Strange New Cordyceps Easter Egg Discovered In The Last Of Us

A new Easter egg has been discovered in Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, a whole seven years after the game first released.

The Last of Us has been lurking in our game collections for a while now (seven years, can you believe that?). Despite its age, prevalence and the fact it now has a sequel, fans are still discovering new secrets within the game, such as this disturbing reference to the insect disease that inspired the games clicking monstrosities.

sarah and joel the last of us
Credit: Naughty Dog

Speedrunner Anthony Caliber explains the Cordyceps virus-related Easter egg, which he claims was discovered by Discord user “Joy2001”.

The Easter egg is shown on the TV screen during the opening of the game. Upon being triggered, it depicts an ant infected with the Cordyceps virus, a real-life infection that triggers zombie-like symptoms in ants.

YouTube video

In order to find this Easter egg, players will have to start a new game, which will take them back to Joel’s house at the beginning of the game. Once players have done this, they can follow Caliber’s instructions, which provide the following steps:

  • Start a new game, selecting any difficulty that’s isn’t Grounded Mode
  • Let the story unfold till you head down the stairs
  • While heading down the steps, you should hear a background explosion
  • As soon as you reach the last step, quit to the main menu
  • Re-load your save slot and head back upstairs to the room with the TV
  • Once in front of the static snow-covered TV, quit to the main menu again
  • Head back up the stairs to the TV  again after reloading your checkpoint.
Last Of Us 2 Details
Credit: Naughty Dog

You should now see on the TV a picture of an infected ant, instead of either the news report or static snow that usually appears on the screen. Considering how specific your actions need to be to trigger this strange Easter egg, it’s not surprising that no one has discovered it until now.

The ant is thought to be the first time that the Cordyceps virus is acknowledged as being the source of the global pandemic of the game [via TwistedVoxel].

playing as sarah the last of us
Credit: Naughty Dog

Who knows, perhaps there are even more elaborate Easter eggs to be found within The Last of Us, which is sure to reignite some fans interest in replaying this 2013 post-apocalyptic classic! 

Shop With GameByte!

Don’t forget you can find some of these great games and more through the new GameByte Shop! The GameByte Shop is stocked up with the latest games, merch and accessories. We might even have a new-gen console or two! Find the shop here and sign up to our newsletter to be notified of our console drops. Please note the GameByte Shop is available for UK customers only.

Featured Image Credit: Naughty Dog