The Last of Us 2 All Collectibles: Why You Keep Missing Those Last Few Items

Finding every single scrap of paper and rusty coin in Seattle is a nightmare. Honestly, it’s a lot. You’re trying to survive a Bloater in a basement while also scanning the floor for a "vintage" trading card. It’s stressful. But if you’re looking for the last of us 2 all collectibles, you probably already know that Naughty Dog didn’t make it easy.

There are 286 items in total.

Yeah, you read that right. Nearly three hundred things to track down across a 30-hour game.

Most people give up halfway through Seattle Day 2 because the sheer volume is overwhelming. But here’s the thing: you don't actually need to find them all in one go. The game is smarter than that. It tracks your progress across multiple save files, meaning you can jump back into a specific chapter later to grab that one coin you missed behind a dumpster.

The Raw Numbers (What You’re Actually Looking For)

Basically, the game breaks things down into a few main categories. If you're checking your chapter select screen and seeing "0/1 Artifacts," it’s probably one of these:

• Artifacts (127): These are the letters, notes, and maps. Some are tragic, some are just world-building.
• Trading Cards (48): Ellie’s obsession. These are mostly tucked away in shops or under beds in her sections.
• Coins (32): Abby’s thing. She’s a numismatist, apparently. You’ll find these on the ground or in fountains.
• Journal Entries (20): Moments where Ellie scribbles something in her book. These are easy to miss because they're often triggered by looking at a specific view or object.
• Workbenches (25): These aren't just for upgrades; they count as collectibles too.
• Safes (14): You need the codes for these, which are usually hidden in nearby artifacts.

It's a lot to juggle.

But wait, there's more. You also have training manuals and weapons, though the "core" collectibles people obsess over are usually the notes and cards.

Why You Probably Missed That One Artifact

We’ve all been there. You scour a room, check every drawer, and still come up short.

The biggest culprit? Points of no return.

The Last of Us Part 2 is notorious for "locking" doors behind you. You drop down a ledge or squeeze through a fence, and bam—the area you were just in is gone forever unless you restart the chapter.

Take the "Downtown" Seattle section. It’s huge. It’s the only semi-open world part of the game. If you leave that area before visiting every shop, you’re losing out on a massive chunk of collectibles. Same goes for the "Hillcrest" neighborhood. People always miss the trading card hidden in the bike shop or the one tucked under the bed in the basement of the house with the workbench ambush.

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Pro tip: if you see a triangle prompt to "squeeze through" or "jump down," stop. Look around. You probably missed something.

The Secret "Cheat" for Collectible Hunting

If you're playing the 2024 or 2025 Remastered versions on PS5 or PC, there’s a massive "cheat" built right into the settings.

Go to Accessibility > Navigation and Traversal > Enhanced Listen Mode.

Turn this on.

When you’re in the game, you can press a button (usually R1 + Circle) to send out a sonar pulse. It pings every item in the area with a high-pitched ring. If it’s a collectible, it glows. It sort of ruins the "immersion," sure, but if you’re on your second playthrough and just want that Platinum trophy, it is a godsend. It works through walls. It works in the dark. It’s basically Detective Mode from the Batman games.

Chapter Select and the "Lost Save" Fear

One thing that confuses people is how chapter select works.

Let's say you finished the game. You load up Chapter Select to get the last of us 2 all collectibles you missed in Jackson. You find the item, save the game, and suddenly your "Continue" option is gone, or it looks like half your chapters disappeared.

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Don't panic.

The game creates a "placeholder" save when you jump around. To get your full progress back, you just need to reload your "Complete" save file. The collectible you just found is already saved to your profile—it doesn’t need to be "in" a specific save file to count for the trophy.

I’ve seen people restart the entire game because they thought they broke their save. Please don't do that.

The Strange Relic and the Engraved Ring

There are two "special" collectibles that have their own trophies. These are nods to Naughty Dog’s other games.

1. The Strange Relic: This is a Precursor Orb from Jak and Daxter. You’ll find it in the "Hostile Territory" chapter while playing as Abby. It’s in one of the shops in Chinatown (the one with the fans). You have to go upstairs and jump across to the other balcony.
2. The Engraved Ring: This belongs to Nathan Drake. It’s in the "Downtown" chapter (Seattle Day 1) in the bank vault. Yes, the vault with the shotgun. Look in the safety deposit boxes in the corner.

Getting It Done

If you’re serious about clearing the list, focus on one character at a time. Ellie's chapters are mostly about the trading cards, while Abby's are about the coins.

Don't try to memorize every location. It’s impossible.

Instead, get into a rhythm:

• Clear the room of enemies.
• Check every corner before touching any door with a prompt.
• Use the "High Contrast" mode in accessibility if you're really struggling to see small items on the floor.

Honestly, the stories told in the artifacts—like the "Boris" saga in Hillcrest or the notes from the people hiding in the hospital—are some of the best writing in the game. It makes the hunt worth it.

Next steps for your 100% run:

1. Check your "Chapter Select" menu to see exactly which sub-sections are missing items.
2. Enable "Enhanced Listen Mode" in the accessibility settings to ping items you might be walking right past.
3. Prioritize the "Downtown" and "Hillcrest" chapters first, as these contain the highest density of easily-missed notes and cards.