Best Weapons in The Last of Us Part II: No Return

One of the best parts about The Last of Us Part II Remastered is the new roguelike mode: No Return. It has players unlocking previously unplayable characters, including Ellie and Joel, of course, and charging into battle. You’ll fight in gruesome encounters, building up to a final boss showdown. Given you only have one life, die, and you’re hurdled back to the start, it can get pretty challenging to come out of No Return a champion. Worry not, though. These weapons in The Last of Us Part II: No Return should give you the best fighting chance to see the mission through to the end.

5. Hunting Pistol

The Hunting Pistol packs considerable power. Standard enemies are no match for it. Meanwhile, stronger enemies and bosses, too, take significant damage from the pistol. Keep in mind, though, that the Hunting Pistol only fires one shot at a time. It can quickly become overwhelming for you when facing swarms of enemies. 

However, if you perfect your shots, you can make each shot count toward victory. Also, you can try to keep some distance between yourself and enemies to give you room to breathe and reload. In any case, the Hunting Pistol proves its worth, especially against non-base foes like shamblers and clickers. It’s also an excellent alternative for conserving ammo for long arms later, when the difficulty spikes. 

Since the Hunting Pistol shows up quite often in the Trading Post, you want to scoop it up the first chance you get. To make the most of the Hunting Pistol, though, be sure to upgrade its damage stat. It’ll ensure you dish out as much damage as possible. Afterwards, you can upgrade its stability to take more accurate shots per round.

4. Bow

No Return will have you on the stealthy or guns-blazing side. If you feel more inclined toward the former, then you might want to scoop up the bow any chance you get. It might take a while, though, with the bow seeming scarce at the Trading Post. Once you’ve equipped it, though, you’ll want to jump at the opportunity to fire arrows that destroy enemies without making a sound.

Onward, you’ll be able to craft arrows that explode on impact. These come in pretty handy when taking down more formidable enemies and bosses, too. Keep in mind that the bow is only good at medium- to long-range. You’ll want to remain hidden as you approach enemies and hone your stealth skills to perfection. 

The bow performs like a sniper, thinning the herd from a distance. In cases where enemies swarm on you, feel free to upgrade the draw speed for faster arrow release. You can also upgrade stability, allowing you to take more accurate, precise shots. In any case, No Return will constantly push you into close-quarters melee combat. Here’s where the double-barrel shotgun comes in.

3. Double-Barrel Shotgun

Despite how reliable and robust the Hunting Pistol is, it hardly lives up to its praise in close-quarters combat. Shotguns alone prove efficient when enemies close in on you. You should have no trouble scooping up the Double-Barrel Shotgun at the Trading Post. Mainly because a significant chunk of the encounters in No Return require melee combat, and no other weapon proves up to the task than the Double-Barrel Shotgun. 

It’s relatively straightforward to adapt, with power built into its belly to boot. Firing the Double-Barrel Shotgun at enemies inflicts significant damage. It proves perfect for crowd control, thinning the herd in quick succession and causing devastating damage. Meanwhile, the Double-Barrel Shotgun comes in handy when destroying more powerful enemies and bosses. You can use it on the Bloaters and Seraphite menaces without a sweat. 

Feel free to upgrade its reload speed for even faster destruction of enemies that overwhelm you. Plus, you can always max out its power by upgrading its damage stat, which is sure to leave a significant dent in the final boss’s health.

2. Bolt-Action Rifle

Unlike the bow that can sometimes be scarce at the Trading Post, the Bolt-Action Rifle is relatively easier to scoop up. Once equipped, it allows you to inflict high-damage shots at enemies from afar. It’s incredibly accurate; you’ll hardly miss a target. 

Still, No Return tends to string together melee combat encounters that can grow pretty intense. In that case, you’ll want to switch to the shotgun or pistol as soon as you can. However, if you’re confident in your shots, you can stick with the rifle and wean off enemies before they have the chance to close the gap on you.

Feel free to upgrade the bolt-action rifle, prioritizing stability to take steady, more accurate shots. You can also upgrade damage to ensure enemies go down in one headshot, and bosses, too, feel your wrath.

1. Fully-Kitted Weapon

Sometimes, you’ll find a fully-kitted (or maxed-out) weapon at the Trading Post. Alternatively, you can pick one up as an enemy dead drop. Either way, a fully-kitted weapon, regardless of the type, excels above all else. It’s considerably more powerful, packing the highest damage, stability, reload speed, durability,  and more. Sure, you may need to experiment with them to sync with your playstyle. Some fully-kitted weapons also prove excellent against specific enemies and at specific times in your run-through. 

Any weapon at its basic level hardly compares. In fact, you want to always fully upgrade any weapon you have, fully maxing out its potential. Still, any fully-kitted weapon significantly smooths over your playthrough. You only need to find the perfect strategy to apply them. It can make all the difference in finally defeating that one frustrating enemy, a difficult challenge you can’t seem to get past, or even making it through to the end of No Return.

So, what’s your take? Do you agree with our best weapons in The Last of Us Part II: No Return? Are there more weapons we should know about? Let us know over on our socials here.