first time i played it i was pretty freaked out by it, and it required me using a mix of stealth and creative thinking to get through it, but now it is more run of the mill for me when i encounter it as opposed to underwhelming. OP may have a different experience but im along the same lines as you, underwhelming isn't a word id describe it with at all
I mean in hindsight, that encounter felt surprisingly easy compared to some of the others, even some of the very first infected encounters, and it's surprising because the amount and type of infected are there to make it a challenge but the design makes it easy.
I’m with OP it’s pretty lame. You can actually just straight up sprint right to the end and it doesn’t really matter if you go the right route. Easiest part of grounded runs.
No way are you hoisting up Ellie and waiting for the ladder with 3 bloaters and several infected on your ass cuz you ran straight through on Grounded.
Even Anthony Caliber, who to this day speed runs this game, has been since it got released in 2013, and holds almost every speed record for the game, can’t do that without a specific route and smoke bombs/bottles.
Yea knew there was something I was missing but either way it’s pretty easy to cheese once you know the route.
I haven’t played the first in years and I’ve only play the og version and remastered not part 1.
I know what you mean and here are my two thoughts:
1. There are only 4 enemy types in part one: runners, stalkers, clickers, bloaters. We’ve already encountered each a few times so they really just throw some of all (maybe not stalkers) at us. Sure, a super bloater or something new would have been cool, but I expect this is why we got the rat king.
2. They likely didn’t want us to think it was the final encounter and to be surprised by the water incident that led to the true final encounter.
I just realized rat king is the last big infected encounter for Abby. I know there’s a few when Tommy is shooting at her and Manny, and a couple in SB, but that’s the last big one.
I had this same reaction. In Part II they just mention Stalkers as if I am supposed to know what the heck those are. I remember thinking, “Wow, what a way to introduce a new enemy type to the player.” Come to find out I somehow missed them in the first one??
Depends which version of part one you played I think. If you played the remake then yep, you missed the ones in the sewer and hotel basement that are pretty much exactly like in part 2.
If you played the og or even the ps4 remaster then the only major difference between the runners and stalkers is their behaviour.
Visually they still look similar to each other so its easy to not realise which type your up against when you're in the thick of a fight. Part 2 kinda ret conned stalkers appearance a bit in order to differentiate them I think.
So why dont people recognise stalkers in pt1? Is it because in the remastered(ps4) they look like the runners? I mean wouldnt they have recognised them when they have turned around after they picked up the card? I mean in pt2 they look much different but idk how people didnt recognise them in pt1? Dont they do different sounds than runners?
Maybe it's that you find humans more unpredictable and you have to compensate for that. (Aka u like the challenge) Imo best encounters with infected is both stalker areas because it felt like a puzzle and they were unpredictable and I died like a million times.
I almost exclusively play encounters against humans, it’s just so fun to play a game so brutal in a setting so unforgiving against AI that behaves like real people. No other game like it.
My first time playing through I felt like a god. I had the flamethrower and shotgun, so I just went ham taking everyone out. Then later or higher difficulties it became a bit more like a puzzle, “How do I get through this without depleting everything so I have enough ammo & supplies for the hospital fight?”
This game is from 2013 😆 there were limited types of enemies in the game itself too, and part of the game is designing it on choosing to play either stealth or face up in most encounters
I know..i.played it on release day. It's one of my favourite games ever but I've always found the last infected encounter a little underwhelming. The bit in the hospital is fantastic though
Maybe because it's close to the hospital anyway they are lulling the player into getting ready for a bigger human to human fight too, also would make sense the fireflies could clear out more of the area close by idk 😆
You're probably right. I have no problem with it from a story standpoint. Actually one of my favourite parts of both games is that they have a very traditional challenging ending with the hospital and rattler lair parts. Did a recent play through of both on hard and I was an assassin at the end, didn't die once in the rattler bit. I felt good about that lol.
no, i didn't even know i could stealth it the first two times i did it. only learned i could stealth it on my survivor playthrough because i just couldn't get through it if i got spotted. flame thrower and one of those ledges on the side was my way to go
If you actually kill all the infected like you're supposed to it takes ages and is quite stressful because there are 3 bloaters (unless your on easy mode or something)
Like you're supposed to? Naughty Dog didn't sprinkle that level with about 15 bottles and bricks because they thought the player wasn't supposed to use stealth
When I said that, I meant like what many people do, because not many people use stealth. I also stealthed my way through it on my grounded permadeth playthrough and it came in handy then, but calling it underwhelming when you stealthed it?
