The Last of Us Part 1 Pittsburgh Walkthrough (Chapter 5)

Here's how players can tackle the fifth chapter of Pittsburgh in The Last of Us Part 1.

Now that Joel and Ellie have a working car, they're able to travel a much greater distance. They won't get farther than Pittsburgh, however; as soon as they enter the city, they'll get ambushed by a group of hunters. Joel and Ellie will then have to fight through a city of ruthless survivors in order to continue forward.

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Pittsburgh is easily the longest chapter in the game, and it's by no means the easiest. Pittsburgh is when players learn what survivors in the world of The Last of Us Part 1 are capable of. With plenty of enemy encounters, as well as more than a dozen secrets and collectibles, Pittsburgh is one of the toughest but also one of the most rewarding chapters in The Last of Us Part 1.

As soon as the cutscene ends, Joel and Ellie will be thrust into combat as enemies will drag the both of them out of the crashed truck. One enemy will grab Joel and attempt to stab him with a piece of broken glass. Press the square button repeatedly to resist. Soon, Joel will get the better of him and kill him. Just as he dies, another enemy will be attacking Ellie; run up and attack him.

After he's dead, another enemy will begin shooting. Joel and Ellie will take cover, and several more enemies will show up. While enemies know the general area Joel is hiding, they won't know specifically. Use the store aisles, counter, and crashed truck as cover and take out as many as possible while in stealth. After a few enemies are killed, a few more will show up to search the area.

Once combat is over, search the area for supplies. When ready, head to the metal door on the opposite end of the store Joel and Ellie crashed into. Press the triangle button to grab onto the bottom of the door, then hold the triangle button to lift it open. Ellie will go underneath, and after a moment, she'll grab onto the chain inside, allowing Joel to enter.

After entering the room, walk up to Ellie to have an optional conversation with her. Then search the room for supplies; level 2 tools and the game's first smoke bomb can be found to the left of where Joel entered. An artifact can be found in the far-right corner of the room.

Smoke bombs will generate a large field of smoke for a limited amount of time when thrown. This will disorient enemies and limit their vision, and can be effective in both stealth and combat.

When ready, open the door on the left side of the room and proceed up the stairs. On the second floor, go into the room on the right. Near one of the beds will be a training manual that will upgrade Joel's health kit. Grab it, then search the room for supplies. Return to the hallway and open the door on the far end. Inside will be a workbench and another artifact.

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When ready to leave, return to the hallway and open the door leading outside. Turn left and walk up the stairs. At the top, Joel will point out the yellow bridge in the distance; getting there will be Joel and Ellie's goal for this chapter.

Ellie will drop down into the next area. Follow her and drop down to the highway. From here, turn right and enter the bus. At one end of the bus will be a S avage Starlight comic, a new collectible throughout the game.

Walk out of the bus. Just beyond the bus, Ellie will stop by a car with a corpse hanging out the driver's seat. Stop next to her to have an optional conversation with her.

As Joel moves forward, three enemies will appear on top of the bus ahead. Crouch down and use the cars and grass for cover. The three will roam around for a minute, then group up. After they talk for a minute, they'll disperse again. Here is the best chance to stealth kill them, though doing so is optional. Wait around for a minute and they'll disappear on their own.

Go up to the bus they came from and wait around for a minute. Though it may take a while, eventually Ellie will bring out her joke book. Joel can have an optional conversation with her to hear the rest of her jokes.

Climb the bus and drop over to the other side. Go to the right, where there will be some graffiti about rations. Jump over to the other side of the barrier, where there will be an artifact. Stay by for a moment and wait for Ellie to comment on the graffiti to have an optional conversation with her.

Go through the checkpoint ahead. After going through the turnstile, Joel will hear some hunters and crouch down. Three hunters will appear ahead outside, and after a moment they'll disperse. Joel will have to navigate through the bookstore on the right in order to proceed. Killing enemies is optional here, though there are some artifacts and optional conversations that are more easily obtained if players do.

