The Last of Us Part 3 Story Ideas

The Last of Us Part 3, however, has not yet been confirmed by Naughty Dog, but you don not need to have an enlightened mind to figure out that there will be a third installment to this post-apocalyptic franchise. The Last Of Us Part 2 is still one of the most popular games among players, and this should be evident enough for anyone who has this question in there mind: Will there be a Last of Us 3 ?

According to Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us Part 2 did its best to provide fan a terrific gaming experience, whilst exploring deep into the cordyceps infected America, adding some new characters with their own story arcs and motivations.

There is no doubt, that The last of Us games are some of the most beautiful looking games with some of the finest aesthetics and real looking graphics. But what makes these games stand out amongst other AAA games, is the storytelling. Where, The Last of Us ended with a little ambiguity, creating speculations in the minds of players about the storyline of a possible sequel, The Last of Us Part 2 was no different. People have already sent so many ideas about the plot for The Last of Us Part 3 to the creators of the franchise.

With enough time and effort, Sony, Druckmann, and company could truly encapsulate everything everyone loves about The Last Of Us franchise. Here are some story ideas for The Last of Us Part 3, Naughty Dog should give a read.

8. Rest of the World

In the beginning of The Last of Us Part 2, Abby and Owen discuss their journey from Seattle to Jackson. During the conversation Owen mentions travelling down to Mexico to visit Manny’s hometown. This hypothetically raises a very realistic question about the sate of other countries due to the infection, and could a different climate have different effects on the infection which could alter the behavior and evolution of the infected.

Set in a location such as Mexico, the overpopulation would mean the spread of infection would have been much higher, and a denser proportion of enemies would make for more challenging gameplay.

In the storyline, due to the new location of the Fireflies, perhaps an expedition into another country would be valid for the organisation’s survival. Not only that but if they were to join a pre-existing organisation in Mexico, they could have access to better-qualified surgeons and virologists who could finally help rid the world of the cordyceps disease.

7. Abby and Lev

At the end of the game Ellie spares Abby and Lev, from where they board a small boat and disappear into the fog. From their earlier appearance in the game’s final chapter, it is pretty evident that they were trying to find the Fireflies. However, it was never confirmed that they did find the Fireflies. Come to think of it, this could be an amazing storyline for The Last of Us Part 3.

Once you have completed the game, the menu screen gets changed from that of a rowing boat hitched to a rotten post amidst a thick fog to the same boat moored on Catalina beach. A lot of people have speculated that the place in the altered menu screen is a meeting point for wayward Fireflies which a ray of hope that Abby and Lev finally made it.

But what after that ? Post all the battles and struggles Abby and Lev go through, it couldn’t be this easy. They would have to prove themselves to the fragmented fireflies. Above that, there must be other violent groups like hunters and rattlers in different parts of California.

An episode which focuses on the reformation of the Fireflies would be a great introduction to the story’s final chapter.

6. How did Abby learn about Joel’s Location ?

One of the biggest plot holes in The Last of Us Part 2 was that Abby and the WLF already knew about Joel’s location in Jackson.

Given her past as a Firefly, it is reasonable that Abby must have some connection with the organization. Besides that, Tommy was also an ex-Firefly who may have stayed in contact with other members, which in all probability could be a reason for Abby getting to know about Joel’s location.

However, this stretched connection seems unlikely, especially after his brothers last encounter with the Fireflies, Tommy must have been cautious and would have not given away his location so easily to anyone suspicious. Tommy’s own desire for revenge gives further weight to argue against his participation in Joel’s death.

The recently deceased weed farmer, Eugene was the only former Firefly stated to be in Jackson. Dina and Ellie had also come across his old Firefly dog tags indicating his former association with the organization. Furthermore, they both also found an aged letter of the recently deceased Eugene with his wife and daughter. In the letter, Eugene’s wife, Claire, begs him not to join the Fireflies. Going by the letter it is pretty evident that he disregarded his wife’s wish and what happened to his family also remains a mystery. In the accompanying photograph, we see Eugene and Claire, and their anonymous daughter. Could Nora be his daughter ?

Another intriguing instance from this ‘quiet before the storm’ chapter of the game, Ellie writes in her journal, ‘was Eugene in touch with other Fireflies?’ This simple journal entry raise a very important question: Was Eugene the one to leak about Joel’s location in Jackson to the WLF?

