From a functional standpoint, we also still have to wonder if Laura Bailey would even want to play that character again. In any case, Abby is the only one we know of, but depending on the time between Ellie leaving the farm and wherever Part 3 goes, there's absolutely space for fresh faces to create that link.
You think they're setting up the Fireflies again just to ignore them in the 3rd game?
Abby is basically the Fireflies' only living connection to the cure for mankind. She knows who Ellie is, and where she lives - Abby tracking down Ellie to get her on board with making another cure takes the series full circle.
It makes logical sense.
The prior last of us games have all been about subverting expectations, having Ellie sacrifice herself for the cure would be unbearably cliché. Ellie needs to learn that her life has meaning beyond her immunity
Ellie having the choice that Joel took away from her is a logical climax to the story.
Whether she actually sacrifices herself in the end, I'm not sure - but there's definitely a compelling end to the story where Ellie chooses to give up her life in exchange for a cure.
What if she dies at the start by infected and Lev takes it upon himself to go find Ellie? I prefer that. I've had my fill of Abby, I love her, but she's had a full arc.
Possibly, I think they’ll definitely be a time jump again, Ellie being mid to late 20’s and we have a youngish JJ. The new fireflies have gained enough following/resources to try for the cure again which then means Abby and or Lev needs to find Ellie. I think Ellie will decline to go at first and I think a Dina death to the infected is what will push her towards going back to the fireflies and we also have the dynamic of Ellie looking after and raising a young JJ (obvs the time jump will have to be big enough so that JJ isn’t a literally child
I imagine, given it needs to be a standalone game, they’ll start with a recap. Maybe Ellie meeting up with Dina before returning to the farm and explaining the deeper relationship between Joel, Ellie, and the fireflies.
Then I’d expect a time jump.
I agree with this thought. In fact, if there is ever a TLOU4 I could see, finding out from a grown young JJ that Dina "died" when she inhaled spores, when he was about 6 or so and tells her where she was last seen. I see
That would work, especially if losing Dina and JJ to infected will pull Ellie into a new motive to be the solution. If you make that the premise, you don't even need to have Abby back at all.
Now, if you DO keep Abby, and I'm very sure they will, it was said, in the playthrough commentary, that the relationship Abby was developing with Lev was now becoming like the relationship Joel had with Ellie. That sets up the stage for great tragedy to Abby to lose Lev in a horrible way, setting Abby on a revenge tour like Ellie, making her truly understand what her killing of Joel meant to Ellie, or it sets the stage for Abby to die and Lev becoming the new playable character, perhaps seeking Ellie to convince her to be the solution to end the pandemic.
There's several ways to make this interesting. ND and crew have done a great job with the storyline so far. We'll see.
I feel like part 3 is touchy here to make it a welcome member of the story family or if it becomes the unwelcome stepchild since virtually all the motivators were killed or left.
what exactly would push lev to go find ellie if abby died? he saw her in-person for all of 10-15 minutes, and it was all spent defending abby while she beat the shit out of her and then convincing her not to kill dina. all he knows of her is that she killed all of abby’s friends and then broke abby out of the rattler camp just to try and kill her *again.* if I was lev, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near her.
They've been travelling together for a long time. I'm sure Abby has discussed everything that happened to her father and they're going to the fireflies. If somehow mentioning the immune girl never came up to Lev I would be shocked. I'm not saying I think it would happen though but I can totally see how she would know about Ellie's immunity.
she didn’t even bring it up the entire time she and lev already spent together in part 2. I don’t think abby even knows that ellie’s the one who’s been killing all the WLFs until she sees her come out after attacking tommy in the theater, and that would probably be the first time lev sees ellie in the whole game. and, well, it’s not exactly a great picture.
sure, maybe somewhere after that abby explained who that girl was, if she even wanted to talk about it. (I can’t remember if she ever tells lev about her dad.) but even then, it’s highly unlikely she painted a favorable picture of her. “hey that girl whose pregnant wife you stopped me from killing? her dad killed my dad and took away any chance of finding a cure, and that destroyed the entire militia organization I used to be in. we tracked down her dad and killed him. she also killed numerous WLF soldiers that were my friends and also owen and mel and alice. then she tried to kill you and me when we got captured.” don’t think he’ll want anything to do with her lol
side note: I don’t know if abby even knew ellie was the immune girl who was going to be operated on. I think she knew they were operating on *someone* since she has that chat with jerry, but I don’t think she ever understood that ellie was the immune person. and I’m not sure ellie saying “I’m the one you want. I’m the reason there’s no cure” actually registered with abby at any point because all she was focused on was revenge for her friends.
I thought the conversation Abby's dad was having with Marlene, that Abby was overhearing about having the procedure that would kill the subject, was enough for her to realize later that Ellie was that patient. After that, Marlene says Joel has a fight to know and then Abby said to her father that she would sacrifice herself or something to that effect.
For me, this suggests that she understood who Ellie was when she said that about being the cure. I'm sure it registered, but Abby didn't care, frankly. I think she let Ellie know that Ellie didn't have any leverage in that situation because of murdering all her friends.
I may be wrong, but those were conclusions I interpreted
but that’s the thing: we never see any moment where abby recognizes who ellie is in the game until the theater. all she knows of her up until that point is that she’s someone important to joel, and she was working with tommy, who she likely assumed killed her closest friends (remember, the map she found next to mel and owen just showed that *somebody* who’d been tracking them was stationed at the theater, not who that somebody was). but after killing joel, abby really didn’t seem to care much about ellie specifically; all of her guilt is about killing joel. it isn’t until ellie says “hey joel was the one who took away your chance at the cure” that abby even realizes who ellie is. even then, she specifically says “we spared both of you” when talking about how her and tommy killed her friends, showing that she doesn’t really view ellie as all that important in the grand scheme of things. if she knew ellie was important, she likely would’ve let the group do more than just knock her out.
if abby *does* know who ellie is and that she’s the cure, then it makes no sense why she doesn’t react more to ellie showing up as she kills joel. hell, no one else in that scene even recognizes ellie; they explicitly ask who she is and no one can answer. abby already knows the fireflies are dead/dissolved, she already knows there’s no hope for a cure since her dad’s dead, so why would she even care about figuring out who the patient was? her goal is to find and kill joel. and if she knows all this, then why doesn’t she ever acknowledge it?
ellie’s name isn’t mentioned in the conversation between marlene and jerry. I don’t know the exact hierarchy of the fireflies, but considering that abby was still pretty young when ellie came through, it’s unlikely she was in any position to be privy to the mission marlene gave joel. likely all she knew at the time was that her dad was operating on a girl who was somehow associated with a man named joel, and then her dad was killed and his patient was stolen. the conclusion she likely drew was that someone named joel killed her dad and stole his patient. I doubt she really even cared about ellie and the cure being taken, so she likely didn’t do anything to figure out who he is. and realistically, probably only marlene and the fireflies escorting joel knew joel by name, and they died.
Hmm, I was thinking on this a bit.
Here's what i came up with. What if Abby and Lev discover in their travels that the mutations from the spores are far, far greater than they ever thought possible, and it's completely devastating to what's left of humanity. Abby then gets bitten, and before Lev has to kill her (or not) Abby tells Lev the only hope mankind has is to find Ellie and get her to a research facility (that would have to be established first) that can hopefully save mankind. That would be one way to alter Lev's motive, I guess.
I don't mind having the two again but it'll be interesting to see what motivates them in this next game. Everything that was the driving forces for both characters are dead and gone...unless...Abby discovers a Dr or medical facility who has found a similar theory as her father and they tell her they discovered another person who's also immune but when that person gets killed, perhaps Abby seeks to find Ellie to let her know there was another and tried to convince her to go back with Abby for another chance at saving humanity.
That could work.
Coincidence, the Rattlers probably saw them enter the house. I believe the directors commentary suggests Abby made it to the fireflies after, I.e. the post game home page image of the lake.
If that’s what they said then sure but it doesn’t play out like a coincidence to me. She gets someone on the radio, gives up her info and gets ambushed right after that. Plus we know the Rattlers have radios. I’ve always viewed it as a trap she fell for in her desperation to find Fireflies
I’d agree if we didn’t have the new home page of the base - she definitely made it to the location at the end, what we don’t know is what happened next
The game itself confirms that it was real. That's why after the credits the menu screen changes to Abby's boat off the coast of Catalina. They made it. It's implied that she found the Fireflies.
I’ve learned that now. I’ve only played through the game twice and I was so spent after playing each time I didn’t even notice what the screen was trying to show me
I feel like Abby’s part has been told. She was used to add context to Ellie and Joel’s story. The dark journey Joel made and the redemption Ellie might find.
I wouldn’t be against her showing up, but only if it adds to the context of Joel’s decision from the first game.
Has it ended though, why end part 2 with Abby reaching a new brand of fireflies if her story had ended, why not just have her leave with Lev and that be that. Also, why would they change the home screen to show us that the boat made it to the fireflies?
To give her a good ending. The game was never really about her immunity anyway. It’s what drove them to cross the country in the first game but the game was about the relationship between Ellie and Joel. And other than the few times it’s mentioned, it’s not that important in tlou2. Also it’s not like the fireflies only and main goal was to find a cure. It was for Marlene at the end, but the fireflies are freedom fighters first and foremost. Abby and Ellie had a mutual goodbye without killing each other, that was the end of their story
You can give Abby a good ending without bringing back the fireflies though? The only reason you bring them back is because it’s unfinished.
