The Last of Us: The 5 types of infected in the series

Not all infected are the same

If you're anything like us then you will have spent the last few weeks utterly obsessed with HBO's The Last of Us, and yes we did cry watching episode three.

The TV drama is inspired by the video game of the same name, and is set in 2023, 20 years after a global pandemic in which a fungus called cordyceps mutated, causing the majority of the population to become infected. It follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) as he attempts to transport teenage Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across the country to safety, as she is immune from the fungus and will hopefully be the key in establishing a vaccine.

Throughout their perilous journey they encounter many different types of infected individuals who are basically like zombies. Except, unlike traditional zombies (yes it's a thing, go with it) there are different types of infected.

So what are the different types of zombies in The Last of Us? And how does the fungus mutation even work? This is everything you need to know.

Before we get into the types of zombies in The Last of Us we need to establish how they become infected in the first place.

As seen in episode two of the series there is a sudden outbreak of the fungus called cordyceps. Cordyceps is a fungus in real life, but it takes over insects' bodies, mainly ants, rather than people.

In the series it mutates and takes over human bodies after getting into the food supply in items such as flour, which Joel explains in episode three.

When the fungus takes over the human body it grows mycelium in the brain cells and destroys all the other brain cells. This causes the human to lose their memories and quickly become insane, with their only goal becoming to spread their spores. Eventually the fungus will take over the body completely and grow tendrils out of the body to spread spores.

Depending on how long the cordyceps has been present in the body determines the type of zombie.

Runners is the first stage of what happens after someone is infected, and happens within two days of infection taking place, either when someone is bit or infected another way, such as through the food supply. They are the weakest form of the cordyceps mutation.

They have intense speed and will often attack the living in hordes. Their eyes look glossy and they move in a way that seems quite animalistic. They're called runners because they can run very fast as they still have the use of their human muscles.

The next stage of infected people are stalkers, which happens anywhere between two weeks and a year of being initially infected.

They won't attack directly and instead like their name suggests, they stalk their prey. They lurk in the shadows and attack at prime moments.

Clickers are the third stage in becoming infected and this takes place after at least a year of being infected.

The fungus has now completely taken over their body, causing them to become blind but enhancing their sense of sound.

If you've seen episode two of The Last of Us you will be familiar with the haunting clicking sound they make, which is used as a type of echolocation in order to hunt out their prey. The fungus has also made them physically very strong at this point, so basically you definitely don't want to run into one.

Next up is the bloaters stage which takes place after several years of being infected. As their name suggests they look very bloated and large as the fungus has completely taken over their body, causing them to swell.

They're physically very strongly, and rather grossly, they can tear pieces of their body off and throw them at attackers causing more of their spores to spread. Their size means its hard to kill them with bullets, and instead fire is the best method of attack.

Shamblers share the same timeline as bloaters, the key difference is they tend to live near water. They're not as strong as bloaters physically, but they can expel spore clouds from their bodies causing acidic burns on their enemies.

When killed they will release a final burst of cordyceps into the air.

BTW this is sort of a spoiler. In The Last of Us II video game the fifth and final stage of the cordyceps mutation is explained - the Rat King.

The Rat King mutation is what happens after 20 years of being infected does to a person. The cordyceps fuses multiple infected together to create one giant mega-boss.

They are extremely rare, with the Rat King forming after multiple patients with the infection were kept in quarantine and never allowed to leave.

Though they're extremely rare, they're basically impossible to kill and you're going to need a bomb to take one down.

Lets' hope Joel and Ellie don't encounter one of these for a long time.

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