The Last of Us Part I guide: How to upgrade weapons and best combat tips

The Last of Us Part I is a remake of the original game, which tells the story of Joel and Ellie, two survivors in a zombie-infested world, as they make their way across the United States. The game brings the original title to the same level as The Last of Us Part II, featuring revised gameplay and controls, enhanced visuals, combat, and exploration.

As a third-person action-adventure title, The Last of Us Part I includes the use of various weapons in combat encounters with zombies and humans alike. You’ll need to be on your toes to escape these situations with your life, and don’t want to see Ellie or Joel brutally murdered.

Thankfully, Naughty Dog's game provides players with a wide variety of weapons they can take along with them on their journey and various workbenches, where they can spend upgrade materials to enhance different weapons. And you’ll want all the upgrades you can find to make life easier in The Last of Us Part I.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

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How to upgrade weapons in The Last of Us Part I

Of workbenches, tools, and parts

There are three main things you will require to upgrade weapons in The Last of Us Part I. The first is a workbench, which is where the option to upgrade items is given to the player. These are scattered about the game world, the first of which is found during The Outskirts chapter, inside the Museum.

The second component is tools, an item that is in limited supply and can only be collected in certain parts of the game. Collecting these increases the tool level of the player, meaning that you can upgrade more weapons as your tool level increases. A total of five tools can be collected in the game, with the first being available in Bill’s Town.

The final ingredient required for upgrading weapons is parts. These are small gears, nuts, and bolts that can be scavenged from the game world. Parts are generated randomly and the best way to find as many as possible is to explore each level thoroughly, searching every nook and cranny for goodies.

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The ideal upgrades

It is worth keeping in mind that throughout one playthrough of The Last of Us Part I, every weapon cannot be fully upgraded with the number of parts available in the game. Thus, prioritizing the upgrades is of utmost importance, with a few being critical to increasing the effectiveness of each weapon.

Below is a list of all the firearms in the game along with the upgrades that you should focus on to make the most out of each:

Weapon	Upgrade
9mm Pistol	capacity upgrade
Revolver	reload speed upgrade and fire rate upgrade
Shorty	capacity upgrade
El Diablo	spread upgrade
Hunting Rifle	scope upgrade and armor-piercing upgrade
Shotgun	range upgrade, recoil upgrade, and capacity upgrade
Bow	range upgrade
Flamethrower	range upgrade and power upgrade

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Tips and tricks for combat in The Last of Us Part I

The finest of weapons

Straight off the bat, one of the first and most important upgrades you’ll want to have is the holster upgrade. This lets Ellie and Joel have more weapons in the quick slots, which enables you to switch between weapons faster. This is quite a helpful upgrade as quickly switching between different weapons becomes crucial to surviving an attack at certain points.

Onto the firearms, let’s take a look at the pistols first, even though they are termed secondary weapons in The Last of Us Part I. If it’s the 9mm Pistol you’re thinking of using, then you should invest in the capacity upgrade, which improves the ammo capacity and thereby greatly increases its effectiveness.

For the Revolver, it's best to upgrade the reload speed and the fire rate, as this is a weapon you’ll be using quite a lot. The Shorty is basically a handheld miniature shotgun, so you should increase its bullet spread, and for the El Diablo, the best option is to increase its maximum capacity.

Joel fixing up the hunting rifle (Image via Naughty Dog)

Now for the primary weapons or the long rifles in The Last of Us Part 1. When all hell breaks loose, you might find yourself relying on the Assault Rifle, and who can blame you? In this case, best upgrade the scope for the most accuracy at almost any range for short to mid-distance battles.

If you enjoy using the hunting rifle a lot, then you’re going to have to put in the work to make it one of the best weapons in the game. Upgrading the scope for better range and armor-piercing rounds to penetrate metal helmets and other hardened coverings will allow it to deal great damage from a distance.

One of the best weapons in the game is the Shotgun, so you’ll want to upgrade its range, capacity, and recoil to get the most effectiveness out of this beast. You’ll be using this one quite often, so don’t hesitate to upgrade it whenever you get a chance at a workbench.

Joel teaches Ellie to shoot (Image via Naughty Dog)

The last two special weapons in the game are the Bow and the Flamethrower. The latter is able to incinerate zombies quite easily, although it initially lacks a good range. Therefore, you’ll probably find it very useful to increase its effective range and firepower.

The Last of Us Part 1 has several stealth sections, where the bow comes in fairly handy. It can one-hit kill most enemies without armor, and the best thing you can do to improve it is to increase its range and use it from a longer distance.

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Keep your friends close and your weapons closer

And there you have it. These are the best upgrades you can employ for each weapon in The Last of Us Part I Remake. Keeping your weapons in proper condition is essential in a post-apocalyptic world, even if you have an AI companion that can perform incredible assists. With these upgrades, you’ll be able to take on most threats in the game. Just make sure to use these powers for good and not evil.