The Last of Us has established a number of organized factions and militarized groups that would be great to feature in its currently untitled multiplayer spin-off, and that is only taking from the factions that have been revealed in the few areas The Last of Us has explored. It is entirely plausible that remote regions in the United States could have other extremist groups that behave radically, and there are always people desperate to get by during the fungal pandemic. It will be interesting to see how many of these dynamics are reflected in the multiplayer spin-off.
If fans are going off of which groups have been featured thus far, it is possible that the spin-off could portray FEDRA, Fireflies, WLFs, and Seraphites among other miscellaneous encampments and settlements of people. It will always be exciting to see random factions of deplorable survivors such as the cannibals from David’s group, and this could offer a lot of rich context for why one player’s group might be more fiendish than another. The Last of Us’ most formidable and abhorrent opponents in a multiplayer spin-off, however, could easily be FEDRA remnants.
The Last of Us’ Multiplayer Could Have Strong Faction Rivalries
FEDRA is known as a corrupt and oppressive force in The Last of Us, though they are not invulnerable to coups and stealth tactics, let alone being lured into damp interiors filled with spores. FEDRA’s only real rival in terms of defensive strategies and military-grade weaponry is the WLF, and a standoff between those two groups would bring forth a lot of firepower in The Last of Us’ multiplayer spin-off.
That said, being caught off guard by a group who ambushes the player and traps them could be much more severe of a fate, since they could be gradually dismembered and eaten rather than being simply executed. The Last of Us’ Fireflies seem like the most notably wholesome and dependable group to be a part of based on how the ‘humanity-saving’ faction has been depicted, but it would be great to see the Fireflies add a bit of complexity to that premise.
If players were in the Fireflies faction, for example, it would be nostalgic seeing that the community would rather exile a valued member who is in need rather than sacrifice resources that are saved for the whole group. This would harken back to how the Fireflies were willing to sacrifice Ellie to potentially make a cure, and players could make the decision themselves whether they think the Fireflies’ actions are immoral or not.
FEDRA does not seem to have a clear identity aside from being awful from the perspective of Boston and the Fireflies, but once again it would be wonderful if this portrayal was not one-sided. The Last of Us’ multiplayer spin-off could show that there are some FEDRA members who disagree wholly with how the military treats citizens in a quarantine zone. Either way, if fans get to choose a faction to belong to, they would be hard-pressed to find another as strong-willed and armed as FEDRA.
If FEDRA remnants have spread to different states, it would be intriguing to see how sparse members handle a desperate situation in The Last of Us' San Francisco, such as if a handful of soldiers are playable as a group that are separated from the military and hunted for being part of FEDRA in the first place. The possibilities are endless, but FEDRA being cross-examined a little more deeply would make its lore much more rich and considered as a faction.
The Last of Us’ multiplayer spin-off is currently in development.