Mastering The Last of Us Part II Remastered Through 100% Completion Gameplay

The Difference Between Finishing and Completing

Anyone who has sat through the credits of a Naughty Dog game knows the feeling: relief, exhaustion, maybe a little awe. But finishing the story is not the same as seeing everything the developers packed into the disc. With The Last of Us Part II Remastered on PlayStation 5, the gap between a casual playthrough and true 100% completion gameplay is wider than ever. The Remastered edition adds a 4K HDR visual overhaul, a roguelike survival mode called No Return, and a host of bonus content that rewards players who dig deep. But what does it actually take to hit that perfect save file? And is the journey worth the time?

I have spent the past month working through a Grounded difficulty run with a strict no damage run constraint, collecting every collectible, upgrade, and artifact the game offers. Along the way I learned that 100% completion gameplay is less about ticking boxes and more about learning the systems that make Naughty Dog's world tick. It changes how you move through Seattle, how you value resources, and even how you feel about the characters.

What Counts as 100% in This Game?

Before you set out, you need a clear picture of the target. The Last of Us Part II Remastered tracks completion across several categories: story chapters, optional conversations, artifacts, trading cards, journal entries, and weapon upgrades. You also need to unlock every safe, find all workbenches, and collect every training manual. On top of that, the game includes a permadeath mode and a speedrun trophy, though those are separate from the strict completion percentage shown on the save file.

Most players will finish the story somewhere between 25 and 30 hours. A thorough 100% completion gameplay run, even on a lower difficulty, can push past 50 hours. On Grounded difficulty, with no damage run constraints layered on top, my first full sweep took just over 70 hours spread across two weeks. That is a serious time investment, and it requires a different mindset than a normal playthrough.

Grounded Difficulty Changes Everything

Grounded is the game's hardest preset. Enemies hit harder, hear better, and track you more aggressively. Resources are scarce, and the game's checkpoints become a lifeline rather than a convenience. If you are attempting a no damage run alongside a full collectible sweep, you have to rethink every encounter.

Stealth gameplay becomes the default, not a choice. In a standard playthrough you might clear a room with gunfire and scavenge the bodies. On Grounded, a single gunshot can draw reinforcements from two rooms away. You learn to read patrol patterns, use bottles and bricks to split groups, and rely on melee takedowns even when a shotgun feels tempting. The game's exploration also shifts: you scan every corner not just for collectibles, but for crafting materials that can turn a desperate fight into a controlled takedown.

Resources Management and Crafting Under Pressure

A lot of walkthrough materials online treat resources management as an afterthought. In a 100% completion gameplay run, it becomes the central puzzle. You need enough scrap to upgrade every weapon at the workbenches scattered across Seattle. You need parts and chemicals to craft silencers, smoke bombs, and medkits. But you also need to preserve enough material to keep your favorite weapons functional through the long stretches between safe houses.

I developed a simple rule: never craft anything you do not plan to use within the next ten minutes. Hoarding resources for a future encounter sounds smart, but the game punishes that by giving you more than you can carry. You have to make hard choices. Do you turn that explosive into a trap for the next patrol, or save it for a bloater fight two chapters away? Those decisions define the rhythm of a deep playthrough.

Collectibles and the Joy of Exploration

Naughty Dog has always been good at hiding things in plain sight. The Last of Us Part II Remastered scatters its collectibles across environments that feel lived-in and dangerous. You will find artifacts in the back of a wrecked bus, trading cards tucked behind a collapsed shelf, and journal entries that flesh out the world's backstory. Some are easy to spot if you take your time. Others require you to backtrack through areas after solving environmental puzzles.

The game's accessibility options make the search less punishing if you are not aiming for a no damage run. You can enable high-contrast display modes, adjust audio cues, or toggle navigation assists that point toward the next objective. For a pure 100% completion gameplay attempt, these options are a godsend. They let you focus on exploration without fighting the camera controls or missing a faint audio cue.

Combat Strategies for a No Damage Run

A no damage run on Grounded difficulty requires near-perfect execution. One hit from a melee enemy or a stray bullet ends the run. You have to treat every encounter as a puzzle where the solution is zero contact. That means using stealth gameplay to thin out patrols before they even know you are there. It means knowing exactly where every checkpoint resets, because if you take damage and reload, you lose progress toward the no damage goal.

I found that the most reliable strategy is to combine patience with mobility. Use the environment to create distance. Hide in tall grass, climb onto ledges, and use the game's verticality to break line of sight. When you do engage, use silenced weapons from range and reposition immediately. The AI in this game flanks aggressively. If you stay in one spot after a shot, you will be surrounded within seconds.

Upgrades, New Game Plus, and the Path to 100%

One of the smartest design choices in the Remastered edition is how upgrades carry over into New Game Plus. Once you have completed the story once, you can start a fresh run with all your weapons, upgrades, and training manuals intact. That makes a Grounded difficulty run far more manageable, because you begin with a fully upgraded Ellie. It also means you can focus on collectibles without worrying about combat efficiency.

For the most efficient route, I recommend completing one normal playthrough first. Collect everything you can, but do not stress over misses. Then start New Game Plus on Grounded, and use a detailed walkthrough to pick up the remaining collectibles. The combination of maxed upgrades and prior knowledge of enemy placement reduces the difficulty curve significantly. You still have to execute well, but you are not fighting the game's systems while also searching for a trading card.

Bonus Content and the Permadeath Mode

The Remastered edition includes a permadeath mode that deletes your save if you die at any point during the story. That is a different beast from 100% completion, but it overlaps if you want to earn every trophy. I attempted it once, got about twelve hours in, and died to a clicker ambush in the subway tunnels. That is the kind of loss that makes you rethink your approach to resources management and combat strategies.

Most players will be better served by focusing on the standard 100% completion gameplay track. The bonus content in the Remastered edition, including the No Return mode and the lost levels, offers plenty of extra playtime without the permadeath pressure. No Return, in particular, rewards mastery of the combat system and lets you experiment with different characters and loadouts. It is a great warm-up before you attempt a no damage run on the main campaign.

Is It Worth the Time?

That depends on what you want from a game. If you play for story and emotional beats, a single playthrough on Moderate difficulty will give you everything you need. The writing, the performances, the 4K HDR visuals - those are the headline attractions. But if you love systems, if you enjoy learning the mechanics until they become second nature, then a full 100% completion gameplay run on Grounded difficulty is one of the most satisfying challenges in modern gaming. It forces you to respect every encounter, every resource, every corner of the map. It turns a game you thought you knew into something new.

By the time I collected the last artifact, upgraded the final weapon, and cleared the last encounter without taking a single hit, I felt like I had earned the right to call myself a master of that world. That feeling is rare. The Last of Us Part II Remastered gives you the tools to earn it, but only if you are willing to put in the work.