I recently had the chance to talk about everything new coming to Apex Legends with creative director Chad Grenier in light of EA Play 2020. Many huge announcements like a Switch version, cross-platform play, and the upcoming in-game event came out of the event, and we discussed them in further detail in the interview below. But I also asked about developer Respawn Entertainment’s views on the state of skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) in the game.
To sum things up, Grenier and the team feel great about where the game’s at, including its implementation of SBMM. He acknowledged that it’s a hot topic for fans and within Respawn, and mentioned that they’re aware of the feedback. He added, “There are multiple sides to the story. We’re trying to evaluate all of the data and trying to do what’s best for the game as a whole. It’s really tough because you’ve got some beginner players or mediocre players, middle of the road, and you want them to have a good experience.”
Grenier continued, “You want them to get into the game, get engaged, get some kills, get some wins occasionally because if someone comes in and they try out Apex and they get stumped, they’re not going to keep playing the game.” He does recognize what higher-tier players are saying, but concluded, “We say, okay, well these highly skilled players, they should play against other highly skilled players and be competitive. We don’t want them just stomping all these beginners and then they have a bad experience, right? We’re always trying to find that balance.”
Based on data, Grenier stated that Apex Legends is experiencing the highest player count, player retention, and hours played per week ever since launch, and also said that Season 5: Fortune’s Favor has been the most successful season thus far. He said, “That tells me that we have a healthy game. I understand there are still going to be some players who disagree about certain aspects of skill-based matchmaking. But if we just look at it holistically, everything is trending really well to a healthy Apex game that gets many years of support.”
However, Grenier reiterated that Respawn is always paying attention to player feedback, saying, “How do we maintain that while still making all those competitive players happy, right? That’s the discussion we have at Respawn because we want to make sure that those new players and the players who struggle to get wins are still having a good experience as well. That’s why it’s so tricky.” He concluded, “We’ll continue to tweak, iterate, listen. We’re always tweaking things in the back in the matchmaking system. If people notice things are getting worse or better, speak up, because we’re listening and we’d love to make it right for everybody if that’s even possible.”
Plenty of news came out of EA Play 2020 and the several events we’ve been covering in lieu of E3, so be sure to check out all the stories from the events below.
GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.
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The release of Jurassic Park in June 1993 was a watershed moment for the development of visual effects and the start of one of the most successful film franchises of all time. Steven Spielberg’s epic dinosaur thriller was based on the hit novel by Michael Crichton, and showcased revolutionary computer-generated visual effects, as well as lifelike animatronic robots, that allowed terrifying dinosaurs to rampage across the screen in a way that had never been possible before. It was also a huge box office success. It overtook Spielberg’s own classic ET: The Extra-Terrestrial to become the highest-grossing movie of all time, a record it held until Titanic was released four years later.
Two successful sequels followed–1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III in 2001. But despite attempts in the mid-2000s to make a fourth movie, it took more than a decade for the next film to arrive–2015’s Jurassic World. The movie was essentially a larger scale remake of the first entry, with escaped dinosaurs once more causing mayhem in a theme park. But the lengthy wait and the massive advances in VFX meant that audiences were eager for a new Jurassic film, and it went on to gross a massive $1.670 billion at the worldwide box office. The franchise was well and truly back.
The next release was 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which was another huge hit. The third Jurassic World was announced before Fallen Kingdom was even released, and in March this year, the title was confirmed to be Jurassic World: Dominion. Production on the film was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is set to resume soon ahead of its 2021 release. So here’s everything we know so far about Jurassic World: Dominion.
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When will it be released?
Jurassic World: Dominion is currently scheduled to hit theaters on June 11, 2021.
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Who’s coming back?
There will be a number of familiar faces returning. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard will reprise their lead roles as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, alongsideDaniella Pineda (as Zia Rodriguez), Justice Smith (as Franklin Webb), and BD Wong (as Dr Henry Wu) from Fallen Kingdom. The movie will also feature two actors who were last seen in the first Jurassic World–Jake Johnson as Lowery Cruthers and Omar Sy as Barry Sembène.
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Who’s new?
Several new additions to the Jurassic World series have been announced. The new cast will include Mamoudou Athie (The Get Down), DeWanda Wise (She’s Gotta Have It), Dichen Lachman (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Altered Carbon), and Scott Haze (Venom). We don’t know much about their characters yet, although Deadline did report that Wise has a “leading role.”
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Are there any original cast members?
Most excitingly for long-time fans of the franchise, Jurassic World: Dominion will see the return of the three original stars. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum all appeared in Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and will be back for the new movie as Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, and Dr. Ian Malcolm respectively. Goldblum also starred in the 1997 sequel The Lost World and appeared very briefly in Fallen Kingdom, while Neill and Dern both returned for 2001’s Jurassic Park III. However, this will be the first time all three stars have appeared together since that very first movie.
