All The Arcs in The Last Of Us Part II Video Game

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Recently, Max released the new official teaser for its critically acclaimed TV show The Last of Us. Based on a video game duology of the same name, The Last of Us season 1 covered the entire first game, referred to as Part I. Most likely, season 2 will tell the entirety of Part II. Both games and the television series follow apocalypse survivors Ellie and Joel as they navigate a world full of antagonists — cordyceps Infected and human alike.

If you want to go into Max’s live-action series without spoilers, you should probably exit out of this page now! This blog will cover both the overarching plot and major story elements of the second The Last of Us game. Many of those will probably make it into the second season of the television adaptation, though truncated for sure. Obviously, with roughly 30 hours of gameplay plus cut scenes, not everything can be included. We’ve already talked about what we want to see in season 2. Still, some details will be left out. But ultimately, all the broad strokes will absolutely be there — and that content is also what we’re focusing on today.

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How many arcs are in The Last of Us Part II?

There are 46 acts, split into 11 chapters/arcs, in The Last of Us Part II. As mentioned above, it takes about 20 to 30 hours of gameplay to finish it. If you’re a completionist, it’s going to take multiple play throughs to discover every Easter egg, find all The Last of Us collectibles like comics and trading cards, and earn each Playstation trophy. Players also know none of the action is skippable. Additionally, there’s an end-credits scene/epilogue. But more on that below.

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Jackson

TLOU II’s opening arc, “Jackson,” encompasses seven total acts. They are: Prologue, Waking Up, The Overlook, Patrol, The Horde, The Chalet, and Packing Up. Of course, the story begins with Ellie and Joel in Jackson City, Wyoming, in the year 2038. In the survivor camp, Joel admits to his brother that he slaughtered the Fireflies at St. Mary’s Hospital in order to save Ellie’s life. A rift has grown between Joel and Ellie, but Joel attempts to mend their relationship by gifting his surrogate daughter his guitar.

Later, during a snowstorm, Joel and Tommy save a woman named Abby from Infected. When they bring Abby back to her group, Abby realizes that Joel killed her father — the surgeon at St. Mary’s. She exacts brutal revenge on Joel. While torturing him, Abby is intercepted by Ellie, but Ellie is unable to stop her. After Abby murders Joel, she allows Tommy and Ellie to leave. The following day, Tommy goes to hunt Abby in Seattle. Ellie and her girlfriend Dina follow.

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Seattle Day 1

It’s really awesome how much action this game can jam pack into a single day. Once you get to Seattle, you go through 8 separate but complete acts to complete the chapter. They are: The Gate, Downtown, Eastbrook Elementary, Capitol Hill, Channel 13, The Tunnels, The Theatre, and The Birthday Gift. Most interestingly, all but one act title refer to the geographic location in which the player is in during the act. The stand out is The Birthday Gift, which is actually a flashback to Ellie and Joel visiting a derelict history museum together. Before that, of course, Ellie fights her way through a series of obstacles, people, and Infected in Seattle — which has been flooded and divided in this post-apocalyptic scenario.

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Seattle Day 2

Hillcrest, Finding Strings, The Seraphites, and St Mary’s Hospital all take place within “Seattle Day 2.”  Both this arc and the one above also include some major story developments. Ellie reveals she is immune to the cordyceps infection. Dina reveals she’s pregnant with her ex-boyfriend Jesse’s baby. We also encounter two warring factions: WLFs (to which Abby belongs) and Seraphites. Throughout the game, Ellie is repeatedly caught in the crossfire.

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Seattle Day 3

Road to the Aquarium, The Flooded City, and Infiltration continue to elevate the violence, stress, and intensity for which the game series is known. Ellie’s rationality deteriorates as her anxiety and grief explode. She kills Owen and Mel, two expecting parents and friends of Abby’s. The extreme situation comes to a head with Ellie having a panic attack. Then, Tommy asks her to leave and return to Wyoming with him. She, Jesse, and Tommy reconvene at the theater — only to encounter a vengeful and heavily armed Abby.

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The Park

Tracking Lesson is its own chapter. The flashback centers on Tommy and Ellie, with Tommy teaching Ellie more survival skills in the Wyoming wilderness. It’s another bright and happy moment, feeling a lot like The Birthday. Tracking Lesson is also a single breath of fresh air before we dive into what makes TLOU Part II truly incredible — an entire perspective/protagonist switch.

