Every Infected in HBO's The Last of Us series, ranked by threat level

Based on the popular video game franchise, The Last of Us, is created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for television and has garnered massive critical and commercial acclaim for its performances, direction, visuals, and for its faithful adaptation of the video game.

The show is set in a future where a fungal infection has turned into a pandemic and ravaged human society, turning people into zombie-like creatures. However, there are various degrees to this conversion and the list below aims to rank all the various degrees of “infected”, by their threat level, from least to most dangerous.

As the show’s protagonists, Ellie and Joel traverse across the wasteland, they encounter monsters in varying degrees of decay. Therefore, here is a list of all the infected in The Last of Us.

Enjoy Apple TV+'s thought provoking new show HERE

Clickers, Rat King, and other infected in The Last of Us, ranked by their threat level

1) Runners

Still from the show (Image via Amazon Prime Video)

Runners are the least dangerous type of infected zombies in The Last of Us and while they can be taken down with weapons, they are still dangerous. As their name suggests, they have a habit of running quickly towards their victims and can therefore both see and hear well.

They are still in the beginner stages of the parasitic fungus and therefore resemble humans to some degree. To overpower them, it is important that people use stealth because they attack swiftly and aggressively. Once a lot of them congregate a place, it is difficult to kill them but if there are a few, simple weapons can do the job.

2) Stalkers

Stalkers are the next when it comes to the severity of the infected in The Last of Us. These zombies have mutated more than the runners and are different in the sense that they don’t run towards their target, but stay low and hidden behind corners and large objects so that they can jump from their hiding spot when least expected and attack.

They are therefore creepier and people need to be highly alert around them because while humans cannot see them, they definitely can. While they like to stay in packs, they can be easily killed like the runners if encountered. Further, they walk on all fours, which highlights that the parasitic side is now overtaking the human.

3) Clickers

Clickers are the next stage in the infected ladder in The Last of Us. The most prominent part of these things is that the fungus has now grown over the brain and has therefore made the human faces completely grotesque and gory. This has also. Made them blind but it is not an advantage for humans as they have now developed a high sense of hearing.

Therefore, one needs to walk slowly and quietly to avoid them and always be stealthy around them. The best way to kill clickers is by fire or by firing a few shots at their head. These creatures can kill dangerously fast and therefore, it is best to avoid them directly.

4) Shamblers

Shamblers are one of the most challenging stages in the infected to defeat. The Last of Us highlights that these creatures not only look grotesque and bulbous, but they are also deceptively fast. They start slowly but can quickly dart across the room like clickers. Even though they are overweight, they are dangerous.

One of their highlights is that when they are hit, they spray a toxic acid, which makes them even more dangerous to tackle with. Using a fire via a Molotov cocktail is a good way of disengaging them because close range weapons would not do anything and only injure the humans.

5) Bloaters

Bloaters are that stage in the infected in The Last of Us, when the zombies have infection spread all across their body and not just the head. They truly look like a gory monster and while they move slowly, they are still dangerous. Physically strong, they also use sacks of toxic spores to cause eyesight damage to any human who tries to overpower them, which gives them the chance to get close and attack.

Therefore, these bloaters are extremely durable and heavy weapons or fire is the only method of taking these things out. Close range weapons or small guns would do nothing and it is best to use a gun only when they have been weakened by other means first. Always maintain distance from them.

6) Rat King

Rat King is the final stage in the infected progression in The Last of Us and are the most horrifying looking creature. They look like an amalgamation of multiple infected creatures and have a main body from which stragglers keep splitting off. The gory mutation signifies the worst of the Cordyceps virus and reportedly takes 25 years to develop, becoming an amalgamation of all the different infected types.

Durable and challenging to overcome, they spew acidic gas much faster than shamblers and one of the most difficult parts of destroying them is that even when it gets damaged, the individual part breaks from the main body and can rush off to attack. These creatures therefore require immense patience and skill to defeat.

Viewers are welcome to go through the list and check out the various infected creatures in The Last of Us.

About the author

Deeya Aakriti Haque is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda. She has been writing for over 2 years in the field of entertainment. Previously, she was associated with Vistara's in-flight magazine and covered various topics including lifestyle, pop culture, literature, beauty, and more.

She holds a Bachelor’s in English Honors from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a Master’s in English from Delhi University. Deeya sets herself apart as a pop culture writer through her in-depth research and unique perspective, often including intriguing pop trivia in her articles.

She admires the actress Jodie Foster for her acting prowess, perseverance, and elegance. Apart from not being busy writing about the latest trends, Deeya loves watching movies, particularly horror and psychological thrillers, and listening to classic 80s American music.

Know More

Edited by Deeya Aakriti Haque