The Last of Us Part 1 calls on players to complete one of the longest and most emotionally damaging escort missions in video game history. Tasked with transporting a 14-year-old girl across the country, the player must use every tool at their disposal to survive the many threats they will face in The Last of Us Part 1.
As a survival horror video game, a huge part of The Last of Us’ gameplay loop is scavenging resources and crafting items to help prepare for difficult encounters against Infected and human enemies. This guide will cover the basics of finding resources and creating items that can help Joel in a variety of circumstances.
Scavenging For Items
Scavenging for materials and upgrading equipment is likely the first thing that more seasoned players will do when they begin playing The Last of Us Part 1. Found most commonly in side rooms a little off the main path; searching drawers, cupboards, and end tables will yield a variety of items that can help build Joel’s arsenal, some offering one-time-use items while others providing permanent character upgrades. The materials include:
Item Name | Use |
|---|---|
Scrap Parts | Used at workbenches for weapon upgrades |
Supplement pills | For improving Joel’s basic abilities via his backpack |
Alcohol | Used to create Medkits and Molotovs |
Rags | Consumed in the creation of Medkits and Molotovs |
Sugar | Used in crafting smoke bombs |
Explosive | Used to build smoke and nail bombs |
Binding | For crafting shivs and melee weapon upgrades |
Blades | Consumed to craft shivs, nail bombs, and melee weapon upgrades |
Crafting Items
Resource management is a huge part of The Last of Us, as the game won’t always give players what they need when they need it. Resources are collected in bits and pieces - becoming rarer as the difficulty of The Last of Us Part 1 increases. It’s therefore squarely on the players’ shoulders to consider what items they should craft.
A good rule of thumb is to only craft items when they are needed or if Joel is full on supplies. For example, as the player can only carry three of each crafting component, they should only craft a Medkit if they need to heal or if they are full up on Alcohol or Rags. This way, players should always have the resources they need for tough encounters, and have a steady stream of supplies coming in.
It’s worth noting that some upgrade items and collectibles are locked behind shiv doors in The Last of Us Part 1. These doors cannot be opened without consuming a shiv, so players should always try to keep at least one in their inventory in the event that they encounter such a door.
The Last of Us Part 1 is currently available for PS5, and is in development for PC.
