A new update for The Last of Us Part II adds a bunch of new features to the game, including the return of Grounded difficulty, a new Permadeath mode and graphics, audio and gameplay modifiers. The Grounded update rolls out to all players on August 13th.
According to Naughty Dog, Grounded difficulty not only makes enemies much harder to kill but also reduces the amount of ammo and crafting materials found in the game. Some gameplay mechanics are stripped out from the game too. Listen mode is disabled and certain parts of the HUD are also removed. Grounded will be available to all and doesn’t require players to beat the game first.
Also coming with this update is a new custom Permadeath mode. With Permadeath, there are no second chances, and players have to complete the entire game without dying once. There is a second option that adds checkpoints into Permadeath mode, but on a per-chapter, or per act basis.
We also picked up a couple of new trophies relating to both of these modes yesterday. The Dig Two Graves trophy which requires you to complete game on Grounded difficulty, and You Can’t Stop This, a bronze trophy that requires you to complete the story with any Permadeath setting.
The Dig Two Graves trophy in The Last of Us Part II worth 30 pointsComplete the story on Grounded.
The You Can’t Stop This trophy in The Last of Us Part II worth 15 pointsComplete the story with any Permadeath setting.
There’s also some new graphics options, audio and gameplay modifiers coming to The Last of Us Part II. A total of 30 new graphics rendering modes are being added to the game, including an 8-bit and cel-shaded options. Naughty Dog has also detailed some of the new unlockable gameplay modifiers such as an Infinite Listen Mode Range, Infinite Crafting and a Mirror World:
- Mirror World
- Mirror on Death
- Slow Motion
- Bullet Speed Mode
- Infinite Ammo
- Infinite Crafting
- Infinite Melee Durability
- Infinite Listen Mode Range
- One Shot
- Touch of Death
- 8-bit Audio
- 4-bit Audio
- Helium Audio
- Xenon Audio
- Saves now display playtime up to the second
- Film Grain Adjustment option
- Disable Listen Mode option
- Motion Sensor Function Aiming option
- Arc Throw HUD Display option
- Aiming Acceleration Scale option
- Aiming Ramp Power Scale option
- Accessibility improvements to Ground Zero encounter, collectible tracking, Enhanced Listen Mode for collectibles, and rope gameplay
The Grounded Update will roll out on August 13th.