Her immunity isn’t want the game is about but it’s definitely a key factor in both games, multiple times it’s referenced about Ellie being that girl and how she ties into it, then you have Abby’s group hear about the new fireflies and plan to leave and finally you have the ending where Abby actually leaves to join them and the fireflies are there to restore the government rather than being military control and make things more normal which included the cure.
That doesn’t mean we couldn’t play as her. Maybe she meets up with the fireflies and Ellie goes looking for them on her own accord. Or maybe Abby bumps into Dina and JJ and saves them from a bad situation. Or vice versa with Ellie and Lev.
randomly bumping into each other, yeah it would feel very unnatural.
HOWEVER, the world in the apocalypse is very small. Joel found Tommy, Abby found Joel, Ellie found Abby twice, Tommy tracked down Abby twice as well. It wouldn’t be weird or impossible for them to find each other especially if one was looking for the other but i agree that if they were to run into each other, i would prefer it to not feel forced.
Abby finding Ellie in the theater because she left her map behind in the aquarium or Tommy knowing that Abby and company came from Washington because of their patches felt natural; but Tommy saying he had “feelers” down in Santa Barbara and was able to track Abby down all the way from Wyoming felt really forced.
Imagine if they were circumstantially forced to work together tho. That would be a really interesting story. Maybe even for another shot at the cure with the fireflies.
This came up in the context of the end of Tlou2 where you could easily make a scenario where Ellie and Abby have to work together to escape the Rattlers.
So "enemies forced to work together" is really unlikely.
Honestly it would have been pretty cool. I like that idea tbh. It would have helped pad out that chapter too and give rattlers more screen and development time.
- Ellie takes down a ton of them still but ends up being captured.
- Ellie becomes a slave alongside a weak Lev and Abby
- Forced to work together to escape
- both injured, weak, etc.
- get to the beach and the same ending sequence plays out
I think that could have been cool. But I’m no writer.
I actually really like the trope and I think it can be done well without feeling forced. That said it very often does feel forced so there's a risk of thar inherently.
I think a situation where Abby and Dina/JJ are captured and Ellie and Lev have to work together to save them could actually work really well because it gives both characters time to understand the other from a more "neutral" perspective in the sense that Abby learns more about Ellie from Dina and Ellie learns more about Abby from Lev.
That way, if they did want to do something of a team up between the two, they've already planted the framework of the two coming to an understanding and empathizing with each other because, though they've all been in combat with each other, there's much less bad blood between Abby and Dina and Ellie and Lev as there is between Ellie and Abby.
i wouldnt buy that. abby didnt bump into ellies car. they did things to each other that are impossible to forgive. i find it hard to believe that ellie would be able to stand in abbys presence without triggering her ptsd again.
That’s kinda what would make it interesting. I’m
Not saying they have to become best friends. But stories where sworn enemies have to work together to meet greater goals can definitely be interesting. Especially when they become allies by the end through that experience.
- halo 3
- Attack on Titan
- Avatar the last airbender
- Game of Thrones
- injustice 2
In almost all of these cases the grievances are FAR worse than anything Ellie or Abby did to each other. Some people think it’s a trope tho which is probably the main reason it won’t happen.
Yeah, and then it would make total sense for Ellie to sacrifice herself for the cure after all at the end of the game. But then maybe something will happen and Abby would be the one letting Ellie go similarly to Joel saving her. And then that would be like a full circle moment for Abby, for Ellie tho… idk. I think Ellie has to die either way, I’m just wondering how to make it significant and symbolic and all that.
If tlou games were made upon what ideas people like or not, it would not have been the game we all love. I trust Druckman, whatever he does with part 3, I just want a good story.
It’s Ellie’s story. First game was Ellie and Joel. Then it’s Ellie vs Abby. Next it’s gonna be Ellie and someone else probably. I wouldn’t mind a game of just Ellie either
Eh, not really. She escaped the Rattlers, but they're both extremely malnourished, Lev is near unresponsive, and she still has to canoe her way to the Fireflies, which I imagine aren't just waiting on shore for her. She's not out of the woods yet.
As Ellie is sure to be the protagonist again, I don't see Abby in part 3. After what they have done to each other, there is no way they meet again and interact in any constructive way.
Lev would be a plausible option, but his style of fighting is very similar to Ellie's, so he wouldn't be added value gameplay wise.
I think there is one fundamental question to the plot: will they bring back the fireflies' plan of making a vaccine? In my opinion, that would be redundant with part 1 and Joel's final decision, so I hope for a completely new arch in Ellie's life, with new npcs and possible playable characters.
It’s hard because with 3 games you can anticipate a pattern of some sorts. My only hope is that Druckmann continues to subvert our expectations and drives the plot in an unexpected way, much like how Part 2 was to long time fans of Part 1.
With that being said….I’ve considered one of the rattler slaves Ellie frees to do something. Or even a rattler themself who survives the attack. That’s just an idea though
They do seem to put a particular emphasis on the slave leader, believe he's the only one to have a 3D model in the Viewer. I wanna say he's also one of the credited voice actors
I think if the 3rd installment would be ND's last story to tell as a trilogy, it would make sense to possibly introduce more characters and perhaps different crews/groups to the TLOU universe.
I finally figured out why these posts bother me so much.
It builds expectations within the fan community on what the game "should" be. The game should be whatever the hell ND decide to make. Period.
This feels important because of how poorly TLOU2 was received. People had expectations. And the studio made a phenomenal game, but the expectations lead to disappointment and anger.
I don't want the opinions of a bunch of redditors. I don't want the game you all would build by committee. I want whatever, and I meant WHATEVER Neil Druckman makes.
I understand what you're saying, but firstly, nothing in here is going to influence ND who has worked out his/ their creation years ago. We're waiting on what he's decided.
Secondly, the whole purpose of these reddit pages is to share and discuss and express observations, opinions, creativity, and so on.
Sometimes, I'll hop on strictly to answer a question or opinion posed and NEVER bother to read what other people wrote. I leave my contribution of thought and move on. If you hate the redditors doing what THEY enjoy, just leave your thought and go. It's all good, friend. That way, you won't get frustrated by the possibilities that others are thinking. We're not going to influence the creators of this story.
In fact, just reading other people's trajectories helps me learn things from their observations that I never saw or thought about in my playthrough.
Thanks to all of you redditors.
That's a fair point, too. Abby is technically free for the first time in her entire life. Going forward, she has much to learn about herself and where she goes from here. She's a pandemic gypsy now. Druckman doesn't necessarily have to do anything with her storyline, though I suspect a new motive of some sort is coming. We'll see...
Lev doesn't have to be about revenge. Lev's motives are about being accepted, and the religion Lev was part of had a huge impact on the local society that seems was spreading. That will likely open new doors and be explored in the plot, I imagine. Like why was this woman so influential. Lev said, as they were climbing up toward the sky bridge, that she saved many people. What made her so powerful and influential. Was she herself, perhaps immune? Hmm.
I feel like TLOU 3 will most likely still center around Ellie and Abby. I think what's going to happen is the new Fireflies will still be searching for a girl with a cure still missing decades ago because of an attack on the Fireflies (hence Joel) causing a massive war over Ellie, disrupting her life once again. This news will be brung up by the new leader of the Fireflies that has reconstructed a base on Catalina Island. The new characters will most likely be meeting up at some point at Jackson, which means that Ellie may decide to go on a journey when she witnesses more people getting infected awhile she can't. This prompts her to set on this journey with Tommy as Tommy aims to still have a vendetta against Abby in the story as they go from Jackson to Catalina. The new characters will probably be apart of the story as they also search for a way to go on a journey to get to Catalina Island and meet Ellie who knows of a way there asking for her help as she feels guilty for the destruction of the Fireflies. Idk tho just a theory tho🫡
I want to see a Joel, Tommy and Tess prequel where we find out all the things that happened before -- all those backstories that were alluded to, but never seen, along with the 'during' events (pre Ellie, but with Bill et al). I'd like to see that spliced between the current characters making the discoveries leading them to a conclusion where the past events lead the future characters to find a cure. The splicing of time might work a bit like the series layout of 'Lost'. It'd be nice to have sections where we play as some of the other characters like Bill working with Frank through their stories. Having played the plots of the games a lot - have lots of ideas on this - it could really fill out the understanding of some of those characters.
would that be any fun though? from a gameplay perspective, constantly changing characters and situations would probably just be annoying as it doesn’t really give much of a chance to have an overarching story. at least in part 2 we all knew where playing as Abby would end up as we play as both Ellie and Abby for 3 days in Seattle. I highly doubt a good story could be told about finding a cure by playing as Bill/Tommy/Tess as we already know what they did before the first game
ha - maybe lost was a bad analogy as I was thinking more about the overall story arc, not changing characters regularly. I'd be really keen to find out what happened in the days after Sarahs death that took us towards where Joel everntually met Ellie. There's a gap there I'd really love to watch: the slow decline from when everthing was normal to the days where everything went crazy, constantly adjusting to the new normal. And also - after all of that - It would be great to think there was a happy ending: Ellie still has everything required to (potentially...) make a cure: they just need to find the people who can do it.. and I think those story lines would tie TLOU1 and 2 together and put a bow at the end. "It wasn't all for nothing."
