5 BEST Last Of Us Part 1 Skills

Our Last of Us Part 1 Best Skills guide breaks down five useful skills of Joel you should not sleep on and upgrade to dominate combat.

The Last of Us gives players the opportunity to improve Joel’s skills. Supplement items are found in The Last of Us Part 1, and they make completing challenges considerably less difficult. Supplements provide you the chance to improve Joel’s Skills, which in turn dramatically boosts your capacity to survive.

Key Takeaways
  • Skills are an essential part of The Last of Us Part 1, which enhances the chances of survival and can make the game a little easier in the latter stages.
  • To unlock and upgrade skills in The Last of Us Part 1, you must find supplements.

Our The Last of Us Part 1 best skills guide will take you through the most beneficial Skills for you to choose initially in order to make you as prepared as possible for Joel & Ellie’s trip that lies ahead. Here’s a quick overview:

RankSkillsCost Per levelDescription
1Maximum HealthLevel 1: 50
Level 2: 100
Maximize the overall health and heals you completely
2Shiv MasterLevel 1: 75
Level 2: 100
A shivs with complete durability can use to defend yourself
against the enemies.
Also grant joel to use Shiv when having any difficulty with the clicker
3Listen Mode DistanceLevel 1: 20
Level 2: 30
Level 3: 50
The Listen Mode radius increases, but it is unavailable two difficulties;
Surrounded and Grounded
4The Weapon Sway Level 1: 50
Level 2: 100
The Weapon sway is reduced, which directly benefits you
5Crafting SpeedLevel 1: 25
Level 2: 30
Level 3: 50
The crafting time has been reduced to half

1) Maximum Health

Cost per Level Level 1: 50, Level 2: 100
Description Increase Joel’s maximum health.

In The Last of Us Part 1, there is not a single scenario in which it would not be beneficial to have more health. Even in the settings that seem to be the most peaceful, you are aware that the danger posed by infected individuals might be hiding everywhere.

If you want Joel and Ellie to have a better chance of surviving, you should try to maintain as much health as you can, and that is why we recommended Maximum Health as the first Last of Us Part 1 Best Skills to unlock.

2) Shiv Master

Shiv Master best Last of Us part 1 skill
Cost per Level Level 1: 75, Level 2: 100
Description Allows Shivs to be used as defensive weapons against Clickers, and also increases the durability of the Shiv.

When the Clicker has you in its grasp for a fatal bite, the Shiv Master will enable you to get away from its jaws and escape. A fantastic option for those just starting out.

Because of this skill, Joel and Ellie are able to defend themselves when they are seized by a clicker by using the Shiv. It may save you from dying in a number of different ways. If at all feasible, you should try to acquire at least the first level of the ability before you begin to meet more clickers.

Unlock the second level of the ability to utilize fewer blades is likewise something that is recommended to do.

The ability to wield a Shiv Master may be the difference between being torn apart by a Clicker and surviving to fight another day. What further motivation could you possibly need to acquire Shiv Master, the best skill in The Last of Us Part 1?

3) Listen Mode Distance

Listen Mode best Last of Us part 1 skill
Cost per Level Level 1: 20, Level 2: 30, Level 3: 50
Description Increases the radius range of Listen Mode.

Listen Mode Distance is the third ability that we suggest putting extra emphasis on. It is very necessary to have the ability to monitor your foes as you sneak about a level in order to avoid being overpowered and eliminate individuals one by one.

Because of this, you will be able to hear more and keep better track of everyone, enabling you to make more efficient use of the resources at your disposal.

Listen Mode is an extremely useful skill that allows you to monitor the movements of the adversary and plan assaults in response to those movements. By increasing the distance of the listen mode, you will be able to detect more adversaries, which will, in turn, reduce the likelihood that you will make a mistake.

4) Weapon Sway

Weapon Sway Skill
Cost per Level Level 1: 50, Level 2: 100
Description Weapon sway is decreased.

The Weapon Sway skill is highly recommended to be unlocked as it is the fourth-best skill in The Last of Us Part 1. One of the most unexpected characteristics of the game is called “Weapon Sway,” and the ability to control it is critical to maintaining your aim and making sure your rounds hit their mark.

You won’t be able to avoid the influence of weapon sway after maxing out the skill tree, but it will improve your ability to line up shots with your handgun or arrows from a longer range. The added advantage makes it the Last of Us Part 1 Best Skill.

5) Crafting Speed

Crafting Speed best Last of Us part 1 skills
Cost per Level Level 1: 25, Level 2: 30, Level 3: 50
Description The crafting time speed gets reduced to half of the previous speed.

The Crafting Speed is the fifth best skill in The Last of Us Part 1 that we recommend that you should not sleep on. It may appear as an underwhelming skill when you read the description for the first time, but trust us and max it out. 

Using these enhancements, you will be able to craft items at a quicker rate. It is not of much value, although it might be handy if you want to construct healing kits or explosives, like  Molotov, on the go while you are engaged in battle. You have three opportunities to enhance it, each of which costs 25, 30, and 50 points correspondingly.

How To Upgrade Character Skills In The Last Of Us Part 1?

As you advance in The Last of Us Part 1, your character levels up through supplements found in the open world. To unlock skills, collect supplements and allocate points (5 or 10) for each. Since you won’t find enough in one playthrough, use New Game Plus to carry over progress.

Skills like Listening Mode Range, Weapon Sway, and Healing Speed can be upgraded. Unlike weapon upgrades at workbenches, skill upgrades don’t need a specific location. I would recommend you to prioritize supplements for Maximum Health and Weapon Sway. Later in the game, you can consider investing in Healing Speed for quicker recovery.

My Recommendation For The Best Skill In Last Of Us Part 1

Listen Mode Distance and Shive Master are easily my recommendations for the best skills. A lot of my first playthrough was sneaking around enemies, and knowing their positioning with better listen mode eased the difficulty of encounters a lot. So upgrading the Listen Mode is highly recommended if you want to know the position of enemies in stealth encounters much more accurately.

Last of Us Part 1
Last of Us Part 1 Sphinx Profile

Shive Master is a no-brainer, as it’s the last resort Joel uses before getting killed. So, having an upgraded shiv can definitely save you the trouble of restarting an encounter and redoing the entire thing again.

That is all that we had to mention about Last of Us Part 1 Best Skills in our guide. Let us know if you have other favorite skills than the ones we listed.

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Moiz Banoori is the brains behind eXputer. Having worked at various Video Game sites, with 8 years of Content Writing Experience and a Journalism Degree at hand, he presently monitors teams, creates strategies, and publishes qualified pieces through his aptitude at eXputer. Feel free to get in touch with him through his gaming profile on Steam and PSN.

Experience: 8+ Years || Manages Teams, Creates Strategies, and Publishes Guides on eXputer || Education: Bachelors in Journalism.

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