Stay low and move forward, silently killing the three hunters one by one. Straight ahead from when players entered, where the hunters initially were, look on one of the checkpoint barricades to find an artifact.

Go to the far left of the bookstore. Down the alley at the other end will be a firefly pendant.

Then move into the bookstore. There'll be four hunters talking; wait for them to finish and they'll disperse. On the far corner of the lower floor of the bookstore, there are some small rooms; inside one will be an artifact. Towards where players entered, another artifact will be below the wooden stairs. Climb up to the second floor where there'll be more hunters waiting. Either kill them or silently move past them.

If all hunters are killed, wait around the bookstore for a while; eventually Ellie will take out her joke book, and players can initiate an optional conversation with her to hear a few more jokes. Afterward, go towards the large sign that reads "River's Cafe". To the right will be a bathroom that requires a shiv to enter, though contains a number of supplies as well as an artifact. To the left of the cafe will be an open door that leads to the bookstore's exit.

Drop down into the alley. Up ahead will be a streetlight with some long-dead soldiers strung up. Turn the corner, then at the end of the alley, climb up the stairs and over through the other side. Turn right and walk towards the large hotel at the other end of the street.

Going into the next area, a small cutscene will trigger. After the cutscene, turn around and go towards a shop named Laron's to have an optional conversation with Ellie about the beauty poster in front. Continue waiting around this area for Ellie to whip out her joke book a third time, where in another optional conversation Ellie will bug Joel with more of her jokes.

Next to the Savage Starlight poster, there'll be a door with a red "X" on it which can be opened with a shiv. Inside will be another artifact.

Afterward, proceed forward down the street. Eventually, Joel will have to swim. Swim to the other end of the street, where a wooden palette will be floating in the water. Press the triangle button to grab ahold of the palette. Then swim back to Ellie, who will be waiting on the car. Have her jump on the palette, then swim up to the bus connected to the hotel so she can jump on. She'll then move the plank so Joel can cross over.

Climb into the truck opposite to the bus. It'll lead into a coffee shop. The stairs straight ahead will lead to the second floor, where there will be some supplies. From the bottom floor, climb atop the truck and cross the plank outside. Go up to the hotel entrance and drop in to the hotel.

Explore the hotel lobby for supplies. To the right side of the lobby will be a coffee machine, go over there to have Joel have an optional conversation with himself about coffee. On the left side of the lobby, go behind the desks to find a safe; the combination is 22-10-56, and inside is a training manual to upgrade Joel's shivs. Also be sure to stay around behind the desk for a little while to unlock some extra dialogue with Ellie.

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Near the coffee machine, there'll be a ladder leaning against some construction. Press the triangle button to grab the ladder and carry it over to the ledge straight ahead of where the ladder originally was.

Climb the ladder, then wait there for a second. Once Ellie climbs up, have an optional conversation with her to hear more jokes from her joke book. Before going forward, shimmy along the ledge to the other side, where players will find an artifact. Then return and climb up the stairs and out the window. As soon as Joel and Ellie exit outside, more hunters will be heard roaming the floors. Stay low and continue forward into the open window straight ahead.

There'll be several hunters roaming the floor, so use the hotel rooms and the various pieces of furniture within them to stay hidden. It's best to try to take them out silently, though if combat breaks out, the various hotel rooms can be used for hiding to return to stealth. The hotel layout itself can sometimes be confusing to navigate, though. On some of the walls, players will see graffiti that reads "SJTP", along with an arrow. Follow the arrow and they'll lead players towards where they need to go.

An optional conversation can be had in room 304; head to the bathroom to find two dead bodies in the bathtub. This area can be reached through the hotel hallway as well as a climbable structure from room 204, connected to an outside balcony.

Continue through the hotel hallways, going up the stairs whenever possible. Eventually, Joel and Ellie will find an elevator slightly open with a ladder inside. Walk up to the elevator doors and press the triangle button to grab ahold of the doors. Then hold the triangle button to push the doors open.

