If you thought Clickers were the stuff of nightmares, just wait until you meet what Season 2 of The Last of Us has cooked up. The show is diving deeper into the Cordyceps rabbit hole, and guess what? It’s about to get much, much worse. With a fresh batch of fungal fiends stepping into the spotlight, viewers better brace themselves. Season 2 doesn’t just raise the stakes — it mutates them.
We’ve already tangled with Runners, flinched at the screech of Clickers, and watched Joel battle the towering bulk of a Bloater. But now, it’s time for a new wave of infected. Say hello to Shamblers. Whisper a prayer if the Rat King shows up. And don’t get too comfortable — Stalkers are creeping just offscreen.
Shamblers: The Acid-Spitting Hulks You Didn’t Ask For
Let’s start with the Shamblers. These aren’t your average baddies. First introduced in The Last of Us Part II, Shamblers are what happens when the infected stew in damp, humid environments for way too long. The result? A lumbering brute with sacs of acidic spores just waiting to burst.
Unlike Bloaters, which thrive in drier zones and toss fungal bombs, Shamblers bring a new flavor of pain. They charge at you, get real close, and then unleash clouds of corrosive gas that melt through flesh and gear alike.
Why they’re terrifying:
- They don’t just attack — they explode.
- Their gas lingers after death.
- They’re slow, but always on your heels.
Now, with Season 2 moving into rainier regions, it makes perfect sense for Shamblers to make their ghastly entrance. Expect tense, claustrophobic encounters in damp basements or foggy forests, where visibility is low and escape routes are worse.
The Rat King: One Infected to Rule Them All
There’s grotesque, and then there’s this. The Rat King isn’t a single infected — it’s a grotesque mass of them. A nightmare stitched together from bodies, fungus, and malice. It looks like evolution gave up and let horror take the wheel.
In the game, Abby faces this nightmare under a Seattle hospital. The Rat King barrels out of the shadows like a fungal hydra, smashing walls and detaching parts of itself that become new enemies. It’s loud, fast, and almost unstoppable. Think of it as the infected’s final boss.
What makes it worse?
- It’s not just big. It’s many.
- Parts of it split off and attack.
- It’s fast. Really fast.
So, will the show go there? Fans are buzzing. The groundwork’s being laid. The Pacific Northwest setting and commitment to authenticity say yes. If it happens, don’t be surprised if this becomes the most talked-about sequence of the season. Or the one most viewers watch through their fingers.
Don’t Sleep on Stalkers
Caught between the raw aggression of Runners and the sensory terror of Clickers, Stalkers blend speed, stealth, and smarts. You barely notice them until it’s way too late. They hang back. Wait. And then lunge when you least expect it.
Unlike their noisier cousins, Stalkers haven’t fully lost their vision. So they sneak. And if one finds you, expect more to follow.
Expect Stalkers to:
- Ambush from vents and shadows.
- Hide until they feel confident enough to pounce.
- Come in packs, making them doubly scary.
In Season 2, we’ve already seen glimpses. Ellie runs into one in a supermarket early on. It’s a quiet scene that suddenly flips to heart-pounding terror. And it’s probably just a taste of what’s to come.
The Spores Strike Back
Remember in Season 1 when spores weren’t really a thing? The showrunners opted for tendrils and infected networks instead. But Season 2 seems to be taking a detour back toward the game’s fungal roots. Literally.
Spores return. And they’re a problem. That means masks, low visibility, and higher infection risk. Also? Creepy enclosed spaces now have a reason to be even scarier.
The Infection Evolves
What makes all these new infected so effective isn’t just their design. It’s their unpredictability. Runners? You can hear them scream from a block away. Clickers? You know what they do. But Shamblers, Stalkers, and the Rat King? They’re chaos incarnate.
The show’s success lies in its tension-building, and these monsters give it loads to work with. Tight camera angles. Flashlights barely working. The sound of dripping water. Then a sudden roar or hiss in the dark. Perfect nightmare fuel.
What’s Next? Maybe Don’t Watch This One Alone
Season 2 is dialing up the horror in big ways. It’s not just jump scares and blood — it’s atmosphere, dread, and slow-building panic. The new infected bring unpredictability to a world already teetering on the edge.
Hardcore fans are crossing fingers for a faithful Rat King showdown. Casual horror lovers? You’re in for a crash course in fungal fear. And if you thought Joel and Ellie had it rough before, well, it might be time to start screaming into your couch pillows.
So, keep the lights on. Maybe keep one eye closed. And for the love of Cordyceps, don’t breathe too deeply when that mist rolls in.
Because Season 2 isn’t just about survival anymore. It’s about who or what is still out there, lurking… and growing.
