Ending Joel’s journey as it began, players start this chapter of The Last of Us Part 1 waking up, but this time he isn’t alone. At his side is Marlene, the commander, or “Queen Firefly" as he had previously called her, who is amazed at his dedication for bringing Ellie this far. But the conversation quickly turns sour as Joel and the player come to realize what creating a vaccine for the cordyceps infection will mean for Ellie, and Joel refuses to let it happen.
Ellie’s fate hangs in the balance, and players will have one final opportunity to collect artifacts as they launch an assault on the Firefly hospital to reach her in time. These collectibles are particularly interesting as they provide a great deal of context about Marlene and the rationale behind her actions and ideology. While it is up to the players whether they agree with her views, Joel is on a mission to rescue Ellie and players must take his lead.
In this final chapter, players can collect four artifacts. Here’s where these collectibles can be found in the eleventh chapter, the Firefly Lab.
Surgeon's Recorder
Before reaching the Shiv Door on the sixth floor of the hospital, players can find a recorder on the corner of the receptionist desk that they can listen to.
Marlene's Recorder 1
From the previous artifact, players should take a right where there will be an open doorway with a desk light on inside. In front of the printer on the right is Marlene’s first recorder, providing players with an insight into her thoughts on the plan that the doctors have made and her own personal philosophies regarding the fate of humanity.
Marlene's Journal
Heading to the right from the Shiv Door on this floor, players will enter an area that had been previously cordoned off. Inside this next room is a green medical tent to the right and players can enter it to find Marlene’s journal on a counter to the left of a gurney. Once players leave the tent and continue forward, more Firefly soldiers will appear to stop Joel, and it’s up to players how they deal with them.
Marlene's Recorder 2
Players are now entering the final stretch, and it can be easy to miss this artifact given the high stakes.
After fighting or stealthing their way through the sixth floor of the hospital, players will arrive in the pediatric ward. Joel will block the door and his goal is directly down the corridor, however this will cause players to miss the final artifact of the base game. Instead, they should turn to the right to find a door that can be opened and head into the room. On the opposite side is a small table with a desk lamp, alongside Marlene’s final recording, in which she demonstrates remorse for her actions but concludes that there is no other choice. Now, players are free to go rescue Ellie.
Players will only be able to obtain the “Chronicles” trophy once they have collected all 99 available notes and artifacts in both The Last of Us Part 1 and Left Behind, which follows more of Ellie’s story during the winter chapter as well as showing the events that led to discovering her immunity.
The Last of Us Part 1 is available on PlayStation 5 and a PC version is in development.
