The Last of Us Part 1 is not a typical third-person shooter. Between the Clickers, Bloaters, and the general collapse of society, you will need some serious firepower, so you must hunt for ammunition while making and upgrading weapons. Joel and Ellie’s journey throws plenty of danger your way, and while some weapons fall right into your lap through the normal story progress, others need some digging (and maybe a detour or two).
Having good firearms and gear in your hands is crucial to get through the game’s storyline. Below are all the weapon locations in The Last of Us Part 1 including the 9 main weapons along with a few others, and what each one does best:
- 9mm Pistol: The 9mm is Joel’s very first gun which you can’t miss. You’ll pick it up automatically as part of the main story when leaving the Quarantine Zone chapter during the “Beyond the Wall” sequence. Consider it as your bread-and-butter handgun; it’s not too powerful but reliable with decent ammo availability. It’s an ideal melee weapon for early encounters and stays useful for much of the game mainly after receiving an upgrade.
- Revolver: In the Downtown area during the Outskirts chapter. Right after escaping the Clicker and dealing with a few filing cabinets, check near a body for this bad boy. It packs more punch than the 9mm but with a trade-off such as slower reload and a little sway while aiming. It’s better for taking down enemies with fewer shots, but you’ll need to be accurate.
- Hunting Rifle: You’ll get the Hunting Rifle after a rough moment in the Capitol Building during The Outskirts chapter, post-Tess. Once Joel and Ellie head upstairs and jump between buildings, you’ll find a dead Firefly with the rifle nearby. Like a sniper, it’s slow to reload especially before upgrades, but it hits hard and becomes amazing with a scope and armor-piercing rounds – great for thinning crowds from a distance.
- Bow: In Bill’s Town after dodging one of Bill’s many traps, climb onto a truck with an old armchair. The Bow is sitting next to it. One word to define this weapon: stealth. The Bow is silent suitable for sneaking around and picking off enemies without giving off your presence to others. But it’s a little tough to master due to the arrow drop.
- Shotgun: Bill gives it to you during your trip through his town during the Safehouse. After escaping into a church and heading to the basement armory, you’ll receive it in a cutscene. It’s exactly what you’d expect from any other shotgun in the gaming world: noisy, devastating in melee combat, and kind of a nightmare to reload. Use it when you’re in tight spaces with a lot of Infected.
- Shorty (Sawn-Off Shotgun): You’ll come across the Shorty in the sewers during The Suburbs with Henry and Sam. After a noise trap, you’ll find it on a table nearby. Compact, deadly, and loads fast with a few upgrades. The Shorty brings shotgun power to your sidearm slot, making it perfect for quick blasts in a tight spot.
- El Diablo: This scoped revolver is available at the start of the Tommy’s Dam chapter. Look for a wrecked car with a skeleton beside it towards the open door side, the gun is right around there. El Diablo is a handheld sniper rifle; powerful, long-range, and deadly. But ammo is rare and it reloads slowly, so it’s best used strategically.
- Flamethrower: Obtain it in the University chapter during the Go Big Horns segment near a loading bay or garage to the right after jumping a gate on horseback. Look inside by the forklift. Flamethrower sprays fire in a cone to deal sustained burn damage. It’s more about area denial than quick kills, and it can be a lifesaver during Bloater encounters.
- Assault Rifle: Right at the very end during the Firefly Lab chapter. Just pick one off a dead soldier as everyone is using them by that point. AR gun has high recoil but tons of ammo around. It’s a big moment when you get this even though you can’t upgrade it.
Throwable and Craftable Weapons
Do not forget the gadgets and craftables that make your life way easier in TLOU Part 1 when the situation becomes hard:
- Molotov Cocktail – Found early in the subway ruins post-Outskirts. Good for cooking groups of Infected.
- Smoke Bomb – First appears in Pittsburgh. Handy for stealth escapes or surprise attacks.
- Nail Bomb – Bill gives you the first one. It’s like a mine. Place it, bait an enemy, and that’s all.
- Pipe Bomb – Same concept as nail bombs, more explosive. Can be crafted after the first use.
- Health Kit – Your lifeline. Craft with a rag and alcohol. Easy, simple, vital.
- Switchblade – Ellie-exclusive and infinite-use. Automatically used during her gameplay sections.
Melee Weapons
Every now and then, you run out of ammo (you will), and that’s when melee weapons are the most helpful:
- 2×4 – Decent early-game blunt weapon. Four hits max.
- Baseball Bat – Better than the 2×4, still blunt.
- Pipe – Most durable blunt weapon for home-run swings.
- Machete – Instant kill, but low durability. Slash weapon.
- Hatchet – Like a Machete on steroids. More hits, same lethality.
Once you can modify melee weapons, you can use blades and binding to give them one-hit kill power — incredibly helpful against Clickers.
Upgrades and Holsters
Most of these weapons can be upgraded at workbenches using collected Weapon Parts and Tools. You’ll improve things like:
- Reload Speed
- Clip Size
- Fire Rate
- Recoil
- Power
You can also upgrade your holsters to quick-switch between more guns without digging into your backpack. This becomes very useful in fast-paced battles where every second counts.
That’s the full breakdown of every weapon with its location and abilities in The Last of Us Part 1. There’s a good balance between guns, stealth tools, and throwables, and each weapon suits a different scenario so mix things up. Some are deadly in open firefights, others make stealth or close-range combat a breeze.
