The Last of Us Part 1: Beginner's Guide & Best Tips

This Game Will Break You (In a Good Way)

Look, I'm not gonna lie to you. I've been playing games since I was six years old, stacking arcade tokens and cursing at Contra. And The Last of Us Part 1 made me rage-quit harder than any boss in Dark Souls. Not because it's "unfair" in that cheap way some games are. No, it's because this game doesn't care that you're the protagonist. You're not a god. You're a middle-aged smuggler with a bum knee and a kid who talks too much.

The first time I played, I walked into a room full of Runners thinking I was Joel "The Undertaker" Miller. I had six bullets, a plank with a scissors taped to it, and about twelve seconds of confidence. I died in under a minute. The second time? I tried to "stealth" my way through, clicked a bottle against a wall, and accidentally alerted every infected in Pittsburgh. My buddy watched me fail for an hour before he texted me: "Bro, you're fighting this like it's Call of Duty. Stop." He was right. This game punishes the run-and-gun approach harder than your first credit card bill.

So here's the deal. I've put about 400 hours into this game across three playthroughs on Grounded and Permadeath. I've died to a single Clicker who heard me sneeze irl. I've lost entire save files because I forgot a brick exists. This guide is the stuff I wish someone had told me before I wasted my first week getting my throat ripped out by fungus zombies. I'm writing this like we're sitting on a couch, sharing a bag of chips, and I'm yelling at your TV. Because that's how I learned.

Why You're Probably Getting Destroyed

Let's talk about the real pain points. The stuff that makes normal people uninstall and go play something "fun" like Elden Ring. Because I've been there.

1. Ammo starvation is real, and it's not a bug.
The game gives you just enough bullets to make you feel confident, then pulls the rug. You find a revolver with six rounds and think "phew, I'm set." Then you hit a room with four Bloaters and realize you're holding a club made of memories. The game is designed to keep you on the edge of scarcity. If you're shooting your way through every encounter, you're playing wrong. I spent my first three runs trying to "stockpile" ammo for the "right moment," and the right moment never came. You just die with a full backpack of bullets. Stop hoarding. Use them.

2. The Listen Mode crutch.
I know, I know. The game gives you "Listen Mode" where you can see enemy outlines through walls. It feels like a superpower. But here's the thing no one tells you: on higher difficulties, this mode is less reliable, and on Grounded, it doesn't exist at all. If you rely on it, you'll panic the second it's gone. I had a friend who played the entire game on Moderate using Listen Mode as a crutch, then switched to Hard and couldn't finish the first level. Train yourself to look for visual cues—dust patterns, shadows, the way a door slightly creaks. That's real survival. The glowing outline is training wheels.

3. Clickers aren't that scary if you understand their AI.
Everybody's first Clicker encounter is a trauma. You hide in a corner, hyperventilating, and then it walks past and you're like "okay that's fine." But then you sneeze—or Joel sighs too loud—and it goes full Alien on you. Here's the cheat code: Clickers are blind, but they hear everything. If you walk (not run, walk) at a certain pace, they don't react. But the second you touch a broken bottle or step on glass? You're done. Spend ten minutes in the first Clicker room just learning their patrol pattern. Walk in a straight line behind them. Do not sprint. Do not craft near them. Just walk. It's almost boring how easy they become.

4. The shiv door panic.
You know those locked doors with the white handprint on them? The ones that promise a safe full of loot? You'll find them early, and you'll feel this compulsion to break them open with a shiv. Don't. Not every door is worth it. I wasted three shivs on doors that gave me a single bandage and some rags. Save shivs for Clickers you can't avoid. The real treasure is in the rooms you can break with a brick or a pipe. Prioritize those.

First Steps: Stuff the Game Doesn't Tell You

Okay, so you've loaded the game, watched the gut-wrenching intro, and now you're in Boston. You have Joel, a flashlight, and a desperate need to not get killed. Here's what you actually need to know.

1. Upgrade your backpack first. No, really. First.
The workbench in Bill's Town? Use your first supplement pills on Health (two upgrades minimum) and your first parts on Backpack Capacity. I know, the weapon upgrades look tempting. But the game throws so much loot at you that you'll constantly be leaving stuff behind. I missed a flamethrower upgrade once because I had a full backpack of rags. Never again. More inventory = more options. You can carry three medkits instead of two. That's a life-changer.

