‘The Last of Us 2’ tips, tricks, spoilers: Best ways to kill Shamblers and the horrifying Rat King

Gamers have known for months before the release of “The Last of Us 2” that the sequel will introduce a new stage of the Infected called the Shamblers. However, a few weeks before the game’s launch, Naughty Dog teased that Shamblers are not the worst kind of zombie in the gameplay.

What are Shamblers and what’s its weakness

The fact that the Infected evolves has to be one of the reasons it stands out among other zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic video games. The Shamblers debuted in “The Last of Us 2” and its advanced stage into being Infected means it is a little more challenging to defeat.

It is immensely covered in pustules much more than the zombies in the first game that it serves as an armor for the Shamblers. One of its unique traits is that it does not bite its target, but if its target gets close it will release an acidic gas that will cost some health points.

Once “The Last of Us 2” players encounter Shamblers for the first time, the key advice is to keep their distance. It would also be a great help to stock up on incendiary weapons like Molotovs, mines, or pipe bombs that players can collect from their surroundings. These are the best tools to neutralize this creature.

Once its health goes drastically down, it would not hurt to shoot it in the head a couple of times to make sure it is dead. Note that as it dies, the new “The Last of Us 2” zombie will secrete one final cloud of poisonous gas that could still cause some damage to the playable character.

The Rat King: The most gruesome form of Infected in ‘The Last of Us 2’

In one of the recent, pre-launch teasers, Naughty Dog revealed that “The Last of Us 2” will introduce another new Infected that is even more horrifying than the Shamblers. People who have played the game now knows the developers were not lying about it.

The other new monster is called the Rat King, which is practically the Infected boss now and the series’ patient zero. The best tool to use against the Rat King is the flamethrower as it causes serious damage to this monster. “The Last of Us 2” players can use pipe bombs to stun this creature and then shoot it with shotgun or hunting pistol before it fully recovers.

“The Last of Us 2” players should remember to always keep their distance and stay agile. Use tight corners, walls, and physical obstacles in the area to slow down the Rat King. If it gets too close, a pipe bomb can stun it. While it is disoriented, shooting it with a shotgun or a hunting pistol will also cause damage.

As its name suggests, the Rat King is a combination of two Infected, a Bloater and a Stalker. Once its health drops to a certain level, that is when it will split into two different zombies. Players will have to fight the Bloater first as the Stalker will not attack until later. Killing these two zombies will complete a player’s encounter with the Rat King. “The Last of Us 2” is now available on PlayStation 4.