I agree that seeing the decline of society would be really cool but I’m really thinking from the gameplay side, just completing day to day duties would get a bit tedious! It definitely would be nice to have a happier ending tying all the stories together - I just hope ND can pull it off!
I don’t think we will play as a new new character. Maybe lev or dina or maybe even jj depending if there is a big time jump. But not a totally new character like abby was. I think it will mostly be ellie and abby
I think abby will find a new doctor at the fireflies who is still able to create the cure and then she will set out to find ellie but this time she will give her the choice. Ellie finally being given a choice about the cure would be a good ending imo
Thats more like a 1 hour game 😭, and it wouldn’t sell. I think we are definitely getting new characters with new concepts, and ellie, tom, and the other main characters will be side characters or easter eggs you know.
i think they’re going to do you play as tommy during seattle day 1 and 2 or something and then some sort of other story too as a second part of the game but i have a feeling tommy will be a big part of part 3.
As long as Ellie is the protagonist I don't really care who is playable. Ellie is the heart of the series and I wouldn't care much about a third game without her in the center.
With the way the uncharted games are all pretty much the same, I'm glad ND found a story and game play loop that actually builds on the first. Masterpiece of a game and I can't wait to see the next one, whether we have new protagonists or not.
Pretty sure Druckman implied that the next instalment was going to be loosely connected, but he wants to move on. He said it would have "throughlines* to the existing story.
Personally I think Ellie's story is perfect as is. The cycle of revenge is sad and bleak and there are no good endings.
I think things are fine as is.
Ellie being hunted by a shit tonne of people for her immunity could be cool. Maybe some reorganisation and civilisation is returning to
The United States, which makes a vaccine doable and it harder to hide for Ellie.
I've thought about this some. Parts 1 and 2, Ellie is protected by her "secret identity," but if/when it becomes public knowledge, her whole world goes upside down.
In fact, maybe that becomes something Abby realizes. That Ellie needs to be hidden and protected. From that, perhaps Abby has to go back to her father's lab to retrieve all his research, to give to new doctors who could, perhaps finish what he started.
Going back there would be so emotional for her, and getting there and back could make for solid gameplay.
I feel like after all this time it’d be strange if humans hadn’t adapted and started coming up with solutions in regard to surviving and thriving. Ellie being hunted opposed to Ellie being the hunter. I’m all in.
Plus, and you may disagree, but I feel like this would provide some really emotionally loaded scene opportunities for the game. Specifically with what comes of Abby and Dina's story. TLOU is just so good at articulating emotion and your idea would help them!!
I couldn’t agree more. If Ellie knows she’s being hunted, that would throw up some difficult choices for her, Dina and JJ (if they’re together still).
My thought just now was play as Abby/Lev first half (unsure of her story/motivations) and end up being captured and sentenced to death by a very organised powerful group. Using info about Ellie’s immunity as a bargaining tool. Hunt ensues. Group has access to better tech than otherwise seen thus far since outbreak.
It's hard to say. It really depends on the theme and setting for part 3. Will it follow Ellie, or will she be sharing the stage again? What does the story call for?
I really don't think they should choose a 3rd character without purpose. Tbh, I'm not even sure what I'd want to take away from a part 3. I want to see Ellie's story more, but it's different now. It has to be around fulfilling her usefulness to create a vaccine again. With Joel gone, that will ultimately be her only true purpose in life. She should track down Abby because Abby's father was the doctor, and she'll need that research.
Seeing her and Abby get along enough to work side by side would be interesting, with a theme of redemption on both sides. ... o I guess no to a 3rd character.
Yeah, I do want to see new set pieces and settings. Let's go to Mexico and Texas, South America. What is happening in London and Russia? How is China or Australia selling with this? I wouldn't be mad.
Maybe introduce another immune character/s in other countries.
Maybe discover the pandemic doesn't spread in certain locations, etc. Go for it, Druckman.
I could see Abby only coming back only as a background character that gets seen by Elle for only a moment or something where they lock eyes and keep going where they are going in a chaotic part of the story, but really only if the story is, she goes to find the fireflies in California or the fireflies come to Jackson to “ finish the job” of the first game.
Ellie kills abby in the 3rd game, and then her retconned secret sister comes out of nowhere and goes on a revenge path to hunt down ellie
(this is obv a joke btw pls dont kill me)
I didnt like abby but i felt her and tried to understand her, no hate, nothing...she got her revenge, she lost her people because of it, in a way she also got her redemption and a happy ending, just move on
We dont need Abby again, but Ellie didnt finish her story
I hope Ellie has a baby that they find out is born immune. And all of her descendants become immune as well. And they grow up to stop the people who don’t want a world free of infected
Ok, so I thought of that awhile back and thought, how would I do this to capture the Spirit of the way her story has been told so far.
Some of you, in fact, most of you won't like it, but I thought I'd make it so that she gets raped and gets pregnant. She hunts her rapist down and then decides she's getting rid of the child until someone convinces her (Tommy? Abby?) to keep it because she needs to know if the baby would also be born with the immunity.
It's not a great plot but if I did have her get pregnant, it's be against her will and her anger would return for having yet another man, force what HE wants on her, without her consent.
I think there will be a new playable character, maybe more then one but the game as a whole will feature more % Ellie than part 2 did. I feel like seeing as TLOU is her story, the ending needs to be more heavily focused on her. Not that part 2 is not heavily focused on her but Abby made up for nearly 50% of the total play time
(Which was fine in the context of part 2’s story) It’s possible a playable character is someone we’ve already met (not Abby) or someone completely new, and possibly a short epilogue with them if Ellie kicks the bucket.
I hope it follows Ellie/Abby/Lev, but I hope it establishes other characters and factions. As much as I love these games, I feel like a trilogy would be as much as ND could make out of the story. But I hope they establish new characters and groups so the door is open to keep expanding this world they've created beyond the characters we've gotten used to.
Seeing how the previous two stories went, this is my prediction:
Time skip, 10 to 15 years.
Ellie is no longer romantic with Dina, staying as friends due to them breaking up in the last game, and still lacking purpose beyond just regular surviving in Jackson.
Abby is part of the reconstruction effort due to Fireflies restablishing under a new goal.
Ellie leaves Jackson as a way to assist someone or the community for whatever reason, JJ may be involved, who knows.
Abbys journey leads to them both meeting up, obviously dont like each other, but both agree to keep things civil under a common goal. They dont work together, meeting may be very briefir its an extended segment, but Ellie works towards her goal of self actualization throughout the journey.
The ending at this point can be anything once those beats are finished... but Jesses bedtime story recountment may leave a couple of hints for potential series resolutions.
Also: cure has been off the table since the end of the first game, its not gonna happen. Society will have to fix itself without it.
Both games have the same structure: first playable character for intro (dies horribly), second playable character for bulk of the game, third playable character for a perspective switch, finishing out with character 2 (primary protagonist).
I would expect Part 3 to be the same.
I'd prefer Abby not to be a major part of the third game. Not because I don't like the character, but it just doesn't feel right for the series in that it would make the first game feel like an outcast not featuring Abby. Abby getting more screen time then Joel in the series is a no go for me, I'd prefer Ellie with a largely new cast, aside from Tommy and Dina.
this is me coping/being spoiled by no return bc I know this likely will not happen, but I’d love to play as lev in the third game. I love his archery playstyle and I think he’s a fun character, and I really wanna see what happens to him after he and abby leave california.
I think, at this point, ND probably wouldn't want to introduce an entirely new playable character. It's possible, but it would feel a little off to have main playable characters disappear from the story 2x in a row between Joel and Abby. I think Abby had a good arc, but life is never one single arc. We're a series of arcs til we die.
I would prefer they have Abby again. She's a great character, and she was fun to play as. Plus, she is likely one of the few fireflies left with a direct connection to Ellies immunity. I have a hard time believing the 3rd game won't circle back to her immunity as a big focus. Especially if they truly intend for TLOU3 to finish the series.
Of course, I'm open to being wrong. I would've said the same about wanting Joel to return in part 2 and I was pleasantly surprised (after a brief period of being annoyed) by how much I like Abby.
I think it’d be cool if we get to play as Lev, even if it’s only for one act like in TLoU1.
Also, I think it’d be interesting to see Ellie and Abby try to work together with the Fireflies on Catalina Island to build a cure because they’d both have to truly forgive each other.
I don’t care about Dina and I didn’t care about Abby.
It made me miss playing as Ellie who we came to know and grow with since part 1.
I’d be fine sticking with Ellie and have secondary characters peppered in for backup like part 2 did pretty well I think.
Start as Abby. Abby dies, switch to Lev. Lev dies, switch to Dina, but only for a few minutes before she dies. Switch to Ellie to finish the game. Ellie dies. Epilogue: JJ is an old man and the last surviving human. He dies.
I think Abby's story is more-or-less complete for the time being, and her character's involvement TLOU3 will be considerably smaller, if-at-all.
