What are the types of infected in ‘The Last of Us’?

Do you know which types of infected in ‘The Last of Us’ are infected? Both in the game created in 2013 by Bruce Straley and Neil DruckmannAnd in its 2020 sequence, as in the adapted series of HBO, there is a single infection: the one caused by the cordyceps fungus mutation.

This mutated fungus controls the host’s nervous system turning it into a transmission vehicle, as they act violently as they look for new bodies to host the fungus, which is transmitted through bites – or even a kiss, as the second episode of the first season of the series showed.

However, there are different stages of these infections, defined by the period when the fungus remains active and growing within the host, which classify the types of threats that the characters will need to face; Meet all of them below:

Corridors

When the fungus stays in a human body for a day or two, these infected become known as corridors. This is because, still with human appearance, these hosts are identified for being fast and attacking the victims impulsively.

Although speed is in favor of runners, they are one of the easiest to eliminate, as a head shot is enough not to be a problem for humans.

Persecutors/lurking

When Cordyceps has been active in the host body for more than two weeks, the infected reaching the second level of infection and becomes known as persecutors or lurking as they become more agile and lurked, usually hidden in dark places before attacking their victims in their backs. In this form, those infected, which already have visible fungi by the body, can remain for a maximum of one year.

Crackles

After a year, they reach the third stage of infection, becoming the cracks. This level of infected is characterized by the loss of human characteristics, since here the fungus has already dominated the host’s body, which has a head that resembles a large mushroom.

Estilators no longer have vision due to the expansion of the fungus off the head. On the other hand, the fungal layer makes them resistant in melee combat and simple firearms and, of course, without seeing, hearing is enhanced and through ecolocation can move and find victims.

Baiacus

Baiacus are what the final stage infected in the first game are called. Being the fourth level of infection, the hosts are swollen and therefore walk more slowly.

However, they are dangerous because they have even more resistant skin and are strong, making defeating a difficult and only possible task with the use of molotov cocktails, nails and flames, as the fungi that serve as armor also make them vulnerable to fire.

Remember that to reach this level of infection, hosts need to have the fungus grown in the body in dark and small places.

Stroke

Presented in the second game, the stumble is a variant of baiacus, since, despite being in the fourth stage of infection, these infected are found in the water, making them more disfigured and swollen than the baus. In addition, stumblingles use their body as a weapon, as they produce infectious spores pumps that can be thrown into their enemies.

King of Rats

It is not known if this is another Cordyceps stage or just an accidental mutation. However, presented in ‘The Last of Us II’, the King of Rats is the most grotesque -looking infected, as well as the most dangerous, as there are several infected connected as one body.

Only one of these appeared in the franchise due to the difficulty of arising, as they need to be isolated in a small environment that force them to merge.

More about ‘The Last of Us’

Developed by Naughty Dog, ‘The Last of Us’ is located 20 years after the devastation caused by the mutation of the Cordyceps fungus, which almost ended human life on Earth. In this scenario, the first game follows cold-blooded smuggler, Joel, who receives the mission of escorting Ellie, the only young man who was infected and survived, out of the military quarantine zone, as the girl can help in creating a cure against the infection. In the second game, however, Joel will deal with the consequences of the choices he made four years earlier to keep Ellie saved, making the girl board a journey of revenge.

The game narrative serves as the basis for the series released by HBO in 2023, which has been winning episodes for season two every Sunday at 10 pm at HBO and Max.