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Who’s the director?
Dominion will be directed by Colin Trevorrow. Trevorrow helmed the first Jurassic World, and while the directorial reins were handed to Spanish filmmaker JA Bayona for Fallen Kingdom, Trevorrow remained heavily involved by producing and co-writing it.
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What will the movie be about?
Although very few specific details have been revealed about Jurassic World: Dominion’s story, we do know a few things. Trevorrow has stated that the film will focus on dinosaurs being sold and spread throughout the world, rather than kept in an enclosed area like all the previous films. Some scenes were in fact considered for Fallen Kingdom, but it was decided to keep them for the third movie. “There were moments that we thought, this is more like a Jurassic [World] 3 scene so we took them out from the script,” Fallen Kingdom director J.A. Bayona said. “Some of those scenes we thought were better seen in a world where dinosaurs had spread all over the world.”
However, fans hoping to see dinosaurs rampaging through cities might be disappointed. Trevorrow says the setting of Dominion will be a world where “a dinosaur might run out in front of your car on a foggy backroad, or invade your campground looking for food. A world where dinosaur interaction is unlikely but possible–the same way we watch out for bears or sharks.”
In terms of the characters, Trevorrow has also stated the next movie will focus on Owen and Claire taking care of Maisie, the granddaughter of Jurassic Park creator John Hammond. At the end of Fallen Kingdom, Maisie was revealed to be a clone, so at least we know Dominion is unlikely the beat that twist for sheer ridiculousness.
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COVID delays?
Like all movies that start filming earlier this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays. Dominion was a few weeks into shooting in London when the entire production was shut down. However, it has been reported that it will be the first major movie to resume filming in the UK next month. Universal is reportedly spending $5 million on safety protocols, including regular testing for cast and crew members and an on-site medical facility.
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Is there any footage or images yet?
No official footage or images have been released yet, However, Trevorrow did post some cool footage of an animatronic baby dinosaur while the movie was pre-production, plus this image from the first day of shooting.
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Will there be more Jurassic World movies?
Given this is the sixth movie in a hugely successful franchise that has been running for nearly 30 years, there will almost certainly be more Jurassic movies to come. In May, producer Frank Marshall stated that Dominion will be “the start of a new era,” and explained that “the dinosaurs are now on the mainland amongst us, and they will be for quite some time.” And while we wait for Dominion to be released, there’s also the upcoming Netflix animated spin-off Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which is set to arrive later this year.
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Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company
AMC Theaters has revealed its plans to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, within the plans, AMC CEO and president Adam Aron stated the company will not force guests to wear masks.
Seating capacity in theaters will be reduced in order to keep social distancing in place. There will be hand-sanitizing stations in the theaters, new cleaning regiments, and employees will be required to wear masks.
Guests will not be forced to wear them, however. “We did not want to be drawn into a political controversy,” Aron told Variety. “We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is not necessary. We think that the vast majority of AMC guests will be wearing masks. When I go to an AMC feature, I will certainly be wearing a mask and leading by example.”
In states where it is required to wear masks in public, AMC will enforce those rules. AMC will also sell masks to guests for $1 if they forgot to bring one.
While Aron’s comments about mask-wearing being political may be shocking, the AMC CEO is looking out for the best interests as the public, and the theater chain could have opened much, much earlier. “We didn’t rush to reopen,” said Aron. “There were some jurisdictions in some states, such as Georgia and Texas, that allowed people to reopen theaters in mid-May. We opted to remain closed, so we could give the country time to get a better handle on coronavirus. We wanted to use this time to figure out how best to open and how to do so safely.”
AMC is expected to reopen its doors July 15 to 450 of its locations. Later in the month, Mulan (July 24) and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet (July 31) will be arriving to theaters. The chain will operate in stages, with Stage 1 being 30% theater capacity for every showing. As it moves forward, it will gradually increase to 40% and 50% capacity–with hopes of reaching that 50% by Labor Day (September 7). By Thanksgiving (November 26), AMC hopes to have its theaters filled to 100% capacity.
The theater chain is anxious to open back up as the pandemic has been exceptionally hard on it. During the first quarter of 2020, the chain lost $2.2 billion, which could lead to filing for bankruptcy if things didn’t change.
There are a whole bunch of Trophies to find in The Last of Us Part 2. Many of them are linked to your skills as a scavenger, requiring you to scour the world for collectibles, weapons, workbenches, and other items and elements you can use to make yourself stronger and more survivable. A few, however, are about more story-focused moments, and they’re easy to miss if you don’t know they’re happening.
