The Last Of Us 2 Remastered: Every No Return Playable Character, Ranked

The major draw of No Return, the new roguelike game mode added to The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, is being able to use character players have heretofore been unable to control. Abby, Ellie, and Joel are all unsurprisingly among the No Return roster, joined by Dina, Jesse, Tommy, Lev, Yara, Mel, and Manny. While randomized gauntlets of encounters are sure to keep the game mode dynamic, it’s made all the more varied by each character also having their own playstyle, complete with different starting equipment and traits.

No Return has players start with only Ellie and Abby unlocked. Completing a certain number of encounters with Ellie will unlock Dina, and using Abby will eventually make Lev playable. Using each subsequent character puts players through two tracks to eventually make all 10 characters available. There aren’t any outright bad characters in TLOU 2 Remastered‘s No Return game mode, and personal playstyle will certainly be a factor in choosing favorites, but each character’s starting items and traits definitely help slot them into a loose hierarchy.

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10 Mel – Medic

Starting Weapon: Revolver

Mel’s kit would suggest she’s built for longevity, but the Health Kits alone don’t necessarily help in completing encounters. With a tremendous amount of luck in Trading Post items and the order of encounters, Mel’s penchant for healing might help on higher difficulties, where enemies dole out more damage, but without a particularly strong route to upgrading offensive abilities, practically every other character choice in No Return is better.

9 Dina – Crafting

Starting Weapon: Revolver

Dina can be quite fun if players like to use TLOU 2‘s craftable items, but she doesn’t stack up to most of the other playable characters. Starting with some crafting components in hand is nice, and Trap Mines definitely come in handy for encounters where enemies start in combat (provided players can get them set quickly enough), but more crafting isn’t liable to carry through the later encounters without some good pulls from the Trading Post.

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8 Tommy – Sniper

Starting Weapons: Military Pistol, Custom Sniper Rifle

Tommy starting with his Custom Sniper Rifle is incredibly enticing, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to effective strategy on the battlefield in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. No Return’s areas are rather constrained, and aside from a few exceptions, there aren’t many sight lines that justify using a scope. The big kicker in Tommy’s kit is his inability to dodge, though. Picking off enemies from a distance may be effective at the start of an encounter, but once they close in, being unable to avoid melee attacks will quickly sap health.

7 Lev – Stealth

Starting Weapons: Semi-Auto Pistol, Bow

Lev would be a higher-ranked pick if No Return catered better to stealthy playstyles. TLOU 2‘s Bow can be incredibly effective if a favorable series of encounters are rolled, but the randomness of the entire game mode doesn’t always make that viable. Frequently, enemies will start rounds in combat, and certain objectives dole out huge rewards if completed within a time limit – two factors that make Lev’s stealth approach ill-suited for higher difficulties.

6 Joel – Unstoppable

Starting Weapons: Custom Revolver, Upgraded Melee Weapon, Shiv

Joel has the same fatal flaw as his brother, Tommy – he’s incapable of dodging. His kit is a little more versatile, and starting with a Shiv and the ability to craft more is helpful, but only tremendously so if the encounter board is lenient in providing rounds that can be completed stealthily. Joel isn’t a bad pick by any means – his Custom Revolver is arguably the single best starting weapon, and it’s nice returning to The Last of Us Part 1‘s protagonist – but getting swarmed by melee attackers may be the bane of a No Return run with Joel, even with his resistance to melee damage.

5 Ellie – Balanced

Starting Weapons: Semi-Auto Pistol, Molotov Cocktail

Ellie provides a very middle-of-the-road approach, her two greatest strengths being additional Supplements earned each round, and starting with two upgrade paths to spend them on. Ellie’s kit is basic and malleable enough that players can essentially pick how they want to play her, and additional upgrade paths earned via encounters can help specialize the build even more. That said, starting with just one weapon can be tough, and if RNG doesn’t deign to bestow a second weapon early in the run, the going might get rough.

4 Manny – Armory

Starting Weapons: Hunting Pistol, Semi-Auto Rifle

Manny packs plenty of firepower, and might provide the most unadulterated fun of any No Return character in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. The Hunting Pistol is great for taking down non-base enemies like Clickers and Shamblers, and being able to craft more Semi-Auto Rifle ammo is a huge boon. Earning more parts ensures those weapons will only get better as the run progresses as well. However, being unable to craft Health Kits, an ability that every other character starts each run with, is a huge liability on higher difficulties.

3 Abby – Close Combat

Starting Weapons: Military Pistol, Hammer

Abby tends to be a very strong pick for No Return almost solely because of a Trait that grants extra health when enemies are killed with melee attacks. The game mode’s close quarters frequently devolve encounters into brawls, and being able to recoup the health lost in any failed dodges is incredibly helpful. Stealth killing an enemy grants health too, so wherever possible, getting through encounters as Abby quietly helps her stock up on supplies for the later rounds and boss fight.

2 Yara – Teamwork

Starting Weapon: Semi-Auto Pistol

Yara’s kit revolves entirely around her being paired with her younger brother, Lev. Normally, allies may be assigned at random for an encounter, but Yara always has Lev by her side. Her abilities are otherwise barebones, but the Ally Upgrade Branch eventually brings great results. It may take a little luck in Trading Post pulls for Yara to hold her own in deep runs on high difficulties, but leaning on Lev’s help is an easy way to stay alive in No Return.

1 Jesse – Resourceful

Starting Weapons: Military Pistol (w/ Silencer), Pipe Bomb

Jesse is the best character to use in No Return, and it’s surprising he can be unlocked so quickly. His starting Military Pistol and single Pipe Bomb aren’t necessarily incredible, but starting with a Silencer and the ability to craft more is a wonderful boon to have from the start. Jesse’s real benefit, though, is the combination of earning more currency each round and getting unique items at the Trading Post. With a surplus of cash and the ability to re-roll the Trading Post’s inventory, it’s almost guaranteed to provide a strategy for surviving the next encounter.

Jesse may not pack as much firepower as some other characters in No Return, but he’s the character best-suited for gaming the system. A silenced pistol can get through the first encounter or two easily, and once the Trading Post currency starts to pile up it’s hard not to feel over-prepared for the later rounds. Plus, the readily available Pipe Bombs tend to solve a lot of problems that can crop up in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered‘s No Return mode.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered

The Last of Us Part II Remastered is an action-adventure horror game by Naughty Dog and takes place five years after the events of The Last of Us. It sees players taking control of two characters, Ellie and Abby, as they head down a path of self-destruction and death in a post-apocalyptic world – culminating in a showdown between them. This remaster also includes a new roguelike mode called “No Return,” where players will battle to survive in randomly generated scenarios, and death means the loss of all weapons and progress.

Franchise

The Last of Us

Platform(s)

PlayStation 5

Released

January 19, 2024

Developer(s)

Naughty Dog

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Genre(s)

Action , Adventure , Horror

ESRB

M

Prequel(s)

The Last of Us: Part 1