Last of Us 2: How to Beat the Rat King

The Last of Us 2 continues the story of Ellie and Joel after we left them at Jackson at the end of the first game. This time around, Ellie heads off to Seattle in search of revenge, and we also get introduced to new characters like Abby, the mysterious woman we see at the start of the game. Here’s how to beat the Rat King boss in The Last of Us 2.

Beating the Rat King in The Last of Us 2

The Rat King is a boss that you’ll encounter at the basement of the hospital when you search it as Abby. This is probably the most Resident Evil-esque boss we’ll ever see in the game, and it’s an incredibly dangerous foe that will instantly kill you if it manages to grab you.

To start, you’ll want to have the Hunting Pistol and a few Pipe Bombs on you. Pipe Bombs will stagger the Rat King for just a couple seconds, allowing you to get off a few shots with the Hunting Pistol and reload for the next shot. You won’t have time to craft here, so make sure to go into the fight with full Pipe Bombs.

If you do have to craft, though, run off into the side room and do it there. You’ll only have a few seconds so you’ll only be able to craft a couple of items in a go.

Once you’ve damaged the Rat King enough, a Stalker-like enemy will fall off its body and scurry off into the side room. It’ll occasionally run out to attack you so be aware of that, but your focus should still be on the Rat King itself.

If you do run out of ammo for the Hunting Pistol, use the Flamethrower instead. The key to winning this fight is to always keep your distance from the Rat King. Getting grabbed is an insta-kill, and while it can spit spore balls at you to drain your health, those are still easily dodged, and not as dangerous as being too close to the boss.

That’s all you need to know about how to beat the Rat King in The Last of Us 2. Be sure to check our guide wiki for more tips and information on the game.