Lucky for you, we’ve tracked down every Trophy in The Last of Us Part 2 and we know exactly how to earn them. The guide below will point out where you can unlock each one. Be warned that this is spoiler territory, however, so go at your own risk. Any information you see beyond this point is liable to reveal story elements to you that are best discovered on your own.
Check out our spoiler-free walkthrough, as well as a suite of other guides, in our huge The Last of Us Part II guide roundup–which also includes some essential tips you should know. If you’re curious about how the game stacks up, check out our The Last of Us Part II review.
Looks Good On You Trophy
Found: Seattle Day 1 – The Birthday Gift
You can get this trophy during the first flashback you play through with Joel and Ellie. The scene takes place in a museum, where the pair can visit a number of exhibits. Right after you enter the first room of the museum, you can find a brown hat on a rack, which Ellie will wear. As you wander through the dinosaur exhibit, you’ll then get the opportunity to put the hat on the various skeletons, and then take it back off.
While you’re going, pay attention for a chance to ask Joel to get him to try it on. You’ll want to move slowly through the exhibit and interact with all the dinosaurs, because the prompt to get the Trophy is contextual and you won’t want to miss your opportunity by going too quickly. After putting the hat on two or three skeletons, you should get an optional prompt to put the hat on Joel. Once you’ve done it, you’ll earn the Looks Good On You Trophy.
Sharpshooter Trophy
Seattle Day 1 – The Stadium
Before heading out from the stadium, you’ll drop by the armory and pick up weapons. If you spin around from the quartermaster’s table before leaving, you’ll see a shooting range where you can test your guns. You also have a chance for a little friendly competition with Manny. Your goal is to beat him in a shooting contest. The best way to do that is to score all headshots, which isn’t too difficult. Take your time and line up your shots–the assault rifle is probably your best bet for this one because of its larger magazine and faster rate of fire.
The contest isn’t especially difficult to win, and once you do, you’ll earn the Sharpshooter Trophy.
Put My Name Up Trophy
Seattle Day 1 – Winter Visit
Knock down as many targets as you can before the timer runs out in the “Winter Visit” chapter; if you grab the high score, you get the Trophy.
The last hidden trophy pops up during a second flashback in the aquarium. You’ll reach it at the end of the Hostile Territory section, after dealing with Scars in a few abandoned, destroyed buildings. The Trophy is another shooting contest, recalling a similar moment in Uncharted 4. You’ll see a toy bow on the ground in the middle of the aquarium, with a bunch of cardboard targets scattered around the room. The contest has you shooting the targets, with the goal of hitting as many as you can before a timer runs out. You don’t need to be a sharpshooter here. Your accuracy in hitting the target doesn’t matter, and you can shoot them from anywhere. This one is all about speed, but the tough part is in anticipating how much the arrows will drop as your range to a target increases.
A good strategy is to try to spot all the targets before you start the game, so you know where to shoot–especially toward the end, you’re liable to run out of time trying to find your last few targets. It’s a good idea to save right before you start so you can quickly retry to minigame if you run out of time. Earn the high score and you get the Put My Name Up Trophy, completing your hidden collection.
Warning: We’ve done everything we can to minimize spoilers in this walkthrough so you can enjoy the game even if you need help finding collectibles. However, if you want to know nothing about the game before playing, you should stop reading now.
Our spoiler-free walkthrough for The Last of Us Part 2 continues below into Seattle Day 3. Below we’ll help you discover every collectible, upgrade, story item, and weapon–without spoiling the story or any encounters. Everything you need to know is below, but note that we’re skipping any discussions of locations or details that won’t help you find things you might miss, to avoid spoilers.
There’s tons of more coverage of The Last of Us Part 2 for your enjoyment now that the game is out. For more parts of the walkthrough, be sure to check the list below. We’ll be publishing the other parts throughout the next day, so we recommend bookmarking our The Last of Us Part II guide roundup, which we’ll keep updated with the latest walkthroughs and guides as they get posted. Be mindful of the spoiler block text in the list below, as the names for Parts 6 through 9 can be considered spoilers for early players.
Seattle Day 3 – Road to the Aquarium
Back in the theater, head toward the curtain to leave backstage but don’t go through. Instead, turn left and check on the crate near the mannequins to find the Esquire Trading Card.
After leaving, keep moving forward until your path diverts you into a storefront. You’ll open a door into the back hallways of the building. Look for a doorway that’s blocked on the right, but which you can crawl under, to find a Workbench. On the other side of the room is the Tormentra Trading Card.
After swimming a bit, you’ll find a passageway into a flooded garage. Clear the area and push to the back, under the ramp, to find a way up to a body that has the Garage Note artifact and some other supplies.
