Look, let’s be real for a second. If you’re trying to find The Last of Us all collectibles, you aren’t just doing it for the "Endure and Survive" trophy. You’re doing it because Naughty Dog hid the entire soul of the game in those little scraps of paper and rusted pendants. Most people sprint through the Pittsburgh bookstore or the Salt Lake City underground tunnels just trying to keep Joel and Ellie alive. They miss the tragedy. They miss the world-building that makes the Fireflies more than just a revolutionary group with a cool logo.
Scouring every corner for 141 different items across the main story is a massive undertaking. It changes how you play. Instead of a high-octane survival horror game, it becomes a slow, methodical crawl through the ruins of America. You start looking at corners differently. You start wondering why a door is locked. Is there a Training Manual behind it? Or just a brick? Honestly, the tension of potentially missing a single Firefly Pendant in the dark corners of the flooded hotel is sometimes worse than the actual Clickers.
Why the hunt for The Last of Us all collectibles is more than just a checklist
Most guides treat these items like they're just shiny trinkets. They aren't. In The Last of Us Part I (and the original/remastered versions), collectibles are divided into four main buckets: Artifacts, Firefly Pendants, Training Manuals, and Comics. Then you've got the Shiv Doors and Optional Conversations which, while not "items" in your backpack, count toward that elusive 100% completion mark.
The Artifacts: Reading between the lines
Artifacts are the heavy hitters. There are 85 of them. They range from a "Note to Brother" to maps and blueprints. These are the items that give you the "Notes from the Underground" feel. When you find the note in the sewers about Ish—the man who built a community underground—it transforms a standard stealth level into a graveyard. You aren't just moving through a sewer; you're moving through a failed utopia. If you skip these, you're basically watching a movie with the subtitles turned off and half the dialogue muted.
The Firefly Pendants: A trail of dead revolutionaries
There are 30 of these. They’re usually dangling from trees or tucked behind a desk in a dusty office. Each one is engraved with the name of a Firefly member and their ID number. Finding these is a grim reminder that the Fireflies were everywhere, and most of them died alone. Pro tip: if you see a yellow Firefly logo painted on a wall, there is almost certainly a pendant nearby. Look up. Sometimes they’re stuck in light fixtures. Use your brick or a bottle to knock them down. Don't waste a bullet. Ammo is too precious for jewelry.
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Managing the Comic Book addiction
Ellie’s obsession with the Savage Starlight comic books is one of the few moments of pure childhood left in the game. There are 14 to find. They start appearing once you reach Pittsburgh. Unlike the grim notes left by dying survivors, these are colorful, vibrant, and totally disconnected from the apocalypse.
Finding them is basically your only way to bond with Ellie outside of the scripted cutscenes. She’ll actually thank you. Well, "thank you" in her usual sarcastic way. It’s a nice break from the constant threat of having your throat ripped out by a Bloater. You'll find them in the back of old cars, in children's bedrooms, and occasionally just sitting on a park bench.
The stuff that actually keeps you alive
While comics and pendants are great for lore, the Training Manuals are the only collectibles that have a direct impact on your survival. There are 12 in total.
Forget the trophies. You want these because they make your shivs last longer or increase the radius of your nail bombs. Finding the manual in the basement of the hotel in Pittsburgh—the one that buffs your health kits—is arguably the most important moment in a Grounded difficulty run. Without it, you’re basically a walking corpse.
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- Shiv Reinforcement: Usually found in the early-mid game. Essential.
- Medkit Potency: Look in the hotel and the university.
- Molotov Construction: Improves the splash zone.
- Bomb Range: Makes your trap mines actually useful.
If you miss a Training Manual, the game doesn't give you a "catch up" mechanic. It's gone until New Game Plus. That’s why the search for The Last of Us all collectibles is so high-stakes. Missing a single book can mean the difference between surviving a hallway full of Stalkers and seeing the "You Are Dead" screen for the fiftieth time.
The nuance of "Optional Conversations" and Shiv Doors
Technically, these aren't "pick-ups," but the game tracks them as collectibles. There are 54 Optional Conversations. These are the moments where you wait for Ellie to look at a poster or stand by a certain window. If you're rushing, you'll miss 90% of them. You have to be patient.
Then there are the Shiv Doors. There are 13. These are the literal "pay-to-play" areas of the game. You have to sacrifice a shiv to open them. Inside, you’ll usually find a hoard of supplies, ammo, and—crucially—other collectibles like Artifacts or Manuals. On harder difficulties, the math is brutal. Do I waste a shiv to get some supplies, or save it for a Clicker? Generally, the answer is always open the door. The rewards inside almost always outweigh the cost of the binding and blade you used to get in.
Common places people get stuck
- The University: This place is a nightmare for collectors. It’s huge, and many items are tucked away in dorm rooms that look identical.
- The Suburbs: Once you leave the sewers, there's a neighborhood. People often rush to the sniper fight, but there are multiple artifacts inside the houses, including a very easy-to-miss note in an attic.
- The Hospital: The final push. It’s chaotic. You’re being hunted by heavily armed Fireflies. Stopping to check a desk for a recording feels insane, but that’s where the final pieces of the puzzle are.
Fact-checking the "Point of No Return"
A lot of players think they can just "Chapter Select" their way to glory. You can, sort of. But The Last of Us uses a weird save system. If you go back to an earlier chapter to grab a missed Firefly Pendant, the game essentially "rewrites" your progress from that point on in that specific save file.
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The smartest way to handle it?
Finish the game once. Enjoy the story. Then, go back through on New Game Plus with a guide specifically for The Last of Us all collectibles. Your upgrades carry over, making the combat encounters easier so you can focus on poking your nose into every dumpster and abandoned office.
How to actually finish the hunt
Don't try to do this from memory. Even the most seasoned players forget the pendant hanging in the tree in the Boston QZ or the note tucked under the door in the ranch house.
- Check your stats: The pause menu has a "Collectibles" section. Use it. It tells you exactly what you’re missing in your current chapter.
- Listen for the chime: In the Remake (Part I), there’s a distinct audio cue and a haptic thrum on the PS5 controller when you’re near something pick-up-able.
- Use the "Enhanced Listen Mode": If you’re playing the Remake, go into the Accessibility settings. You can turn on a "Pulse" that highlights items in the environment. Some call it cheating; I call it saving your sanity.
The reality is that finding every single item takes about 15 to 20 hours if you're being thorough. It's a grind. But when you finally read that last note in the Salt Lake City hospital, the one that explains the Fireflies' desperate logic, the whole story clicks into place in a way that a casual playthrough just can't match.
Immediate Next Steps for Completionists
Start by verifying your current progress in the "Chapter Select" menu. This screen breaks down exactly how many Artifacts, Pendants, and Comics you've secured per section (e.g., "The Suburbs" or "Tommy's Dam"). If you see a gap, load that specific sub-chapter. Ensure you have at least one Shiv in your inventory before entering the University or Pittsburgh sections, as several collectibles are locked behind Shiv Doors that cannot be opened otherwise. For those on a New Game Plus run, prioritize the Training Manuals early to maximize your gear efficiency for the harder late-game encounters.