The Last of Us: 6 Levels of Infected Comparison on HBO and PlayStation

3)Runners are the most common, but clickers are the most popular. Their fungus-sprouted faces are easily recognizable, and the clicking sound they make gives people chills. They’re like runners in the sense that they also dash at things. The difference is they’re harder to kill and sneak up on. If you step too loud they’ll be on you like flies to poop.

Bloaters (stage 4)The giant, armor-plated, acid-spore-throwing tanks of an infected are horrific to look at and fight. The only thing that seems to work on them is fire and a bunch of shotgun blasts. Even then, they just keep coming. If you need another example of how strong they are, look no further than episode 5 of season 1 (“Endure and Survive”) when it ripped someone’s head off with ease.

The Last of Us game and show writer Neil Druckmann has the best explanation of what they are. He said, “There are certain people that are so strong and big that can survive even longer, and those are the Bloater… That’s why you’re seeing this person is so tall and massive in their strength. And it just becomes that much scarier, again as we go forward, there’s just these new types of infected.”

Shamblers (stage 4, different environment)There isn’t much of a difference between the shamblers and the bloaters. They’re both big and project acidic spores from their skin. However, shamblers don’t have a hard outer shell. According to a few videos I’ve seen, the shamblers get their gross wet look from being in humid areas or close to bodies of water. Plus, after you kill them, their pores spout acid.

The Rat King (stage 5, rare)The first time the infected rat king popped out (The Last of Us Part 2), I nearly dropped my controller. The creative team perfectly put this spine-chilling specimen in the right scene to petrify players.. And when I finally got a good look at it, it was unbelievable. It has clickers, stalkers, and runners fused into one vile villain. Unlike the other infected on this list, it takes everything you have to beat it.

It doesn’t end there. After you’ve beaten the thing, one of the infected rips itself off the monstrosity and keeps fighting (if the one behemoth wasn’t enough). It’ll be interesting to see if it appears in season 2 of The Last of Us. If this writer had to guess, one of the episodes in season 2 will end with it appearing.