The Last of Us 2 Guide

The Last of Us 2, or The Last of Us: Part II as it’s officially named, is the sequel to Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed survival horror game, The Last of Us. We awarded the game a 10/10 in our The Last of Us 2 PS4 review, describing it as an "essential sequel".

In this The Last of Us 2 guide, we’re going to share our beginner’s tips and tricks to help you to survive the PlayStation 4 exclusive’s harsh post-apocalyptic world. We’re also going to reveal the location of all collectibles, including Artefacts, Trading Cards, Coins, Journal Entries, Workbenches, and Safe Code Combinations, as well as the Strange Artefact and Engraved Ring.

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This page will also include some Trophy guides, revealing how to put a hat on your companion and how to visit every location in downtown Seattle. Please note that, despite our best efforts to preserve the plot, there will be The Last of Us 2 spoilers in this walkthrough due to the nature of its contents. Therefore, please browse carefully if you don't want to know anything about the sequel's story.

The Last of Us 2 Guide: All Collectibles

The Last of Us 2 has an incredible 266 collectibles for you to find. You can view any collectibles you've discovered by pushing the touchpad when you're in-game, and using the R1 button to browse to the collectibles sub-section.

  • Artefacts are generally written notes and other pieces of lore-related ephemera you'll find in the world. They're typically represented by an icon showing a sheet of paper, signifying that they can be collected.
  • Trading Cards function similarly to Artefacts, though they have their own symbol within the world and are categorised separately in Ellie's backpack. They are Ellie's main form of collectible.
  • Coins are similar to Trading Cards, however they represent Abby's primary form of collectible. They're represented in the world by two overlapping pennies.
  • Journal Entries are generally added automatically to Ellie's notepad, however there are a handful of moments where you'll need to interact with parts of the world in order to ensure she scribbles her thoughts down. These are considered one of the game's collectible types.
  • Workbenches are where you can upgrade your weapons using spare parts that you scavenge from the world. You simply need to look at these in order to "collect" them, however we recommend interacting with them just to ensure they get added to your checklist. You're also probably going to want to upgrade your weapons each time you find one anyway.
  • Safes are storage units that contain key valuable items, but you'll need to know the correct safe code combination in order to open them. Typically, the clues are written in Artefacts that you'll find nearby, but be prepared to use both the environment and your ol' grey matter in order to solve the puzzles.

The Last of Us 2 has a total of 11 acts, divided into 45 chapters, although not all of them have collectbiles in them. Below you'll find guides to all The Last of Us 2's collectibles in the order that you'll discover them in the game.

Jackson: All Collectibles Locations

Seattle Day 1: All Collectibles Locations

Seattle Day 2: All Collectibles Locations

Seattle Day 3: All Collectibles Locations

The Park: All Collectibles Locations

Seattle Day 1: All Collectibles Locations

Seattle Day 2: All Collectibles Locations

Seattle Day 3: All Collectibles Locations

Santa Barbara: All Collectibles Locations

The Last of Us 2 Guide: Checklists, Hints, Help, and FAQs

In the next part of our The Last of Us 2 guide, we'll be covering further information, such as collectible checklists, weapon locations, Easter eggs, and puzzle solutions.

Collectibles

Safe Solutions

Weapons

Trophies

Combat Strategies and Puzzle Solutions

FAQs

Other

The Last of Us 2 Guide: No Return

Exclusive to the remastered PS5 version of the game is a rogue-like mode called No Return. Below you'll find our guides covering the mode and its contents.

The Last of Us 2 Tips and Tricks for Beginners

The Last of Us 2 Guide: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

The Last of Us 2’s wide-array of difficulty options mean you shouldn’t have too much trouble finishing the game, regardless of your ability. However, there are some universal tips and tricks that we’d recommend to all players. Read through these carefully to ensure you’re prepared.

Always Reload and Craft During Downtime

You should endeavour to reload and craft any materials during moments of downtime, as these will ensure you’re always prepared for conflict. There are moments during The Last of Us 2 where you’ll be ambushed by Clickers or rival factions, and sometimes these encounters can catch you off guard. Keep your weapon magazines as full as possible and your backpack well supplied with key items, such as health packs and explosives. You’ll regret not utilising these periods of peace effectively if you don’t.

Never Face Danger Head On

Under no circumstances should you ever run towards danger, as you’ll be taken out immediately. Rival humans’ aim will improve when you run towards them, and the stopping power of their weapons means you’ll struggle to make meaningful progress anyway. It’s better to run away from potential conflict; use stealth to get the jump on your enemies, saving valuable resources and utilising the element of surprise to your advantage. Ensure you’re always moving, but try to attack enemies from behind or from the side. Similar rules apply to Clickers, although discretion should be your main focus when fighting the infected, so try to restrict the use of your firearms to emergencies only – at least until you’ve thinned their numbers.

Crouch to Dampen Your Footsteps

If you want to remain quiet, then you’re going to want to crouch as much as possible. Delicately pushing the thumb stick while in a crunched position will ensure you’re virtually silent, but remember you can also go prone if you need to hide either under cars or in tall grass. Remember, concealing yourself in foliage doesn’t make you invincible like in other games, but you’re much more difficult to spot and this can buy you time if you need to use health kits or take a breather for a few minutes.

Use Distractions to Your Advantage

Bottles and bricks are great for smashing glass and stunning enemies, but they can also be used to push and pull enemies around. Use these items to create distractions and diversions, or lure infected into areas where there are human foes. If you can successfully pit Clickers against gun-wielding gangs, then you can significantly thin their numbers, reducing the amount of resources you’ll require to finish them off entirely.

You Don’t Always Have to Engage

Fighting is fun albeit harrowing in The Last of Us 2, but one tip is that you don’t always have to attack. If your resources are low and your energy levels are depleted, consider using stealth to slip past your enemies undetected. While there are some encounters where you’ll have no option but to fight, many others can be approached completely clandestine, and if you’re successful you’ll never have to use a single bullet. If you struggle at stealth then remember that you can craft silencers for your pistols, allowing you to pick off select enemies without attracting any attention.

A Collectibles Tracker Can Be Enabled

If you’re playing through The Last of Us 2 on New Game + and you’re searching for any outstanding collectibles, it’s worth switching on the Collectibles Tracker in the Settings menu. This allows you to keep track of which collectibles you’ve found in previous runs, so you know which ones you need in order to unlock that all-important Platinum Trophy.

And that brings our The Last of Us 2 guide to a conclusion. Hopefully, this has helped you to get the most out of Naughty Dog’s touching post-apocalyptic tale. If you have any further tips and tricks to share, please post them in the comments section below, and be sure to also check out our The Last of Us 1 guide.