ll get quite a scare, but just keep working the door and let the short cut scene take over.
Tip: Inside this room you’ll find a workbench that will allow you to upgrade various items. This time out, you’ll only be able to upgrade your Weapon Holsters, 9MM Pistol and Revolver, but in the future you will have more options. The Parts that you have been collecting are what you use to upgrade, which is why exploring every inch of the terrain is absolutely vital.
With that scare behind you, it’s time to loot this room before you hit the workbench. You’ll need at least 15 Parts to upgrade anything, and there might be a few in the back of the trailer. When you’re done getting yourself all decked out, head through the only door you can and into the next room.
You should be safe for the next few moments, so be sure to explore each room on the ground level and then each one on the upper level. When you’re satisfied you’ve got everything, make your way through a crawl space that is just fallen rubble. This will cause another cut scene and separate you from Ellie and Tess.
Tip: No matter what you do to eliminate the Clickers in this area, make sure to save at least one Shiv, or make sure you can craft one. You’ll need it to open a door when the area is clear.
While Ellie and Tess are scrambling to safety, you need to take down the three Clickers that are now in the same area as you. To do this, use a Shiv or two and sneak up behind them. If that’s not an option, back yourself into a corner and use your Revolver. Even if you can take one out with a Shiv, this will make shooting the other two much easier. Of course, you can always search the area for supplies as you systematically eliminate the three threats, and if things go badly, just bash them over the head with a melee weapon, but not your fists.
When the area is clear, make sure you visit the open kitchen area before you move on. Not only will you likely find some supplies laying around, you will also find what is referred to as a Shiv Door. As the name suggests, you must have a Shiv to open them, but the reward on the inside is usually well worth it.
After cleaning out the room behind the Shiv Door, make your way up to the next level, sneaking behind the Runner and taking him out. Kick the door down to join Ellie and Tess, then quickly pick up any nearby supplies… things are about to get busy.
You’re going to be charged by a hoard of Infected, so don’t be afraid to start shooting. Aim for the head, but either way, make sure you drop your targets. When you run out of ammunition, swap to your other gun and continue popping caps. When that one runs out, use your melee weapon or just your fists. It doesn’t matter how you do it, just kill everything except Ellie and Tess.
Now that all the evildoers are dead, heal yourself and then loot the room to stock back up on whatever ammunition you used. When it’s time to go, follow Tess and Ellie out the window. Thankfully, it’s finally daylight.
You’re clear of any Infected until you reach the capitol building, but you still have a bit of walking and talking to do. When you reach the roof, grab the wooden plank and set it up as a bridge to get to the other side, then continue along the only path that you can. Of course, make sure you are exploring every nook and cranny as you go. When you reach a gate that you can’t get through, move the dumpster in front of it and climb up to progress to the capitol building. After doing any exploring that you feel is necessary outside, head through the door to trigger a cut scene.
When the cut scene ends, you may have an inclination to sprint, but stop long enough to search the area for supplies, then head up the stone stairwell to the top level. Crouch and head out onto the balcony, taking a look at the results of the gun battle below. Head into the next room and then jump to another. When you land, approach the dead body by the doors and snag the Hunting Rifle.
Make your way into the next room and maintain cover until you get a read on the soldiers ahead. One will move directly toward you, then cut into the room on your left. Follow him in and choke him out as quickly as you can. The faster you get him, the less chance someone else stumbles across his body.
Continue along, using the series of rooms on the left side of the hall to move forward, but be aware, there are three more soldiers who block your path. If you are careful, you should be able to stealth kill them all, but even if you’re discovered, your newfound Hunting Rifle should take care of them in very short order.
Tip: The folks at Naughty Dog are a bunch of geniuses. Although she often runs wildly into the open, Ellie cannot be spotted by enemies, and therefore is not a liability as you try to maintain stealth. So long as Joel isn’t spotted, Ellie will remain unseen as well.
Make your way to the stairwell, then descend it and drop to the level below. There are more bad guys to deal with, but there is a path that will lead you past them if you’re careful.
Head into the next room and take cover behind the sofa. You’ll see several soldiers at the far end of the hall, so sneak to your left and use the cover that is in front of the room on the far side. Wait for a patrolling soldier to approach, then sneak up behind him and execute the stealth kill.
Keep heading forward, but stay in the rooms on the left side of this area. The soldiers will head for the room you started in, and if you’re careful you can sneak right past them and out the front door. It sounds simple enough, but it’s easy to be spotted as well. If that happens, take cover and start doing battle with your human counterparts. If they bunch up, use a Molotov to turn them into post apocalyptic barbecue.
Once you’re clear of the capitol building, just sprint as fast as you can to the blue structure across the street. Head down the stairs and away from the military vehicle trying to shoot you. You won’t have to go far to lose them, but there are two more soldiers patrolling in the subway tunnel a little bit further ahead.
Stay in the position that Ellie drags you to. When one of the soldiers approaches, grab him and choke him out. If his buddy spots the body, do the same when he investigates, otherwise sneak up behind him and choke him out as well.
There’s good news and bad news. The good news is there are no more soldiers or Infected that you need to deal with. The bad news is this area is all kinds of creepy and you have to go for a swim. Head forward, through the subway cars until you hit the water. When you can’t go any further, dive under and swim to the other side, then emerge to find wooden pallet floating at the far end. Bring the pallet to Ellie, then ferry her across to the other side of the platform and a waiting ladder.
After climbing out of the water yourself, head in the only direction that you can possibly go until you hit daylight. This will bring the chapter to a close, so why not keep on going and read our walkthrough for Chapter 4: Bill’s Town?
