Ever since it was released a little under five years ago, The Last of Us Part 2 has been ripe with possible avenues for a story-related DLC in the same vein as The Last of Us Part 1’s Left Behind. Indeed, Left Behind was more than mere DLC. Narratively, it is interwoven seamlessly into the base game and is arguably inseparable from that material due to how much it reveals about Ellie. Left Behind has every right to be an essential piece of Last of Us media given this significance, and yet it seems less likely today that The Last of Us Part 2 could receive a DLC of its own, despite one idea being a no-brainer.
Seeing as how Tommy has a solo trek through Seattle with exploits that Ellie and Dina follow and often intersect with, it would make all the sense in the world if Part 2 had a Tommy DLC a la Resident Evil 4’s Separate Ways DLC, which stars Ada Wong and depicts her whereabouts and ulterior exploits. Unfortunately, the recently announced The Last of Us Complete, unlike the remasters and remake that have preceded it, seems to suggest that there might not be more to come from the franchise. Still, while Part 1 and Part 2 may be the “full story” after all, Part 1’s Left Behind DLC would be complemented well by a DLC in Part 2 that wouldn’t even need to infringe upon or add to the story that’s already been told.
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A Last of Us Part 2 DLC with Tommy Has Already Written Itself
A possible DLC for The Last of Us Part 2 could open on Tommy leaving a note to his wife, Maria, and heading out to withdraw his pound of flesh. Thanks to an unmistakable evidence trail, players know precisely what Tommy’s journey looked like in Part 2 as Ellie and Dina are able to follow bloody breadcrumbs of WLF corpses on Day 1 in Seattle while Abby and Manny encounter him on Day 3.
Meanwhile, context clues and radio broadcasts jigsaw the remaining pieces into place. Here, it may be jarring to not have an NPC ally as players ride around on horseback and traverse WLF barricades as Ellie had, and it’d be exciting to play as Tommy when he subdues two Wolves and has them write the East 1 gate code in blood.
There’d chiefly be recycled levels and encounters as anticipated in a DLC such as this, and yet these sequences would be captivating to experience as Tommy. Plus, this would lend it to another Resident Evil franchise beat it could be inspired by. Because Resident Evil 3 takes place both before and after the events of Resident Evil 2, players get to witness when zombies and lickers first struck the Raccoon City Police Department prior to Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield’s arrival.
The DLC could then end with Tommy and Jesse finding Ellie at the aquarium on Day 3 before they all return to the theater and are eventually surprised by Abby and Lev. This premise for a Last of Us Part 2 DLC may have always been conceivable but, with The Last of Us Complete and the end of the series potentially being nigh, there would be no better time than now for it and Naughty Dog wouldn’t have to look any farther than No Return in order to accomplish this task.
The Last of Us Part 2’s No Return Should Be a Segue for a Tommy DLC
A Tommy DLC certainly wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility as he is already a playable character in No Return, The Last of Us Part 2’s roguelike mode, whose model adopts Abby’s moveset animations. Therefore, Tommy could have his own unique playstyle inherited from No Return, where he cannot dodge and possesses his signature marksman traits in a supplement-fueled upgrade branch.
Tommy is one of the hardest and most infuriating characters to earn a high competitive daily score with in No Return when stuns, stealth, melee, headshots, and other factors become so paramount.
Sadly, after five years, a Part 2 DLC for Tommy is no more likely than the possibility of there being a Part 3 in the Last of Us franchise. In the meantime, playing as Tommy in No Return might be the only way to scratch that itch.
The Last of Us Part 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 93 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- June 19, 2020
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Franchise
- The Last of Us
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 24 Hours
