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| “ | They might still look like people, but that person is not in there anymore. | „ |
| ~ Ellie to Sam regarding the Infected. |
| “ | You know, as bad as those things are, at least they're predictable. It's the normal people that scare me. | „ |
| ~ Bill to Joel. |
The Infected are the main antagonists of The Last of Us franchise.
They are humans who were mutated into hideous, violent creatures by the Cordyceps brain infection. They are extremely feral and would attack anyone that is not infected.
Overview[]
Cordyceps Brain Infection[]
By late September 2013 in Austin, Texas, the Cordyceps Brain Infection began infecting people, turning them into the infected. Over the next 20 years, the Cordyceps infection spread across the world, killing or infecting roughly 60% of humanity.
The military under the control of the Federal Disaster Response Agency, declared martial law around Quarantine Zones and ordered non-infected individuals to reside beyond a QZ. They bombed areas outside QZs, killing many infected in the process.
The Fireflies thought they can create a cure for the CBI, but lose their opportunity when Joel Miller takes Ellie away from the St. Mary's Hospital, and kills their head surgeon, Jerry Anderson.
Death and Corpse[]
Even though an infected can die, the fungus will continue to grow into big fungal plants around the body that would create a gas that can infect anyone else, except immune people like Ellie.
Stages[]
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Runners[]
Runners are the first stage, having come into contact with the Cordyceps and become infected within two days. They are the most human of the infected, showing little to no signs of infection. Runners are the weakest of the infected, as survivors can easily kill them with firearms, melee weapons, or their bare hands. Runners take this disadvantage by being grouped with other runners or other infected, and swarm their targets with intense speed and sluggish attacks. However, Runners are not always hostile, they sometimes, don't attack, implying that they're attempting to resist the infection, which is supported by repeated moans which are believed to be the host fighting the infection.
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Stalkers[]
Stalkers are the second stage of the infection, with the victim having been infected for two weeks to one year. They resemble humans, but fungus has begun to sprout up around them, particularly in the face, which has began to disfigure itself. Stalkers have the vision and speed of Runners, but are starting to lose their eyes due to the spread of the Cordyceps and developing echolocation. Stalkers will often attack a survivor when they are off guard or in the open, but will retreat and hide when confronted or overwhelmed.
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Clickers[]
Clickers are the third stage of the infection, taking roughly a year to reach the stage after being exposed to the Cordyceps Brain Infection and spores. The fungus has evolved far more, and their face has now split open, causing the loss of eyes. Due to prolonged exposure, they have lost their sight and rely on echolocation to locate any sound in the area. The fungus has covered their face, allowing them to survive shots from revolvers, only removing pieces unless fired at again. Additionally, prolonged exposure to the fungus allows them to possess enhanced strength, being capable of grabbing and overwhelming survivors.
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Bloaters[]
Bloaters are the fourth and most dangerous stage of the infection, as it takes a victim years to reach the stage from exposure. Bloaters are considered the most rare stage of the infected, due it taking years for them to reach that point. They are covered in thick fungus, protecting them from damage and allowing to withstand multiple hits or attacks. Bloaters are extremely aggressive, but are slow moving due to their thick armor, making their movement more predictable. Due to their loss of sight and movement speed, Bloaters rely on throwing mycotoxin at survivors to infect or damage them. Additionally, Bloaters rely on using their enhanced strength, using it to kill survivors when grabbing them.
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Shamblers[]
Introduced in The Last of Us Part II, Shambers are an alternate fourth stage of the infected. Victims of the infected become Shamblers if they are exposed to high amounts of water, as compared to dry land and environments Bloaters develop in. When getting close to survivors, they spray gaseous acid, and they are covered in dozens of spores on their body. If killed, Shamblers explode with violent force, emitting a cloud of spores that can kill survivors if they are close in their proximity.