Bookstore
Drop down into the bookstore and continue to the bottom, where it’s flooded. Look under the platform you just jumped down from. You should see bookshelves with the Tanager Trading Card.
Head to the children’s section in one corner of the area to find a Journal Entry. On the table you can grab the Bookstore Note artifact. When you drop down to leave the bookstore, check the area behind the exit for some supplements.
The next area is full of wolves. Check the two-story building with scaffolding out front to find the Textile Note artifact pinned to the wall near the windows. There are also supplements in the back corner.
Your path toward the bridge between buildings will put you on the upper story of the department store. When you get high enough, turn around and make for the offices behind you to find a Workbench.
On the far side of the covered bridge, you’ll drop down into a room where Ellie remarks, “This place is wrecked.” Before you push debris out of the way to clear the doorway, look for a low wooden shelf that contains the Tatuaje Trading Card.
The Flooded City
Obtaining the boat will let you leave the mall and drive until you hit a dead end. When you get out to find a way through, climb to the upper floor and stop by the window for a Journal Entry. By the body in the corner, you’ll find the Stash Note artifact. Move the cart on the other side of the room to reveal a hole in the rubble. That’ll take you to the caged area back down by the boat, where you’ll find a safe: the code is 70-12-64. You’ll find supplements and other supplies inside.
Before you leave, check the office to the right of the area with the cage. The drawer in the back of the room contains the Seff-L’ho’pahd Trading Card.
Continue on until you go down a series of rapids and Ellie has to restart the boat. Check the building with the blue awning and a worn “Manufacturing” sign to find a Workbench.
Further on, drive into the Carthy Hotel to find the Shambler Note artifact. Beyond that, you’ll see a more open area with a wrecked train car and a destroyed building with fires. Drive over to the train and you can climb inside. After using the rope to swing over to the last car, grab the Sniper’s Note artifact and some supplements. As the note suggests, this is a good place from which to take down the Scars with your rifle.
Check the second floor of the Scars’ building, near the Bloom and Baer sign, to find the Encampment Note artifact pinned to the wall.
Next you’ll enter a barcade. Look in the kitchen behind the bar for supplements and grab the Arcade Flyer artifact off a table. Upstairs is a Workbench.
Boss Fight: Bloater
You won’t run into many boss fights in The Last of Us Part 2, but this is a tough one. The Bloater has two major attacks: Charging straight at you and throwing explosive spores at you. In both cases, you’ll want to quickly get out of the way to avoid taking damage.
It’s also worth noting that you can’t let the Bloater close the distance and grab you–it can kill you if it gets hold of you, so keep your distance. Sprint to the far end of the room as it gets close to give yourself a lot of space to maneuver. If you’ve got explosives you can spare, either arrows or trap mines, this is a good time to use them. A few explosive arrows can handle the Bloater pretty quickly; it’s even better if you can catch additional enemies in the blast, if you’re a little bit patient.
The Bloater itself is dangerous but huge, fairly slow, and easy to spot. What can get you into trouble in this fight are the runners who will periodically show up to mess with you. These guys will drop down from the upper levels in certain places, and can sometimes wind up behind you. Getting tangled up with a runner can allow the Bloater to get in close and finish you off, so you’ll want to prioritize dealing with the runners whenever you’ve got some distance. Sound can be essential here, as you’ll often hear runners before you see them. But a good way to deal with them is with explosive traps, which you can leave around to clean them up without having to worry as much, or shotgun blasts, which can drop them immediately.
You’ll need to put a fair amount of damage into the Bloater to kill it, but there’s ammo scattered around the room if you need it. Remember to keep moving and to use hit-and-run tactics as much as possible, and you’ll make it through.
Once you’re done, lift up the gate to get into the prize area and check the shelf on the right for the Khazakh Bright Trading Card.
When the stairs take you back up, look behind the red bar for supplements. Go to the back of the bar to the LAN party room and grab the Arcade Note artifact off the left-side wall next to the door.
Aquarium – Infiltration
After passing through the ventilation duct, drop by the room with the lantern. Look for a WLF bag in the back of the room to find a Journal Entry.
This portion of The Last of Us Part Two guide includes all collectible locations in Chapter 3: Seattle Day 2 – Hillcrest. This includes all Artifacts, Trading Cards, and Journal Entries. Remember that you can revisit any chapter section to replay an area and collect missing items by returning to the main menu and selecting a chapter once you have completed it.
Hillcrest Collectibles Overview
View the sections below to locate a collectible in the order they are found.
Artifacts: 10
Trading Cards: 5
Journal Entries: 1
Workbenches: 2
Safes: 1
Trading Card – Wachumero
As soon as you leave the theater and end up outside Hillcrest, turn around to look back at a sinkhole with a muddy truck stuck in the ditch. Break the rear window and reach in to find a trading card.