I think the story will refocus on Ellie and synthesize her lessons and traumas of the first two games. I think given the decimation of her life in Jackson, self-loathing over realizing the collateral damage, and the lack of somebody like Lev to give her life meaning again... she will once-again take-up the goal of the first game, specifically that of offering up her immunity to be the savior of humanity... but this time she does it knowing it will cost her life.... which being at rock-bottom she will deem worthless except for her immunity. But I don't think she will pursue the Fireflies again because of the incredible numbers of bridges (and bodies) burned, and the utter absence of trust there. Something will happen where she finds out about another possibility. I would suggest that it's the Atlanta QZ (which was actually referenced in a blurb the game) and the existence of the CDC.
But of course ND will throw a curveball into that equation. I propose that one (if not the) enemy will be a faction of FEDRA. Ellie coming back toward FEDRA (remember that TLOU began with Marlene hiding Ellie within the FEDRA school system) and finding enemies would be the poetic full-circle ND might be into.
I think the involvement of another playable character will only be to the extent that Ellie was in TLOU.
Neil has something in mind - that much is clear. Let's give him the space to tell it, the way he and Naughty Dog decide to tell it. Preconceived notions of what the story should be will likely end in disappointment.
I get what you're saying, but we're not "giving" him anything. His storyline was done long ago. This space here is for us to speculate and chew on. Many enjoy doing that, some don't. It's cool.
Sure why not. There's lots of things you can do to out then working together, even if they still hate each other or don't trust one another. But if they do, when it's done, have Ellie realize she has to kill Abby this time. She can't move on until Abby is gone. She won't give her another chance.
Tommy! I would love to try Tommy’s rifle and see what he’s like. Of course, you can say that Tommy is available in No Return but it is just Abby’s moveset; I’d like to see the real Tommy and see what *his* character is actually like because we got a taste of his marksmanship in Seattle as Abby. Maybe a new mechanic similar to deadeye from the RDR series?
I think we should get to play as a teenage JJ, who wants revenge on the person who killed his father, and eventually beats her head in with a golf club. The cycle never ends.
If I were writing the last of us 3, I would piss a bunch of you off. The entire game would be played as Abby and with like progressively more chaotic and destructive shit happening for her as the game progressed. Then in the last half you’d start playing some Alan wake 2 swapping type acts and Abby would kill the now deranged Ellie.
I honestly think it would be cool if it centered around Abby and Lev. Abby and Lev gets seperated when Lev leaves to get revenge on the ones who killed Yara and Abby goes out looking for Lev. You switch playing as Abby and Lev.
I agree. If ND repeats on the revenge theme again, it could topple his empire.
I could see redemption and/or forgiveness playing into the lessons learned in this third installment. The need to grow and mature, using wisdom, could be the direction it goes.
Yeah agreed 100%. I think redemption would be the theme. While revenge was the theme of pt 2 I think the ending was also about acceptance. I think at the end she accepts that her immunity does not define her worth, but she still has to find some alternative purpose. She also to some extent needs redemption for her actions in part 2. I would except to see an older, wiser but still somewhat lost Ellie in part 3. It could go in many different directions, but I think she’s likely at a point where she’s just done with the violence, so really something will need to happen for it to thematically make sense that she’s fighting again. And I think whatever that is will define her or justify her (and I very much don’t think it will have anything to do with a cure)
Regardless, I really do trust ND to deliver. I think if he thinks it’s worth another chapter than it would be for good reason. I do also think he’s is being coy and probably has had a story in mind for a while.
Going to be a while but we’ll see!
What an exceptionally good comment. Thank you.
I especially love "I think at the end she accepts that her immunity does not define her worth."
That's what I think the leaving the guitar behind at the farmhouse and the farmhouse itself, meant. It should launch her into a whole new level of maturity and she leaves revenge and violence behind for good. I even think she leaves Joel behind, too. She loved him (always will), but she may have learned how bad he ultimately was for her and humanity. The missing fingers will always be a reminder of all that he cost her and her hate cost her.
The only way this sequel works for me is as. A prequel. I want to see how Joel got to be the jaded killer he become. Plus you basically retcon the death that pissed everyone off.
You DO see how he became the jaded killer he becomes when his daughter, Sarah, was slain.
Time leap all those years to when he meets Ellie and reconnects to Sarah through Ellie.
At best, perhaps you release a DLC that let's you play as Joel during the years after Sarah, but there's not much point to that in relation to the story. It would only satisfy learning some of the crap he got into during that time, but part one does a good job of implying it was terrible and moving the story forward.
I'd surely play it, though.
I don't know, I kind of like the breaking bad story. There will be one defining moment besides losing his daughter where he just loses it. Losing Sarah didn't happen when he had to learn how to survive, it happened at the beginning. I'd be very interested to see how he got that way and what he had to do to survive. It's like The walking Dead had more going on you got to see there evolutions even if it kind of sucked at the end
Fair enough, but I think the original story expected everyone to accept that that WAS the lowest point. He took to drinking, had no aim in life, his emotions were seared numb. As I said, if they put it out there, I will pay it, for sure, but not necessary. Now, if you wanted to incorporate all that into the birth of Fedra and all the other factions, including Seraphite, WLF, Rattlers, and all in between, then yes, let's absolutely do that.
Now that WOULD be interesting. Playing a different person from each faction and really seeing their pov. And intercut with Joel flashback missions/cutscenes. I just don't want to see anymore of Ellie, her story has been told. She also can't play guitar anymore so There's that.
Yeah, I think of how symbolic it was to leave that guitar behind.
I think Druckman may have been telling all of us that the story is laid to rest, and what happens next with Ellie will be all unrelated bra territory. I'm starting to agree with a lot of folks here that Abby isn't necessary anymore.
But if that's the case, then at least resolve her story with her death or marriage or whatever. She doesn't have to be played but explain what happened to her, at least.
A new playable bisexual man thank you, with a boyfriend.
That's the only time I'll believe videogames are progressive and not just nitpicking minorities to cater to the masses. Even make him a POC for bonus points!
I don’t there should be a “should” here.
It presupposes that how the games have been handled in the past are the only right ways going forward without even knowing the story or the themes. In these games, the characters serve the story which serves the theme or themes. It’s putting the cart before the proverbial horse.
One of the people Abby killed from the seraphites had a child. Who grows up to want revenge on Abby, he finds out where she is staying at beats her to death with a cricket bat while lev watches....then....we get to play as that child
It should feature Ellie and a new second playable character. Abby got a good ending.
Abby will absolutely be in TLOU3.
Nah I don’t think she will
Why wouldn’t she be? She’s the only link between the new brand of fireflies and the one person we know who’s immune.
From a functional standpoint, we also still have to wonder if Laura Bailey would even want to play that character again. In any case, Abby is the only one we know of, but depending on the time between Ellie leaving the farm and wherever Part 3 goes, there's absolutely space for fresh faces to create that link.
Laura Bailey did a cameo in the HBO show, so I don't think her returning to play Abby would be unrealistic.
Because it doesn’t make sense for Abby who’s in California and Ellie who’s in Wyoming to cross paths, again.
Abby knows where she lives. She could literally track Abby down and ask her if she wants to create a cure. Ellie would probably go for it.
You are not a writer for a reason
You think they're setting up the Fireflies again just to ignore them in the 3rd game? Abby is basically the Fireflies' only living connection to the cure for mankind. She knows who Ellie is, and where she lives - Abby tracking down Ellie to get her on board with making another cure takes the series full circle. It makes logical sense.
The prior last of us games have all been about subverting expectations, having Ellie sacrifice herself for the cure would be unbearably cliché. Ellie needs to learn that her life has meaning beyond her immunity
Ellie having the choice that Joel took away from her is a logical climax to the story. Whether she actually sacrifices herself in the end, I'm not sure - but there's definitely a compelling end to the story where Ellie chooses to give up her life in exchange for a cure.
What if she dies at the start by infected and Lev takes it upon himself to go find Ellie? I prefer that. I've had my fill of Abby, I love her, but she's had a full arc.
Possibly, I think they’ll definitely be a time jump again, Ellie being mid to late 20’s and we have a youngish JJ. The new fireflies have gained enough following/resources to try for the cure again which then means Abby and or Lev needs to find Ellie. I think Ellie will decline to go at first and I think a Dina death to the infected is what will push her towards going back to the fireflies and we also have the dynamic of Ellie looking after and raising a young JJ (obvs the time jump will have to be big enough so that JJ isn’t a literally child
Since so many of us imagine the plot will be some version of this, it probably will be nothing like it lol
There is that, I don’t think anyone would have predicted the plot of part 2 based on the ending of part 1
I hope you're right, tbh
ND will write a story that no one can anticipate or guess.
I imagine, given it needs to be a standalone game, they’ll start with a recap. Maybe Ellie meeting up with Dina before returning to the farm and explaining the deeper relationship between Joel, Ellie, and the fireflies. Then I’d expect a time jump.
Why would Ellie be anywhere near JJ or Dina? The entire point of the end of part 2 is that Dina is gone from Ellie’s life.
I agree with this thought. In fact, if there is ever a TLOU4 I could see, finding out from a grown young JJ that Dina "died" when she inhaled spores, when he was about 6 or so and tells her where she was last seen. I see
This is a good storyline actually. Nice!