If not the entire game, at least some part of The Last of Us 3 must shed some light on this.

5. Abby and Owen’s Journey to Seattle

In The Last of Us Part II, we are provided with a decent amount of backstory for Abby. Apart from her father, the game also establishes Abby’s relationship with Owen.

It is clear that after the Fireflies dissolved in Utah, many of the young recruits fled to Washington State. That is enough to figure out how Nora ended up with the WLF. However, Salt Lake City to Seattle is a distance more than 800 miles, and it wouldn’t have been easy to cover when the world is infected by deadly cordyceps.

To further add weight behind Abby’s backstory, as well as providing more of a significance to Owen’s character, an interquel could be a good route to take. However, Abby has been such a divisive character, it seems unlikely Sony would wager that much into a single game of the popular series.

However, to our surprise we could see some glimpses of such events in The Last of Us Part 3.

4. Scars

This violent group was an outstanding addition to The Last Of Us franchise. The arch rivals of WLF, Scars are more calm and collected when it comes to sniping and hunting their enemies. Their whistle communication during their patrols adds an eeriness to the game which implies that humans can be even more vicious and dangerous than the infected.

We are introduced to a a very minute detail of the background of Scars and its inception. All we know is that The Prophet saved countless lives, and died before the events of The Last of Us II. Moreover the prophet had scars on both side of her lips, which would eventually became a self-sacrificing ritual for the followers of religion.

A story exploring the creation and establishment of Scars and WLF would be great for The Last of Us 3.

3. The Seattle Civil War

When exploring Seattle, there is much information about the Civil War which occurred between the feuding WLF and Seraphites. Both groups were borne out of a lack of faith in FEDRA responses to the outbreak, and both tribes believe that their methods of saving humanity are superior. An entire game dedicated to the Seattle Civil War would be a great exploration into the murky morality plays within the LOU universe.

With such a clear division between camps, a Civil War game could be the answer to the franchise’s online gaming question. An online game is due to be released at some point within the next year. With the original game’s Factions MP, a focus on WLF and Seraphites could re-introduce this mode. But as a standalone game, it could be much more expansive into the origins, similarities, and of course, differences between the two warring tribes of Seattle.

Focusing on these two units, players could learn tactics unique to each respective camp, and competitively have their ethics questioned.

2. Ellie altering to life in Jackson

One of the greatest accomplishments of The Last Of Us franchise is its ability to provide breadth to its backstory. Through journal entries and lost letters, players can spend much time trying to get a deeper understanding of what happened to individuals, as well as how other larger events unfolded.

One way of further padding out this backstory would be to have specific episodic interquels realised before one final chapter of the game.

Utilising the flashback feature, players could live out Ellie’s transition to life in Jackson. As she establishes friendships with characters such as Dina, Jesse, and Cat, Ellie also has to navigate through her deteriorating relationship with Joel and her burning desire to know the truth behind the events of Salt Lake City.

In the background, players can witness the evolution of Jackson from its small dam fortifications in the first game to its vibrant cityscape as seen in the introduction of Part II.

Jesse and Dina can be more fleshed out, and the players could be given more reasons to see their significance in Ellie’s life. Also, witnessing the relationship between Ellie and Cat could further expand upon Ellie’s coming out to Joel and the wider community, as well as their reactions to it.

1. Joel’s Previous Life

While it can be argued that another The Last Of Us game focusing on Joel would cheapen his death at the beginning of Part II, there are still parts of his story which would make for engrossing player experience. For the fan service, a game with more of a focus on Joel’s descent into becoming totally hopeless following the aftermath of Sarah’s death would further flesh out the character.

A game would also give more weight behind some characters from the first game. For example, in the brief time players are with Tess, she shines as a strong character, but further backstory would illustrate her effects on Joel, and whether he would have had redemption without the aid of Ellie.

This story arc has been given much speculation through various fan fictions over the past few years, but none as rich as The Last Of Us: Dirt, written by a fan called Astern. Dirt covers Tommy and Joel’s journey from overrun QZs in Texas to joining a band of vigilantes led by a former Judge to finally parting ways once the Fireflies have become more established.

An entire game dedicated to the hopelessness of the world in the aftermath of the cordyceps outbreak, as well as the dissolution of Joel and Tommy’s fraternity, could add so much scope to the background of the franchise we all love.