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Abby’s Perspective — Seattle Day 1

Suddenly, you’re playing as someone you’ve considered your enemy for literal hours. And you’re playing as Abby a lot. These chapters are an analepsis of the prior three days. They give us more background/lore on the WLFs and Seraphites, and a look at more of the totally overrun environment. Abby’s first arc encompasses:

• The Stadium
• On Foot
• The Forward Base
• The Aquarium
• Hostile Territory
• Winter Visit
• The Forest
• The Coast
• Return to the Coast

Most notably, these chapters show Abby rescuing two Seraphite siblings named Lev and Yara. We also find out that Abby and Owen were romantically involved, and have to fight the rat king. Max’s The Last of Us season 2 might not include every zombie and human fight in the whole game, but it will definitely include the rarest and most horrifying creature in the entire series.

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Abby’s Perspective — Seattle Day 2

Next, we move through The Shortcut, The Descent, Ground Zero, and Return to the Aquarium. Most of this might not make it into the television series. However, the confrontation between Tommy and Abby absolutely should. It illustrates the lengths Tommy would go to avenge his brother. Plus, it shows how he nearly killed Abby ages before Ellie got a chance to fight her. Even though we know both characters survive, it’s a pulse-pounding scene, especially because the player has to attack Tommy.

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Abby’s Perspective — Seattle Day 3

The WLFs refuse to tolerate Abby’s sympathy for the young Seraphites. After escaping the group she thought were her allies, she accompanies Yara and Lev to their home island. The place descends into chaos and burning forest when the WLF invade. The Marina, The Island, The Escape, and The Confrontation all deal with Abby’s navigation of new relationships, identity, and purpose.  We catch up to the events in Ellie’s story, melding the two narratives.

The Pinnacle Theater is an extremely important location in The Last of Us Part II. It is where Abby and Ellie engage in a major duel, in which they utilize all of the weapons and skills the player has come to learn over the last few arcs. In the end, Abby and Lev successfully defeat Ellie, Tommy, and Dina. Fortunately, Abby leaves all three alive. They head back to Wyoming.

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The Farm

This is its own chapter. It’s an interlude of sorts, really, taking place one year later. Back in Jackson, Ellie and Dina live a peaceful life on a remote farm with their son JJ. Ellie’s PTSD plagues her uncontrollably, though. When an aging and injured Tommy gives her a lead on Abby’s most recent location, Ellie leaps at the chance to find purpose through violence. She is attempting to hold onto her time with Joel, wrapping up her sense of self with a desire to hurt the woman who hurt him. As Ellie abandons Dina, Dina warns her that she and JJ won’t be there when/if Ellie comes back.

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Santa Barbara

2425 Constance, Pushing Inland, The Resort, and The Beach are harrowing, to say the least. Abby and Lev, encumbered by their fugitive status, attempt to locate the Firefly remnants. In Santa Barbara, they are captured by slavers called Rattlers, who torture and debase them for weeks on end. Ellie moves at a grueling pace toward a very fraught reunion. She infiltrates the Rattler base and frees the prisoners, only to learn that for disobeying their captors, Abby and Lev were strung up on a beach and left to die of starvation, dehydration, and exposure to the elements.

Ellie finds them alive. Then, she engages Abby in a sickening battle in which both women are barely able to stand due to the extent of their injuries. Any on-screen depiction will probably be just as unsettling as the game. We don’t want to spoil too many of the details. However, it’s important to note that during the fight, Ellie loses a couple fingers. She also does eventually allow Abby and Lev to escape to Catalina Island.

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The Farm (Epilogue)

And then we just … stay sad. Back at the farm, Ellie realizes JJ and Dina are gone. She tries to play Joel’s guitar, but can’t because of those missing fingers. Distraught, she reminisces about a conversation she had with Joel in Jackson in which the two had agreed to repair the rift in their relationship. In the present, Ellie abandons the guitar and the farm, setting out on her own once more. Alone.

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Ultimately, it’s difficult to see how TLOU Part II could be truncated into a single season. It might even be interesting to see the game split into two seasons of the television show, with one in Ellie’s perspective and the next in Abby’s. We don’t know what will happen, though. All we can do is tune in to the premiere and eagerly await every episode after.

What is your favorite chapter or arc in The Last of Us Part II? Share your feelings about the game and the new Max trailer at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network. And as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!