Artifact – Join the WLF
Go through the window of the Majestic laundromat. In the back office, you’ll find another artifact: a Join the WLF note.
Artifact – Boris’ Daughter’s Drawing and Workbench Location
Head inside the Rosemont store and crawl through the hole in the back to circumvent the locked door and reach the basement which includes a workbench and other loot. There’s also an artifact called Boris’ Daughter’s Drawing.
Journal Entry – Fuck the WLF Graffiti
After jumping over the truck and watching the WLF Soldiers drive off, examine the Fuck the WLF graffiti on the WLF banner in front of you to get a new journal entry.
Artifact – Yolanda’s Note
Enter the used and rare books store next to the Ruston Coffee shop, and pick up the artifact behind the register – Yolanda’s note.
Artifact – Need a Plan Note
From the Ruston Coffee shop and the book store, head left down the road to a sinkhole, and look up to the right to climb up in front of a shop called Caroline Paper Co.. Break the windows and climb through to find a note on a table in the middle of the shop.
Trading Card – Shair the Sorcerer
Also inside Caroline Paper Co., head to the very back of the shop where several small cardboard boxes have been stacked and look inside the tops of them for the card to appear – it’s easily missed in the dark as the icon won’t appear unless you are looking down into the box.
Workbench Location – Bicycle Shop
After climbing up the moving dumpster, you’ll get to a hole in a brick wall you can use to enter a bicycle shop’s workshop. There’s a workbench here. Be sure to loot this room as well.
Trading Card – Naledi the Youthful
Inside the bicycle shop’s workshop, look around to the back of the room with a door leading to an office, and a cork board. Below the board is a bicycle stashed in the corner, and a trading card has been placed in the spokes of the back wheel.
Artifact – Condolence Note
Walk around the bicycle shop’s workshop area towards the back, and enter the office connected to it. There, you’ll find an artifact: Condolence Note.
Training Manual – Precision Skills
Exit the bicycle shop and head through to the liquor store nearby and pick up the Precision Training Manual behind the cash register (on the floor).
This manual can also be found after clearing out the basement below the liquor store of Shamblers, and crawling through a hole to come up into a children’s bookstore where the manual may be found by the remains of a mutated body.
Artifact – Note in Hillcrest Tattoo Parlor
Head into Velvet Tattoo parlor and loot the place for supplies (including supplements). In the back (office area), there’s an artifact on the table.
Artifact – Turn in Boris
Look for a pet store and dog grooming salon at the end of the street, where a Shambler and Runner are staggering about. The door to the grooming salon is locked, but you can smash the windows to hop over (kill the infected first or they’ll be alerted to this). Once inside, look to the sinks on the right to find a note.
Artifact – Dale’s Combo
The pet store and grooming salon has a broken wall leading into a bar with a billiards hall where the Shambler and Runner are likely to wander. After killing them, head into the back kitchen and look on the left wall as you enter to find several papers – and a note you can grab. The note includes a safe combo, which you can access behind the row of buildings on the opposite side of the street from the bar.
Safe – Auto Repair Shop and Gun Holster Location
From the main street, jump over the fences or walls in between the hair salon and tattoo parlor (you can also cut through the back of Shear Lux) to find a sealed garage with a dumpster in front of the door. Move the dumpster to access the door to the Auto Repair Shop. Behind it is a bunch of runners so have a molotov cocktail ready, then get some distance and shoot. Another option is to line that area with some trap mines, and let them come to you.
Inside is a safe with a Gun Holster (if you didn’t find both in Downtown Seattle), plus lots of ammo, scrap, and explosives. Use the Dale’s Combo note from the bar across the street, and enter the code 30, 82, 65. Be sure to check the back room for more supplements and other loot.
Trading Card – Brainstorm
Once you get to the top of the hill and see the smoke from the mysterious explosion, evade the Runners and hop over a fence into a backyard with a small hot tub and child’s playhouse. Go to the opposite side of the children’s playhouse for the trading card – Brainstorm.
Artifact – Boris’ Confession
As you enter the first home in Hillcrest proper, look on the living room table near the fireplace for a note from Boris.
Artifact – Rosemont’s Flyer
In the same house, move towards the kitchen area and dining table. On the left , there’s a small table with an artifact on it: Rosemont’s Flyer.
When you’re ready, head through the hole in the door by the kitchen and get ready for a quick brawl that gives you a Bow and the recipe to make Arrows.
Trading Card – Reverb
At the battle of Hillcrest where you must take on several WLF Soldiers and attack dogs, you can find a trading card hidden in one of the many houses on the block. After the enemies are dealt with, run up the first street to the very end of the block to a house on the right with an adjoining garage (look for the house number 1214 above the front door). Go through the front door, up the stairs, and turn around and go up the hall to a bedroom with a window overlooking the front yard. Go prone and wiggle under the bed to find a trading card tucked away here.
