You’re crouched behind a rusted carousel, clutching a brick like it’s your only child, and your heart is hammering. That’s the feeling of this DLC. Honestly, a last of us left behind walkthrough isn't just about showing you where to walk; it’s about navigating the emotional whiplash between a teenage girl's mall-date and a desperate fight for survival in a freezing Colorado mall. Naughty Dog didn't just give us extra content here. They gave us the skeleton key to Ellie's entire personality.
It's 2026, and even years after its release on PS3, PS4, and the Part 1 remake, people are still getting stumped by the Mallrats chapter or losing their minds during the final ambush. Look. Most guides tell you to just "go here, kill that." That’s boring. And usually wrong. You need to understand the rhythm of the combat and the subtle environmental cues that the developers hid in plain sight.
Getting Through the Mall Without Dying (Much)
The game starts with Ellie searching for medical supplies for a wounded Joel. It’s bleak. It’s snowy. It’s quiet. But then we jump back in time to Riley.
The transition is jarring. One second you're prying open an ambulance, and the next, you're a younger Ellie getting "kidnapped" by her best friend. When you're playing the flashback sequences, don't rush. Seriously. You'll miss the optional conversations that actually flesh out why Ellie is so obsessed with puns and arcade games. In the "Mallrats" section, your main goal is to reach the abandoned Raja’s Arcade.
If you want to ace the brick-throwing contest against Riley, aim for the back windows of the red car first. It’s a physics thing. Most players try to hit the side windows because they're closer, but the angle is weird. Smash the back glass, and you’ll get that trophy and some smug satisfaction.
The Fun and Games (Until Someone Gets Bitten)
The arcade scene is bittersweet. Since the cabinet is broken, you have to "play" the game through Riley’s descriptions. It’s a QTE (Quick Time Event) sequence. Don't look at the screen; look at the button prompts. If you mess up, Ellie just gets frustrated, but if you nail the combos, you get a beautiful piece of character development. This is where the last of us left behind walkthrough becomes more about the story than the mechanics.
Then comes the Halloween store. Pro tip: Wear the Frankenstein mask. It’s a classic. You can interact with almost everything in this shop. If you want the full experience, find the jar of "eyeballs" and the magic 8-ball. It’s these small, quiet moments that make the ending hit like a freight train later on.
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The Combat: Managing Stalkers and Hunters
When you flip back to the "present day" (the winter section), things get sweaty. You’re in a department store, and you’re outnumbered. Ellie isn't Joel. You can't just punch your way out of a corner. You’re smaller, faster, and much more fragile.
The biggest mistake people make in the final gauntlet—the "The Enemy of My Enemy" section—is engaging both groups. You have Clickers and you have human Hunters. They hate each other. Use that.
- Throw a bottle into the middle of the human camp when Clickers are nearby.
- Sit back and watch the chaos.
- Wait for the "winning" side to be weakened.
- Finish off the survivors with a well-placed arrow or a Molotov.
Honestly, if you fire a single bullet before the infected and humans start fighting, you've already lost the tactical advantage. The AI in The Last of Us is designed to prioritize the loudest threat. If the humans start shooting at the infected, they aren't looking for a teenage girl hiding under a perfume counter.
Solving the Power Substation Puzzle
This is the part that kills the momentum for most players. You need to get the power back on to open the medical door.
- Find the Generator: It’s in the flooded area. Obviously.
- The Gas Can: It’s on a pallet. You’ll need to move some floating debris to create a path because Ellie can’t swim.
- The Stalkers: This is the worst part. Stalkers don't behave like Clickers. They hide. They peek around corners. If you see a head pop out and then duck back, don't run after it. They're baiting you.
- The Strategy: Stand with your back to a wall. Use your Listen Mode. If you have a brick, hold onto it. Wait for them to come to you.
Once the generator is humming, the water becomes electrified. Don't pull a rookie move and jump back in. You have to use the overhead pipes and the crates you moved earlier to navigate back to the gate. It’s a classic "floor is lava" scenario, but with 240 volts of certain death.
The Final Ambush: Protecting Joel
The climax of the DLC happens back at the mall entrance where Joel is stashed. You’ve got the medkit, but a group of scavengers has found your hideout. This is arguably the hardest fight in the entire game on Grounded difficulty.
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You start on the upper balcony. Do not stay there. As soon as the hunters start trying to crowbar the door open where Joel is, you need to move. Use the stores on the left side of the mall to flank them. There’s a lot of verticality here. Use the railings to jump down for stealth kills, but make sure no one is watching.
If they get the door open, it’s game over. You have to be aggressive. Use your smoke bombs. They are the most underrated tool in Ellie’s kit. A smoke bomb followed by a flurry of switchblade stabs can clear a group of three men in seconds.
What Most People Miss
There’s a note in the pharmacy. It’s from a pharmacist who was staying behind to help people. It’s a gut-punch. Most players sprint through the pharmacy because there’s a Clicker in the hallway, but if you take the time to read the lore, the environment changes. You realize this mall wasn't just a playground; it was a tomb for hundreds of people who thought they were safe.
The "Left Behind" title has a double meaning. It’s about Riley leaving the Fireflies, Ellie being left behind by Riley, and Ellie refusing to leave Joel behind. The parallel storytelling is masterful. Every time you do something fun with Riley, the game cuts back to Ellie doing something horrific to survive. It’s designed to make you feel the loss of innocence in real-time.
Mastering the Bow
In the winter sections, the bow is your best friend. It’s silent, and you can often recover your arrows. Since resources are incredibly scarce in this DLC—much more so than in the main game—you cannot afford to miss.
When aiming at a moving target, lead them slightly. If they’re walking left, aim a few inches in front of their head. If you’re playing on a higher difficulty, the reticle won't help you much, so you have to get a feel for the "arc" of the arrow. Practice on the mannequins in the store if you have to.
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Moving Forward With Your Save File
Once you finish the DLC, the credits roll to the tune of "Left Behind" by Gustavo Santaolalla. It’s a haunting end. But your journey isn't exactly over.
If you played this as a standalone after finishing the main game, go back and replay the "Fall" and "Winter" chapters of the main story. Your perspective on Ellie’s desperation to save Joel will be completely different. You’ll see the scars on her arm and know exactly how she got them. You’ll understand why she flinches when people talk about leaving.
To get the most out of your next run, try these specific actions:
- Complete the Pun Books: Ensure you trigger every single pun dialogue in the mall with Riley to unlock the "That's All I Got" trophy. It requires patience; you often have to wait for her to stop talking before the prompt appears.
- Difficulty Jump: If you finished on Normal, try Survivor. The lack of Listen Mode forces you to actually use your ears, making the Stalker encounter one of the most terrifying experiences in modern gaming.
- Photomode: Use the lighting in the carousel scene. It’s some of the best art direction in the series, even by 2026 standards.
The key to a perfect run is patience. Stop running. Start listening. The mall has a lot to say if you’re quiet enough to hear it.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your "Collectibles" menu to see if you missed any of the 14 optional conversations; most people miss the one near the photo booth.
- If you are struggling with the final fight, restart the encounter and focus on using the "Enemy of My Enemy" mechanic by throwing bottles to lure the infected toward the hunters.
- Review your supplies before entering the ductwork; you cannot go back once you drop down into the loading bay.