Climb up the ladder. On top of the elevator, move to the right side and shimmy along to the second elevator. Jump onto the second elevator. In a moment, Ellie will follow. Press the triangle button to boost Ellie up to the next floor. As soon as Joel boosts Ellie up, the elevator will drop, sending Joel plummeting down to the flooded elevator basement.

Once Joel resurfaces, swim forward and turn left. Swim forward through the doorway. This'll be a dead end. Move over to the pool of water to the left of the entrance and press the circle button to dive. Swim through the doorway on the right and continue swimming right through the linear path, pressing the X button to resurface once Joel is able to do so.

After resurfacing, turn right and head through the open doorway to find some supplies. Then return to the main room. The gate beyond the "West Tower B1" sign will be shut, so Joel will need to find another way around. Dive beneath the surface; just below where the gate is should be a doorway. Swim through and resurface on the other side. Then continue down the hallway.

Not long after, there'll be spores, so Joel will put on his gas mask. Crouch under the debris in the hallway to lead to the main basement area. Turn into the first doorway on the left for supplies. Then enter the doorway on the right of this room and proceed up the stairs.

This area will feature a new type of infected - stalkers. Stalkers use stealth to track down the player. Often, they'll ambush the player without much warning, making it difficult to track and sneak up behind them.

Upstairs, enter the hallway and turn right. There will be two cables on the floor; one red and the other yellow. Follow them into the next room.

The next room will have a ramp leading down to the first floor. Ignore it for now, but remember this room for later. Instead, continue forward through the bathroom. Emerging into the hallway on the other side of the bathroom, turn right. The next open door will lead to the security room. On the desk will be another artifact - the hotel key card. Grab it; Joel will need it to get out.

Backtrack to the room with the ramp. Go down to find a generator. Go up to it and press the triangle button to play the generator minigame, turning the generator on. At this point, a bloater and several more stalkers will enter the basement elsewhere. Run up the ramp and follow the red and yellow cables on the ground. Eventually, they'll lead to a corridor filled with cordyceps on the walls. At the end is the door leading out. Press the triangle button to try to open the door. It's locked, but fortunately Joel has the key card. Press the triangle button to swipe the key card, unlocking the door. Then Joel can successfully open the door.

Walk up the stairs and into the next hallway. There will be an open bathroom and office on the other end; search these rooms for supplies. A workbench will be in the office. When ready, return to the hallway and open the door at the end to proceed.

Joel will enter the hotel kitchen. A clicker will be there, but it'll immediately get killed by a hunter. Crouch down and stay hidden as hunters begin sweeping the area. Use the kitchen counters within the kitchen, as well as the tables just outside the kitchen, for cover while taking the hunters out as silently as possible.

After the encounter, venture to the far-left corner of the room. A ladder will be lying on the ground. Pick up the ladder and place it against the wall immediately in front.

Climb up the ladder; midway through climbing, another hunter will attack Joel and attempt to drown him in the puddle of water below. Press the square button repeatedly to hold off the attacker and attempt to reach the gun. In a moment, someone else will grab the gun, triggering the next cutscene.

After the cutscene, climb up the ladder and search the rooms for supplies. Before continuing down the stairs, turn left and shimmy along the side of the collapsed flooring to get to the other side, where there will be more supplies. When ready, return to Ellie and head down the stairs to the first floor.

In the second bathroom on the left, head to the last stall in the corner to find another firefly pendant.

Continue down the hallway. On one of the tables to the left side will be a training manual that will improve Joel's melee weapons. Then continue forward through the last door on the end. This will lead Joel and Ellie to a large ballroom. Turn right to find a picture backdrop. Head towards there to have a series of optional conversations with Ellie.

Turn around and return to the stage. Head towards the piano; first approach the keys and press the triangle button to have Joel play a short tune. Then go to the side of the piano and press the triangle button to try to push the piano. It'll be too heavy, so Joel will ask Ellie for help. When Ellie comes to help, move forward to push the piano against the wall. Use it to climb up to the second floor. Explore the other end of the upper balcony as well as the connected bar for supplies. Then head outside to trigger the next cutscene.

