Hardcore gamers are always looking for new ways to challenge their skills in-game. The Last of Us 2’s update in August introduced the unforgiving Grounded mode and the Permadeath mode that one gamer has now managed to complete.
YouTuber DomTheBomb is the crowned gamer who beat Naughty Dog’s brutal, post-apocalyptic sequel, by surviving on one life per act. His accompanying tweet offered a breakdown of his run, which earned him a trophy and credibility for conquering the impressive feat. DomTheBomb completed the game in 45 hours and 55 minutes, with 34 hours and 19 minutes lost to deaths, and the gamer was killed 61 times overall.
It’s worth noting that permadeath can be enabled per-chapter or per-act checkpoints, as surviving the entire game with one life seems as unlikely as giraffes appearing at your window. DomTheBomb assigned the permadeath option to be enabled per act, which still requires some amount of skill to survive. The gamer also stated on his YouTube channel that this was his fourth time playing The Last of Us 2 through to completion, and he is looking to bag every available trophy in sight.
Followers of DomTheBomb questioned why he was only awarded a bronze trophy instead of the gold. However, the highest accolade would most likely be awarded for surviving the game's entirety with one life. His fans then encouraged him to challenge the whole game in permadeath mode, which he agreed to. DomTheBomb also admitted that he experienced a few rage-quits during his gameplay, and mentioned how he had to take a month off after he completed the game’s Grounded mode.
Grounded mode was the second difficulty setting introduced to the game through last month’s update. Grounded increases the game’s difficulty tenfold, including limited ammo, crafting materials and upgrades, deadlier enemies, and disables Listen mode.
Standing as an already bleak and emotionally draining narrative, The Last of Us 2 Grounded mode is not for the faint-hearted, but serves as an impressive accolade to flaunt within the community if completed. The same update also invited gamers to play within a mirrored world of The Last of Us 2, if you really wanted to complete the game inside and out.