The Last of Us 2 is receiving a massive post-launch update including the return of the Grounded difficulty, permadeath, and a slew of game modifications and improvements. Naughty Dog blew expectations out of the water, as although fans were expecting the Grounded difficulty from The Last of Us to return in Part Two, the extra suite of options sets a new standard for post-launch of single-player games.
The Grounded difficulty was a fan-favorite of the original Last of Us and was one of the most requested features fans wanted in an update. The new difficulty setting makes enemies and players deal more damage, removes elements of the HUD, and also lowers the rate in which ammo and crafting materials are spawned. As soon as the update hits, Grounded will become one of the base difficulty options, so players won’t have to beat the game in order to access it.
The Permadeath mode in The Last of Us: Part 2 is exactly as described. Players only have one life throughout an entire playthrough and must complete the story without dying. If that sounds too difficult, players can enable Permadeath mode with checkpoints, allowing them to restart on a per-act or per-chapter basis. Both the Grounded and Permadeath modes will reward players with trophies upon completion. While the two major components of the Grounded update are alluring, the amount of graphical and gameplay modifications is stunning.
The Last of Us 2 DLC Brings Filters, Timers, & Modifiers
In addition to the new difficulty, the Grounded update is giving players the chance to play through The Last of Us 2 however they want. Graphical filters will let gamers progress through the entirety of the story as a black and white noir thriller, or even change the graphical style to a cel-shaded game like Borderlands. There will be over 30 different graphics rendering modes, along with several audio modifiers in order to entirely change how the game is presented. If anyone has wondered what hearing Ellie’s revenge story sounds like in 8-bit or “helium” audio, now’s the chance.
The Last of Us 2’s accessibility options already allow players to take the game at their own pace and set it up as a true survival horror experience, or blast through enemies Max Payne-style. The new unlockable gameplay modifiers take that experience to the next level. Included in the update are One-Shot or Touch of Death modifiers that enable one-hit kills. There’s also infinite crafting and ammo, slow motion, mirror world, and bullet speed changes that can all be modified after completing the game. For players who want to find all the collectibles in The Last of Us 2 but don't have the patience to investigate every nook and cranny, an enhanced listen mode is being added specifically for that.
The Grounded update also brings several quality of life updates to The Last of Us 2. These frequently requested improvements include the option to disable Listen Mode and adding the ability to see playtime up to the second while saving — a very helpful tool for speedrunners. One of the biggest additions is the added option of “Motion Sensor Function Aiming,” which adds gyro to the game so players can further adjust their aim using the DualShock 4’s motion technology. Players experienced with gyro from Nintendo Switch games can attest to how great of an update that is, and the fine-tuning will definitely be appreciated during a Grounded playthrough fighting the Rat King.
Less than two months after release, Naughty Dog is already finding creative ways to get players back into The Last of Us 2. For those who loved the game but were waiting for a reason to replay it, the huge amount of additions and modifiers in the Grounded update are more than enough to pick the controller back up, even for those who aren’t looking for extra difficulty. The Grounded update for The Last of Us: Part 2 releases on August 13th.