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Rat King[]
The Rat King is a super-organism only encountered by Abby Anderson in the Lakehill Seattle Hospital basement in The Last of Us Part II, which is composed of multiple Stalkers, Clickers and Bloaters connected together. Given Nora Harris' comments, the Rat King is made up some of the first people ever to be infected, meaning that the super-organism developed over the twenty five years since the outbreak. As a result of being in a sealed room full of spores, the fungal growths spread and the infected merged into each other. The Rat King is the strongest known infection and is extremely dangerous and aggressive, and is also capable of taking lots of damage. When damaged enough, some of the intertwined infected will break off, and share traits of what stage they were in.
Physical Appearance[]
The Infected takes a form of a human disfigured heavily by the Cordyceps brain infection. Their appearance vary on how long they have been infected.
- The Runners exhibit more human traits due to their infections occuring very recently unlike the later stages, hence they maintain their appearance prior to infection. Numerous wound, bloodstains, and slight deformation in their body can be seen as the fungus began to infect their body. A Runner would usually can be heard moaning in pain, suggesting that they retain a piece of humanity within them and are attempting to resist the infection. This instance may sometimes lead to a Runner not attacking a non-infected human at all.
- The Stalkers retain their human form for the most part. However, the weeks of infection has caused the fungus to have already sprouted out of their host's body. Numerous growths can be found around their upper body, predominantly at their head and face, thus they have a grotesque appearance due to the Cordyceps infection disfiguring their face, often leaving only one eye intact. Stalkers make a croaking noise due to the fungus taking over their head. Their clothing has been torn.
- The Clickers are noticeably less human-like due to the fungal growth taking over their entire face, causing their vision to be ceased and leaving them with a jagged set of teeth, thus they rely on echolocation to hunt down their prey. They produce their eponymous clicking sounds in response to their blindness. The scarry growths in their skin are the other notable features in their physique. Because of their infection, whatever they are currently wearing has already been significantly tattered and torn by now.
- The Bloater is the least human stage of the infection. Bloaters are chubby and significantly taller in terms of physical appearance. They share the thick fungal growths from their face that Clickers have. But due to their exposure to the infection taking several years, Bloaters have thick white fungal growths that act as protective barrier, essentially protecting their vital organs from conventional weaponry. Bloaters have bioluminescent growths around their bodies that act as a mycotoxin, they hurl this mycotoxin against their targets to release a thick cloud of fungal spores in the air.
- The Shambler, being an alternate stage four infection share similarities with the Bloater, being chubby, light-skinned, and tall in appearance. Shamblers are highly grotesque infected that have cluster of pustules and blister-like growths around their body, predominantly at their head. They response to threat by releasing acidic spores from their body. Unlike the Bloater, Shamblers' infection have not reached their arms nor their head, thus their face are partiable visible, enveloped within the cluster of tumorous growths. Shamblers have gain their mutation due to the heavily-damped or moist environments they have inhabited.
- The Rat King resembles a legion of Infected, comprising of multiple Bloaters, Clickers, and Stalkers to form a coalesced infected, hence it exhibits many of the traits of the aforementioned infected. Because of this, multiple arms and heads can be seen around its body. Upon sustaining enough damage from weaponry, the other infected conjoined within it will be detached and act individually to attack the survivor.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Infection: Upon bite, scratch, or releasing spores, the Infected can expose humans to the infection and turn them.
- Superhuman Strength: Bloaters demonstrate brute strength, capable of overpowering their target, ripping their jaw in a matter of seconds. Clickers are also capable of overpowering their victim before biting them. Though Runners don't have the same type of strength, they can overpower their victim if they surprised them or are in large numbers.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: Several infected show great durability against most weapons, such as Bloaters due to being in the fourth stage of the infection. Having grown mounds of fungus on their body, they can withstand bullets, fire and melee weapons before going down.
- Superhuman Speed: Stalkers have superhuman speed, utilizing agility and stealth to surprise their target.
- Echolocation: As a result of their blindness, Clickers make rapid clicking noses or croaking to see around the area.
- Mycotoxin: Shamblers emit mycotoxin due to their body being covered in spores that can damage their target.
Trivia[]
- Some concept art in The Art of the Last of Us shows Runners wielding tools such as shovels and knives, implying that they were originally suppose to wield weapons to fight the player.
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 Villains
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Survivors Smugglers Fireflies Washington Liberation Front Others | ||