The Last of Us has its fair share of difficult fights. With The Last of Us: Part I improving enemy A.I., they're only going to get more difficult.

Surviving an apocalyptic event, and its aftermath, is no easy task. No one is ever truly prepared for the nightmare that is thrust upon the world, especially when it involves creatures such as the undead. The Last of Us takes a grounded approach to a zombie apocalypse by leaning on the real-world Cordyceps fungus, which takes over the mind and bodies of ants and turns them into zombie-like husks.

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It's not just the infected the beloved Joel and Ellie have to worry about in their cross-country journey. Other people also pose a great danger. Throughout TLOU, Joel and Ellie are faced with numerous difficult fights and situations. These intense encounters keep players on the edge of their seats as they sneak, fire, or melee their way through. With the remake The Last of Us: Part I improving on enemy A.I., the most difficult fights will be even more difficult.

This list contains spoilers for The Last of Us and, in turn, The Last of Us: Part I.

In need of a car, Joel and Ellie head to "Bill's Town" to request the help of Bill, an associate of Joel's who previously helped him on previous smuggling missions. To obtain a working vehicle, the trio need to infiltrate Lincoln High School to get a car battery.

Lincoln High School and its surrounding areas are overrun by infected enemies. Obtaining this car battery requires Joel to burn through most of his ammo and resources. Before the trio can escape through the Lincoln High School gymnasium, a "Bloater" emerges from the storage closet. Bloaters are tough enemies that can throw spore bombs, which can quickly kill Joel. Joel will need to use whatever resources he has left to kill it and the "Runners" that join in on the fight.

During their time in Pittsburgh, Joel and Ellie encounter the sibling duo Henry and Sam. Sam is a young teenager, like Ellie, and Henry is understandably protective of him. After escaping Pittsburgh and the infected-infested sewers, Joel and company reach a desolate suburban community.

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At the end of this suburban community is a sniper along with a gang of hunters. Using the dilapidated houses as cover, Joel must slowly progress to the sniper's house while sneaking past or killing hunters along the way. Emerge from cover, even for a moment, and Joel will get hit. This sniper encounter requires plenty of awareness of both enemies and cover, especially on higher difficulties.

One of the scariest sequences in TLOU is the Hotel basement in Pittsburgh. After falling down an elevator shaft, Joel must work his way through an infested area to reunite with Ellie. While things are initially quiet, as soon as Joel powers up a generator, it's nothing but chaos.

This encounter debuts the "Stalker" enemies, which are like Runners but are smarter in their pursuit of prey. Stalkers can easily sneak up on Joel. If that's not enough, there's a Bloater to contend with. While Joel can make a run for the exit, which requires finding a key card, he'll likely have to fight his way out.

To find the Fireflies out west, Joel will need to console a former Firefly in his brother, Tommy. Joel and Tommy previously had a falling out, making for an awkward family reunion. Tommy has since settled in Jackson County in Wyoming, married, and has built a budding community that is about to receive electricity thanks to his dam's power plant.

As soon as the large-scale generator is up and running, enemies attack. Joel, Tommy, and the plant workers have to push back on enemy advances. The fight at Tommy's Dam includes long-distance combat, close-quarters combat, vertical combat, and a Molotov cocktail thrower with an accurate arm that puts NFL quarterbacks to shame.

Throughout the Lakeside Resort chapter of TLOU, Ellie spends most of her time trying to escape David, the leader of the hunters that Joel and Ellie fought previously. These hunters are also cannibals. Before Ellie is home free, she cuts through a diner where David is waiting.

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The David boss fight is TLOU at its most intense. Ellie must sneak around the diner and attack the wandering David from behind three times. David, however, has really good hearing. There's also broken glass everywhere, which can point David to Ellie's location if she's not careful. If David catches Ellie, he'll severely damage her if not outright kill her.

When Joel and Ellie reach the Firefly Lab, Ellie goes into surgery. Ellie, being immune to infection, could be the key to creating a vaccine. However, Ellie would die in surgery. Ellie is unaware of this as she was unconscious upon arrival after a near-death event in the Underground Tunnel.

Instead of letting the surgery progress, Joel decides to fight through the Firefly Lab and prevent Ellie's demise. Unlike previous fights with human enemies, these Firefly soldiers have automatic weapons. While Joel can pick up and use these weapons, getting hit with them makes for a fast death regardless of difficulty settings.

While the Firefly Lab is comprised entirely of human enemies, it would be a shame if the infected didn't have their grand finale encounter. Just before reaching the Firefly Lab, Joel and Ellie will need to progress through a dark Underground Tunnel with sunlight scattered throughout.

This tunnel is loaded with infected of nearly all types. Joel and Ellie have to slowly sneak by and kill infected to make their way to the other side. Right by the exit, however, are two Bloaters providing for an explosive final encounter with the infected in The Last of Us.

At the start of the Lakeside Resort, Ellie has little ammunition to work with. She likely has even less ammo after the previous cabin fight. What's worse than one limited-ammo fight? Two limited-ammo fights! Ellie, along with future nemesis David, must contend with a hoard of infected, which includes a Bloater at the end.

There is a relatively easy way to manage this as there's a desk on the upper level with a box on it. If Ellie stands on that box, only the Bloater can hit her. This leaves David to fend for himself and fight everything on his own, which is cathartic for anyone replaying The Last of Us.

After finally escaping the Hotel, Joel and Ellie are faced with a large group of hunters. Joel decides to trust Ellie with a rifle after she killed someone for the first time moments earlier. Joel then sneaks around and tries to pick off enemies one by one. If he's spotted, Ellie will provide support. This may sound easy, but it's frustrating thanks to the number of enemies.

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One way around this is by reaching the second-floor office on the other side of the area. A hunter will be up there watching over the area. By hiding in this office and alerting enemies, enemies will enter one at a time, allowing Joel to take them out one-by-one.

During the winter, Ellie sets out to hunt for some food. After claiming her hunted buck, she encounters David, who initially appears friendly. Shortly after their meeting, infected begin to surround their small cabin. Ellie's ammo and resources are easily outnumbered by the amount of infected that she has to fight, leaving her to hope for ammo drops throughout.

Ellie can save some resources by sticking behind David. When an infected grabs him, Ellie can stab it with her knife for a one-hit kill. While this method is inconsistent, it can help better manage resources in this difficult fight.

NEXT: The Last Of Us: 8 Saddest Deaths

Michael is a list writer for CBR who has been gaming for as long as he can remember. Some of his favorite series include Uncharted, Final Fantasy, the Legend of Zelda, and Mario Kart. Beyond gaming, he's a big fan of his beloved Detroit sports teams, for better and for worse.

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