After the cutscene, Joel will have to clear the area of hunters. Fortunately, Ellie will be able to help with her rifle. Stay crouched and hidden for a moment. One hunter will come and warn the others of Joel's presence in the city. Wait for them to finish talking so they'll disperse, at which point players can begin picking them off through stealth for as long as possible. One hunter will walk left by himself, so it's recommended to kill him first before moving forward.

There are buildings on either side of the area, both of which have walls as well as tables and chairs Joel can use for cover. The buildings on the right will also lead to a second floor if players need to find a place they can run from the hunters. Joel can also use the cars and various structures in the center for cover. Generally try to take out as many hunters as possible in stealth, though if combat breaks out, Ellie will often be able to kill a few hunters with her rifle.

After combat is over, look around the area for supplies. Joel and Ellie can have an optional conversation about the man hanging near the front-middle of the area. An artifact can be found in the back of the sandwich restaurant on the right side of the street. Go to the back of the restaurant and follow a trail of blood to the back room with the artifact.

When ready, head towards the back, where a new area will have opened up. Turn left and press the triangle button to grab ahold of the metal door, then hold the triangle button to lift it. Ellie will crawl under, and after a moment, she'll roll a cart underneath to keep it open. Crouch down to crawl underneath and into the next room. Then go up to the cart Ellie just rolled underneath the door. Press the triangle button to grab ahold of it, then roll it over to the back wall where Joel and Ellie can use it to climb over.

As soon as players climb over, there'll be a workbench to the right. Climb over the table ahead, where a short cutscene will trigger. After the cutscene, turn left and go into the other room and up the stairs. When Joel enters the upstairs, two hunters will be heard just ahead. Crouch down and sneak out. They'll be around the corner, so Joel will have some time to prepare. Soon, the two hunters will split up; with one in the hallway, and the other in the office just ahead. Use this to Joel's advantage and silently kill them.

An artifact is located at the far-left side of the office.

Walk out the window and onto the street. After walking down the street for a minute, more hunters will be heard. Turn the corner; there'll be a bookstore on the left and another building on the right. Be careful when sneaking around this area, as there will be multiple tripwires rigged to explosives that can't be crouched under. Two will be situated between a car and the bookstore as well as in the first bookstore entrance.

A third will be between a police car and a building across the street from the bookstore.

Go inside the building and up the stairs. Three hunters will be patrolling these rooms. Use the desks as cover and kill them silently. Behind the desk in the second room, another artifact can be found.

Walk downstairs and outside, turning right on the street. In the open area ahead, there will still be four more hunters roaming the area for the player to take out. After combat, in the open area, go inside the large building in the corner with a sign that reads "Ration Depot". Inside will be another artifact. There will also be a door to be unlocked with a shiv in the back.

Go across the street from the Ration Depot, where several bodies will be lined up against a wall that reads "Death for Freedom". Stand in front of here to have an optional conversation with Ellie. Then, go to the fire escape nearby. Press the triangle button to boost Ellie up. In a moment, she'll lower the ladder, allowing Joel to climb up.

Walk through the fire escape and drop down to the street below on the other side. Directly in front of where players drop to the right will be a military boarding school. Stand here for a moment to have an optional conversation with Ellie about it.

Then turn around and head left of where players dropped. There'll be a dark alley straight ahead; before continuing forward here, turn right where there'll be a large poster for the fiction Dawn of the Wolf movie. Wait here to have an optional conversation with Ellie about it.

Return and go down the alley. After a moment, the hunters' tank will be heard patrolling the street. A few hunters will then be checking out the inside of the last building on the right, while one will be positioned around the corner outside. Kill them silently. It's generally recommended to stay stealthy for as long as possible; the turret attached to the tank with ruthlessly shoot at Joel if he gets seen.

