We've learned to fight. We've learned to take people out quietly. We've learned to sneak. We've learned a lot of the total mechanics of the game, but there's still some more things, and we've also got a few more things to learn. Plus, we haven't really been given the ability to practice these on infected. Getting into Boston gives us our first true encounters with the infected, but it's also a means to show us the true state of the world.
Outside the Boston quarantine zone doesn't see any gangs or thugs, but we get to see the state of the world. The city is overrun with vegetation. Buildings are decrepit and falling apart. The two largest skyscrapers are in a precarious situation in which one is leaning against the other. Ellie spends much of the time asking questions about what happened. Tess isn't a giant grouch like Joel, so she answers. At this point in the game, Ellie functions not only as the mission objective; she's also a narrative device. Since she's never been outside the QZ, this is all new territory for her. She is the portal in which characters can feed the player backstory into this world and build it up. This isn't an uncommon device, but it's well executed. It's clearly her primary function at this stage of the game, but it's never distracting.
Consider what I consider a bad example of this: Final Fantasy X. That game features the main protagonist from a "different world" for the same reason. The difference is, FFX doesn't stop hand-feeding you "background" until about twenty to thirty hours in. It gets tedious and tiresome, and feels a little condescending at times. The Last of Us uses this device from time to time, but doesn't keep it up for long periods. Additionally, Ellie is a fourteen year old girl. She's basically still a child. We've already established she's inquisitive, and this is a trait she carries through most of the game. Again, though clearly a means for the writers to communicate information and do some world-building, they work this device into Ellie's character itself, so it never feels out of place.
We also get more of the pacing flow here. After just escaping the military's clutches, we get a lull in action. Wandering through a part of the city and through some of the building, it takes a little bit before we finally encounter infected enemies. Not only does this give us a moment to catch our breath and observe our surroundings; it also builds suspense. Some of the best moments in the game are ones in which nothing actually happens, but it feels like something is about to. Cutting through the tilted skyscraper is the first time we experience this. Of course, it ultimately does culminate in some enemies, but it's not as bad as they build it up for. In essence, it's a big "psych!"
There's also an interesting thing here where finding notes also fills in backstory. More than that, the characters will react to them. This isn't the first time it happens. When you find a note about Robert at the docks, Joel will mention that Robert seems to be pissing everybody off. The notes here serve to solidify a narrative reason to look for them. The notes found here add to the environment around you, and the situation you find yourself in.
Ellie doesn't just ask questions to fill us in on the world and character backgrounds though. Her curiosity also helps the players understand some of the enemies they may encounter. One of the slightly more confusing explanations is regarding clickers. These are enemies that have been infected for so long that the fungus has rendered their hosts blind. After asking about them, Tess tells Ellie (and us, if you're focusing on them to overhear it) that clickers use echo location, like bats. The clicking sounds they make function as sonar. They're able to "see" using sound. Tess also states some strategy: "when you hear one, you have to hide."
It's a little confusing since that idea is virtually no different than any other enemy. Instead, they should mention that clickers are deadlier than your average infected. Without shivs, a clicker will insta-kill you if it grabs you. That doesn't get established in this dialogue exchange - they simply tell you to stay out of its sight, which is weird because they just told you that they can't see. This rule about seeing via echo location also gets ignored several times throughout the game during scenes. It's one of the more inconsistent "rules" of the game, and gets ignored whenever convenient for dramatic action moments.
Though we're now into the game more fully, there are still a few tutorial elements in the building. There are pills that teach us about improving our character stats. Tess hands us a recipe for med kits, which also teaches us about crafting. Both of these will be important and don't need too much hand-holding. Odds are, you may have already figured the crafting part out already just on your own. The first clicker you run into in the open field is designed so that you use distractions to sneak around it, teaching you the value of avoiding conflict. There's a lot of cover and a bunch of bricks and bottles to toss.
Then you find a revolver. More powerful than the pistol, it holds fewer rounds and takes more time to reload. This segment can be really tricky for new players, in part because it's designed for failure. Though the last few sections were teaching you about stealth, this section is teaching you that not everything can just be avoided. It is possible to get through it without disturbing the other infected, but it's challenging and it doesn't take much to screw up. That's the big lesson from this part.
The segment features the three most common forms of infected enemies: clickers, runners, and normal infected. To the right is one motionless infected you can easily take out. Back turned and standing still, that's the easy first step. Right near him is usually a melee weapon to pick up, which you'll want to do because to the left are three "runners" and a clicker. Runners, as the name might imply, are infected who move around a lot. This makes it really difficult to sneak up on them to take them out quietly. It doesn't help that the three runners move in a triangular pattern in sync. It's quite tricky to take one out with stealth without drawing the attention of the others. The usually do keep each other within their line of sight. The clicker stands still in the center, which makes things even more tense. If you can take the runners out, the clicker isn't a problem. You can sneak up on it and take it out, no problem. But if you mess up or draw the other runners' attention, the clicker becomes active, making it more difficult to take it out.