Looking for more Collectibles in The Last of Us Part Two? Find even more artifacts and trading cards in Chapter 3’s Finding Strings and The Seraphites. Be sure to also check out our complete The Last of Us 2 Collectible Hub to find every secret in every chapter and location.
Note: We’ve gone out of our way not to include spoilers for anything that happens in The Last of Us Part 2, but looking at any photos or reading any descriptions might give away plot details you’d rather now know. If you’re hoping to remain completely unspoiled, we recommend playing through the game first.
Surviving in The Last of Us Part 2 requires you to sneak past both hostile humans and the deadly infected–but sometimes, you have to fight. There are a few moments in The Last of Us 2 where you’ll face deadly threats that you have to fight, some of which are dangerous, difficult to defeat, and unique. There aren’t many battles that could be considered “boss fights” in The Last of Us Part 2, but you’ll know them when you get to them.
Read on for the strategies that’ll help you get through one of The Last of Us Part 2’s toughest moments: the battle in the hospital during Seattle Day 2’s Ground Zero chapter.
Check out our spoiler-free walkthrough, as well as a suite of other guides, in our huge The Last of Us Part II guide roundup–which also includes some essential tips you should know. If you’re curious about how the game stacks up, check out our The Last of Us Part II review.
Boss Fight – Giant Infected
You’ll face this boss as you explore the hospital basement in the Ground Zero mission. This thing is pretty similar to a Bloater–it’ll charge you and kill you if it can grab hold of you, and it’ll barrel through walls to come after you. It can also throw explosive objects at you, so you’ll need to be careful, but the creature’s biggest danger is that it’ll keep coming for you.
The area where the fight takes place is the real enemy here, because it’s easy to get boxed into a corner, lose track of where you are, and get run down and murdered. It’s dark and murky throughout, making it tough to spot doors, ledges, holes, and windows you can move through, but playing keep-away from the boss is essential. This thing will take a ton of punishment to bring down, so your most important goal is to keep your distance so you can protect yourself, do some damage, and craft items you need whenever possible.
Often the best way to deal with the boss is to find a spot where there’s a central pillar or object you can move around, forcing the boss to circle with you. You might not do a lot of damage during these portions, but you’ll be able to stay out of danger and plot your next move. It’ll take a lot of damage to kill the boss, so focus on staying alive and managing space first and foremost; you’re not going to bring it down by shooting it a bunch before it gets to you.
Go for high-damage weapons for this fight: pipe bombs, your shotgun (and its incendiary rounds), and the Hunting Pistol are all good bets, while you can save your other weapons for when ammo is low. The Flamethrower works too, but its shorter range means you’ll need to let the boss get close before you use it, and it won’t slow him down any. You’ll find lots of gear scattered around the area if you need it, but since it’ll often push you into corners, make sure you have lots of room to maneuver before going for it.
Do enough damage and a smaller Stalker boss will peel off from the larger creature, forcing you to fight two creatures at once. Keep an eye out for this guy but don’t worry about doing a ton of damage to him–if you hurt the large boss enough, you’ll win this portion of the fight. Shoot the Stalker when it comes after you to force it to leave, but watch out that it doesn’t tangle you up and make you vulnerable to being one-shotted by the larger boss. Keeping shivs on-hand will make getting away easier.
Keep running and dealing damage until the big boss finally goes down. The Stalker will have escaped, forcing you to find and kill it in the next area of the hospital, the morgue. Though the Stalker is dangerous, it’s not nearly as deadly as the big boss, and your experience fighting other versions of this enemy will come into play here. Use the strongest guns you have left to wallop it, and if you need to, try to get away so you can go into stealth and resume the fight on your terms. When the battle is over, you’ll be able to exit into the parking garage.
Warning: We’ve done everything we can to minimize spoilers in this walkthrough so you can enjoy the game even if you need help finding collectibles. However, if you want to know nothing about the game before playing, you should stop reading now.
Our spoiler-free walkthrough for The Last of Us Part 2 continues below. We’ll help you find every collectible, story item, weapon, and upgrade–while avoiding story spoilers as much as possible. Everything you need to know is below, but note that we’re skipping any discussions of locations or details that won’t help you find things you might miss, to avoid spoilers.
There’s tons of more coverage of The Last of Us Part 2 for your enjoyment now that the game is out, including the first part of this walkthrough and part 2. Check out our review of the game, a rundown on how to beat its two tough bosses, a huge list of Easter eggs you might have missed, and how to earn its three secret Trophies.
