The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered No Return mode, explained

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered will be coming to the PlayStation 5 in just a few weeks, and one of the most anticipated features of the remaster is the brand new No Return game mode. 

We are going to be diving into No Return to see what it is all about so you know exactly what you expect when you get your hands on the TLOU2 Remastered on Jan.19th. 

What is No Return mode in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered?

No Return is a brand new roguelike survival mode that has been added to The Last of Us Part 2 as a major feature of the remastered edition of the game. 

According to a post on the PlayStation blog website by Naughty Dog editorial content manager Jonathan Dornbush, the roguelike mode is a chance for players to test out their skills in The Last of Us combat via a series of randomized enemy encounters. 

How does No Return Mode work?

Players will pick their character and begin a survival trial set in one of the various locations found in The Last of Us Part 2. The location that you find yourself in will make a difference, leading to possible twists and turns in the gameplay. 

According to the blog post, the game will work by allowing players freedom in their survival runs, as no individual run is pre-defined and will change depending on player choices, such as choices between different kinds of enemy encounters. The choices of the player will also have an impact on the rewards that you receive during your survival runs in No Return, as well as what modifiers you might come up against in battles. 

Death is permanent in No Return mode, so be aware of that before you begin a run. If you die, you will lose everything that you have accumulated during your run, such as your upgrades and weapons. You’ll have to start again, though things will be different each time around due to the random nature of the scenarios that you’ll encounter. 

When you reach the end of your run, you will fight a final boss. This boss can be one of six bosses unlocked as you play. When all bosses are unlocked, you will face one of the six randomly during your next run. The bosses will be made up of “some of Part II’s most memorable foes,” as the blog post states, but Naughty Dog has not elaborated further than this yet. 

All Challenge types in TLOU2 No Return Mode

There are four different kinds of challenges in No Return: Assault, Holdout, Hunted, and Capture.

Assault is a simple player-vs-waves of enemies mode, while Holdout involves the player and an AI-controlled helper defending against hordes of the Infected. Hunted revolves around the player surviving for a certain amount of time, and Capture tasks you with breaking into a safe to take the supplies within, which are being guarded by enemies. As mentioned, the rewards you receive will change depending on the scenarios and challenges that you choose to tackle. 

You can also opt for a challenge called Gambit, which tasks you with smaller objectives to complete during your run, such as dodging melee attacks or getting a certain amount of headshots. 

Though not technically a challenge type, you’ll also have a chance to compete with other players in a Daily Run. This mode gives players one chance every day to take on one randomly generated run, though it will have to be with the same character to make things fair. Your score and runtime will be tallied, and you’ll be able to see where you place on the leaderboard, which is sure to be an appealing element of the No Return game mode for those who enjoy a bit of friendly competition online. 

How does leveling up work in TLOU2 No Return mode?

The upgrades, arsenal, and skill trees that you’ll find in the main campaign of The Last of Us Part 2 carry over to No Return, but the big difference here is that your upgrades and items will reset when you have finished a run, so you’ll need to think more about your immediate needs rather than what could be useful in the long run. Certain unlockables will carry over between your runs, though, such as skins and different characters. 

What characters can you play as in TLOU2 No Return mode?

So far, the characters that have been announced as playable and unlockable in No Return are as follows: 

• Ellie 
• Joel
• Abby
• Dina
• Tommy 
• Jess
• Yara
• Lev
• Manny 
• Mel

Naughty Dog discusses their desire to offer players more of a choice when it comes to characters in the PlayStation Blog post, but they also talk about how each character is different, with some being better suited to a certain play style than others. Each character has their own traits, which will make for interesting and unique gameplay should you choose to experiment.

It isn’t clear whether there will be more characters available in the future—such as characters from the first game—but we will keep you updated when we know more.

What are custom runs in TLOU2 No Return mode?

Custom runs are also available alongside randomized runs in No Return mode, wherein you can turn on or switch off certain factors in the gameplay. These custom runs allow you to plot your run with your personal preferences in mind, which is sure to be appealing to those who are a bit frightened at the thought of entirely random encounters. 

Do you need to play The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered campaign before playing No Return Mode?

No, you can jump straight into No Return mode as soon as you start up The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, though it is definitely advised that you play through the campaign first if you haven’t got any experience with the combat in the The Last of Us games. 

It sounds like this is going to be a challenging mode that could lead to more than a few rage quits, so make sure that you are completely prepared to take it on when the mode releases with the remaster on Jan. 19.