Character Skills - The Last of Us

Character Skills Overview

The Last of Us series does not feature traditional RPG skill trees or spells, but it does have a robust character upgrade system using supplements (pills in Part I, supplement tablets in Part II). These upgrades permanently enhance core abilities such as health, stealth, crafting, and combat. Additionally, each playable character has access to unique special moves (e.g., shiv door opening, dodge, prone) that are unlocked through progression or finding specific tools. This guide covers all character-specific upgrades and abilities for The Last of Us Part I (Joel) and The Last of Us Part II Remastered (Ellie and Abby).

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The Last of Us Part I – Joel’s Upgrades

Joel can improve his abilities by collecting pills found throughout the world. These are spent at any upgrade menu (accessible via pause) in four categories, plus a unique Shiv Master skill.

1. Max Health

Effect: Increases Joel’s maximum health bar. Each upgrade adds a segment. Total of 5 upgrades.

Cost: 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 pills (increasing).

Synergies: Essential for higher difficulty – more health allows fewer healing items and more survivability during firefights.

Recommended Build: Upgrade to at least level 3 early; max out by mid-game.

2. Listening Mode Distance

Effect: Increases the distance at which Joel can hear enemies through walls (visible as white silhouettes). Four upgrades.

Cost: 25 / 35 / 50 / 75 pills.

Synergies: Pair with Stealth kills – knowing enemy positions allows silent takedowns.

When to Use: Constantly activated in tense areas. Upgrade early to avoid surprise ambushes.

3. Crafting Speed

Effect: Reduces the time required to craft items (health kits, shivs, molotovs, nail bombs, smoke bombs, arrows). Three upgrades.

Cost: 30 / 40 / 60 pills.

Synergies: Faster crafting means you can heal or create tools mid-combat. Useful in action-heavy sections.

Recommended Build: Not a priority early; upgrade after health and listening mode are decent.

4. Healing Speed

Effect: Speeds up the first-aid animation. Three upgrades.

Cost: 30 / 40 / 60 pills.

Synergies: Combined with crafting speed, allows quick recovery during firefights.

When to Use: Valuable if you rely on health kits often; otherwise low priority.

5. Weapon Sway Reduction (Part I Enhanced)

Effect: In the PS5/PC Part I remaster, pills also reduce weapon sway when aiming. Three levels. (Not present in original PS3/PS4).

Cost: 25 / 50 / 75 pills.

Synergies: Great for long-range weapons like the Hunting Rifle and Bow.

Recommended Build: Useful if you prefer precision shooting; skip if you use shotguns/melee heavily.

6. Shiv Master (Special Ability)

Unlock: Requires finding Shiv Master training manuals (Part I has one manual that unlocks both abilities).

Effects:

Shiv Doors

Shiv Instant Kills

Cost: Uses a shiv (1 blade + 1 binding).

Synergies: Shiv doors provide resources; shiv kills save ammo. Prioritize finding the manual early.

When to Use: Always carry a shiv for doors. Use shiv kills on Clickers when low on ammo.

Other Special Moves

Brick/Bottle Stun: Throw brick/bottle at enemy to stun them → follow-up melee kill. No cooldown, consumes item.

Melee Combo: Press square repeatedly for a quick attack; hold triangle for a heavy attack. Works with 2×4, pipe, machete (breakable).

Dodge (Part I does not have a dedicated dodge; movement is used to evade).

The Last of Us Part II – Ellie & Abby’s Skills

Survival

Stealth

Crafting

prone

dodge

Shared Innate Abilities

Prone: Allows crawling under obstacles and grass for stealth. Unlocked after the first encounter with the WLF in Seattle Day 1 (Ellie) / after finding the Hunting Pistol (Abby).

Dodge: Press L1 during combat to evade attacks. Unlocked early in both campaigns.

Vault/Jump: Context-sensitive climbing and jumping.

Ellie’s Skill Trees

#### Survival (Ellie)

Skill	Effect	Ranks	Cost per rank	Synergies
Health	Increases maximum health by 25% per rank. Max 3 ranks.	3	25 / 50 / 100	Essential for all builds.
Healing Speed	Increases healing speed by 20% per rank. Max 3.	3	20 / 40 / 80	Combine with crafting speed for quick recovery.
Listen Mode Distance	Expands listening range by 20% per rank. Max 3.	3	15 / 30 / 60	Must-have for stealth players.