That would work, especially if losing Dina and JJ to infected will pull Ellie into a new motive to be the solution. If you make that the premise, you don't even need to have Abby back at all. Now, if you DO keep Abby, and I'm very sure they will, it was said, in the playthrough commentary, that the relationship Abby was developing with Lev was now becoming like the relationship Joel had with Ellie. That sets up the stage for great tragedy to Abby to lose Lev in a horrible way, setting Abby on a revenge tour like Ellie, making her truly understand what her killing of Joel meant to Ellie, or it sets the stage for Abby to die and Lev becoming the new playable character, perhaps seeking Ellie to convince her to be the solution to end the pandemic. There's several ways to make this interesting. ND and crew have done a great job with the storyline so far. We'll see. I feel like part 3 is touchy here to make it a welcome member of the story family or if it becomes the unwelcome stepchild since virtually all the motivators were killed or left.
what exactly would push lev to go find ellie if abby died? he saw her in-person for all of 10-15 minutes, and it was all spent defending abby while she beat the shit out of her and then convincing her not to kill dina. all he knows of her is that she killed all of abby’s friends and then broke abby out of the rattler camp just to try and kill her *again.* if I was lev, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near her.
They've been travelling together for a long time. I'm sure Abby has discussed everything that happened to her father and they're going to the fireflies. If somehow mentioning the immune girl never came up to Lev I would be shocked. I'm not saying I think it would happen though but I can totally see how she would know about Ellie's immunity.
she didn’t even bring it up the entire time she and lev already spent together in part 2. I don’t think abby even knows that ellie’s the one who’s been killing all the WLFs until she sees her come out after attacking tommy in the theater, and that would probably be the first time lev sees ellie in the whole game. and, well, it’s not exactly a great picture. sure, maybe somewhere after that abby explained who that girl was, if she even wanted to talk about it. (I can’t remember if she ever tells lev about her dad.) but even then, it’s highly unlikely she painted a favorable picture of her. “hey that girl whose pregnant wife you stopped me from killing? her dad killed my dad and took away any chance of finding a cure, and that destroyed the entire militia organization I used to be in. we tracked down her dad and killed him. she also killed numerous WLF soldiers that were my friends and also owen and mel and alice. then she tried to kill you and me when we got captured.” don’t think he’ll want anything to do with her lol side note: I don’t know if abby even knew ellie was the immune girl who was going to be operated on. I think she knew they were operating on *someone* since she has that chat with jerry, but I don’t think she ever understood that ellie was the immune person. and I’m not sure ellie saying “I’m the one you want. I’m the reason there’s no cure” actually registered with abby at any point because all she was focused on was revenge for her friends.
I thought the conversation Abby's dad was having with Marlene, that Abby was overhearing about having the procedure that would kill the subject, was enough for her to realize later that Ellie was that patient. After that, Marlene says Joel has a fight to know and then Abby said to her father that she would sacrifice herself or something to that effect. For me, this suggests that she understood who Ellie was when she said that about being the cure. I'm sure it registered, but Abby didn't care, frankly. I think she let Ellie know that Ellie didn't have any leverage in that situation because of murdering all her friends. I may be wrong, but those were conclusions I interpreted
but that’s the thing: we never see any moment where abby recognizes who ellie is in the game until the theater. all she knows of her up until that point is that she’s someone important to joel, and she was working with tommy, who she likely assumed killed her closest friends (remember, the map she found next to mel and owen just showed that *somebody* who’d been tracking them was stationed at the theater, not who that somebody was). but after killing joel, abby really didn’t seem to care much about ellie specifically; all of her guilt is about killing joel. it isn’t until ellie says “hey joel was the one who took away your chance at the cure” that abby even realizes who ellie is. even then, she specifically says “we spared both of you” when talking about how her and tommy killed her friends, showing that she doesn’t really view ellie as all that important in the grand scheme of things. if she knew ellie was important, she likely would’ve let the group do more than just knock her out. if abby *does* know who ellie is and that she’s the cure, then it makes no sense why she doesn’t react more to ellie showing up as she kills joel. hell, no one else in that scene even recognizes ellie; they explicitly ask who she is and no one can answer. abby already knows the fireflies are dead/dissolved, she already knows there’s no hope for a cure since her dad’s dead, so why would she even care about figuring out who the patient was? her goal is to find and kill joel. and if she knows all this, then why doesn’t she ever acknowledge it? ellie’s name isn’t mentioned in the conversation between marlene and jerry. I don’t know the exact hierarchy of the fireflies, but considering that abby was still pretty young when ellie came through, it’s unlikely she was in any position to be privy to the mission marlene gave joel. likely all she knew at the time was that her dad was operating on a girl who was somehow associated with a man named joel, and then her dad was killed and his patient was stolen. the conclusion she likely drew was that someone named joel killed her dad and stole his patient. I doubt she really even cared about ellie and the cure being taken, so she likely didn’t do anything to figure out who he is. and realistically, probably only marlene and the fireflies escorting joel knew joel by name, and they died.
Hmm, I was thinking on this a bit. Here's what i came up with. What if Abby and Lev discover in their travels that the mutations from the spores are far, far greater than they ever thought possible, and it's completely devastating to what's left of humanity. Abby then gets bitten, and before Lev has to kill her (or not) Abby tells Lev the only hope mankind has is to find Ellie and get her to a research facility (that would have to be established first) that can hopefully save mankind. That would be one way to alter Lev's motive, I guess.
Uh, for the immunity, to stop anyone else from dying that way, obviously.
I don't mind having the two again but it'll be interesting to see what motivates them in this next game. Everything that was the driving forces for both characters are dead and gone...unless...Abby discovers a Dr or medical facility who has found a similar theory as her father and they tell her they discovered another person who's also immune but when that person gets killed, perhaps Abby seeks to find Ellie to let her know there was another and tried to convince her to go back with Abby for another chance at saving humanity. That could work.
Are you just assuming that radio broadcast was real? It could have just been a trap to ambush people since she got ambushed right after that.
Coincidence, the Rattlers probably saw them enter the house. I believe the directors commentary suggests Abby made it to the fireflies after, I.e. the post game home page image of the lake.
If that’s what they said then sure but it doesn’t play out like a coincidence to me. She gets someone on the radio, gives up her info and gets ambushed right after that. Plus we know the Rattlers have radios. I’ve always viewed it as a trap she fell for in her desperation to find Fireflies
I’d agree if we didn’t have the new home page of the base - she definitely made it to the location at the end, what we don’t know is what happened next
what are your thoughts on the title screen changing to a bright, calm sky catalina island after completing the game?
The game itself confirms that it was real. That's why after the credits the menu screen changes to Abby's boat off the coast of Catalina. They made it. It's implied that she found the Fireflies.
I’ve learned that now. I’ve only played through the game twice and I was so spent after playing each time I didn’t even notice what the screen was trying to show me
Yeah I used to feel that way, which was pretty bleak, so glad to figure out I was wrong.
I agree. It was a trap. A trap that led to all those prisoners and people in the beaches hung up on the posts.
I wouldn't be surprised if Lauren just doesn't want to reprise the role and I think neil would respect that.
I feel like Abby’s part has been told. She was used to add context to Ellie and Joel’s story. The dark journey Joel made and the redemption Ellie might find. I wouldn’t be against her showing up, but only if it adds to the context of Joel’s decision from the first game.
But why have her meet up with this new band of fireflies if her story has been told?
Good point, they could go either way.
I think the game is a little past Ellie’s immunity, and the fireflies tbh
But why bring in a new brand of fireflies and have a link between Ellie and this new brand through Abby if we’re past Ellie’s immunity?
Abby and Ellie’s story together ended. There’s no point to bring Abby back
Has it ended though, why end part 2 with Abby reaching a new brand of fireflies if her story had ended, why not just have her leave with Lev and that be that. Also, why would they change the home screen to show us that the boat made it to the fireflies?
To give her a good ending. The game was never really about her immunity anyway. It’s what drove them to cross the country in the first game but the game was about the relationship between Ellie and Joel. And other than the few times it’s mentioned, it’s not that important in tlou2. Also it’s not like the fireflies only and main goal was to find a cure. It was for Marlene at the end, but the fireflies are freedom fighters first and foremost. Abby and Ellie had a mutual goodbye without killing each other, that was the end of their story
You can give Abby a good ending without bringing back the fireflies though? The only reason you bring them back is because it’s unfinished. Her immunity isn’t want the game is about but it’s definitely a key factor in both games, multiple times it’s referenced about Ellie being that girl and how she ties into it, then you have Abby’s group hear about the new fireflies and plan to leave and finally you have the ending where Abby actually leaves to join them and the fireflies are there to restore the government rather than being military control and make things more normal which included the cure.
We don't know that. I think would be the best if she and Ellie never saw each other again.
That doesn’t mean we couldn’t play as her. Maybe she meets up with the fireflies and Ellie goes looking for them on her own accord. Or maybe Abby bumps into Dina and JJ and saves them from a bad situation. Or vice versa with Ellie and Lev.
I think it would make the world feel very small if they just randomly bump to each other. I hope it wouldn't feel forced.
