In The Last of Us, melee combat plays a crucial role in the game’s overall strategy, allowing players to engage with enemies in various ways. The game’s mechanics are designed to reward stealth and resource conservation, making melee attacks a vital part of survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Here’s a detailed overview of how these melee attacks and executions work:

Melee Attack Mechanics

1. Stealth Melee Kills:
– Execution: Players can sneak up behind enemies by utilizing stealth. Once close enough, press the Triangle button to grab the enemy. After grabbing, players have two options to execute stealth kills:
– Using a Shiv: For an instant kill, players can use a Shiv by pressing Triangle again, which is silent and ideal for eliminating enemies without drawing attention.
– Strangulation: For Runners (infected enemies), the player can choose to strangle them by pressing Square, allowing for a noiseless takedown.

2. Specific Targeting of Runners:
– Strangling Runners: This technique is exclusive to Runners. Approach quietly, grab with Triangle, and then press Square to strangle them, ensuring a stealthy elimination.

3. Environmental Weapons:
– Using Bricks or Bottles: Players can equipped environmental items like bricks and bottles to attack enemies. The attack button (often R2) allows players to strike foes, which can be particularly effective against multiple attackers. For Clickers, players should aim to smash them three times directly for a lethal takedown.

4. Instant Kill Scenario:
– If an enemy detects the player while attempting a stealth grab, Joel can perform a rapid execution by throwing them down and stomping their head, resulting in an instant kill, albeit at the cost of alerting nearby enemies.

5. Wall Combos:
– When engaged in melee near walls, players can execute maneuvers that corner enemies, culminating in powerful and swift finishers effective against both Runners and Marauders (human enemies).

6. Direct Combat:
– Players can engage in light and heavy melee attacks outside stealth. These are critical in direct confrontations, often used in combination with dodges to evade attacks and create openings for counterattacks and finishers.

7. Execution and Finisher Animations:
– When enemies are sufficiently weakened, pressing Triangle or responding to context-sensitive prompts allows players to trigger brutal melee executions, like head stomps or throat slitting, effectively finishing off the enemies.

Additional Combat Tactics

– Upgrades: Improving melee efficiency through crafting speed and damage upgrades is beneficial as it maximizes resource use.

– Crowd Control: Utilizing items like Molotov cocktails can soften larger groups before engaging them with melee tactics, optimizing the approach to combat.

– Mobility: Maintaining agility through dodging is essential in fights against aggressive enemies. This helps in setting up melee attacks while avoiding damage.

– Resource Conservation: By leveraging stealth kills or environmental weapons, players can save valuable ammunition and manage resources effectively.

Summary

In The Last of Us, melee combat encompasses a rich array of stealth techniques, environmental interactions, and direct combat strategies. With key actions tied to the Triangle and Square buttons, players can execute stealth grabs, environmental attacks, and brutal finishers. This diverse combat system encourages players to be strategic, emphasizing resource management and adaptability in a harsh, survival-driven narrative.