Look, let’s be honest. In most games, changing a character's clothes is basically just digital paper dolls. You find a cool skin, you slap it on, and you go about your day. But when we’re talking about Ellie outfits the last of us 2, it’s a whole different vibe. Every shirt, every bloodstained jacket, and every piece of denim tells you exactly how much she’s losing herself. Naughty Dog didn't just throw a wardrobe together; they used these clothes to track her descent from a kid in Jackson to a ghost in Santa Barbara.
It’s weirdly heavy.
Most players just want to know how to unlock the Seattle jacket or why her shirt changes from blue to gray, but if you look closer, the clothing is the only thing staying "normal" while Ellie herself is falling apart. It’s a grounded choice. There are no neon skins here. No flaming helmets. Just a girl in a flannel shirt doing things that make it impossible for her to ever go home.
The Symbolism Behind Ellie Outfits in The Last of Us 2
Ever notice how Ellie starts the game looking... clean? Well, as clean as you can look in a post-apocalyptic settlement like Jackson. Her initial winter gear—that thick, shearling-lined denim jacket—screams safety. It screams "I have a community that cares if I freeze to death." It’s probably the most "human" she looks in the entire game.
But once she hits Seattle? The layers start coming off. Literally and metaphorically.
The Seattle Shirt is arguably the most iconic of all the Ellie outfits the last of us 2 features. It’s that muted, button-down work shirt. It’s practical. It’s drab. It blends into the rainy, overgrown concrete of the Pacific Northwest. But look at the damage. By Day 2, it’s soaked in blood—and not just her own. By Day 3, it’s frayed. Naughty Dog’s lead character artist, Ashley Swidowski, has talked in various interviews and behind-the-scenes features about how Ellie’s silhouette was designed to be recognizable even in shadow. That backpack, the specific roll of the sleeves—it’s all intentional.
The Birthday Gift Flashback
Compare the Seattle grime to the "Flashback" outfit. You know the one. The museum trip with Joel. She’s wearing a t-shirt with a space shuttle on it. It’s bright. It’s optimistic. It represents a version of Ellie that still had dreams about things above the earth, rather than just worrying about what’s buried in it. Seeing that shirt again in the inventory or in photo mode after a particularly brutal combat encounter in the present day is a gut punch. It’s a reminder that the kid who loved dinosaurs and space is gone.
How the Environment Trashes Your Clothes
The tech behind the clothing in this game is actually kind of insane. It’s not just a static texture. There’s a dynamic "gore and weather" system that interacts with whatever Ellie is wearing.
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If you spend too long prone in the grass, your shirt gets stained with green and brown. If you’re near an explosion, you get scorched. But the real kicker is the blood. The Last of Us Part 2 uses a "blood mask" system where liquid spreads realistically across the fabric of Ellie's clothes. It stays there. It doesn't just disappear when the combat music stops.
This makes the "classic" Ellie look feel earned. By the time you reach the end of a chapter, your version of Ellie looks different than someone else’s based entirely on how messy your playstyle is. Did you stealth the whole thing? You might just be a bit dusty. Did you get into a machete fight with a Seraphite? You’re covered in crimson.
The Santa Barbara Shift
Then we get to the end. The California sun.
The Santa Barbara outfit is a massive departure. Gone are the heavy layers of the North. She’s in a tank top. Her tattoo—that moth and fern she got to cover her bite mark—is fully on display. It’s the most vulnerable she’s ever been. No armor, no heavy denim to protect her. Just raw skin and old scars. It reflects her physical state, too. She's thinner. She's exhausted. She’s barely holding on. The choice to have her in a simple, dirt-stained tank top makes the final confrontation on the beach feel much more visceral. You can see every rib, every bruise. It’s uncomfortable to watch, which is exactly the point.
Unlocking the Bonus Skins (And Why Some People Hate Them)
So, how do you actually get the other Ellie outfits the last of us 2 offers? In the original PS4 release, you couldn't actually change your clothes during the main story on your first playthrough. You had to beat the game, then use "Points" (earned by completing chores and finding collectibles) to buy them in the Extras menu.
The Remastered version on PS5 changed the game. Literally.
With the 2024 Remaster, they added a ton of new skins, especially for the "No Return" roguelike mode. We're talking:
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- The Savage Starlight outfit (super nerdy, super cool).