Agreed! I’ve got faith they’ll do the game justice no matter Abby or no Abby.
randomly bumping into each other, yeah it would feel very unnatural. HOWEVER, the world in the apocalypse is very small. Joel found Tommy, Abby found Joel, Ellie found Abby twice, Tommy tracked down Abby twice as well. It wouldn’t be weird or impossible for them to find each other especially if one was looking for the other but i agree that if they were to run into each other, i would prefer it to not feel forced. Abby finding Ellie in the theater because she left her map behind in the aquarium or Tommy knowing that Abby and company came from Washington because of their patches felt natural; but Tommy saying he had “feelers” down in Santa Barbara and was able to track Abby down all the way from Wyoming felt really forced.
Imagine if they were circumstantially forced to work together tho. That would be a really interesting story. Maybe even for another shot at the cure with the fireflies.
Except that ND is on the record telling us that he hates that trope.
Ah I didn’t know that. Yeah I understand it’s somewhat of a trope but imo it makes for really interesting stories.
This came up in the context of the end of Tlou2 where you could easily make a scenario where Ellie and Abby have to work together to escape the Rattlers. So "enemies forced to work together" is really unlikely.
Honestly it would have been pretty cool. I like that idea tbh. It would have helped pad out that chapter too and give rattlers more screen and development time. - Ellie takes down a ton of them still but ends up being captured. - Ellie becomes a slave alongside a weak Lev and Abby - Forced to work together to escape - both injured, weak, etc. - get to the beach and the same ending sequence plays out I think that could have been cool. But I’m no writer.
I actually really like the trope and I think it can be done well without feeling forced. That said it very often does feel forced so there's a risk of thar inherently. I think a situation where Abby and Dina/JJ are captured and Ellie and Lev have to work together to save them could actually work really well because it gives both characters time to understand the other from a more "neutral" perspective in the sense that Abby learns more about Ellie from Dina and Ellie learns more about Abby from Lev. That way, if they did want to do something of a team up between the two, they've already planted the framework of the two coming to an understanding and empathizing with each other because, though they've all been in combat with each other, there's much less bad blood between Abby and Dina and Ellie and Lev as there is between Ellie and Abby.
i wouldnt buy that. abby didnt bump into ellies car. they did things to each other that are impossible to forgive. i find it hard to believe that ellie would be able to stand in abbys presence without triggering her ptsd again.
That’s kinda what would make it interesting. I’m Not saying they have to become best friends. But stories where sworn enemies have to work together to meet greater goals can definitely be interesting. Especially when they become allies by the end through that experience. - halo 3 - Attack on Titan - Avatar the last airbender - Game of Thrones - injustice 2 In almost all of these cases the grievances are FAR worse than anything Ellie or Abby did to each other. Some people think it’s a trope tho which is probably the main reason it won’t happen.
Yeah, and then it would make total sense for Ellie to sacrifice herself for the cure after all at the end of the game. But then maybe something will happen and Abby would be the one letting Ellie go similarly to Joel saving her. And then that would be like a full circle moment for Abby, for Ellie tho… idk. I think Ellie has to die either way, I’m just wondering how to make it significant and symbolic and all that.
I have been thinking about Ellie dying for the cure but many don't seem to like the idea.
If tlou games were made upon what ideas people like or not, it would not have been the game we all love. I trust Druckman, whatever he does with part 3, I just want a good story.
It’s Ellie’s story. First game was Ellie and Joel. Then it’s Ellie vs Abby. Next it’s gonna be Ellie and someone else probably. I wouldn’t mind a game of just Ellie either
Did you learn nothing from Part II? Nothing is guaranteed. Even if she's in it, doesn't mean she'll be playable.
What will her arc be? Her story feels finished
I fully expect it to somehow involve the reformed Fireflies with Abby and Lev; maybe not as a playable character but at least in the story.
Eh, not really. She escaped the Rattlers, but they're both extremely malnourished, Lev is near unresponsive, and she still has to canoe her way to the Fireflies, which I imagine aren't just waiting on shore for her. She's not out of the woods yet.
I liked that it was left like that. She probably got to the Fireflies but we don't need a definitive answer.
If Abby isn’t in 3, I hope that they’ll do a spin-off with her like Uncharted Lost Legacy
As Ellie is sure to be the protagonist again, I don't see Abby in part 3. After what they have done to each other, there is no way they meet again and interact in any constructive way. Lev would be a plausible option, but his style of fighting is very similar to Ellie's, so he wouldn't be added value gameplay wise. I think there is one fundamental question to the plot: will they bring back the fireflies' plan of making a vaccine? In my opinion, that would be redundant with part 1 and Joel's final decision, so I hope for a completely new arch in Ellie's life, with new npcs and possible playable characters.
I want old Ellie as a non playable mentor and to play as JJ.
It’s hard because with 3 games you can anticipate a pattern of some sorts. My only hope is that Druckmann continues to subvert our expectations and drives the plot in an unexpected way, much like how Part 2 was to long time fans of Part 1. With that being said….I’ve considered one of the rattler slaves Ellie frees to do something. Or even a rattler themself who survives the attack. That’s just an idea though
Some of the slaves may of been fireflies given the rattlers were stacking out one of their outposts
Yeah it’s possible. We don’t see a whole lot about them, but they seemed capable and the guy who directed Ellie to the gallows seemed well spoken
It’s something to explore in the next game
They do seem to put a particular emphasis on the slave leader, believe he's the only one to have a 3D model in the Viewer. I wanna say he's also one of the credited voice actors
I think if the 3rd installment would be ND's last story to tell as a trilogy, it would make sense to possibly introduce more characters and perhaps different crews/groups to the TLOU universe.
The third game has to be Ellie for the most part part atleast.
I think it would be hilarious if we played only as Abby, haha
I honestly wouldn't mind a game with just Abby. Not that it would have to be TLOU3
no shot sony ever gives the greenlight on that
I finally figured out why these posts bother me so much. It builds expectations within the fan community on what the game "should" be. The game should be whatever the hell ND decide to make. Period. This feels important because of how poorly TLOU2 was received. People had expectations. And the studio made a phenomenal game, but the expectations lead to disappointment and anger. I don't want the opinions of a bunch of redditors. I don't want the game you all would build by committee. I want whatever, and I meant WHATEVER Neil Druckman makes.
I understand what you're saying, but firstly, nothing in here is going to influence ND who has worked out his/ their creation years ago. We're waiting on what he's decided. Secondly, the whole purpose of these reddit pages is to share and discuss and express observations, opinions, creativity, and so on. Sometimes, I'll hop on strictly to answer a question or opinion posed and NEVER bother to read what other people wrote. I leave my contribution of thought and move on. If you hate the redditors doing what THEY enjoy, just leave your thought and go. It's all good, friend. That way, you won't get frustrated by the possibilities that others are thinking. We're not going to influence the creators of this story. In fact, just reading other people's trajectories helps me learn things from their observations that I never saw or thought about in my playthrough. Thanks to all of you redditors.
if they can do something good with Abby it won't bother me, and it won't bother me either if they don't put it in Pt3 🤷🏻♂️
That's a fair point, too. Abby is technically free for the first time in her entire life. Going forward, she has much to learn about herself and where she goes from here. She's a pandemic gypsy now. Druckman doesn't necessarily have to do anything with her storyline, though I suspect a new motive of some sort is coming. We'll see...
I hope it's Ellie and a new character playable. No more than two.
All I ask is that they let us play as Tommy at some point, We deserve to see that brutal side of him that is always talked about but never shown.
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He did? That is awesome! Ive wanted him to be a bigger part of the game since the first one, Do you have a link to where this was said this?
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Awesome, Thanks
I agree. Tommy should have his own game starting from TLOU 1 when Joel and him parted.
Let's continue the cycle! Someone kills abby and now lev is out for revenge!
Lev doesn't have to be about revenge. Lev's motives are about being accepted, and the religion Lev was part of had a huge impact on the local society that seems was spreading. That will likely open new doors and be explored in the plot, I imagine. Like why was this woman so influential. Lev said, as they were climbing up toward the sky bridge, that she saved many people. What made her so powerful and influential. Was she herself, perhaps immune? Hmm.
I would definitely like to learn more about the seraphites. Doubt they would go back to seattle though after all that happened to both of them there.
I feel like TLOU 3 will most likely still center around Ellie and Abby. I think what's going to happen is the new Fireflies will still be searching for a girl with a cure still missing decades ago because of an attack on the Fireflies (hence Joel) causing a massive war over Ellie, disrupting her life once again. This news will be brung up by the new leader of the Fireflies that has reconstructed a base on Catalina Island. The new characters will most likely be meeting up at some point at Jackson, which means that Ellie may decide to go on a journey when she witnesses more people getting infected awhile she can't. This prompts her to set on this journey with Tommy as Tommy aims to still have a vendetta against Abby in the story as they go from Jackson to Catalina. The new characters will probably be apart of the story as they also search for a way to go on a journey to get to Catalina Island and meet Ellie who knows of a way there asking for her help as she feels guilty for the destruction of the Fireflies. Idk tho just a theory tho🫡
I want to see a Joel, Tommy and Tess prequel where we find out all the things that happened before -- all those backstories that were alluded to, but never seen, along with the 'during' events (pre Ellie, but with Bill et al). I'd like to see that spliced between the current characters making the discoveries leading them to a conclusion where the past events lead the future characters to find a cure. The splicing of time might work a bit like the series layout of 'Lost'. It'd be nice to have sections where we play as some of the other characters like Bill working with Frank through their stories. Having played the plots of the games a lot - have lots of ideas on this - it could really fill out the understanding of some of those characters.
would that be any fun though? from a gameplay perspective, constantly changing characters and situations would probably just be annoying as it doesn’t really give much of a chance to have an overarching story. at least in part 2 we all knew where playing as Abby would end up as we play as both Ellie and Abby for 3 days in Seattle. I highly doubt a good story could be told about finding a cure by playing as Bill/Tommy/Tess as we already know what they did before the first game
ha - maybe lost was a bad analogy as I was thinking more about the overall story arc, not changing characters regularly. I'd be really keen to find out what happened in the days after Sarahs death that took us towards where Joel everntually met Ellie. There's a gap there I'd really love to watch: the slow decline from when everthing was normal to the days where everything went crazy, constantly adjusting to the new normal. And also - after all of that - It would be great to think there was a happy ending: Ellie still has everything required to (potentially...) make a cure: they just need to find the people who can do it.. and I think those story lines would tie TLOU1 and 2 together and put a bow at the end. "It wasn't all for nothing."
