Naughty Dog rebuilt the 2013 original on the Part II engine, so Joel and Ellie's trip across a fungal-collapsed United States now runs on modern AI, lighting and animation. The package includes the Left Behind chapter and drops the original Factions multiplayer entirely. The PC port shipped in July 2023 through Iron Galaxy and took several patches before shader compilation and memory use settled down.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Parts do not respawn and a single playthrough never funds every upgrade
Parts do not respawn and a single playthrough never funds every upgrade. Pour them into the Hunting Rifle scope and the Shotgun clip first, because those two weapons carry the Fall and Winter encounters where ammunition pressure is worst.
2. Melee weapons shatter after a few swings unless a workbench binding upgrade is applied
Melee weapons shatter after a few swings unless a workbench binding upgrade is applied. Carry one blunt weapon for stunning humans and reserve shivs strictly for Clickers and locked shiv doors.
3. Bricks and bottles respawn on most maps and do more work than bullets
Bricks and bottles respawn on most maps and do more work than bullets. A thrown bottle pulls an enemy to a fixed spot, and a brick to the face opens a free melee execution that costs no resources at all.
4. Clickers cannot see you
Clickers cannot see you. They navigate entirely by sound, so crouch walking past one in the open works, while sprinting past one across the room does not.
5. Choking a human from behind is silent and free, but the animation locks you in place for several seconds
Choking a human from behind is silent and free, but the animation locks you in place for several seconds. Check the patrol timing of the next two enemies before committing, because being spotted mid choke usually loses the encounter.
6. On Survivor the HUD ammunition counter disappears and Listen Mode is off
On Survivor the HUD ammunition counter disappears and Listen Mode is off. Learn to count shots per weapon and use the pause inventory screen, which still shows exact ammunition, as your counter.
7. Shiv doors hide the largest Parts and supplement caches in the game
Shiv doors hide the largest Parts and supplement caches in the game. Before spending a shiv on a Clicker, check whether a shiv door sits in the same area, because a missed door is a permanent loss of upgrades.
8. Molotovs and health kits both consume alcohol and rags
Molotovs and health kits both consume alcohol and rags. On higher difficulties a split of roughly two molotovs to one health kit works better, since preventing damage costs less than healing it.
9. Ellie and other companions do not trigger enemy detection
Ellie and other companions do not trigger enemy detection. You can leave them standing in plain view and plan purely around your own line of sight, which makes several rooms far simpler than they look.
10. The PC version compiles shaders on first launch and after driver updates
The PC version compiles shaders on first launch and after driver updates. Let it finish before playing, and set textures one notch below your card's limit to avoid the stutter that dogged the July 2023 release.
Advanced Strategies
Role Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Full stealth strangler (S-Tier):
- Choke everything from behind and never fire a shot until forced. It preserves ammunition for the encounters that cannot be stealthed, which is what makes Survivor and Grounded runs viable.
- Core gear: Bow, shivs, bricks and bottles, upgraded holster
- Stat priority: Listen Mode range, then crafting speed, then melee damage
For Shiv and bottle specialist (A-Tier):
- Built around shiv efficiency and free thrown objects. The Shiv Master upgrade gives each shiv extra uses, turning Clicker-heavy areas from resource sinks into free kills.
- Core gear: Shivs, bottles, bricks, shiv crafting manual
- Stat priority: Shiv Master first, then crafting speed, then health
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how The Last of Us Part I's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Listen Mode + Workbench weapon upgrades: Holding the listen button outlines enemies through walls within a limited radius, but only while you stay still or move at a crawl. Combined with Workbench weapon upgrades, workbenches spend parts on holster speed, reload speed, magazine size, fire rate, damage and scope stability per weapon.
Crafting from scavenged parts + Supplement skill upgrades: Alcohol, rags, blades, binding, sugar and explosives combine into shivs, molotovs, nail bombs, smoke bombs and health kits, and every item is crafted in real time with no pause. When paired with Supplement skill upgrades, pills and supplement bottles buy permanent upgrades to health, crafting speed, listen mode range, weapon sway, healing speed and melee damage.
