New Maps and Characters Coming for The Last of Us Part II’s No Return Mode

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As a gamer, I might put it like this: Although The Last of Us Part II didn’t deliver its multiplayer experience, Naughty Dog still came through with something fresh – the roguelike No Return mode. In this mode, you face off against distinct waves of enemies, embodying various characters from the main game, offering a unique gaming twist.

As the computer version of The Last of Us Part II approaches, Naughty Dog has disclosed that they’re offering more than just cosmetic items in the No Man’s Land mode.

New Maps and Characters

According to an announcement on the official Naughty Dog blog, we can expect to see fresh maps and characters added to the No Man’s Land game mode. Here’s the original post: [Link to the blog post]

Initially examining the maps, it appears that four new ones have been included. These additional maps are confirmed to be settings from the primary game, specifically:

1. Location A
2. Location B
3. Location C
4. Location D

  • Overlook – Set high above the city of Seattle. Players have an encounter with the Seraphites in this location, and it features a lot of verticality.
  • School – A location from Ellie’s part of the story. She and Dina take on the WLF in this location.
  • Streets – One of the overgrown locations located in the Seattle neighborhood of Hillcrest.
  • Nest – A location from Abby’s part of the story where she walks into a building filled with infected.

Regarding the fresh characters, they aren’t present in Part II, yet they play crucial roles in Part I. It is possible that they were carried over from the recent remaster of the initial game.

Bill, the lone survivor from the initial game, resides in a self-fortified town filled with various traps. In the sequel, No Return, Bill is portrayed as having a Smuggler playstyle, allowing him to obtain unique pump-action shotguns from hidden stashes. Additionally, he gains double rewards from these discoveries. Bill excels at handling close combat, but his bulk makes evading attacks challenging for him.

Regarding Marlene, we initially meet her as Ellie’s guardian in the initial game, a confidante of Ellie’s mother. She is part of the Fireflies group, tragically meeting her demise by the conclusion of Part I. Marlene’s gaming style is labeled “Risk Taker,” granting her a unique custom assault rifle. Moreover, she can re-route her No Return path during a single playthrough, and she also arrives with multiple All or Nothing strategies.

Part III Not Happening?

It seems that as Naughty Dog is gearing up for the release of their new project, Intergalactic, game director Neil Druckmann has suggested there might not be a third installment of The Last of Us in the near future.

While this development might disappoint fans, it appears that the creators of the HBO series have a clear vision for where they want the characters to go, including Ellie. If her story doesn’t unfold in a game, readers can rest assured that her narrative will reach its conclusion within the series. Here’s hoping that Druckmann and showrunner Craig Mazin successfully wrap up the story when it comes time.

Additionally, Druckmann has mentioned previously that he has concepts for a potential third installment, but it may be some time before he returns to that franchise, assuming the release of Heretic Prophet is successful.

It’s anticipated that an upgrade, available at no cost, for The Last of Us Part II Remastered will be released on April 3, compatible with both PlayStation 5 and personal computer systems.

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2025-03-25 13:42