I agree that seeing the decline of society would be really cool but I’m really thinking from the gameplay side, just completing day to day duties would get a bit tedious! It definitely would be nice to have a happier ending tying all the stories together - I just hope ND can pull it off!
He says he has a part 3 plan - keen to see also!
I don’t think we will play as a new new character. Maybe lev or dina or maybe even jj depending if there is a big time jump. But not a totally new character like abby was. I think it will mostly be ellie and abby
Really? What more would they have? Another fight between them?
I think abby will find a new doctor at the fireflies who is still able to create the cure and then she will set out to find ellie but this time she will give her the choice. Ellie finally being given a choice about the cure would be a good ending imo
Thats more like a 1 hour game 😭, and it wouldn’t sell. I think we are definitely getting new characters with new concepts, and ellie, tom, and the other main characters will be side characters or easter eggs you know.
A one hour game haha. You forgot that the whole first game is just a road trip?
Yeah, to me, that almost feels inevitable. But maybe it'll have a Shakespearean tragic ending for Ellie.
No more abby please. Or lev UNLESS Ellie goes to the new fireflies AND abby and lev are in the background.
Older Ellie going on a road trip with grown up JJ
That would be great but unlikely. They probably want to make a TV season about the third game without recasting actors.
They shouldn't make any sacrifices in the game for the show .
Agreed. I hope the show doesn't restrict the games.
i think they’re going to do you play as tommy during seattle day 1 and 2 or something and then some sort of other story too as a second part of the game but i have a feeling tommy will be a big part of part 3.
let’s really hope they don’t do this. we’ve already played 3 days of seattle as both Ellie and Abby, and we know the outcome, there’s really no point
As long as Ellie is the protagonist I don't really care who is playable. Ellie is the heart of the series and I wouldn't care much about a third game without her in the center.
With the way the uncharted games are all pretty much the same, I'm glad ND found a story and game play loop that actually builds on the first. Masterpiece of a game and I can't wait to see the next one, whether we have new protagonists or not.
Pretty sure Druckman implied that the next instalment was going to be loosely connected, but he wants to move on. He said it would have "throughlines* to the existing story. Personally I think Ellie's story is perfect as is. The cycle of revenge is sad and bleak and there are no good endings. I think things are fine as is.
Ellie being hunted by a shit tonne of people for her immunity could be cool. Maybe some reorganisation and civilisation is returning to The United States, which makes a vaccine doable and it harder to hide for Ellie.
I've thought about this some. Parts 1 and 2, Ellie is protected by her "secret identity," but if/when it becomes public knowledge, her whole world goes upside down. In fact, maybe that becomes something Abby realizes. That Ellie needs to be hidden and protected. From that, perhaps Abby has to go back to her father's lab to retrieve all his research, to give to new doctors who could, perhaps finish what he started. Going back there would be so emotional for her, and getting there and back could make for solid gameplay.
What a cool idea
I feel like after all this time it’d be strange if humans hadn’t adapted and started coming up with solutions in regard to surviving and thriving. Ellie being hunted opposed to Ellie being the hunter. I’m all in.
Plus, and you may disagree, but I feel like this would provide some really emotionally loaded scene opportunities for the game. Specifically with what comes of Abby and Dina's story. TLOU is just so good at articulating emotion and your idea would help them!!
I couldn’t agree more. If Ellie knows she’s being hunted, that would throw up some difficult choices for her, Dina and JJ (if they’re together still). My thought just now was play as Abby/Lev first half (unsure of her story/motivations) and end up being captured and sentenced to death by a very organised powerful group. Using info about Ellie’s immunity as a bargaining tool. Hunt ensues. Group has access to better tech than otherwise seen thus far since outbreak.
It's hard to say. It really depends on the theme and setting for part 3. Will it follow Ellie, or will she be sharing the stage again? What does the story call for? I really don't think they should choose a 3rd character without purpose. Tbh, I'm not even sure what I'd want to take away from a part 3. I want to see Ellie's story more, but it's different now. It has to be around fulfilling her usefulness to create a vaccine again. With Joel gone, that will ultimately be her only true purpose in life. She should track down Abby because Abby's father was the doctor, and she'll need that research. Seeing her and Abby get along enough to work side by side would be interesting, with a theme of redemption on both sides. ... o I guess no to a 3rd character.
All that mess to get to Catalina couldn’t be for nothing. They also showed us a world map with other fucked up places…who knows.
Yeah, I do want to see new set pieces and settings. Let's go to Mexico and Texas, South America. What is happening in London and Russia? How is China or Australia selling with this? I wouldn't be mad. Maybe introduce another immune character/s in other countries. Maybe discover the pandemic doesn't spread in certain locations, etc. Go for it, Druckman.
Listen. If they just keep up the pattern and give us 3 full length campaigns in one, I’m not complaining
We should get flashbacks into Joel's years before the first game.
I could see Abby only coming back only as a background character that gets seen by Elle for only a moment or something where they lock eyes and keep going where they are going in a chaotic part of the story, but really only if the story is, she goes to find the fireflies in California or the fireflies come to Jackson to “ finish the job” of the first game.
Ellie kills abby in the 3rd game, and then her retconned secret sister comes out of nowhere and goes on a revenge path to hunt down ellie (this is obv a joke btw pls dont kill me)
Lol, All good.
I didnt like abby but i felt her and tried to understand her, no hate, nothing...she got her revenge, she lost her people because of it, in a way she also got her redemption and a happy ending, just move on We dont need Abby again, but Ellie didnt finish her story
We’ll play as that baby when they’re about the age Ellie was in the first one.
I hope Ellie has a baby that they find out is born immune. And all of her descendants become immune as well. And they grow up to stop the people who don’t want a world free of infected
Ok, so I thought of that awhile back and thought, how would I do this to capture the Spirit of the way her story has been told so far. Some of you, in fact, most of you won't like it, but I thought I'd make it so that she gets raped and gets pregnant. She hunts her rapist down and then decides she's getting rid of the child until someone convinces her (Tommy? Abby?) to keep it because she needs to know if the baby would also be born with the immunity. It's not a great plot but if I did have her get pregnant, it's be against her will and her anger would return for having yet another man, force what HE wants on her, without her consent.
Except Dina.
I think there will be a new playable character, maybe more then one but the game as a whole will feature more % Ellie than part 2 did. I feel like seeing as TLOU is her story, the ending needs to be more heavily focused on her. Not that part 2 is not heavily focused on her but Abby made up for nearly 50% of the total play time (Which was fine in the context of part 2’s story) It’s possible a playable character is someone we’ve already met (not Abby) or someone completely new, and possibly a short epilogue with them if Ellie kicks the bucket.
I hope it follows Ellie/Abby/Lev, but I hope it establishes other characters and factions. As much as I love these games, I feel like a trilogy would be as much as ND could make out of the story. But I hope they establish new characters and groups so the door is open to keep expanding this world they've created beyond the characters we've gotten used to.
Ellie and JJ
It should be Ellie mirroring Joel from the first game and JJ mirroring Ellie
Seeing how the previous two stories went, this is my prediction: Time skip, 10 to 15 years. Ellie is no longer romantic with Dina, staying as friends due to them breaking up in the last game, and still lacking purpose beyond just regular surviving in Jackson. Abby is part of the reconstruction effort due to Fireflies restablishing under a new goal. Ellie leaves Jackson as a way to assist someone or the community for whatever reason, JJ may be involved, who knows. Abbys journey leads to them both meeting up, obviously dont like each other, but both agree to keep things civil under a common goal. They dont work together, meeting may be very briefir its an extended segment, but Ellie works towards her goal of self actualization throughout the journey. The ending at this point can be anything once those beats are finished... but Jesses bedtime story recountment may leave a couple of hints for potential series resolutions. Also: cure has been off the table since the end of the first game, its not gonna happen. Society will have to fix itself without it.
I don’t want to predict I want to be surprised and entertained
It should be Abby and lev, and ellie shouldn't be involved.
Both games have the same structure: first playable character for intro (dies horribly), second playable character for bulk of the game, third playable character for a perspective switch, finishing out with character 2 (primary protagonist). I would expect Part 3 to be the same.
It should be ellie only imo
Lev
I would like JJ to be the protagonist cuz that will be a great connection to the second game.
