The Last of Us Part II Remastered arrived on PC on 3 April 2025, ported by Nixxes and Iron Galaxy from Naughty Dog's 2020 original. Alongside the visual work it carries three things the 2020 release never had: No Return, a roguelike survival mode with twelve playable characters, three unfinished Lost Levels shipped with developer commentary, and Guitar Free Play. The campaign is unchanged at 11 acts and 46 sub chapters, split between Ellie and Abby across the same three days in Seattle.
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. Crafting draws on one shared pool, so a health kit and a Molotov compete for the same alcohol and rags
Crafting draws on one shared pool, so a health kit and a Molotov compete for the same alcohol and rags. On Survivor and Grounded most players over craft health kits early and then have nothing to throw when a Bloater arrives.
2. Skill branches open by finding training manuals, not by spending supplements
Skill branches open by finding training manuals, not by spending supplements. Ellie's Crafting, Stealth, Precision and Explosives and Abby's Covert Ops, Close Quarters, Firearms and Ordnance each need their manual first, so exploring directly widens your build.
3. Going prone is new to Part II and it is the biggest stealth upgrade in the game
Going prone is new to Part II and it is the biggest stealth upgrade in the game. Tall grass conceals a prone character properly, and sliding under vehicles breaks line of sight in a way enemy search patterns handle badly.
4. WLF patrols bring dogs that follow scent rather than sight
WLF patrols bring dogs that follow scent rather than sight. Breaking line of sight achieves nothing against them, moving continuously does, and killing the handler will not call the dog off.
5. Arrows are recoverable from corpses and from the walls they stick in
Arrows are recoverable from corpses and from the walls they stick in. The bow is the only weapon that can leave an encounter carrying roughly what it started with, which is why Grounded runs lean on it so hard.
6. Abby's Flamethrower arrives in The Descent on Seattle Day 2 and it trivialises grouped Infected
Abby's Flamethrower arrives in The Descent on Seattle Day 2 and it trivialises grouped Infected. Save the fuel for the hospital basement instead of burning it on the first pair of Runners you meet.
7. In No Return every character is effectively a class
In No Return every character is effectively a class. Tommy starts with a sniper rifle but cannot dodge, Mel starts with two health kits and gains speed from healing, Manny carries 50 percent more parts and 150 percent maximum health, and Bill trades dodging for doubled drop rewards.
8. No Return bosses unlock in a fixed order: Arcade Bloater, Theater Infestation, Rattler Captain, Garage Bloater, Seraphite Elite, then the Rat King
No Return bosses unlock in a fixed order: Arcade Bloater, Theater Infestation, Rattler Captain, Garage Bloater, Seraphite Elite, then the Rat King. Once the Rat King is cleared they start appearing at random, which is when runs get genuinely unpredictable.
9. Gambits are optional objectives inside a No Return encounter, things like three kills from prone or a full stealth clear, and they pay currency for the Safe House Trading Post
Gambits are optional objectives inside a No Return encounter, things like three kills from prone or a full stealth clear, and they pay currency for the Safe House Trading Post. Taking the easy ones costs nothing and funds a better loadout for the boss.
10. Permadeath can be set per chapter, per act or across the whole game
Permadeath can be set per chapter, per act or across the whole game. Per chapter is the version most people actually finish, because one death in Abby's Seattle Day 2 does not erase the previous fifteen hours.
Advanced Strategies
Role Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Ellie (A-Tier):
- Focus on Crafting under pressure combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Semi-Auto Pistol
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Abby (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Bow
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how The Last of Us Part II Remastered's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Crafting under pressure + Prone stealth and grass: Molotovs, shivs, health kits, explosive arrows and trap mines all draw on one shared pool of alcohol, rags, blades, binding and explosives, and crafting runs in real time without pausing. Combined with Prone stealth and grass, part ii added going prone, dodging and sliding under vehicles, which turns tall grass into a genuine hiding layer instead of scenery.
Listen Mode tracking + Weapon and skill upgrades: Holding Listen Mode outlines nearby enemies through walls after a brief focus. When paired with Weapon and skill upgrades, parts upgrade guns at workbenches and supplements buy skills, but each skill branch only opens once you find its training manual.