- The jumpsuit.
- The Red Checkered flannel.
- The "Worn" look.
Some purists think these skins ruin the "immersion." They argue that seeing Ellie in a bright astronaut suit while she’s mourning Joel feels "wrong." Honestly? I get it. But on a third or fourth playthrough, when you’re just trying to get the Platinum trophy or survive a Permadeath run, having a bit of visual variety is a godsend. Plus, the Savage Starlight outfit is a great nod to the first game's collectibles.
Why the Tattoo is the Most Important "Accessory"
You can’t talk about Ellie's look without talking about the ink. It’s the one part of her "outfit" that never changes, yet it evolves in meaning.
In Jackson, she wears long sleeves to hide it. She's ashamed—or at least, she's cautious. The tattoo was designed by real-life tattoo artist Natalie Hall. They actually drew it on a physical arm to see how it would warp and move before digitizing it. The moth represents her being drawn to a flame that might kill her (pretty on the nose, right?), and the fern represents life and growth.
When you choose an outfit in the Remastered version that shows her arms—like the tank top or the short-sleeved shirts—you’re making a statement. You’re showing the world what she is. In the context of the story, Ellie only shows the tattoo when she no longer cares who knows she’s immune. It’s a sign of her total abandonment of her old life.
Practical Gear: More Than Just Fashion
Let's talk about the backpack. It's the anchor of every Ellie outfit.
The backpack in Part 2 is a masterpiece of prop design. It’s cluttered. It’s got the pins—the rainbow pin, the space pin. It’s got the flashlight clipped to the strap. What’s cool is how the weight of it actually affects her animations. If you look closely, the straps dig into her shoulders. When she runs, the bag jiggles with a specific weight.
It’s these little details that make the Ellie outfits the last of us 2 features feel like clothes someone actually lives in. They aren't "costumes." They are survival tools. The pockets are stuffed with rags, tape, and half-empty bottles of pills. It’s messy. It’s gross. It’s perfect.
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Common Misconceptions About Ellie's Wardrobe
I've seen a lot of threads online claiming you can find "secret" outfits in the world.
Let's clear that up: you cannot.
You won't find a chest in a flooded basement in Seattle that contains a new jacket. Every outfit change in the story is scripted. The only way to customize your look is through the Extras menu or by playing the No Return mode in the Remastered edition.
Another thing people get wrong? The "Worn" outfit isn't just a dirty version of the Seattle shirt. It’s actually a distinct model with different tear patterns and a faded color palette meant to represent the passage of time. The attention to detail is honestly kind of terrifying.
How to Make the Most of Your "No Return" Skins
If you're jumping into the Remaster, here’s the move. Don't just stick with the default.
- Unlock the Savage Starlight skin quickly. You do this by completing specific challenges with Ellie in the No Return mode. It’s arguably the best-looking skin in the game because of the texture work on the jumpsuit.
- Use Photo Mode. The outfits in this game are designed for the 4K era. If you zoom in on the denim of the "Patrol" outfit, you can actually see the weave of the fabric. It’s a great way to appreciate the work that went into these models.
- Match the Vibe. If you’re playing on the "Grounded" difficulty, stick to the "Worn" or "Rainy" looks. It just feels right. If you’re doing a "Very Light" run where you're basically a god, go for the more "fun" skins.
What's Actually Important
At the end of the day, Ellie outfits the last of us 2 isn't about looking cool. It’s about the burden she’s carrying. By the time she’s standing on that beach in Santa Barbara, her clothes are as shredded as her psyche.
If you want to see the evolution yourself, go into the model viewer in the Extras menu. Line up the Jackson Ellie, the Seattle Ellie, and the Santa Barbara Ellie. Look at the eyes, sure, but look at the clothes. Look at how they get thinner, more ragged, and less protective. It’s the whole story told through cotton and denim.
Next Steps for Players:
- Open the Model Gallery in the main menu to inspect the high-res textures of each outfit; the detail on the stitching is legitimately impressive.
- Focus your No Return runs on Ellie "Challenge Tracks" to unlock the more experimental skins like the 70s-style "Checkered" shirt.
- Pay attention to the Flashback transitions; the clothing change is often the first cue that the timeline has shifted before the game even tells you.