The first major content update for Naughty Dog's critically-acclaimed The Last of Us 2 is now available to download. The update adds some significant new content to the game, including two new trophies, and so fans may very well be tempted to return to Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic world.
The biggest new update to The Last of Us 2 in the newly-released Grounded Update is the addition of new difficulty settings. Upon downloading the Grounded Update, The Last of Us 2 players can play through the game on the Grounded difficulty setting, which removes most HUD elements and makes enemies deadlier. The Grounded Update for The Last of Us 2 also adds Permadeath to the game, which challenges players to complete the entire story without dying a single time. Needless to say, it will be the most significant challenge Last of Us 2 players have faced yet.
The Last of Us 2 Grounded Update adds more than just new difficulty modes, though. It also introduces a variety of gameplay modifiers that players can use to better customize the experience to their liking. This includes modifiers that essentially add cheats to the game, like infinite resources and one-hit kills, as well as modifiers that change up the graphics. For example, Last of Us 2 players can now play through the entire game with a visual style that mimics 8-bit graphics, or they can play through the game with cel-shaded visuals instead.
Fan reaction to The Last of Us 2 has been mixed, but few are going to be unhappy with a free content update that adds new difficulty settings, modifiers, and more. Completionists may be tempted to return to The Last of Us 2 to go after the two new trophies that have been added to the mix, plus the new visual styles could ensure future playthroughs feel fresh.
Looking ahead, it's likely that there are even more Last of Us 2 updates in store for fans. While Naughty Dog has denied that it plans on releasing Last of Us 2 story DLC, the game's Factions multiplayer mode has already leaked online. Presumably, The Last of Us 2 multiplayer will be similar to the multiplayer mode that was in the original game, though official details are hard to come by at this point.
Naughty Dog is also expected to be actively working on its first PS5 game, whatever that may be. With The Last of Us 2 having released just a couple of months ago on PS4, though, fans shouldn't expect details on that for quite some time.
The Last of Us 2 is out now, exclusively for PS4.
