The Last of Us is the story about Joel and Ellie’s journey in the middle of a post-apocalypse. Although the infection cordyceps It only serves to set the stage for the game and series, his infected are the stars. Unlike ordinary zombies, in those infected with The Last of Us we find stages that vary according to their exposure time to fungi. This has been partly what has made the Naughty Dog property so popular.
Types of infected in The Last of Us
Taking advantage of the HBO series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, we will remember the six types of infected seen in the two main games. The mutation of cordyceps that affects humans, in the game originated from crops in South America. In the series, it is Jakarta, Indonesia, where the first outbreak occurred. The fungus first infects the human brain, where it grows a mycelium that kills the cells and all memory of the host.
Once at the mercy of the fungus, those infected become aggressive and violent beings, whose sole function is to spread the mutation. This will be until the moment of its death, while the fungus continues to grow in the form of a stump rooted to a surface, releasing spores (game) or by means of tendrils (series). Dark and humid environments are more favorable, while sunlight is weak.
Hall
It is the most basic stage of infected. Most humans, just a couple of days after their infection, register runner activity (already fully controlled by the fungus). As their name suggests, they are fast and tend to attack in hordes. However, his attacks are slow and not as deadly as the later infected.
They retain their vision in a decadent way but are irritable and hostile. It is believed that the runners still retain some humanity due to their moans, as if they were experiencing intense pain. However, this would only be a reflection, since the mycelium in the brain tissue would have taken care of “wiping out” the host’s mind.
They can remain in a static and silent position until they are attacked, see or hear prey. His erratic body language would demonstrate the fight between humanity and infection.
stalker
This second phase of infected has gone from two weeks to a year with the cordyceps. Interestingly they are the least common to find. They wait hidden in the dark for their victims and ambush them at the right moment. Some take on characteristics of dead Infected, by remaining lightly rooted to a surface such as a stump. Also waiting for its prey to pass to detach and attack.
Stalkers have the vision and speed of runners, with the aggressiveness of clickers. However, his strength is compared to that of a human – greater than that of the runners. They hardly develop fungus on their heads without it taking out both of their eyes, usually just one. In turn, they have pseudoecholocation, so they are only a transition stage towards clickers.
Their stealthy nature makes them difficult to hear in-game, but they can be countered more easily than their evolved forms.
clicker
The third phase of infected by cordyceps It requires a minimum of one year to mature, being the most popular to find. The brain fungus that barely loomed as a stalker, completely takes over the head of its host and lightly covers other parts of the body. This also renders them totally blind and forces them to improve their echolocation ability to capture prey. Using the recognized clicks that give it its name.
The advantage of the clickers lies in the superior strength that the infection gives them. cordyceps. A defense mechanism with millions of years in evolution to survive. Melee combat with clickers is not recommended, so it is necessary to attack them directly to the head with weapons –several times– or from a distance with fire. The fungus plates on its head act as protective shields for the brain, which is why a single shot is not enough.
They are much more dangerous and aggressive than runners and stalkers, the human host being incapable of fighting the infection. Highly susceptible to noise, stealth is the only effective maneuver against clickers.
Fatty
An infected of several years results in one of the strongest, most resistant and deadly forms of the cordyceps in humans. The bloated or chubby becomes much slower and blinder, in exchange for massive strength and hard-to-break mushroom armor. Fatties can detach and hurl toxic spore bombs at their victims. All this strength that makes him a tank cordyceps
They are extremely aggressive but predictable. Its echolocation is less refined than that of clickers due to the deformation in its head. In case of charging and grabbing a prey, it proceeds to violently detach its jaw, crush its head, smash it against the ground with brute force or break its neck and spine. Whatever the case, no one survives a close encounter with an infected fatty. Attacking them from a distance is the only option, avoiding the spores.
However, they are not entirely immune to melee weapons. In TLoU Part IIJoel proves to be one of the few capable of taking down a fatty with a machete and amputating a limb in the process.
Shaky
Fourth alternate form born by specific conditions in the environment. In areas with nearby water sources, one infected over long years is likely to grow up to be a wobbly, rather than pudgy. They are not physically as strong as the latter or a clicker, but they can take their victims, expel large amounts of toxic spores, and burn them with gaseous acid. Staggerers also explode with increased range when killed. They have fewer fungal coverings on their bodies.
One possible theory suggests that this type of infected was in the process of mutating into a fatty, but heavy exposure to standing water and Seattle rain altered its development. However, there are wobbly ones that can cover even hot areas like Santa Barbara, perhaps because they are coastal regions with the sea in their favor. If the environment affects the mutation, it means that we can ignore various types of infected in The Last of Us.
This stage debuted in the second game of The Last of Us, so they may not appear in the series until the second season. If it is that it covers the same events of TLoU Part II.
rat king
It is a unique stage of infected and the maximum known so far. His training took place in the basement of the Seattle hospital during 20 years of infection cordyceps in patient zero. Different types of infected are stuck by the fungus, only one known colloquially as the Rat King. Thus forming a colossal monstrosity of high strength and resistance. This one can take a massive amount of damage from fire, bombs, and weapons. When suffering considerable attacks, they begin to detach their infected parts to attack en masse.
This anomaly cordyceps It is made up – among several – of a stalker and a fatty. These separate entities are part of the difficulty in their confrontation. The Rat King has enough strength to destroy walls and an ambulance in the Seattle hospital. He is the most powerful infected, first known in TLoU Part II. The years it took for the mutation suggests that others like it could exist around the world. More than a single entity, it is understood as several in one.
His name is based on the rat king royal concept, where various rodents appear entangled by their long tails and, unable to move and eat, die. The rest must carry the corpses until none is left alive. Sightings are few over hundreds of years and while some believe it is a myth, others think it is a hoax. Since there is no explanation as to how up to 10 rats can entangle their tails with each other.
Although the series about the infected The Last of Us of HBO has shown us maximum the Porcupine force, the wobbly and the Rat King would not be ruled out for future plans. But we will only know that until the second season confirms the appearance of its other important leading character.
contents of The Last of Us
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