Seattle Day 2 – The Shortcut
After leaving the aquarium, continue until you hit a waterfall. To its right, you’ll find a barbershop. Check by the cash register for the Nevada Coin.
As you climb the waterfall, jump to the left when you hit a beam you can walk across to get through a hole into a kitchen, where you’ll find supplements in a drawer.
Continue on into a destroyed apartment building. Look for the Survivor Plea artifact in front of the wrecked bedroom door.
Cross the highway overpass and jump down into another apartment. Check the table by the whiteboard for the Neighbor Exchange artifact. Look in the bedroom for a safe whose code is 30-23-04, which contains various supplies.
Before long you’ll cross another rapid and enter a cellphone store. Check the body near the counter for the Scavenging List artifact. There’s also a Workbench in the corner.
An optometry shop is next. Check the windowsill opposite the Westbrook Optix sign to find the Colorado Coin on it.
Look for supplements in the drawer of the patient area. Keep climbing until you reach the skybridges. When you enter the internet company (you’ll know it by all the computers), check the table on the right of the room you use to go around a big hole in the floor for the Seraphite Truce artifact.
Push on until you see the Prophet Shrine. In the next room, you’ll find a Workbench and some supplements.
After taking the elevator, look for the Seraphite Orders artifact tacked to the wall by the archway.
The Descent
You’ll wind up in the pool of a hotel. Swim down to the filter to grab the Illinois Coin from the bottom.
Work through the gym to the front of the area and find your way to the cafe called Orchards. Check the back room to find the Gym Safe Combo artifact. There’s a safe in the storage room in front of the front desk near the gym entrance. Use the code 12-18-79 to open it and get supplements and other supplies. When you open the door to the stairs, you’ll get the FEDRA Orders artifact.
Ahead, hop over the couch into the hotel room and check the drawers for supplements before continuing through the crack in the wall near the staircase door. When you slide down to the lower level, go through the hole in the wall near where you land to find a body with the FEDRA Final Note artifact.
Keep moving through the destroyed hotel. You’ll eventually come to a doorway where you can drop down; instead, slip through a bathroom door and cross a beam to where a FEDRA body lays. There, you can grab the Flamethrower weapon. Then go back and drop down to the lower level.
You’ll soon see a shambler. After dealing with it, cross the beam to the next room to where you’ll need to jump a gap to reach the floor below. When you land, turn around and jump the gap to the room behind you. Check the shelf on the right for the Oregon Coin.
When you drop to the level with daylight, check the bedroom right behind where you land for supplements. Pass the next area and exit into the elevator shaft. When you jump down, smash the vending machine on the other side of the elevator door to your left to release the Wisconsin Coin into the coin return slot.
When you get outside onto the big outdoor patio, jump the bar in the center. At one end, near the opening that lets you get behind the bar, check underneath for the Rhode Island Coin.
You’ll have to swim to make it to the hospital. Once you’re through the gate, turn right and walk through the broken window into the building with the hardwood floor hallway. At the end is the Missouri Coin on the ground.
Hospital – Ground Zero
You’ll be led down through the hospital toward a glass hallway. Before you enter it, look for a counter to the left of the door. Go behind it to a cash register to grab the Washington Coin.
Once you’re on your own in the oncology department, head through the door to a room where you can see down to the floor below. There are stairs ahead; to the right of them, you can crawl under a barricade into another room with a couple of bodies. Check the one up against the cabinets near the sink for the Annex Letter artifact.
At the bottom of the stairs, drop down onto the crates below. Turn left to find the chapel; on the altar toward the front is the Chapel Note artifact. Back in the main room, go around the crates to the right to find a leather bag next to a body that contains the Soldier’s Letter artifact.
Head into the ER. Past the red-walled ambulance area, you can break a glass window to get into one of the rooms to find the Patient’s Note artifact on a gurney.
Push on into the Recovery ward ahead. Check the room at the end of the hall on the left for the Doctor’s Note artifact on the counter. Climbing through the hole in the wall will lead you to the Electrical Room, where you’ll also find a Workbench.
Boss Fight – Giant Infected
This thing is pretty similar to a Bloater–it’ll charge you and kill you if it can grab hold of you, and it’ll barrel through walls to come after you. It can also throw explosive objects at you, so you’ll need to be careful, but the creature’s biggest danger is that it’ll keep coming for you.
The area where the fight takes place is the real enemy here, because it’s easy to get boxed into a corner, lose track of where you are, and get run down and murdered. It’s dark and murky throughout, making it tough to spot doors, ledges, holes, and windows you can move through, but playing keep-away from the boss is essential. This thing will take a ton of punishment to bring down, so your most important goal is to keep your distance so you can protect yourself, do some damage, and craft items you need whenever possible.