Use the cars aligned on the street for cover when crossing. The turret will see Joel no matter what, but it's best to stay hidden for as long as possible. As soon as the turret begins shooting, run across the street and head into the building on the left. Two hunters will ambush Joel here. Kill them quickly, as the turret will still be firing.

Head out the window, where another hunter will attack Joel. Kill him quickly, then turn left and around the corner. Another hunter will eventually come at Joel; kill him. Continue running as the turret will still be firing. Keep going through the alley; eventually Joel will come across an open building. Run inside and go up the stairs. Joel and Ellie will be safe here for a while.

Upstairs, go through the office on the left and out the open window. Follow the fire escape up, which will eventually scale the side of the apartments. Go through the first open window Joel finds. Search the apartment for supplies, then head to the far end of the apartment and out the other open window. Shimmy the left on the side of the building until Joel gets to the last window. Jump in, triggering the next cutscene, where Joel and Ellie will meet Henry and Sam.

After the cutscene, search the apartment for supplies. A training manual that will improve Joel's molotov cocktails will be lying on the kitchen counter.

Exit the apartment and follow Henry and Sam down to the next floor. The one door across the stairway can be unlocked using a shiv. A Savage Starlight comic will be in the second bedroom on the left.

Return to the hallway. Continue following Henry; he'll lead the way for a while. Once they exit the toy store, three more hunters will show up ahead. Wait for them to disperse to pick them off one by one. Once they're taken care of, climb up the yellow car and onto the roof of the building. As soon as Joel climbs up, two more hunters will show up ahead and hide behind the vents. Use the vents on this roof for cover and kill them using ammo or any explosive weapons.

When they're dead, climb up and go towards where the previous hunters came from. Enter through the open door and go into the bathroom on the left side of the hallway. In one of the stalls will be a firefly pendant.

Return to the hallway and follow Henry and Sam inside the large office space. Walk into the office straight ahead, where there'll be an artifact in the corner of the room.

Continue following Henry until he reaches a small office. Follow him inside to trigger the next cutscene. After the cutscene, follow Henry down the stairs until they reach the first floor. The next room will have two hunters standing around, so crouch down and sneak up to them. Grab and kill one of them silently; Henry will kill the other simultaneously.

Move left outside and stay in cover. The spotlight up ahead will be in use as hunters try to shoot a clicker in the distance. Use the cars and roadblocks as cover and move up. Keep track of the movement of the spotlight to avoid being seen. At the base of the structure with the spotlight is a generator; use it to turn the spotlight off, at which point combat will break out with any remaining hunters If combat breaks out before reaching the front, first shoot out the light, giving the hunters a disadvantage.

After combat, go up to the metal gate underneath the yellow sign. Press the triangle button to open it with Henry. As they all reach the other side, the tank will arrive and hunters will attempt to get through. Go straight forward to the white truck with the remnants of a ladder hanging on the side. Press the triangle button to boost Henry up. Henry will pull up Sam and Ellie, though will leave Joel behind once the hunters begin breaking through the door.

Ellie will jump down with Joel. To the left is a metal door. Press the triangle button to grab ahold of it, then hold the triangle button to lift it open and go inside the building.

Inside, head toward the bar, where several hunters will be positioned. Use the furniture around the bar as cover and take out as many using stealth. Once all the enemies are taken care of, head to the front door. A cart will be blocking the entrance; press the triangle button to grab ahold of the cart and wheel it away from the door.

The door will be chained up. Press the triangle button to open the door as far as it will go, allowing Joel and Ellie to slip through. As soon as they exit, the tank will burst through on the left. Run forward and onto the highway bridge. Use the various structures on the highway for cover as the turret shoots at Joel and Ellie. Eventually, they'll get to the end of the highway, triggering the next cutscene and ending the chapter in Pittsburgh.

The Last of Us Part 1 is available on PS5 and releases on PC on March 28, 2023.

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Jason Van Duine is a list writer for GameRant. He generally enjoys movies, video games, and creative writing. He also uploads videos of film, television, and game critique/analysis on YouTube under the name Robyn Mateo.