Surviving The Last Of Us

Surviving The Last Of Us

Audrey Dwyer, Staff Writer

Everyone has heard of the new show The Last of Us…but is this type of apocalypse possible?

The short answer is yes. 

Cordyceps (the sentient fungus in the hit show) are real and are actively infecting things around the world – like bullet ants. 

The fungus enters the ant’s body through ingestion, then spreads throughout the body. The fungus targets the nervous system and the brain, killing the ant and taking over the body to use it as a “host” to grow new mushrooms. 

Now, what does this have to do with humans getting infected?

These ants are integral to plants vital to many cultures around the world. A huge example is cocoa seeds, which make chocolate circulated worldwide. The cordyceps make it through food inspection under regulation, making them a huge risk to human health.

“But Cordyceps haven’t adapted to live in our bodies,” you’re probably saying. In truth, due to the earth’s temperature drastically increasing every day, and the fungus is slowly starting to adapt to warmer weather.

In The Last Of Us, the first people to be infected usually lived or went to the city daily. Anyone who ate popular products would be infected.

In the beginning of the outbreak, the key to survival is to find a group. Grouping up with anyone you can trust: family, friends, or strangers, can be one of your greatest advantages. 

During the beginning of the outbreak, you will have it pretty easy as the only infected stage for the time being are what we call runners. Runners are pretty okay when they are alone but if they’re in groups you have to run. 

Some weapons you want are shotgun, pistol/revolver, rifle, and a ton of Molotov’s. Melee weapons and bombs are equally important. Learning to craft basic items is crucial to your survival. As Year 1 of the apocalypse comes to a close, a new type of infected will appear: Stalkers and Clickers. 

This is where your shotgun and Molotov’s come in handy. Clickers have lost all sight and sense of self. They use echolocation to see you and get around. They are fast and you can’t melee attack them. 

Stalkers are agile and behave like an animal. They still have some sight left and have better hearing than runners. They are stage 2 infected. They are very dangerous in groups and alert stronger enemies if you get near them. 

So, stock up on ammo because this last stage is very difficult. The Bloater is the last infected stage in the first game and the first season of The Last Of Us they are strong and powerful and take around 5 shotgun shots + Molotov’s to kill.

That’s basically the basics of surviving The Last Of Us…good luck!