Often the best way to deal with the boss is to find a spot where there’s a central pillar or object you can move around, forcing the boss to circle with you. You might not do a lot of damage during these portions, but you’ll be able to stay out of danger and plot your next move. It’ll take a lot of damage to kill the boss, so focus on staying alive and managing space first and foremost; you’re not going to bring it down by shooting it a bunch before it gets to you.
Go for high-damage weapons for this fight: pipe bombs, your shotgun (and its incendiary rounds), and the Hunting Pistol are all good bets, while you can save your other weapons for when ammo is low. The Flamethrower works too, but its shorter range means you’ll need to let the boss get close before you use it, and it won’t slow him down any. You’ll find lots of gear scattered around the area if you need it, but since it’ll often push you into corners, make sure you have lots of room to maneuver before going for it.
Do enough damage and a smaller Stalker boss will peel off from the larger creature, forcing you to fight two creatures at once. Keep an eye out for this guy but don’t worry about doing a ton of damage to him–if you hurt the large boss enough, you’ll win this portion of the fight. Shoot the Stalker when it comes after you to force it to leave, but watch out that it doesn’t tangle you up and make you vulnerable to being one-shotted by the larger boss. Keeping shivs on-hand will make getting away easier.
Keep running and dealing damage until the big boss finally goes down. The Stalker will have escaped, forcing you to find and kill it in the next area of the hospital, the morgue. Though the Stalker is dangerous, it’s not nearly as deadly as the big boss, and your experience fighting other versions of this enemy will come into play here. Use the strongest guns you have left to wallop it, and if you need to, try to get away so you can go into stealth and resume the fight on your terms. When the battle is over, you’ll be able to exit into the parking garage.
Parking Garage
You’ll enter a new section of the parking garage next. Head to the left from the door and look for a security booth. Break the window and you can grab the Hawaii Coin from inside.
This portion of The Last of Us Part Two guide includes all collectible locations in Chapter 2: Seattle Day 1 – The Birthday Gift. This includes all Artifacts, Trading Cards, and Journal Entries. Remember that you can revisit any chapter section to replay an area and collect missing items by returning to the main menu and selecting a chapter once you have completed it.
The Birthday Gift Collectibles Overview
View the sections below to locate a collectible in the order they are found.
Artifacts: 1
Trading Cards: 2
Journal Entries: 2
Journal Entry – Entrance
Interact with the large T-Rex at the entrance to the museum to get your first journal entry in this area.
Trading Card – The Nighthawk
In the second dinosaur exhibit area, move past the brachiosaurus and triceratops towards the dimetrodon in the corner, and look for an alcove leading to some restrooms. The trading card can be found on the bench outside.
Journal Entry – Space Rocket
Upon reaching the lunar exhibit, move through the hall to the two half-circle benches to sketch the area.
Trading Card – Saura
Leave the lunar exhibit by the way of a nearby door and cross the water to the bear statue. Have Joel boost you through the window, and then continue forward to the moose surrounded by wolves – look under a bench on the right for a trading card.
Artifact – Suicide Note
Move through the darkened animal exhibit and pass the ominous messages on the wall until you reach a broken down section, and spot a body holding a suicide note.
This portion of The Last of Us Part Two guide includes all collectible locations in Chapter 2: Seattle Day 1 – The Theater. This includes all Artifacts and Trading Cards. Remember that you can revisit any chapter section to replay an area and collect missing items by returning to the main menu and selecting a chapter once you have completed it.
The Theater Collectibles Overview
View the sections below to locate a collectible in the order they are found.
Artifacts: 4
Trading Cards: 2
Artifact – Program for Cassandra
After leaving Dina, head to the far end of the main floor lobby and look past some bathrooms and a mannequin. Check out the crate to the left of the mannequin for an artifact in the form of a program.
Trading Card – Mortem
Next to the bathrooms on the main floor lobby is an empty concession stand area. Hop over the counter and start breaking the large class cabinets against the back wall, and look at the bottom of the one on the right to find a trading card tucked along the bottom.
Artifact – Lone FEDRA Solider Journal #1
Go upstairs from the main lobby, and head out onto a balcony overlooking the lobby below. To the left near the balcony is a makeshift tent and table with an artifact: Lone FEDRA Soldier Journal #1.
Trading Card – Beyond
Once on the second floor, walk past the movie posters and right, to the end of the hall. Check the sofa, overturned sofa, and stack of boxes and you’ll see a trading card underneath.
Artifact – Lone FEDRA Soldier Journal #2
After turning on the generator, go to the projector room. Approach the table and pick up the document on top of the radio.
Artifact – The Sick Habit Flyer / Set List
In the main theater, walk to the right of the stage. Pick up the artifact on the supply trunks: The Sick Habit Flyer / Set List.