It is possible to get through this without alerting the others, but at this point in the game - especially for new players - it's not very likely.
The final section of the skyscraper takes you down below into the subway before dumping you back out on the street. There are about four clickers and three normal infected in this area, but there are also a few side rooms to explore and your first safe to discover. The placement of the enemies makes exploration tricky, but it's worth it to do so. If you just try to truck through to get away, you'll miss out on some resources. Everything can be done with stealth pretty easily, but it's a good way to put everything together. You can sneak, or use distractions, or - with the introduction of Molotov cocktails - you can go in guns blazing. (Well, no, not enough ammo for four clickers, but the Molotovs make it easier to take some of them out.)
We learn our final piece of non-item specific tutorial: upgrading weapons. All those gears and whatnot you find lying around can be used to upgrade your weapons. Each weapon has a different set of traits that can be improved. For example, the rifle can have its accuracy and range increased while the shotgun can have its spread improved. Most weapons also allow for increased clip capacity and reload speed. Upgrading your firearms can be critical in surviving. It's a good thing to do at this point too, given what is to come at the end of the museum.
The museum is one of the cooler levels. It's creepy as heck, plus you get separated from Ellie and Tess. Clickers show up, prompting Tess to shout, "Run!" That might be the first minor example that can cause some to wonder if they've forgotten how things work. (Why would you shout anything when you hear clickers, for example, if they "see you" through sound? We just had a few levels designed to teach us to stay quiet when they're around!)
Again, the level is set up so that you can approach it a number of ways. There are enough bottles and bricks and enough cover to sneak around if you want. Similarly, you probably should have enough resources at this point to take each clicker out too, if you want. Additionally, the clickers are spaced out just far enough that you can work some mixture. If you do manage to sneak by all of the clickers in the first leg of the level, it does make you realize how nice it would be to do little things like, I don't know, close the doors you just opened. I've personally found that a slight problem in this section when going all out stealth is that once you get by and open the door, those clickers can follow you into the next section for a little bit. It can cause a bit of a problem if you lose track of where they are, and means you have to really be careful to watch your six.
We finally run into Tess as she's being attacked by an infected. It looks like she can take care of herself, as she grabs a plank and smashes it in the head. The next section is the first one in which you are required to actively fight infected. We've been in shootouts already, with the first two of Robert's men, and there's a good chance you got swarmed by infected in the skyscraper at one point. Still, if you managed to get through without drawing attention, this is the first time you have no choice. The game occasionally removes the option, which has it's pros and cons. I'm not personally a big fan of those moments when you have no choice as to how to play a section, but this moment here is helpful as it is perhaps your first real chance to experience hand-to-hand combat against a horde of enemies. Getting that kind of experience this early in the game might actually be helpful for later in the game, even if you're like me and try to always sneak by everyone. What's nice about this section too is that there's a lot of stuff to pick up. If you're low on ammo and your melee weapon breaks, you can pick up bottles and bricks and smash the infected with them. Plus, there are enough corners and structures in the small map to use.
The highlight of this section is just after getting out of the museum. First, you can check up on Tess, who does a good job staying focused. Then, you can talk to Ellie. The back-and-forth is a nice moment that lays the groundwork for their relationship. Joel asks if she is ok, to which she retorts, "Define ok." He answers that she's ok if she's still breathing. Ellie, ever the wise-cracker, then asks, "Do small, panicked breaths count?" There is a very quiet, brief chuckle from Joel. It's not super obvious, but it's there.
The big moment though is just after that. You put a plank across a couple of buildings to advance, prompting the first touching moment between Ellie and Joel. Perhaps bitter and sarcastic, Joel asks her if this is everything she hoped for as they can see the rest of the city, especially the Capital Building, which is their destination. Ellie responds that the jury is still out, but, "...you can't deny the view."
In that moment as she walks away, Joel can be seen looking at his watch. This is the watch Sarah got him for his birthday before the outbreak. It's a very subtle moment, but you can really tell that this is the first time Ellie has reminded him - in a positive way - of his daughter. There's another great and subtle moment with the watch to parallel this, but that doesn't happen until the end of the game, so we'll save that for another time.
After this moment, Tess gets kind of stern with Joel. She suddenly seems strangely on edge. Of course, we'll find out way in a little bit.
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