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"The University" is the eighth chapter of The Last of Us. The player takes control of Joel Miller.

Characters[]

Plot[]

Go Big Horns[]

Go Big Horns section

Joel and Ellie arrive to the University of Eastern Colorado on horseback and start searching the campus for the science building, which according to Tommy looks like a "giant mirror." Ellie names the horse Callus, since Joel forgot to ask Tommy the horse's name. As they search, Joel starts to share a bit more about his past, telling her about his childhood dream to be a singer and how he never got to attend college due to being a father so early, and talking to Ellie about football. He goes off on his own at one point, passing through a dormitory filled with infected, in order to reach the generator that opened a locked gate. They start to realize how strange it is that the place is completely deserted and that they should have seen someone by now, since the only thing they encountered was a group of monkeys running around in a square near the dorms. He speculates optimistically that the large number of infected are used by the Fireflies as a defense mechanism, as Bill did.

Science Building[]

Science Building section

As they enter the science building, they realize that the Fireflies had left in a hurry, for reasons unknown. Joel finds a recorder near a corpse of a Firefly scientist, and learns that they were using monkeys as test subjects, trying to study the effects of the Cordyceps brain infection in order to find a cure. The scientist, who had been instructed to kill the infected test subjects, instead believed they deserved to be free. While trying to let them out of their cages, he is bitten by one, subsequently passing the infection onto him.

Listening to a scientist's recorder, they learn that the Fireflies have gone to Salt Lake City, Utah, to continue their research. As soon as they discover this, a group of looters ambush them. Joel and Ellie make their way through the building, killing their attackers as they go. Joel is caught by surprise by one of them, when they burst through a door he opened. They struggle briefly, before Joel punches him — the looter, however, drags Joel down with him, and they both fall off the balcony. The looter dies on impact, but Joel is impaled by a piece of rebar sticking up from the ground. Ellie climbs down and helps him to his feet, and guides him towards the exit.

Ellie is forced to protect the both of them, as Joel is incapacitated by pain, and extreme blood loss. They manage to exit the building and, after Ellie shoots a looter who attempts to steal Callus, ride away from the university. Joel taking the reins, they get far enough for Ellie to assume they are safe. Suddenly, Joel slumps and falls off the horse, passing out. Ellie tries to wake him up, calling his name and asking him what she should do.

The season ends with the screen cutting to black.

Walkthrough[]

Main article: The University/Walkthrough

Collectibles[]

"The University" contains the following seventeen collectibles:

#
Name Type Section Location
1
Free Radicals Comic "Go Big Horns" Once you arrive at the university and before you enter, turn the horse around. Gallop up the hill all the way to the last passenger car, which is parked next to a delivery truck. The comic is found on the rusty hood.
2
Snipers' nest log Artifact "Go Big Horns" From the university depot where the flamethrower was found, move up the stairs to the top level and exit out to the balcony. The log is found in the corner, along with some crafting supplies.
3
Hope Pino Firefly pendant "Go Big Horns" After finding the flamethrower, get back on the horse and continue up the stairs in front you. Turn right and approach the trees ahead. The pendant is suspended from the tree on the right and needs to be shot or hit with a brick or bottle in order to get it down.
4
Wall panel note Artifact "Go Big Horns" After entering the library by passing through a metal gate and hearing some nearby runners, go towards the next gate on the right side. The note is on the wall to the left of the gate, beside an electrical panel.
5
Alex Rohner Firefly pendant "Go Big Horns" Before jumping over the road barricades into the courtyard, climb onto the overturned dumpster on the path's right side and continue through the opening into the room above. The pendant is found on a desk inside.
6
Health: Sterilization Training manual "Go Big Horns" After entering the courtyard, enter the building on the right side (opposite from the stadium) and climb the stairs to the top. Climb out the window onto the roof, turn left, and enter the next open window. In the room inside, the manual can be found on a desk by the windows.
7
UEC campus map Artifact "Go Big Horns" After ducking under the furniture barricade to get into the dormitory's main office, walk to the counter directly in front of Joel. The map can be found on top of the counter.
8
Student's journal Artifact "Go Big Horns" After climbing the stairwell to the second floor of the dormitory, enter the second room on the left, Room 202. The journal can be found in the drawer next to the door.
9
Joe Warren Firefly pendant "Go Big Horns" After defeating the bloater in the dormitory, loot its body to pick up this pendant. The bloater must be defeated to pick it up.
10
Newspaper clipping Artifact "Go Big Horns" After defeating or escaping the bloater in the dormitory and climbing the next set of stairs, enter the first room on the right, Room 209. The newspaper clipping can be found sitting on the mini fridge to the left.
11
Erik Griggs Firefly pendant "Go Big Horns" In the area with all the tents outside the grounds of the science building, enter the last tent in the far corner. The pendant is found on a table in the back.
12
Molotov: Deployment Training manual "Science Building" On the second floor of the science building, use a shiv to open the locked door to the lecture room (Room 104) at the end of the hallway. Inside sitting on the first table to the right is the training manual.
13
Office recorder Artifact "Science Building" On the third floor of the science building, enter the door on the left and immediately enter the storage room to the left. The recorder is found on the far table by a window.
14
Fungal X-rays Artifact "Science Building" After following Ellie through the short tunnel in the science building, turn left and move to the far table by the window. The artifact can be found on the table.
15
Lab recorder Artifact "Science Building" After discovering the room inside the science building with the monkeys, head towards the big table on the right side. On the corner of the table is the recorder.
16
Sadie Pearle Hickman Firefly pendant "Science Building" After discovering the room inside the science building with the monkeys, search the shelves in the room's far right corner for the pendant.
17
Firefly's recorder Artifact "Science Building" Joel picks up this recorder near a dead Firefly during a cutscene. It is automatically added to his backpack and cannot be missed. It is possible to listen to the entire recording by selecting it in the Artifacts menu.

Transcript[]

Main article: The University/Transcript

Behind the scenes[]

  • The Last of Us: Left Behind explores the aftermath of this chapter. Specifically, it reveals that the trio fled to the nearby Colorado Mountain Plaza, pursued by a splinter group from the cannibals.
  • At the gate blocking the player's path to a generator, there are trees casting a shadow depicting an infected, but when zoomed in on the shadow, it becomes a blur.
  • One of the newspaper clippings inside the science building in the room to the left of the way in is from The Times newspaper August 9, 2011 edition on the London Riots. Furthermore, one of the newspaper clippings inside the dorms has an article written by Lev Benioff, an homage to the protagonist of David Benioff's 2008 novel City of Thieves (which served as inspiration for The Last of Us) and is the grandfather to the author David.
  • While the University of Eastern Colorado is not a real-life university and despite the campus map mentioning the location in Boulder, it is modeled after Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
  • In the 2016 game Firewatch, a sweater can be found in one of the many accessible caches throughout the game (located near Jonesy Lake). This sweater is labeled with the University of Eastern Colorado, a direct reference to The Last of Us. Upon interacting with the sweater, dialogue between Henry and Delilah will be activated, where they mention how they question the existence of a university under the same name even existing.

Gallery[]

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