The Last of Us Part II is getting its first major post-launch update that adds a challenging "Grounded" difficulty and a permadeath mode. The update is set to release on Thursday, August 13.
On the default difficulty, The Last of Us Part II isn't necessarily a difficult game. If you play The Last of Us Part II smartly, finishing on the default difficulty will not be, well, difficult. However, there is also a good number of people who love to test their limits, and the upcoming Grounded difficulty will give them another reason to play the tale.
The Grounded difficulty makes enemies deadlier, and ammo and crafting materials become "incredibly scarce." Additionally, certain gameplay assistance elements like the Listen Mode and certain HUD elements will be disabled. After the patch has been released, you will be able to select the Grounded difficulty from the start of the game, without the need for a New Game+.
If that doesn't sound scary enough, the update is also adding a permadeath feature. The feature is exactly what it sounds like, you will have to complete the game without dying. However, Naughty Dog was also kind enough to allow fans to play specific chapters on permadeath mode. This feature will allow players to unlock a Platinum Trophy for The Last of Us Part II, but you will still miss out on two new Trophies for permadeath and Grounded modes.
In addition to the new difficulty modes, the upcoming update will also add a bunch of visual, audio, and gameplay modifiers. Some of these modifiers will allow you to experience the game with pixelated filters, a mirror mode, and much more. Moreover, the update is also adding some highly requested features like the ability to disable Listen Mode manually and adjusting film grain. The list doesn't end there, as Naughty Dog has also taken the speedrunner community into account. After the update, save files will display up-to-the-second playtime counters.
