Like with the first game, The Last of Us 2 offers a wealth of ways for you to upgrade your character’s skills. However, your pool of skills to unlock will be limited if you don’t find the different manuals scattered throughout the game, which is why we’re here to show you all of the Training Manual locations in The Last of Us 2. *Warning: Spoilers Ahead*
All Training Manual Locations in The Last of Us 2
There a total of eight training manuals to track down in The Last of Us 2; four for Ellie and four for Abby.
Each one is tied to a different element of their gameplay and offers specific perks and abilities that’ll help while playing as that character. Ellie, for example, can find the Prep manual which gives her advantages tied to crafting. Abby, meanwhile, can find the Covert-Ops manual, which gives her the ability to make deadly shivs on the fly.
We’ve listed each one out below in the order they appear with instructions on how to find them.
Prep Manual
During the open world segment in Seattle Day 1, Look for an old fire truck broken down on a section of the highway between 6th and 7th on the map. Make your way over to it via a crashed vehicle that forms a bridge to the right of it.
Once you’ve reached the firetruck, look for a rope hanging off of its side which you can use to swing down to a broken-down truck below a collapsed section of the highway. Use the rope, and then look inside the back of the truck to find the manual.
Stealth Manual in The Last of Us 2
After escaping from the school where the WLF were holding Ellie, continue on into the city and look for a gas station. Across the street from it, you’ll see a book store that you can enter through its broken windows.
Head into the book store, and then make your way through each room until you come to a cafe. at the top right corner of the cafe, the manual can be found on a table next to a white typewriter.
If you miss this location, however, there is a second chance to nab this manual in The Last of Us 2.
After reaching the Serevena Hotel, make your way to the upper levels. continue on until you reach the WLF’s gas stockpile, and then head up the staircase to your right. From there, continue upward and head through a doorway with a corpse sitting in front of it. Hang a right, and the manual will be sitting on a dresser in front of a mirror.
Precision Manual
During Seattle Day 2 in Hillcrest, Look for the Gold Star Liquor Store to the right of the military vehicle with yellow graffiti on it. Head into the building via the busted windows, and then continue down into its lower level.
Here, you’ll be attacked by some infected, the strongest of which are two Shamblers. Defeat the enemies you encounter, and then continue forward until you enter the children’s section of a bookstore above the liquor store. Look for the manual on the ground to the left of the checkout counter.
Explosives Manual in The Last of Us 2
While heading to the Hospital during Seattle Day Two as Ellie, look for a white and orange building on your left with a broken down truck you can climb on top of. Climb it, and then jump over to a platform that will allow you to enter the building through some broken windows.
Head inside and turn down a hallway to your left, and then interact with the workbench at the far end of an apartment the hall leads to. This will trigger an ambush by some WLF soldiers, which will open up more of the apartment.
Deal with them, and then head back down the hallway you entered through. There will be an open doorway leading to a bedroom on your left, and the manual will be sitting on the end of a bed.
Covert Ops Manual
After Abby and Mel get separated from Manny and Alice in the Boat repair shop, continue through the area until you make a bridge to a hanging boat using a ladder. After reaching the boat, head down inside it and look for the Manual to your right.
Close Quarters Manual in The Last of Us 2
As you progress through the Hostile Territory level, you’ll come to a series of shops; specifically, a bakery, a bar and an antiques shop. You’ll be able to tell you’re at the right place by the blue and white vases visible through a gate blocking the antique shop’s entrance.
Head into the bar and make your way through the building until you reach the second level. From there, you can hop over to the second level of the antique shop and retrieve a note to the left of a hole you can drop down into. This will give you a code to a safe found in the bakery; the code is 68-96-89.
Drop down into the hole and open up the gate to exit the antique shop. The bakery will be to the left, and you can get into it by breaking its windows. Head inside, and the safe will be in the back.
Firearms Manual
Continue through the Forest level until you reach the abandoned auto shop. Head through the door to the upper-left, and then hang a quick right into a room with a red door. The manual will be on a cabinet in the back of the room.
Ordnance Manual in The Last of Us 2
After retrieving the crossbow from a corpse on the wrecked cruise ship, continue down to the end of the hall. There, you’ll find a note on a bed which gives you the code to a weapons safe further into the ship. The code is 90-77-01.
With this in hand, head to the top of the ship and go to the control room. The safe will be to the left, and the manual can be found inside.
Hopefully this cleared up what all of the training manual locations are in The Last of Us 2. For more on the game, check out our guide wiki for other tips, tricks and info on subjects like how to beat the Rat King and whether there are multiple endings.