2. Learn the pacing: explore, then push.
Every area in The Last of Us has a rhythm: a safe zone (exploration, looting, crafting), a threshold (a door, a ladder, a dark hallway), and then a combat arena. The game will give you visual cues—a sudden open space, a pile of bodies, a note about "something wrong here." That's your warning. Stop, do a quick inventory check, craft some shivs or smoke bombs, and then push. If you rush through these transitions, you'll walk into a room with no ammo and three Bloaters. I know because I did it. I had to restart the university chapter three times.

3. Crafting isn't optional—it's your main weapon.
I've seen so many new players ignore the crafting menu. They think "I'll save these parts for a scope." Don't. Molotovs and Smoke Bombs are your bread and butter. A Molotov does 135 damage to a Bloaters? No, it does about 40% of their health if you land it. But it also sets them on fire, stunning them for 4 seconds. That's enough time to get behind them and land a full shotgun blast. Smoke Bombs are even better for stopping runners—they stagger everything in a 15-foot radius, including Clickers. Always carry at least one of each. If you see alcohol and rags, pick it up. Every single time.

4. Upgrade the hunting pistol early.
The 9mm pistol is okay, but the Hunting Pistol (the revolver you find in the hotel basement) is your best friend. It fires slower than the 9mm but hits like a truck—110 base damage per shot compared to the 9mm's 45. With a scope upgrade (which you can get in the sewers near the end of the Pittsburgh section), it becomes a one-shot kill on most human enemies if you hit the head. I call it the "problem solver." Upgrade it to clip size and damage first. Save the fire rate for later.

5. Stealth is your default, not your exception.
The game gives you a dedicated crouch button for a reason. You should be crouched literally 80% of the time you're moving through a hostile area. I walk around Joel like a paranoid grandpa with a spine condition. It's slower, but it saves resources. Every enemy you kill in stealth is an enemy that didn't waste a bullet or a shiv. Clickers can't hear you if you're walking at slow speed—tested this myself in the hotel basement. Easy EXP.

Expert Stuff: How I Stopped Dying and Started Surviving

Alright, you've got the basics. Now let's get into the advanced stuff. The kind of thing that separates a "survivor" from a "guy who dies in the subway."

• The bottle vs. brick debate: Both can distract. But here's the difference—bricks can be thrown to cause a brief stun on any enemy (even Bloaters), while bottles only distract. If you have to choose, take a brick. It's a one-hit kill on a Runner if you throw it in their face and then melee them. I've cleared entire rooms with just bricks. Bricks are the unsung heroes of the apocalypse.
• Bottle + shotgun = free kill on Bloaters: Bloaters are the big armored guys. They take damage from bullets, but only about 10% of it. A shotgun blast to the face with the shorty does about 35 damage. But if you throw a bottle at the Bloater's feet, it stumbles for a second. That's your window. Pop two shotgun shells into its head, and it's down. Learned this from a random Reddit comment. Changed my life.
• Use the environment: cars explode, gas tanks pop. The game doesn't tutorialize environmental hazards well. But police cars (about 1 in 3) have gas tanks that explode if you shoot them. You'll find them in the city sections. If you see a crowd of infected near a cop car, don't fight them. Shoot the car. One shot, chain explosion, four or five dead. Add in a well-placed Molotov and you've cleared a room for the cost of one bullet.
• The "Clicker sprint tech": If a Clicker is charging at you and you have no weapon, you can actually dodge it. Sprint diagonally toward them, then at the last second change direction. The game's hitbox is forgiving enough that you'll slide past them. I use this to bait them into running into walls, then shiv them from behind. Works 80% of the time. The other 20%? Well, that's why I have a backup save.
• Human enemies are easier to "Herb" (cheese with stealth): Unlike infected, human enemies have a patrol pattern you can predict. They'll stop at certain points, look around, then move. Use "Listen Mode" (if available) to memorize their paths. Then you can kill one, drag the body to a hiding spot, and reset. Rinse and repeat. But be careful—if you kill too many too fast, they get nervous and start calling out. That means reinforcements. Play it slow. One kill every 60 seconds. It's boring, but it works.
• Don't sleep on the "Bow" in the winter section: Ellie's section is often hated, but the bow is one of the best weapons in the game. It's silent, retrievable (if you miss, you can pick the arrow up), and does massive headshot damage. The trick is to kill from high ground—the restaurant rooftop in winter gives you perfect angles. I got through that entire section without alerting anyone. You can too if you practice.