#### Stealth (Ellie)

Skill	Effect	Ranks	Cost	Synergies
Faster Movement While Prone	Crawl speed increased by 40% per rank. Max 2.	2	20 / 40	Essential for prone stealth kills.
Prone Stealth Kill	Unlocks stealth kill from prone (only possible after unlocking rank 1). Rank 2 makes it faster.	2	30 / 60	Allows you to kill enemies while lying in grass.
Pendulum (or Stealth Movement Speed)	Movement speed while crouched increased by 15% per rank. Max 2.	2	20 / 40	Lets you reposition quickly without being seen.

#### Crafting (Ellie)

Skill	Effect	Ranks	Cost	Synergies
Crafting Speed	Reduces crafting animation time by 20% per rank. Max 3.	3	20 / 40 / 80	Good for all, especially when crafting mid-combat.
Explosive Shells (or Ammo Efficiency)	Chance to salvage used ammo? Actually, Crafting Efficiency increases yield from resources (e.g., 3 arrows instead of 2). Max 2.	2	20 / 40	Saves resources; valuable on Grounded.
More Crafting Recipes	Unlocks additional recipes: stun bomb, explosive arrow, etc. Max 1.	1	50	Unlocks powerful tools; high priority.

Abby’s Skill Trees

Abby’s skill names differ slightly but serve the same purpose. For brevity, only unique skills are highlighted.

#### Survival (Abby)

Health (same as Ellie) – 3 ranks.

Healing Speed (same) – 3 ranks.

Listen Mode Distance (same) – 3 ranks.

Brawler (unique): Unlocks a special melee combo after a dodge. Rank 1: faster follow-up, Rank 2: deadly follow-up. Cost: 30/60. Synergy with melee builds.

Faster Prone Movement – 2 ranks.

Prone Stealth Kill – 2 ranks.

Pendulum (crouched speed) – 2 ranks.

Mark Enemies (unique): Allows you to tag enemies while aiming (like holding R1 to mark). Rank 1: marks for 3 seconds; Rank 2: marks for 5 seconds. Cost: 20/40. Synergy with long-range combat.

Crafting Speed – 3 ranks.

Crafting Efficiency – 2 ranks.

Incendiary Ammo (unique): Unlocks crafting of incendiary shotgun shells. Cost: 50. Very powerful against human enemies.

Special Moves & Combos

Available in Both Parts

Brick/Bottle Stun → Melee: Throw, then press Triangle for heavy melee. Can one-hit kill humans on lower difficulties.

Molotov + Smoke Bomb: Smoke obscures vision; throw molotov for area denial.

Chessed up melee: In Part II, when a melee weapon is about to break, the final hit does extra damage.

Part II Exclusive Combos

Dodge + Attack: Dodge an enemy swing, then immediately press Square for a counter-attack (uses stamina).

Prone Stealth Kill: From grass, press Triangle while hidden to grab and kill silently – uses no ammo.

Explosive Arrow: If crafting tree is upgraded, Ellie can craft explosive arrows for the bow (craft from rag + binding + gunpowder + canister).

Recommended Builds

Stealth Focus (Both Parts)

Part I: Prioritize Listening Mode Distance and Shiv Master. Use shivs on doors for resources. Upgrade health moderately.

Part II: Max Stealth tree first (prone speed, steal kill, crouched speed). Supplement with Crafting Efficiency to save resources.

Combat All-rounder

Part I: Health > Weapon Sway > Crafting Speed. Use pills on all categories evenly.

Part II: Max Survival health, then Crafting (especially recipe unlock). Use ammo and melee often.

Resource Conservation (Grounded)

Part I: Max Health and Listening Mode only. Ignore crafting/healing speed – wait out animations.

Part II: Crafting Efficiency and recipe unlock. Avoid health upgrades until late – you can’t heal much anyway.

Skill Upgrade Tips

Part I: Pills are limited; you cannot max all skills in one playthrough. Focus on health and listening mode for a first run. Shiv Master is mandatory for doors.

Part II: Supplements are plentiful, especially on lower difficulties. Play through all areas thoroughly to max all three trees. Abby’s skill trees are separate from Ellie’s, so farm supplements in both campaigns.

Missable Skills: In Part II, the More Crafting Recipes skill (Ellie) is essential for explosive arrows – get it early. Abby’s Mark Enemies is useful for sniper sections.

No Cooldowns: Skills are passive; special moves require resources (bricks, bottles, shivs, ammo). Use wisely.

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Conclusion

Mastering character skills in The Last of Us is key to survival. Whether you prefer a stealthy ghost approach or a heavy-handed brawler, prioritize upgrades that match your playstyle. Remember that supplements are finite, so plan your build accordingly. Use the special moves (dodge, prone, shiv door) to gain tactical advantages. For further details, refer to the Game Settings and Game Tips sections of this guide.

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End of Character Skills Guide