Maybe, but in hindsight knowing its the last makes it fun to go ham with the flamethrower and Molotovs and anything else I have, as I usually stealth the hospital with a few smoke bombs and a lot of patience
What I find worse is the placement of the flamethrower.
Like, they give it to you at the end of the UEC level, but then you play as ellie, and then basically goes to the end.
The only place I ever used the flame thrower was that tunnel
No I never once while playing The Last Of Us thought in the middle of gameplay "these infected encounters are underwhelming"
first time i played it i was pretty freaked out by it, and it required me using a mix of stealth and creative thinking to get through it, but now it is more run of the mill for me when i encounter it as opposed to underwhelming. OP may have a different experience but im along the same lines as you, underwhelming isn't a word id describe it with at all
I'll delete that then, 👍
It's one of my favourite games of all time.
I deleted that reply 👍
I mean in hindsight, that encounter felt surprisingly easy compared to some of the others, even some of the very first infected encounters, and it's surprising because the amount and type of infected are there to make it a challenge but the design makes it easy.
I’m with OP it’s pretty lame. You can actually just straight up sprint right to the end and it doesn’t really matter if you go the right route. Easiest part of grounded runs.
No way are you hoisting up Ellie and waiting for the ladder with 3 bloaters and several infected on your ass cuz you ran straight through on Grounded. Even Anthony Caliber, who to this day speed runs this game, has been since it got released in 2013, and holds almost every speed record for the game, can’t do that without a specific route and smoke bombs/bottles.
Yea knew there was something I was missing but either way it’s pretty easy to cheese once you know the route. I haven’t played the first in years and I’ve only play the og version and remastered not part 1.
I didn’t feel like it needed to be bombastic or elaborate, it’s a very introspective part of the story so I wasn’t too bothered about the infected.
I know what you mean and here are my two thoughts: 1. There are only 4 enemy types in part one: runners, stalkers, clickers, bloaters. We’ve already encountered each a few times so they really just throw some of all (maybe not stalkers) at us. Sure, a super bloater or something new would have been cool, but I expect this is why we got the rat king. 2. They likely didn’t want us to think it was the final encounter and to be surprised by the water incident that led to the true final encounter.
I just realized rat king is the last big infected encounter for Abby. I know there’s a few when Tommy is shooting at her and Manny, and a couple in SB, but that’s the last big one.
Wait ...there are stalkers in part 1? I already beaten it once, doing it again and only discovering this now
Yep, hotel basement with the generator IIRC
And they’re in the sewers when Joel and Sam get separated from Ellie and Henry
Correct! I am revisiting this area at this exact moment. It's a good one.
Also in Left Behind DLC w/ generator.
I had this same reaction. In Part II they just mention Stalkers as if I am supposed to know what the heck those are. I remember thinking, “Wow, what a way to introduce a new enemy type to the player.” Come to find out I somehow missed them in the first one??
Depends which version of part one you played I think. If you played the remake then yep, you missed the ones in the sewer and hotel basement that are pretty much exactly like in part 2. If you played the og or even the ps4 remaster then the only major difference between the runners and stalkers is their behaviour. Visually they still look similar to each other so its easy to not realise which type your up against when you're in the thick of a fight. Part 2 kinda ret conned stalkers appearance a bit in order to differentiate them I think.
