Although Stalkers did feature in the original game, in The Last of Us 2, these sneaky blighters are way more common. The second step on the infected evolutionary ladder, Stalkers fall between Runners and Clickers and are perhaps more deadly than either. If you’re struggling to come out on the winning end of encounters with these enemies, keep reading our how to kill Stalkers in The Last of Us 2 guide.
Stalkers The Last of Us 2 | How to kill
Unlike other infected enemies, which mindlessly charge right for you, Stalkers can use discretion and stealth to hunt you methodically. They’re quick, nimble, intelligent, and can work together to overwhelm you given the chance. Stalkers make a distinctive croaking noise, which you’ll want to listen out for as they can be hard to spot in Listen Mode. Move slowly and check cover, as you can often spot fungal Stalker heads poking out and pick them off at distance with a well-timed headshot.
If you can, use a silenced pistol or bow so that you don’t alert any other Stalkers in the area. This way, you can keep carefully picking the others off one-by-one and not get swarmed. Generally, Stalkers won’t advance and attack if you keep them in your sights, so once you see one stay fixated on it without rushing in.
If you don’t have the means to take Stalkers out silently, then (if possible) heal up, reload your guns, and repair your melee weapon before going loud on that initial headshot. Once you’ve fired the shot and alerted other Stalkers in the area, they’ll start advancing and flanking you. To avoid the obvious issues this can cause, quickly put your back to a wall — preferably in an area with just one entrance. You’ll want to try and blast ’em as they funnel through and before they get too close, but if they do, use the shotgun and your melee weapon to quickly dispatch them.
If Stalkers are still too much to handle and you aren’t above dirty tactics, you can also enable the accessibility feature that makes you invisible to enemies when prone in the options menu. Naughty Dog might not have intended it, but you can actually sneak up and execute Stalkers using this method.
