How to kill a Stalker, Shambler, or Bloater in Last of Us 2 with one move

If you've hit the halfway point in The Last of Us Part II, you know that while regular Infected are always trouble, almost nothing tops the danger of fighting Bloaters, Shamblers, and Stalkers. They can each take more hits than most and hold other special abilities that make their very presence something to watch out for. But there's a quick and easy way to take them out.

How to defeat any Shambler, Stalker, and Bloater in Last of Us 2

The key to defeating these fearsome foes lies in the preparation. Make sure that you have Trap Mines, Stun Bombs, bottles/bricks, and Molotovs primed and ready at all times. When it's available, you should also upgrade your shotgun. You don't need all four of these weapons to take down an enemy, but each one that you can muster will make the process that much smoother.

Here's how everything works in action.

When you reach an encounter against Shamblers, Stalkers, and Bloaters, try to find an area with a bottleneck where you can silently take cover. Close to the bottleneck, place a Trap Mine down. If you have multiple bottleneck entry points, cover as many as you can with Trap Mines. Now throw your bottle or brick in the proximity of the Trap Mine.

This will call the enemy you're trying to defeat to the area. Once they start walking towards you, throw a Molotov at them or shoot them with a shotgun. If you're fighting more than one of these guys, slow the second one by throwing either a Molotov or Stun Bomb at them. Do not let any of these three reach you. Each one can prove fatal when they get too close and your weaker weapons, like the switchblade and your pistol, will barely damage them. Don't even try it!

You can and should use every crafted item in your arsenal to make sure that you remain safe.

It's helpful to make sure you know what you're up against prior to starting combat by utilizing listening mode. Stalkers rarely appear clearly within the Listening Mode, so you'll just have to prepare for the worst. Also, focus on upgrading your Listening Mode. This can be done using Training Manuals, allowing you to hear more and see the figures heard with greater clarity.

If you run into that you're lacking the supplies to make it through these encounters flawlessly, that's okay too! Just get through your current encounter and plan more diligently for the next fight. A surefire way to prepare for these skirmishes is to utilize the safes hidden around the world. Each safe contains a cache of supplies to bolster your arsenal. You can use our guide to locate every safe in Last of Us 2 and easily unlock each one. This will make it far easier to craft Trap Mines, Molotovs, and Stun Bombs on the fly.

The Last of Us 2 is now available for PS4.