Ah, are you claiming to actually run permadeath in The Last of Us Part II? A clip that has just come out promises to show that the Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic magnum opus can be downright merciless, especially on hard mode with permadeath activated. And the ending was something far from pretty.
The clip uploaded on Dexerto features a player guiding Ellie through what looks like a perfectly fine thirty-seven-minute run all to see everything come crashing (literally) down there with a slight blunder. Nothing with the infected, nothing grandiose, just… falling down some lovely stairs. That message flashes across the screen: “PERMANENT DEATH FAILURE,” and suddenly all your hours of progress are just ruins. Poof.
The commentators made for a horrified and amused mix, with some joking about the “toxic trait” of never restarting because the game contradicts you every single time, like Pro6lema. Others, such as Phrieksho, were telling their own nightmare tales of losing hardcore runs in Remnant 2 because of some dumb vault mechanic. Poor Pigeon was about to hit the sack but now is too traumatized to really keep their eyes shut.
Anyway, the enormous pain comes from the fact that permadeath in TLOU2 isn’t just about pressing “Reload Checkpoint.” In fact, it wipes you clean. And then, playing on Grounded difficulty? Forget listen mode, forget abundant supplies—you are really raw-dogging the apocalypse. One wrong move, and Ellie’s journey is all over.
While some players go for the full punishment, most shiver at the mere thought. CtrlAltDwayne even joked about hallucinating himself to death after eating bad can peaches (really, that sounds like a very TLOU kinda way to go). Meanwhile, John_Skult commented ironically that while Ellie survived hit-by-Clicker-bites, she died by a mere short drop.
And thus ended the debate: Is it worth it? Vitroz called it all “garbage,” while others, like AyDawgBlitler, compared it with the frustration of missing a prime gap in a skateboarding game. Yet for those who feed on it, this is the apex of the gaming experience—the ultimate test for skill, patience, and emotional endurance.
Whatever the case may be, The Last of Us Part II has probably always been divided on whether it has to do with the story, difficulty, or level of sheer, almost unfair brutality. Yet moments like these remind us why players keep coming back. It’s not just about survival; it’s about how you survive. And sometimes how you fail.
So, if a permadeath run is yours, better stay away from ledges. Just sayin’.
