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The ultimate challenge in any game is one where “game over” literally means the entire game. Let’s go over a few best tips and practices for tackling the permadeath mode in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.
Pick the right The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered permadeath mode settings
There are a few settings that let you dictate how punishing you want death to be in Permadeath mode. You can opt to lose your entire run on death, of course, which is standard. However, you can also set up act and even chapter checkpoints. The chapter checkpoints are actually quite generous, and I found they only end up resulting in you losing about 30 minutes of gameplay per death.
You are also free to play permadeath mode on any difficulty. The trophy for completing permadeath mode will pop even on the easiest difficulty with chapter checkpoints on, if you wanted.
Stealth and melee are necessary in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered permadeath mode
I can’t stress enough how crucial stealth is in this mode. Running in with your guns blazing is just asking for a quick end to your run. A combination of stealth kills and melee weapons will be the way to go. These keep combat in your control and allow you to pick off enemies as you’re able.
Melee weapons and stealth kills also conserve ammo, which means it can be saved for tougher encounters such as against bloaters. Additionally, there are actually a number of encounters you can sneak past without even fighting. If you navigate those correctly, you can seriously save on resources.
When you have to shoot, make it count
Sometimes stealth won’t be an option, and you’ll need to rely on your weapons. When this happens, you’ll want to make sure you’re not wasting ammo. Especially on harder difficulties, resources are scarce. You’ll want to aim for headshots as much as possible, while still trying to pop in and out of cover to avoid damage.
Also, don’t neglect upgrades. Better yet, choose permadeath for your New Game+ run and come into the game with the upgrades already if you want. Weapons that can upgrade their damage output, like the revolver, should be prioritized.
Know the maps well, so you know where your resources are
Obviously, in this mode you’ll want all the resources you can carry. You’ll need to know the lay of the land pretty well so you can most effectively gather these items. For example, you’ll want to know where you can find potential ingredients for health kits, since you’ll be needing them. It’s also helpful to know where ammo drops are since you can quickly burn through it, especially on higher difficulty. Finally, knowing the layout for maps allows you’ll also be able to work your way around enemies better. Remember what I said earlier, stealth is the absolute best option in this mode.
If all that seems like too much, it’s worth mentioning that the gameplay modifiers (some of which are technically cheats) do work in permadeath mode. Because of this, you can technically cheese the entire process or make it way easier on yourself. I cast no judgements, however I recommend at least trying a non-modified permadeath mode at least once.
The Last of Us II Remastered is available exclusively on the PS5.