No Return run structure scaling: A run chains randomised encounters of four types, Assault, Hunted, Holdout and Capture, with optional gambits paying bonus currency, and finishes on a boss. Six bosses unlock in sequence from the Arcade Bloater to the Rat King, after which they appear at random.
Weapons Efficiency
| Weapon | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-Auto Pistol | The entire early game, and finishing wounded enemies without spending rifle ammunition. | Ellie's default sidearm and the gun she is least likely to run dry on. |
| Bow | Stealth clears and Grounded runs, where a weapon that pays for itself changes the whole resource economy. | Ellie's silent option, and the only weapon whose ammunition is recoverable from bodies and walls after a kill. |
| Pump Shotgun | Corridors, Bloater encounters and the moment a stealth plan falls apart. | Ellie's close range answer, brutal against Clickers and Shamblers and completely wasted on anything past a few metres. |
| Hunting Pistol | Armoured WLF soldiers and any single target you want removed in one shot. | Abby's high calibre scoped sidearm, hitting far harder than her Military Pistol while carrying very little ammunition. |
| Flamethrower | Infected swarms in the hospital sections, where crowd control beats precision. | Picked up by Abby during The Descent on Seattle Day 2. |
Location Efficiency
Jackson (Act 1): The opening act, seven sub chapters running Prologue, Waking Up, The Overlook, Patrol, The Horde, The Chalet and Packing Up. It teaches every system in snow and quiet before the story turns.
Channel 13 (Seattle Day 1, Ellie): A flooded television station on Ellie's Seattle Day 1, a tight interior stocked with Infected rather than humans and one of the campaign's most claustrophobic stretches.
Hillcrest (Seattle Day 2, Ellie): A suburban neighbourhood on Ellie's Seattle Day 2 built as an open combat sandbox, with houses to loop through and WLF patrols backed by dogs that track scent.
The Aquarium (Seattle Day 1, Abby): Abby's base on Seattle Day 1 and the location the back half of the story orbits. Ellie reaches it herself at the end of her Day 3, which is the point the two timelines collide.
Santa Barbara (Act 10): The tenth act, four sub chapters running 2425 Constance, Pushing Inland, The Resort and The Beach, where the Rattlers replace the WLF and Seraphites as the human threat.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Hoarding supplements while never picking up the training manual that would open the branch you want to spend them in.
- Crouching in tall grass rather than going prone, which is the exact habit Part II added prone to defeat.
- Trying to break line of sight from WLF dogs, which track scent and will find you anyway.
- Burning Abby's Flamethrower fuel on scattered Runners instead of saving it for grouped Infected.
- Choosing Tommy or Bill in No Return without noticing that neither of them can dodge.
Pro Quick Tips
- Crafting draws on one shared pool, so a health kit and a Molotov compete for the same alcohol and rags. On Survivor and Grounded most players over craft health kits early and then have nothing to throw when a Bloater arrives.
- Skill branches open by finding training manuals, not by spending supplements. Ellie's Crafting, Stealth, Precision and Explosives and Abby's Covert Ops, Close Quarters, Firearms and Ordnance each need their manual first, so exploring directly widens your build.
- Going prone is new to Part II and it is the biggest stealth upgrade in the game. Tall grass conceals a prone character properly, and sliding under vehicles breaks line of sight in a way enemy search patterns handle badly.
- Start with Abby, switch to Ellie when ready
- Invest in Semi-Auto Pistol above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Jackson → Channel 13 → Hillcrest → The Aquarium → Santa Barbara. See our maps guide
- Crafting under pressure + Prone stealth and grass together are stronger than either alone
More The Last of Us Part II Remastered Guides
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered The Last of Us Part II Remastered Overview
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered Best Builds
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered Tier List
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered Walkthrough
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered Beginner's Guide
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered Weapons Guide
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered Combat Guide
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered Boss Guide
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered Maps & Locations
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered Crafting Guide
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered Classes & Characters
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