The Last of Us has cemented itself as a cultural staple thanks to two wildly successful games and an HBO series that earned several million views on each episode. The Last of Us Part 1 is a top-down remake of the game that started it all so many players who are encountering it for the first time are curious about the ending and what it means.
In this article, we’ll discuss The Last of Us Part 1‘s ending and how it sets up the beginning of the second game. Be warned of major spoilers for TLOU Part 1 and some early stuff from TLOU: Part 2 below.
How does TLOU Part 1 end and what does it mean?
The entire story of TLOU Part 1 involves reluctant parental figure Joel and potential apocalypse-ender Ellie traveling across the continental United States to get to a doctor researching a cure for the Cordyceps infection. Throughout the game, the duo is forced to make countless sacrifices and Ellie is forced to truly see the horrors of the walls beyond the FEDRA Quarantine Zone for the first time.
When Joel and Ellie finally get to the hospital, they are knocked out by the fireflies who are protecting the doctor currently researching a cure. While passed out, the pair are separated, with Ellie being prepped for surgery and Joel being greeted by Marlene after waking up. Marlene tells Joel that Ellie is being prepped for surgery and he likely won’t see her again, since the doctor will need to extract her brain where the Cordyceps grows.
Joel isn’t happy to hear this and goes on a murderous rampage, killing most of the Fireflies in the hospital, including Marlene. That’s not all as Joel would barge into the operating room, murdering the doctor, whose name was changed to Jerry in the remake, and potentially even the nurses, depending on the player. He scoops up Ellie and carries her out of the hospital as gunfire erupts behind him.
When Ellie wakes up later she asks Joel what happened, at which point he tells her that the doctors had run some tests and there was no hope for a cure after all, so they’re going back to a previous compound from the game in Jackson. When confronted with this news, Ellie looks a little perturbed but trusts Joel after their long journey and many sacrifices together.
How does TLOU Part 1‘s ending set up TLOU Part 2?
As TLOU Part 1 goes on, Ellie is forced into many situations where she has to use growing shows of force. There’s an argument to be made that the ease at which she sees Joel committing murder and hurting others may have an impact, but she also seems more than willing to hurt those who would try to endanger her friends. Ellie is very protective of those she cares about, and that’s heavily established in both the game and HBO’s show.
At the beginning of the TLOU Part 2, something major happens and Ellie is more or less pushed over the deep end. Players will encounter a whole new set of challenges and see Ellie deal with some personal demons that were present even from the earliest parts of TLOU Part 1. It’s an interesting take on a world 25 years post-apocalypse and the children who were born or grew up in that world.
There have been rumors that the second game could get a remake, but it wouldn’t likely come for a couple of years at a minimum. TLOU Part 2 still runs and looks great on PlayStation for those who are able to play it though.
That’s all the information you need to know about the ending of The Last of Us Part 1.
