How to See Enemies Behind Walls in "The Last of Us Part 2" with Enhanced Listen Mode

It’s not just for scaredy cats! It’s just smart gameplay!

The Last of Us Part II is indeed an emotional rollercoaster, with crushing lows…

… and dizzying highs.

It’s also a marvel for its unprecedented accessibility features (including puzzle-skipping) and surprise acoustic renditions of ‘80s pop hits. And it's also the extremely rare blockbuster game to foreground a queer relationship and a female lead.

No wonder it’s being hailed as a masterpiece.

However, all this buzz and praise is no doubt inviting newbies to give the game a go, and they are in turn discovering that a) it’s actually pretty terrifying and b) it’s full of zombies (called infected, clickers, shamblers, stalkers and bloaters) that are dying—literally—to eat your face off and turn you into one of them.

And these guys aren’t messing around.

Then there are the other pesky human enemies who are trying to murder you at every turn, each seeking revenge for every one of their henchpeople you killed. (Violence is a cycle, people.)

Even those players who have already dominated its predecessor, The Last of Us, may find this new storyline more emotionally and physically gruelling, given you take over the character of Ellie as she crosses post-apocalyptic Seattle to settle a bloody score.

Basically, no one should be ashamed for finding the game very difficult, even if you’ve put it on the lowest difficult setting. After all, that doesn’t make the open-faced monsters any less freaky-looking.

The good news is there is a way to make the game a little less scary and a whole lot easier, and it has nothing to do with the difficulty settings, and won’t diminish your experience one iota.

It’s called Enhanced Listen Mode.

Here’s what you need to know about it.

1. So, when you’re playing The Last of Us Part II, you can activate Listen Mode, which slows down the action and allows you to scan the area and reveal silhouettes of other characters (including the infected) through walls. (Unfortunately, you can’t use Listen Mode in the highest difficulty settings, nor is it available during melee attacks.) Do this by hitting R1 on your controller.

2. Unfortunately, even in Listen Mode, the silhouettes of characters are a little vague, and sometimes hard to distinguish from other light sources.

3. Thankfully, when you hit pause, you can turn on 'Enhanced Listen Mode' by visiting 'Navigation and Traversal' under the 'Accessibility' options. (You can also adjust the scan range and scan time.)

4. Now, when you use Listen Mode, you can press Square to scan for nearby enemies, who will be helpfully encircled for you. You can also press Circle and scan for items.

5. Finally, you can jump through a window or walk into a room feeling confident that it’s empty, or empowered enough to know exactly where to sneak for a stealthy attack.

Yargh, this game is gross. Enjoy!

The Last of Us Part II is now available on PS4.

Header Image: Naughty Dog