The Last of Us Part 2 is finally here and it’s asking players to dive back into its harrowing, unforgiving world. Taking place several years after the original, you assume the role of Ellie this time who travels to Seattle after suffering a personal tragedy. This moment kicks off a lengthy adventure that will have you dealing with various factions and terrifying infected humans who want nothing more than to rip you asunder. Thankfully, you will pick up a multitude of weapons, abilities, and throwables that can easily turn the tide of battle.
Unfortunately, some of these items won’t appear until the end of the game, meaning you won’t have a lot of time to improve them. It’s also nearly impossible to level up your character entirely before the game is over. Because of this, you will want to hop into New Game Plus.
Is There New Game Plus?
Yes! The Last of Us Part 2 features a New Game Plus mode where you will get to carry all your upgrades and unlocks over to the next game. This mode is only available once you complete the main game at least once on any difficulty. After you finish The Last of Us Part 2, you will see the New Game + icon on the main menu. You can select this to start a new journey but with your collected gear. Additionally, New Game + features harder difficulties that are designed specifically for this mode. While the changes are drastic, I did notice a difference between the damage I was taking on Moderate and Moderate+.
Keep in mind, you will still need to complete the opening portion in Jackson to obtain Ellie’s gear. All of these items will be available once you’re actually on the road to Seattle. There are no additional chapters or sections in this mode, so only play through New Game Plus if you are collectible or Trophy hunting. Don’t expect to find a ton of ammo for the newer weapons, they appear to be much scarcer. However, this can be adjusted in the difficulty menu if you’re struggling to find supplies.
For those who want to revisit a chapter, but started New Game Plus you haven’t lost your progress! Go to Load Game from the Main Menu and select the save file showing your completed game. Doing so will load up that save, allowing you to access all of the game’s chapters and encounters if you just want to replay those. Then you can load up your New Game Plus file and resume playing through the campaign with all your gear.
Personally, I do recommend experiencing the game a second time with all your tools. Given how fluid combat can be, having more options for how you approach encounters can completely shift the major fights. This is especially true in Ellie’s case, who typically gets some of her most intriguing pieces of gear much later on in her story. Regardless of why you are replaying it, New Game+ is available to all players at launch so get out there and start killing some infected!