Dumb Things I Did So You Don't Have To

I've made every mistake a player can make in this game. Let me save you the pain.

1. Thinking you can "save" ammo for later.
I already mentioned this, but it bears repeating. I did a whole playthrough on Hard where I refused to use my revolver ammo "just in case." By the time I got to the final boss (if you can call it that), I had 89 rounds of revolver ammo. And I didn't need them. Use your shit, people. A dead enemy is a safe you don't have to open later.

2. Wasting shivs on unlocked doors.
I mentioned this, but here's the specific rule: only shiv doors that are in safe rooms (where you find a workbench and a note). Those almost always have training manuals or upgrade parts. The random doors in combat areas? Usually just a few bandages. Not worth the craft. I once opened a door that gave me a single rag. I still have PTSD from that.

3. Ignoring the gas mask in the hotel basement.
This is the single most rage-inducing section in the game for new players. The hotel basement with the generator. You need to power the generator, then run to a door that needs electricity. But the generator is loud, and it summons a Runner horde and a Bloater. Most people die here multiple times. The trick? Don't turn the generator on until you've cleared the area. Go upstairs, kill the Clickers first, set up bombs or tripwires near the exits. Then turn the generator on and immediately run for the door. People save the noose trick for later, but honestly? Just sprint. Don't fight the Bloater. You can't win that fight without wasting all your ammo.

4. Not using "Quick Craft" during combat.
The game lets you craft on the fly with the D-pad and crafting menu. But most players, in a panic, just try to shoot everything. If you're out of shivs and a Clicker grabs you, you can mash the triangle button (on PlayStation) to craft a shiv in the grab animation. I've saved myself at least 15 times this way. But you need to have the parts. Always keep two rags and one blade in your inventory, even if you have to ignore other loot.

5. Not using the "Speedrun" technique for the school.
There's a section in the high school where you have to get through a gym full of infected. You can fight, but it's a waste. Instead, if you rush to the left side of the gym, you can climb out a window and bypass 90% of the enemies. I figured this out on my third playthrough. It's almost like the game expects you to run, not fight. Stairs are your friends.

Quick Answers to Stuff You're Googling at 2 AM

Q: Is there permadeath in this game? Should I use it?
Yes, there's a Permadeath mode (per-chapter or per-playthrough). I do NOT recommend it for first-timers. The game's checkpoint system is generous but not forgiving. If you die in the hotel basement on Permadeath, you lose everything. Start with Moderate or Hard first.

Q: How do I get the flamethrower?
You find it in the hotel basement, after the generator section. It's in a locked room to the right of the main exit. Use a shiv to open it. It's not super powerful (45 base DPS) but it has a satisfying burn effect.

Q: Is the "Infinite Shiv" trick real?
No. There's no infinite shiv. Stop searching. But you can get a shiv master manual later in the game that makes shivs last for two kills. That's the closest you'll get.

Q: The giraffe scene. How do I not cry?
You don't. Accept it. It's part of the experience. I've played through three times and I ugly cry every single time. There's no shame.

Q: Why does the game force me to play as Ellie in winter? I hate it.
A lot of people feel this way. But if you treat her section like its own game (a stealth game with fewer tools), it's actually easier. She has a bow, a pistol, and access to the same crafting. Focus on using the environment—the church roof is your best friend. It gets easier after the first hour. Also, her melee is weak, so don't try to fistfight infected. That's a death sentence.

Q: Can I play this without killing everyone? A pacifist run?
Technically no. The game forces combat in several sections (the final hospital run, for example). But you can minimize kills significantly. I did a "ghost" run where I only killed about 12 mandatory enemies. It's possible, but you'll need to be extremely patient and use distractions constantly. Check out speedrun guides for routing tips—similar to how we approach Portal 2 glitchless runs, but for stealth.