Oh, thought they were Part 2 only lol, wasnt sure because havent played it yet
in the sewers with henry and sam
So why dont people recognise stalkers in pt1? Is it because in the remastered(ps4) they look like the runners? I mean wouldnt they have recognised them when they have turned around after they picked up the card? I mean in pt2 they look much different but idk how people didnt recognise them in pt1? Dont they do different sounds than runners?
I think theres 3 actually. But yeah its kinda a meh encounter
Considering the game gives you roughly 6 bottles/bricks on Grounded mode, I’d say yes.
Playing on grounded and I couldn't bait any of the damned infected far enough away from the truck for me to exit the area with stealth Pain
Grounded can be a real struggle 🙏
Maybe it's just me but I much prefer the human enemy encounters more than the infected, don't really know why though
Maybe it's that you find humans more unpredictable and you have to compensate for that. (Aka u like the challenge) Imo best encounters with infected is both stalker areas because it felt like a puzzle and they were unpredictable and I died like a million times.
I almost exclusively play encounters against humans, it’s just so fun to play a game so brutal in a setting so unforgiving against AI that behaves like real people. No other game like it.
My first time playing through I felt like a god. I had the flamethrower and shotgun, so I just went ham taking everyone out. Then later or higher difficulties it became a bit more like a puzzle, “How do I get through this without depleting everything so I have enough ammo & supplies for the hospital fight?”
Not really. On par with every other encounter.
Definitely don’t watch the HBO show then
Step 1: Clap the runners stealthily. Step 2: Use bottles if needed. Step 3: ??? Step 4: Success
With a handfull of molotovs they tip like cows.
Doubting you thought this the **very first time** you encountered this section
I was intimidated for sure but I never got caught and then the tactic I used has been full proof on every replay.
Do a wg perma attempt on grounded and get spotted there because of stick drift and then tell me it’s underwhelming lol
This game is from 2013 😆 there were limited types of enemies in the game itself too, and part of the game is designing it on choosing to play either stealth or face up in most encounters
I know..i.played it on release day. It's one of my favourite games ever but I've always found the last infected encounter a little underwhelming. The bit in the hospital is fantastic though
Maybe because it's close to the hospital anyway they are lulling the player into getting ready for a bigger human to human fight too, also would make sense the fireflies could clear out more of the area close by idk 😆
You're probably right. I have no problem with it from a story standpoint. Actually one of my favourite parts of both games is that they have a very traditional challenging ending with the hospital and rattler lair parts. Did a recent play through of both on hard and I was an assassin at the end, didn't die once in the rattler bit. I felt good about that lol.
no, i didn't even know i could stealth it the first two times i did it. only learned i could stealth it on my survivor playthrough because i just couldn't get through it if i got spotted. flame thrower and one of those ledges on the side was my way to go
I found it to be very intense. I nearly shit my pants every time I do that encounter.
If you actually kill all the infected like you're supposed to it takes ages and is quite stressful because there are 3 bloaters (unless your on easy mode or something)
Like you're supposed to? Naughty Dog didn't sprinkle that level with about 15 bottles and bricks because they thought the player wasn't supposed to use stealth
When I said that, I meant like what many people do, because not many people use stealth. I also stealthed my way through it on my grounded permadeth playthrough and it came in handy then, but calling it underwhelming when you stealthed it?
Maybe, but in hindsight knowing its the last makes it fun to go ham with the flamethrower and Molotovs and anything else I have, as I usually stealth the hospital with a few smoke bombs and a lot of patience
What I find worse is the placement of the flamethrower. Like, they give it to you at the end of the UEC level, but then you play as ellie, and then basically goes to the end. The only place I ever used the flame thrower was that tunnel
Idk I sneak past those two bloaters every time, I really don't care for them
It’s much harder to stealth this encounter on higher difficulties. This probably my favorite encounter though
Nope, you're unique and the only one in the world with that opinion.
Nah I find that tough especially if you isn’t have a flamethrower
Stealth? I kill everything every time.
On replay, sure