The Last of Us season 2 has arrived, returning us to a world taken over by a fungal infection known as cordyceps that has swept the globe, leaving millions dead and changing everything for those who survive it.
The cordyceps infection is caused by a fungus that takes over people’s brains, turning them into mindless killing machines. While most people who get infected become «runners,» there are those who mutate further. In Season 1, we met one of the variants, «clickers,» who hunt by sound and are extremely dangerous.
Clickers aren’t the only variant hiding out in the wastes of the world. In the first episodes of season 2, we’ve already been introduced to two more variants, and there may be more on the way. Let’s take a look at the variants Ellie and her friends have run into so far.
Spoiler warning: If you haven’t caught up on season 2 yet, there are spoilers about new types of infected variants outside the walls. Consider this your last chance to turn back if you haven’t caught up. There are spoilers below.
Runners
Runners are the most common type of infected in The Last of Us. They show what happens to most humans who fall prey to the cordyceps fungus. These people are driven only by their need to attack others and are controlled entirely by the infection.
Clickers
The first variant of infected we see in The Last of Us are called clickers. They have existed with the cordyceps brain infection for a prolonged time, before mutating into something much more dangerous.
Clickers have lost their vision due to the mutations from the virus and instead hunt by sound. They’re fairly easy to spot in a horde, thanks to the way the fungus changes the shape of their face, with a variety of fungal growth on their skull. Clickers are the most common variant of infected, moving faster and being much more deadly than the recently infected.
Stalkers
While most infected tend to run directly at any human they spot, that’s not true across the board. Stalkers were the first new variant of infected to be introduced in season 2 of The Last of Us, and they don’t mindlessly run at people. Instead, they actively stalk victims, using the environment to their advantage.
Stalkers make their first on-screen appearance in the first episode of season 2, when Ellie finds one while clearing an old building with Dina. It’s easy to see how dangerous this particular variant is, especially when one manages to trick Ellie and take a bite out of her. For any other survivor, that would have been a death sentence — only Ellie’s immunity allows her to survive without turning into an infected herself.
Bloaters
The third variant we’ve encountered in season 2 is by far the most deadly and is known as a bloater. Bloaters are one of the rarest types of infected because the host must be strong enough to survive as the infection fundamentally changes them. These infected are gigantic — strong enough to break through walls — and are extremely difficult to take down.
The first bloater to be seen in season 2 appears during the massive attack on Jackson. It’s clear how dangerous bloaters can be after one fully breaks through the walls of the city and nearly kills Tommy.
The fungal infection gives them a degree of armor, which is why getting hit with multiple gunshots only seemed to make it angry. It’s only when Tommy goes one-on-one using a flamethrower that he’s able to survive its assault (and even then, it’s a close call).
The appearance of Stalkers in season 2 raises the question, «What else is out there?» Neither Ellie nor the other survivors have any clue if there are more variants out in the world beyond their walls, or what else might be waiting for them. You’ll have to watch and experience it with Ellie and her friends to find out.