Infected enemy types scaling: Runners still see you, Stalkers hide and flank, Clickers are blind but kill on contact unless you hold a shiv, and Bloaters throw spore sacs and soak an entire magazine. Encounters mix them deliberately, so a room with one Clicker and three Runners has to be solved in a different order than one with two Clickers.
Weapons Efficiency
| Weapon | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 9mm Pistol | Every difficulty from start to finish, especially Survivor runs where 9mm rounds are the ammunition you actually find. | Joel's starting sidearm, cheap on ammo and accurate once the sway upgrade lands. |
| Hunting Rifle | Open outdoor encounters and the Winter chapters where Ellie fights David's group across long sightlines. | Bolt action rifle that one-shots Runners and Stalkers at range and staggers Clickers. |
| Pump Shotgun | Enclosed rooms, tunnels and any moment a Clicker has already heard you. | The one gun that reliably kills a Clicker with a single close shot and knocks a Bloater back. |
| Bow | Stealth clears that thin a group before it detects you, and the low-ammo stretches of the Suburbs and Tommy's Dam. | Silent, and arrows can be pulled back out of corpses and walls, so it costs nothing while your aim holds. |
| Molotov Cocktail | Bloater fights and any encounter with three or more Infected clumped together. | Thrown fire that kills Clickers on contact and burns groups packed into a corridor. |
Location Efficiency
Boston Quarantine Zone (Opening chapters): FEDRA-run ruins where Joel smuggles for Robert and picks up Ellie. Combat is mostly human until the flooded museum wing introduces Runners and the first Clicker.
Bill's Town (Summer): Lincoln, Massachusetts, wired with traps by a paranoid survivalist. The high school gym Bloater fight is the first real setpiece and the town hides several workbench caches.
Pittsburgh (Fall approach): Hunter ambush territory, a full city of human enemies who take cover, flank and call your position. The hotel basement generator sequence traps you in the dark with Clickers and a Bloater.
University of Eastern Colorado (Fall): An abandoned campus the Fireflies left months earlier. The research wing and dorm rooms hide comics and Parts, and the exit is a running fight against Infected and raiders at once.
Lakeside Resort (Winter): Ellie alone against David's group in a snowbound Colorado tourist town. Ammunition is scarce and the burning restaurant finale is the only true one on one fight in the game.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Spreading Parts evenly across every weapon, so no gun is upgraded enough to matter during Pittsburgh and Winter.
- Punching Clickers. Bare-handed melee against a Clicker is an instant death animation unless you are holding a shiv.
- Burning shivs as combat weapons and then finding a shiv door with nothing left to open it.
- Sprinting through Infected areas because they look clear. Runners reposition and Stalkers deliberately hide in doorways you already walked past.
- Skipping the workbench holster upgrade. Slow weapon swaps turn a single mistake into a wipe when a Clicker closes distance.
Pro Quick Tips
- Parts do not respawn and a single playthrough never funds every upgrade. Pour them into the Hunting Rifle scope and the Shotgun clip first, because those two weapons carry the Fall and Winter encounters where ammunition pressure is worst.
- Melee weapons shatter after a few swings unless a workbench binding upgrade is applied. Carry one blunt weapon for stunning humans and reserve shivs strictly for Clickers and locked shiv doors.
- Bricks and bottles respawn on most maps and do more work than bullets. A thrown bottle pulls an enemy to a fixed spot, and a brick to the face opens a free melee execution that costs no resources at all.
- Start with Shiv and bottle specialist, switch to Full stealth strangler when ready
- Invest in 9mm Pistol above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Boston Quarantine Zone → Bill's Town → Pittsburgh → University of Eastern Colorado → Lakeside Resort. See our maps guide
- Listen Mode + Workbench weapon upgrades together are stronger than either alone
More The Last of Us Part I Guides
- The Last of Us Part I The Last of Us Part I Overview
- The Last of Us Part I Best Builds
- The Last of Us Part I Tier List
- The Last of Us Part I Walkthrough
- The Last of Us Part I Beginner's Guide
- The Last of Us Part I Weapons Guide
- The Last of Us Part I Combat Guide
- The Last of Us Part I Boss Guide
- The Last of Us Part I Maps & Locations
- The Last of Us Part I Crafting Guide
- The Last of Us Part I Classes & Characters
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