TL;DR
- Use environmental obstacles to create distance and force the boss to circle around pillars
- Prioritize high-damage weapons like pipe bombs, shotgun with incendiary rounds, and Hunting Pistol
- Prepare for the Stalker separation phase by keeping shivs ready for emergency escapes
- Manage ammunition carefully and scavenge strategically during lulls in combat
- Transition smoothly to the morgue encounter using stealth and remaining firepower
While The Last of Us Part 2 features relatively few traditional boss encounters, those you do encounter demand significant tactical adaptation and precise execution. The hospital confrontation represents one of the game’s most demanding combat scenarios, requiring players to completely rethink their standard approach to infected encounters.
Important: We’ve carefully structured this guide to avoid narrative spoilers, but examining specific enemy details or location descriptions might reveal plot elements you’d prefer to discover organically. For the purest experience, consider completing this section of the game before consulting detailed strategies.
Success in The Last of Us Part 2’s hostile world necessitates stealth navigation past both human adversaries and various infected types—yet certain situations force direct confrontation. The hospital basement encounter during Seattle Day 2’s Ground Zero chapter stands out as particularly challenging, demanding specialized tactics to overcome what many consider the game’s most punishing combat sequence.
For comprehensive assistance, explore our Complete Guide covering essential gameplay mechanics and progression systems that translate well across action-survival titles.
This formidable opponent shares several characteristics with Bloaters—it aggressively charges and can instantly kill upon grabbing you, smashes through environmental barriers to reach your position, and hurls explosive projectiles that require constant spatial awareness. Its most persistent threat, however, stems from relentless pursuit that tests your endurance and resource management throughout the extended engagement.
The combat arena itself presents the primary obstacle, as the dim, confusing layout makes navigation difficult while evading the creature. Limited visibility obscures escape routes, platforms, and structural openings, making distance maintenance absolutely critical for survival. This enemy possesses tremendous damage resistance, so prioritizing evasion and positional advantage takes precedence over aggressive offensive maneuvers.
Strategic positioning around central environmental features provides the most reliable survival method during this intense encounter. Circling pillars or large obstacles forces the creature to follow predictable paths, creating temporary safety windows for planning, crafting, and targeted attacks. While this approach may reduce immediate damage output, it fundamentally prioritizes the most critical objective: staying alive long enough to whittle down the enemy’s substantial health pool.
Weapon selection dramatically impacts your effectiveness—prioritize high-damage options like pipe bombs, the shotgun (particularly with incendiary ammunition), and the Hunting Pistol for maximum impact per shot. The Flamethrower remains situationally useful but demands dangerous proximity without providing crowd control benefits, making it a risky choice during most engagement phases.
Scattered resources throughout the area provide crucial resupply opportunities, but collecting them requires careful timing to avoid becoming trapped. Always ensure adequate maneuvering space before committing to resource gathering, as the boss frequently forces players into confined spaces with limited escape options.
Common Strategic Errors: Many players underestimate the importance of environmental mastery, attempting to out-damage the creature rather than outmaneuver it. This typically results in rapid depletion of ammunition followed by unavoidable close-quarters confrontation. Another frequent mistake involves panicked movement when the Stalker separates, leading to positioning that makes you vulnerable to the primary threat.
For detailed weapon mechanics and unlock strategies applicable across modern combat games, consult our comprehensive Weapons Unlock guide covering progression systems and optimization approaches.
After inflicting sufficient damage, the encounter enters a dangerous new phase as a smaller Stalker detaches from the primary creature, creating a two-front battle. Monitor this additional threat carefully but concentrate damage on the main boss—eliminating the larger enemy concludes this combat segment regardless of the Stalker’s status.
Engage the Stalker defensively when it approaches to create distance, but remain acutely aware of its potential to immobilize you, setting up an instant kill from the primary adversary. Maintaining shiv availability provides crucial emergency escape options when the Stalker attempts grapples, potentially saving you from catastrophic damage.
Advanced Positioning Technique: Identify locations with multiple escape routes rather than single obstacles. These “multi-vector positions” allow you to break line of sight while maintaining offensive opportunities, a critical skill for surviving extended engagements in tactical shooters.
Movement rhythm proves essential—alternate between aggressive damage windows and defensive repositioning rather than continuous retreat. This balanced approach conserves resources while gradually progressing toward victory.
Time management becomes increasingly important as the battle progresses. Expect the full encounter to last between 8-12 minutes depending on difficulty setting and weapon availability. Advanced players can reduce this to 5-7 minutes through perfect execution and optimized loadouts.
Understanding class-based combat principles from games like Class Guide can enhance your tactical decision-making during complex multi-phase battles like this hospital confrontation.
Continue evasive maneuvers and calculated attacks until the primary boss finally collapses. The separated Stalker will flee the area, necessitating pursuit into the subsequent hospital section—the morgue. While this enemy presents significant danger, its threat level falls substantially below the main boss you’ve just defeated.
Your previous experience combating standard Stalker variants becomes directly applicable here. Deploy your most powerful remaining firearms against it, and if necessary, create distance to re-establish stealth and control engagement parameters. Once eliminated, you’ll gain access to the parking garage exit, concluding this challenging sequence.
Morgue Engagement Strategy: The confined morgue space favors methodical, stealth-oriented approaches. Use the environment’s layout to isolate and eliminate the Stalker without taking unnecessary risks, preserving precious resources for upcoming challenges.
This boss fight exemplifies The Last of Us Part 2’s design philosophy—challenging players to adapt their strategies to specific scenarios rather than relying on universal tactics. Mastering this encounter provides transferable skills for other difficult combat situations throughout the game.
Action Checklist
- Identify and memorize multiple pillar/obstacle locations for circling maneuvers before engaging
- Prioritize pipe bombs and shotgun with incendiary rounds for maximum damage efficiency
- Craft and maintain at least 2 shivs specifically for the Stalker separation phase
- During Stalker detachment, focus 70% attention on main boss positioning, 30% on Stalker movement
- Transition to morgue with stealth approach, using remaining high-damage weapons strategically
No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » The Last Of Us 2 Hospital Boss Strategy Guide – Seattle Day 2: Ground Zero Master the hospital boss fight with strategic positioning, weapon selection, and survival tactics for The Last of Us Part 2
