Chapter Select & Progression — The Last of Us Part I Guide

Use Chapter Select in The Last of Us Part I to find missed collectibles, re-experience story beats, or try new combat strategies for progression.

Chapter Select & Progression

Revisiting specific moments in The Last of Us Part I is an excellent way to hunt for missed collectibles, experiment with different combat strategies, or simply re-experience your favorite story beats. The Chapter Select feature, accessible from the main menu, allows for granular control over your progression.

Accessing Chapter Select

To utilize Chapter Select:

1. From the Main Menu, navigate to Story.
2. Select Chapter Select.
3. A list of all major chapters will appear, such as "The Quarantine Zone," "The Outskirts," "Bill's Town," etc.
4. Within each major chapter, you'll find a breakdown into smaller, more manageable sub-chapters or encounters. For example, "The Outskirts" might include "Downtown," "Museum," and "The Capitol Building."
5. Choose the specific sub-chapter you wish to load.

Important Note: When you load a chapter via Chapter Select, the game creates a temporary save state for that specific playthrough. Your main story progression save file remains untouched. This means you can freely explore without fear of overwriting your current progress.

Collectible Tracking and Saving

One of the primary uses for Chapter Select is completing your collectible hunt. The Last of Us Part I features several types of collectibles:

• Artifacts: Letters, notes, and documents providing lore and backstory.
• Firefly Pendants: Dog tags of fallen Firefly members.
• Comic Books: Issues of "Savage Starlight" that Ellie collects.
• Training Manuals: Books that upgrade Joel's crafting abilities.
• Workbenches: Locations where Joel can upgrade weapons.
• Optional Conversations: Unique dialogue prompts that add depth to characters and the world.

How Collectible Saving Works:

When you pick up a collectible in Chapter Select, it is immediately registered to your profile's overall collectible count. You do not need to complete the entire chapter or reach a specific checkpoint for it to save. Once you grab an item, you can immediately quit back to the main menu, and it will be recorded as found.

Strategy for Collectible Hunting:

1. Identify which collectibles you are missing for a particular chapter using the in-game tracker (accessible from the pause menu under Collectibles).
2. Load the earliest sub-chapter that contains the missing collectible.
3. Follow a guide (like this one!) to pinpoint the exact location of the item.
4. Once you've picked up the collectible (e.g., the Smuggler's Note in "The Quarantine Zone - The Slums"), pause the game and verify it's registered in your Collectibles menu.
5. You can then safely exit to the Main Menu without continuing the chapter. Repeat for any other missing items.

Progression and Upgrades

While collectibles save immediately, other forms of progression are handled differently:

• Supplements: These are used to upgrade Joel's skills (e.g., max health, listen mode range). Supplements collected in Chapter Select do carry over to your main save file. This is an excellent way to farm supplements if you're looking to fully upgrade Joel.
• Parts: Used for weapon upgrades at Workbenches. Similar to supplements, parts collected in Chapter Select will add to your total in your main save file.
• Weapon Upgrades: Any weapon upgrades purchased at a Workbench in Chapter Select will also carry over to your main save.
• Ammunition & Crafting Resources: These items are generally not saved back to your main progression. When you load a chapter, you start with the inventory you had at that point in your main save. Any ammo or resources you pick up or use will only persist for that specific Chapter Select session.

Farming for Upgrades:

If you're aiming for the "Fully Upgraded" trophy or simply want to maximize Joel's abilities, Chapter Select is your best friend. Identify chapters rich in supplements and parts, such as:

• "The Outskirts - Downtown": Contains numerous apartments and stores with hidden supplements and parts.
• "Bill's Town - The Woods": Explore thoroughly for crafting materials and supplements in the houses.
• "Pittsburgh - Alone and Forsaken": Many buildings to scavenge for resources.

Replay these sections, collect all available supplements and parts, and then exit. Your main save will reflect these additions, allowing you to purchase more upgrades.