Weapons - The Last of Us Part 1 Guide - IGN (2024)

Throughout Joel and Ellie's story in The Last of Us Part 1, you'll come across a range of weapons. These are separated into four categories: Sidearm, Longarm, Melee and Projectile. With a fully upgraded holster, you'll be able to instantly switch between two sidearms and two longarms at a time, with the option to swap out which of your guns fill each slot.

Meanwhile, you can quick-switch between each of the projectiles you own and hold a single melee weapon at a time. Below, we'll run through all the weapons and the upgrade options you'll have for each. To jump to a specific weapon, use the links below:

Pistol

The9mm Pistol is the first gun found in the game. Joel acquires it at the beginning of the Beyond The Wall segment of The Quarantine Zone chapter. It fills a sidearm slot.

The pistol is one of the most commonly used guns in the game, with ammo readily available on the normal difficulty level. It does less damage than other guns but can fire frequently.

List of Upgrades

Revolver

The Revolver is acquired during the Downtown segment of The Outskirts chapter. After escaping the clicker, Joel will find the revolver beside a corpse. It fills a sidearm slot.

The Revolver is more powerful than the standard pistol, dealing higher damage. However, it holds less ammo and can be trickier to handle, swaying more than other sidearms.

List of Upgrades

Hunting Rifle

TheHunting Rifleis acquired during the Capitol Building segment of The Outskirts. It fills a Longarm slot. A powerful weapon with superb accuracy, the Hunting Rifle's only drawback is its lengthy reload animation.

When initially found, it only holds one bullet with no magazine. However, this can be upgraded at a workbench. With a scope, bigger magazine and armour-piercing bullets, the Hunting Rifle quickly becomes one of the strongest weapons in the entire game.

List of Upgrades

Bow

The Bow is acquired during The Woods segment of Bill's Town. It fills a Longarm slot. Unlike any other weapon in the game, it's silent, allowing Joel and Ellie to take down enemies without alerting their nearby allies.

The Bow is incredibly powerful, able to take down most standard enemies with a single shot. However, it's much harder to connect with than most guns, requiring you to predict the arc of the arrow and where it'll land.

List of Upgrades

Shotgun

The Shotgun is acquired during the Safehouse segment of Bill's Town. It fills a Longarm slot. As expected for a shotgun, it's loud and brutal, taking down most standard enemies in a single shot at close range.

The shotgun's weakness is its slow reload time and lack of range. It's also harder to find ammo for the shotgun, counterbalancing its ability to eviscerate enemies.

List of Upgrades

Shorty

Shorty (aka, the sawn-off shotgun) is found in the Sewers segment of The Suburbs. Fills a sidearm slot. This miniature shotgun packs a mighty punch, adding a quick-firing hand cannon to Joel's arsenal.

Shorty itself is a bit of a fixer-upper. When you first get the gun, it's powerful up close but lacks range and only holds two shells at a time. However, with a few upgrades, it can become significantly more impactful, with less spread, higher ammo capacity and less recoil.

List of Upgrades

El Diablo

El Diablo is found in the Hydroelectric Dam segment of Tommy's Dam. It fills a sidearm slot. The El Diablo is an incredibly powerful revolver that comes equipped with a scope, allowing Joel to have the power of a sniper in his back pocket.

The trade-off is that El Diablo ammo is scarce and its rate of fire is slow, meaning it's easier to land yourself in compromising situations if you miss your target.

List of Upgrades

Flame Thrower

The Flame Thrower is found in the Go Big Horns segment of The University. It fills a Longarm slot. The Flame Thrower has the ability to spray fire at targets, inflicting sustained damage to anything in range.

The drawback of the flame thrower is that it won't instantly kill a target, meaning clickers or other stronger enemies will be able to continue wading towards Joel despite being set alight.

List of Upgrades

Assault Rifle

The Assault Rifle is found during the Firefly Lab chapter at the very end of the game. It fills a longarm slot. Seeing as the Assault Rifle is found after the final workbench, it cannot be upgraded.

Although the Assault rifle is a powerful weapon, it has intense recoil, making it a tough weapon to utilise effectively. Seeing as the Fireflies all carry this gun, you should find plenty of ammo.

Molotov Cocktail

The Molotov is first added to Joel's arsenal during The Outskirts chapter. After first finding the projectile, it can then be crafted in the crafting menu. It costs one rag and one alcohol.

The Molotov will burn any enemies in the near vicinity of where it lands, quickly dispatching foes. It can be improved by finding Training Manuals.

Pipe Bomb

The Pipe Bomb is added to Joel's arsenal during the Graveyard segment of Bill's Town. They fill a Projectile slot. After Bill makes Joel a pipe bomb, they can be crafted in the crafting menu for one blade and one explosive.

Pipe Bombs are essentially standard grenades, exploding on impact and wiping out any enemies directly next to where they land. You can increase the radius and power of the Pipe Bomb by finding Training Manuals.

Smoke Bomb

Smoke Bombs are first found in the Alone and Forsaken segment of Pittsburgh. They take up a Projectile slot. Smoke bombs allow you to stun enemies, giving you the opportunity to re-enter stealth or get an easy kill.

After discovering Smoke Bombs, Joel can craft them in the crafting menu for one sugar and one explosive. The radius and stun duration of the Smoke Bomb can be upgraded using Training Manuals.

Melee Weapons

There's an array of melee weapons to be found throughout The Last of Us, with each weapon falling into either the blunt or slashing category. Blunt weapons take multiple hits to kill a target, while slashing weapons are an instant kill.

Melee weapons can also be modified in the crafting inventory. Once modified, you'll be able to land a single one-hit kill with them, which can be helpful in tougher areas. The list below reveals every melee weapon, its strengths and whether it's a blunt or slash weapon:

• 2x4- A long length of wood that can be used to attack enemies. They don't have much endurance, last around four hits. It's a blunt weapon.
• Baseball Bat - The baseball bat is a very effective weapon with better damage and durability than the two-by-four. It's a blunt weapon
• Pipe- The most durable melee weapon in the game, enduring multiple blows and dealing significant damage. It's a blunt weapon.
• Machete- The machete is a strong weapon with the ability to instantly kill any enemy (bar a bloater) that you come across. It's not particularly durable though, only lasting three hits. It's a slashing weapon.
• Hatchet- Much like the machete, the Hatchet will instantly kill enemies. However, it's far more durable, lasting around six hits. It's a slashing weapon.