The Last of Us Part 3: Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broke

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In The Last of Us, the playable characters have been equipped with imaginative and adaptive survival kits. For instance, due to Bill’s booby-trapped town in Lincoln, Massachusetts, players learn about nail bombs. Players must be cautious of their surroundings, avoiding tripwires that are often hidden among bricks and bottles that can be picked up and thrown to detonate them. Although it may not seem so, bricks and bottles play a significant role in the game series, arguably more so than Joel’s revolver or Ellie’s bow, which are synonymous with The Last of Us.

As a passionate fan, I can attest that Molotovs in The Last of Us series are seldom wasted when managing a horde of infected, but there will inevitably be instances where players lack the essential resources to concoct one. Similarly, relying on unarmed combat as Joel or Abby isn’t usually recommended due to the rapid onset of being overrun by enemies. However, if players find themselves in a pinch, a handy brick or bottle can certainly come in handy. Interestingly, The Last of Us Part 2 introduced stun bombs (enhanced with additives to transform into an improved version of Part 1’s smoke bombs), which serve as a testament to the resourcefulness of bricks and bottles within this series.

The Last of Us Part 1’s Bricks are a Clicker’s Worst Nightmare

In The Last of Us Part 1, bricks serve as a versatile and crucial resource, particularly on higher difficulty levels, as they allow you to execute a lethal three-hit combo against clickers. Unlike bottles, which are primarily used for distractions or temporarily stunning enemies, bricks function both as potent melee weapons and throwables. They’re also useful if players aim to conserve shivs for opening all the shiv doors in the game. This, in turn, helps maintain the durability of reinforced melee weapons. In essence, bricks are an effective tool with multiple uses in the game.

In the winter season of “The Last of Us” and during its Left Behind DLC, this strategy is no longer applicable because Ellie can quickly dispatch Clickers using stealth and her switchblade.

In the first part of this game, I found myself often overlooking those handy smoke bombs unless I was engaged in a fierce battle and had to hurl everything from the kitchen sink at my enemies. It’s interesting to note that in Part 2, it seems almost humorous that as a player, I don’t feel the need to prioritize smoke bombs in my crafting arsenal, as long as I have some extra bricks or bottles on hand.

The Last of Us Part 2 Juggles Stun Items Redundantly

Unfortunately, in The Last of Us Part 2, bricks have been weakened significantly. Now, they’re not much more powerful than a simple bottle, making them essentially identical versions of each other. This is evident because you can no longer exchange bricks for bottles and vice versa, as was possible in the first part. This change might be due to a focus on using stun/smoke bombs more prominently in combat.

In contrast to their forgettable role in the story campaigns of The Last of Us, stun bombs prove to be incredibly efficient and essential in Part 2’s roguelike mode, No Return. This is because bricks and bottles are rarely available during encounters, making craftable stun bombs a lifesaver when you find yourself cornered during Assault, Holdout, or Hunted missions. They become even more valuable during boss encounters like the Seraphite Elite.

Instead of using stun or smoke bombs, Abby’s inventory swaps them out for explosive pipe bombs, enhancing her aggressive style. Notably, Abby’s gameplay strategy leans more towards Joel’s from the first part, including the ability to craft shivs that she can use to escape grapples if players opt not to repeatedly press square, thus preserving health. Therefore, it could be logical for bricks to possess the same strength they did in the first game, particularly when Abby is using them.

In my opinion, instead of just having stun bombs available, the game could also offer smoke bombs as part of the craftable arsenal. The smoke bomb would create a smokescreen, which could have made more sense for Abby, given her association with the WLF militia, to carry them rather than relying on bricks and bottles as much as Ellie might while out on patrol. However, I believe that in The Last of Us Part 3, they should uphold and value the significance of improvised weapons like bricks and bottles by not overly pushing other stun tools into players’ inventories unnecessarily.

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2025-04-22 14:34