Considering The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2 take place 20 and 24 years after the game's apocalyptic events respectively, it's a wonder the world's inhabitants still have working firearms. Almost every protagonist, antagonist, and side character has at least one gun on their person with ammunition that fits the weapon. Taking into account the amount of fighting everyone does against Infected and rival humans on a daily basis, the characters Joel, Ellie, and Abby come across must either be really lucky when it comes to scavenging or know a gunsmith who is capable of producing ammunition and gun parts.
Gameplay-wise, however, The Last of Us is a franchise that encourages innovation over brute force. The game's higher difficulties don't give a lot of ammo so it falls to the players to make do with whatever is available. This could be a rag, some alcohol, or even an old pack of sugar. Most of the games' scavengeable items can be cobbled together to make useful gear, but some can be used on their own and serve as powerful weapons in their own right.
It's All About The Bricks and Bottles
While exploring The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2's many levels, players will come across lots of bricks and bottles. Unlike a bottle of alcohol or a rag that immediately become crafting materials as they are picked up, bricks and empty bottles take up a weapon slot in Joel, Ellie, and Abby's inventories. This allows players to use the versatile items in the game world. Both bricks and bottles can be thrown to distract enemies, trigger traps, and even momentarily stun foes when thrown directly at them, allowing for a quick follow-up attack.
The main difference between a brick and a bottle is in their usefulness as melee weapons. Bricks can be used to hit enemies 3 times before they break, making them ideal against stronger enemies like Stalkers and Clickers provided players stun them first. Bottles, on the other hand, can only be used to smash an enemy's face once before they shatter from the impact. Considering that bottles can only output about a third of the damage and stun that bricks do, players should prioritize scrounging for bricks over bottles when they can.
The abundance and versatility of bricks and bottles in the game world are what make them so useful. Unlike The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2's other weapons, bricks and bottles don't require any upgrades or ammunition to unleash their full potential. Players simply throw or use them as a melee weapon, and they will always fulfill their intended functions. If a brick or bottle breaks, players can easily find more just by looking around.
Shiv It To Them
Shivs have a bit more nuance to them. Not only do they need to be crafted using binding and a blade, but the item itself doesn't work as a direct melee weapon like The Last of Us or The Last of Us Part 2's other craftable bladed armaments like Pipes and Bats. Its main purpose in combat is to silently kill enemies and quickly escape from their clutches. Provided players can sneak up on an enemy, they can use a Shiv to quickly kill them without triggering an alert. This is very useful when trying to remain in stealth and for taking down stronger enemies like Clickers.
Speaking of Clickers, Joel can upgrade his Shivs to that he can use them more than once as well as to escape otherwise fatal Clicker grab attacks. Using a Shiv to fight off a Clicker grab uses up the item's durability which prevents it from being used to open a Shiv door. Shiv doors are exclusive to The Last of Us and allow Joel to use up a full Shiv to access areas that are filled with useful supplies. Shivs work similarly in The Last of Us Part 2, with the exceptions being that their durability cannot be upgraded and there are no Shiv doors in the sequel. On the plus side, Abby can acquire skills that allow her to create more Shivs for the same amount of resources.
While the strengths of bricks and bottles lie in their versatility and abundance, players shouldn't discard Shivs either. A Shiv's usefulness when it comes to stealth and combat can only be matched by its unique ability to be traded for more resources behind Shiv doors. When the going gets tough in The Last of Us, players should be mindful of the powerful tools dotted around the world just as much as the ones they have on their person.
The Last of Us Part 1 is currently available for PS5, and is in development for PC.