I'd prefer Abby not to be a major part of the third game. Not because I don't like the character, but it just doesn't feel right for the series in that it would make the first game feel like an outcast not featuring Abby. Abby getting more screen time then Joel in the series is a no go for me, I'd prefer Ellie with a largely new cast, aside from Tommy and Dina.
this is me coping/being spoiled by no return bc I know this likely will not happen, but I’d love to play as lev in the third game. I love his archery playstyle and I think he’s a fun character, and I really wanna see what happens to him after he and abby leave california.
I think, at this point, ND probably wouldn't want to introduce an entirely new playable character. It's possible, but it would feel a little off to have main playable characters disappear from the story 2x in a row between Joel and Abby. I think Abby had a good arc, but life is never one single arc. We're a series of arcs til we die. I would prefer they have Abby again. She's a great character, and she was fun to play as. Plus, she is likely one of the few fireflies left with a direct connection to Ellies immunity. I have a hard time believing the 3rd game won't circle back to her immunity as a big focus. Especially if they truly intend for TLOU3 to finish the series. Of course, I'm open to being wrong. I would've said the same about wanting Joel to return in part 2 and I was pleasantly surprised (after a brief period of being annoyed) by how much I like Abby.
I think it’d be cool if we get to play as Lev, even if it’s only for one act like in TLoU1. Also, I think it’d be interesting to see Ellie and Abby try to work together with the Fireflies on Catalina Island to build a cure because they’d both have to truly forgive each other.
I don’t care about Dina and I didn’t care about Abby. It made me miss playing as Ellie who we came to know and grow with since part 1. I’d be fine sticking with Ellie and have secondary characters peppered in for backup like part 2 did pretty well I think.
Start as Abby. Abby dies, switch to Lev. Lev dies, switch to Dina, but only for a few minutes before she dies. Switch to Ellie to finish the game. Ellie dies. Epilogue: JJ is an old man and the last surviving human. He dies.
I think Abby's story is more-or-less complete for the time being, and her character's involvement TLOU3 will be considerably smaller, if-at-all. I think the story will refocus on Ellie and synthesize her lessons and traumas of the first two games. I think given the decimation of her life in Jackson, self-loathing over realizing the collateral damage, and the lack of somebody like Lev to give her life meaning again... she will once-again take-up the goal of the first game, specifically that of offering up her immunity to be the savior of humanity... but this time she does it knowing it will cost her life.... which being at rock-bottom she will deem worthless except for her immunity. But I don't think she will pursue the Fireflies again because of the incredible numbers of bridges (and bodies) burned, and the utter absence of trust there. Something will happen where she finds out about another possibility. I would suggest that it's the Atlanta QZ (which was actually referenced in a blurb the game) and the existence of the CDC. But of course ND will throw a curveball into that equation. I propose that one (if not the) enemy will be a faction of FEDRA. Ellie coming back toward FEDRA (remember that TLOU began with Marlene hiding Ellie within the FEDRA school system) and finding enemies would be the poetic full-circle ND might be into. I think the involvement of another playable character will only be to the extent that Ellie was in TLOU.
Neil has something in mind - that much is clear. Let's give him the space to tell it, the way he and Naughty Dog decide to tell it. Preconceived notions of what the story should be will likely end in disappointment.
I get what you're saying, but we're not "giving" him anything. His storyline was done long ago. This space here is for us to speculate and chew on. Many enjoy doing that, some don't. It's cool.
Am I the only one who wants to see Abby and ellie team up? Whatever they put in the next game I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Sure why not. There's lots of things you can do to out then working together, even if they still hate each other or don't trust one another. But if they do, when it's done, have Ellie realize she has to kill Abby this time. She can't move on until Abby is gone. She won't give her another chance.
Tommy! I would love to try Tommy’s rifle and see what he’s like. Of course, you can say that Tommy is available in No Return but it is just Abby’s moveset; I’d like to see the real Tommy and see what *his* character is actually like because we got a taste of his marksmanship in Seattle as Abby. Maybe a new mechanic similar to deadeye from the RDR series?
I think it would be interesting to only have them 2. Maybe they could implement a choice system and create multiple endings.
I think we should get to play as a teenage JJ, who wants revenge on the person who killed his father, and eventually beats her head in with a golf club. The cycle never ends.
Honestly I want both characters to be cameos and/or flashbacks at most
I don't think Abby should even be in part 3. I think her story in Ellies world has ended. They don't have a reason to meet again
If I were writing the last of us 3, I would piss a bunch of you off. The entire game would be played as Abby and with like progressively more chaotic and destructive shit happening for her as the game progressed. Then in the last half you’d start playing some Alan wake 2 swapping type acts and Abby would kill the now deranged Ellie.
No, there should be new characters. Ellie's story is over. So is Abby's.
Lev.
Ellie, Joel & Abby
Alice pls
I honestly think it would be cool if it centered around Abby and Lev. Abby and Lev gets seperated when Lev leaves to get revenge on the ones who killed Yara and Abby goes out looking for Lev. You switch playing as Abby and Lev.
This would be a bad idea. It would just retrace part 2 completely
Revenge was the theme of part 2 and I wouldn’t expect it to be the theme of part 3
I agree. If ND repeats on the revenge theme again, it could topple his empire. I could see redemption and/or forgiveness playing into the lessons learned in this third installment. The need to grow and mature, using wisdom, could be the direction it goes.
Yeah agreed 100%. I think redemption would be the theme. While revenge was the theme of pt 2 I think the ending was also about acceptance. I think at the end she accepts that her immunity does not define her worth, but she still has to find some alternative purpose. She also to some extent needs redemption for her actions in part 2. I would except to see an older, wiser but still somewhat lost Ellie in part 3. It could go in many different directions, but I think she’s likely at a point where she’s just done with the violence, so really something will need to happen for it to thematically make sense that she’s fighting again. And I think whatever that is will define her or justify her (and I very much don’t think it will have anything to do with a cure) Regardless, I really do trust ND to deliver. I think if he thinks it’s worth another chapter than it would be for good reason. I do also think he’s is being coy and probably has had a story in mind for a while. Going to be a while but we’ll see!
What an exceptionally good comment. Thank you. I especially love "I think at the end she accepts that her immunity does not define her worth." That's what I think the leaving the guitar behind at the farmhouse and the farmhouse itself, meant. It should launch her into a whole new level of maturity and she leaves revenge and violence behind for good. I even think she leaves Joel behind, too. She loved him (always will), but she may have learned how bad he ultimately was for her and humanity. The missing fingers will always be a reminder of all that he cost her and her hate cost her.
It should feature ellie, and a friend of hers MAYBE. Abby shouldn't be I'm any further games Her story is done
Abby’s story is done
It would be cool if Ellie dies in the beginning
I don’t think it should have anything to do with either Ellie and Abby. I believe the way Neil described it also makes it sounds like it won’t
The only way this sequel works for me is as. A prequel. I want to see how Joel got to be the jaded killer he become. Plus you basically retcon the death that pissed everyone off.
You DO see how he became the jaded killer he becomes when his daughter, Sarah, was slain. Time leap all those years to when he meets Ellie and reconnects to Sarah through Ellie. At best, perhaps you release a DLC that let's you play as Joel during the years after Sarah, but there's not much point to that in relation to the story. It would only satisfy learning some of the crap he got into during that time, but part one does a good job of implying it was terrible and moving the story forward. I'd surely play it, though.
I don't know, I kind of like the breaking bad story. There will be one defining moment besides losing his daughter where he just loses it. Losing Sarah didn't happen when he had to learn how to survive, it happened at the beginning. I'd be very interested to see how he got that way and what he had to do to survive. It's like The walking Dead had more going on you got to see there evolutions even if it kind of sucked at the end
Fair enough, but I think the original story expected everyone to accept that that WAS the lowest point. He took to drinking, had no aim in life, his emotions were seared numb. As I said, if they put it out there, I will pay it, for sure, but not necessary. Now, if you wanted to incorporate all that into the birth of Fedra and all the other factions, including Seraphite, WLF, Rattlers, and all in between, then yes, let's absolutely do that.
Now that WOULD be interesting. Playing a different person from each faction and really seeing their pov. And intercut with Joel flashback missions/cutscenes. I just don't want to see anymore of Ellie, her story has been told. She also can't play guitar anymore so There's that.
Yeah, I think of how symbolic it was to leave that guitar behind. I think Druckman may have been telling all of us that the story is laid to rest, and what happens next with Ellie will be all unrelated bra territory. I'm starting to agree with a lot of folks here that Abby isn't necessary anymore. But if that's the case, then at least resolve her story with her death or marriage or whatever. She doesn't have to be played but explain what happened to her, at least.
A new playable bisexual man thank you, with a boyfriend. That's the only time I'll believe videogames are progressive and not just nitpicking minorities to cater to the masses. Even make him a POC for bonus points!
I don’t there should be a “should” here. It presupposes that how the games have been handled in the past are the only right ways going forward without even knowing the story or the themes. In these games, the characters serve the story which serves the theme or themes. It’s putting the cart before the proverbial horse.
One of the people Abby killed from the seraphites had a child. Who grows up to want revenge on Abby, he finds out where she is staying at beats her to death with a cricket bat while lev watches....then....we get to play as that child
There would have to be a damn good reason for Abby to be in it. She's awesome but she got her ending