The Last of Us Part 1is a survival horror much like any other – the player will fight their way through zombies and humans in an effort to conquer the game’s challenges by collecting resources and upgrading their equipment. WhereThe Last of Us Part 1differs, however, is in its approach to the conventional zombie narrative; instead of a manmade virus wreaking havoc, the Cordyceps Brain Infection is of the natural world.
Related:The Last of Us Part 1: All Optional Conversations - Pittsburg
As nature reclaims the manmade world, humans are back on the food chain, and Joel and Ellie must fight for survival against the various types of infected that roam the lush and vibrant wastes. This guide will teach players how todeal with Stalkers, one of the less common kinds of infected that players can come across inThe Last of Us Part 1.
How To Deal With Stalkers In Combat And Stealth
As aforementioned, Stalkers are one of the rarest types of infected that players can find inThe Last of Us,only showing up in two encountersin the entire game –the Pittsburgh hotel basementand the sewers. They provide an entirely different combat experience to any other enemy in the game, as they routinely attempt to avoid direct combat, insteadpreferring to hide behind cover, waiting to ambush the player.
When approaching a Stalker encounter,listen out for their tell-tale screamsthat will warn players of their presence. During these battles, players will have tocheck all their corners, keeping an eye out for the creatures as they peep around cover to get eyes on Joel.
As Stalkers will constantly hide behind cover and move if they are in the player’s line of sight,it’s impossible to get the jump on them. As such, stealth is impossible against Stalkers, as they arerarely picked up on Listen Modeand will almost always see the player coming. The key to mastering these encounters is tocheck Joel’s surroundings constantly.
Like Runners, once they are in melee distance, they will spring from their hiding place and attempt to grapple the player. Skilled gamers will be ready for their attacks, and will be able to land adecisive headshot with the 9mm pistol. Failing that, the only way to properly counter Stalkers is to be prepared withThe Last of Us' Shotgun, Revolver, or melee weapons in hand to quickly dispatch the ambushing infected.
As withThe Last of Us’ weaker infected, usingthe powerful Hunting Rifle isn’t recommendedwith its slow reload speed and limited ammo capacity, as this weapon is better suited towards tougher enemies or human encounters. With Stalkers especially, they will always be present aroundClickers or Bloaters, so it’s better to deal with these instant-killing creatures with high powered weaponry as soon as possible to even out the playing field.
The Last of Us Part 1is currently available for PS5, and is in development for PC.
