There are many worrying threats inThe Last of Us, and HBO’sThe Last of Usepisode 2 introduced one of the meanest and creepiest dangers that lurk in this post-apocalyptic world: the clicker. Clickers are a danger and an iconic infected design that takes the Cordyceps brain infection into disturbing yet oddlybeautiful directions.
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With clickers becoming thenewest threat in HBO’sThe Last of Us, and the result of many game-overs for players inThe Last of Usvideo games, it’s probably a good idea to revise things about the clickers that are important or interesting to learn about.
Warning, spoilers ahead!
7Stage Of Infection
Clickers are a variety of infected inThe Last of Usand exist in the third stage of infection.Clickers usually take just over a year to developinto their namesake, as prolonged exposure to the fungus envelops their faces. It just goes to show the distance between zombies and Cordyceps infections, as zombies would just rot, whereas those with the Cordyceps virus become one with the fungus.
The fact that oneneeds to be infectedfor over a year shows how the dangers that lurk inThe Last of Usare always present. People get infected every day in this world, and the longer they are left in that condition, the stronger they will become as a threat to humanity.
6What Comes After A Clicker
Considering that clickers are the third stage of infection, it’s worth noting the direction of the stages. The first infected is that of the runners, and after a few weeks, to a year, runners become stalkers. With clickers being the third stage of infection, many might wonder what could be beyond that of a clicker, and what is the fourth stage of infection.
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The fourth stage of infection is the bloater, a rare and intensely dangerous member of the infected evolutionary chain. Bloaters take years to develop and need many years of fungus infection to grow an armored fungus that protects their skin and brains. They are a hulking mass of death and have the brute strength to show for it.
5Armored Heads
Considering that the Cordyceps virus affects the brain, it’s no surprise that the fungus would grow around the brain to protect it. With the virus untamed, clickers develop more fungus around and inside their heads, until they sacrifice their eyesight for layers of protective armor on their heads.
It’s no secret that going for the head is the easiest and safest option for death, which is why clickers can be so scary. A shot to the head will just cause fungus to crumble from the clicker, as it acts as armored plating around their heads.
4How To Kill Clickers
With a great feat of strength and armored heads, many might ask how to kill clickers inThe Last of Us. Since sound is their greatest ally, people that want to fight clickers should remain quiet, and behind walls to not alert the clicker. Getting behind a clicker with a sharp item, likeJoel with a shiv,allows for a fatal stab to the neck, an unguarded spot on the clicker.
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Alternatively, clickers aren’t too fond of fire, much like most living beings. If clickers are set on fire with a flamethrower or a Molotov cocktail, they will scream and flail their arms around until they are reduced to nothing but a cooked and charred fungus.
3Echolocation
The terrifying sounds of the clicker are not just for audio goosebumps. The constant clicking, and namesake of the “clicker”, comes from the fact that they click with their throats and tongues for echolocation. This is shown in HBO’s The Last of Us, where theintroduction scenefor the clickers is memorable and terrifying. Much like bats, clickers will use sound to navigate themselves through life without sight.
The site has been lost on the clickers, as the fungus has formed around their eyes, leaving them blind and forced to look for alternative methods to sight, and spreading their infection further. Clickers pay close attention to sound, which is why it’s best to keep silent.
2Voice Talent
The disturbing clicking noises that haunt players and viewers ofThe Last of Uscome from the talent of Misty Lee and Philip Kovats. These two talents provide the voice work for the clicker sounds of all male and female clickers inThe Last of Usand returned to commit to the same terrifying sounds in HBO’s version ofThe Last of Us.
The voices of the clickers are unforgettable, thanks to theeerie pitch and croaks of their clickingtongues, teeth, and throat. The voice work of the clicker is very important to their design, as their distinct sounds warn players and viewers that it’s time to keep quiet.
1Berserker Mode
Clickers have greater strength than the average human. Their adaption with fungus has given them brute-like abilities and pairing that with their armored faces, they can be unstoppable to the unprepared. Clickers can show people this intense strength if they enter into a berserker-like state if they hear a noise too loud. This makesbricks and bottles pretty obsolete.
In this berserker-like state, clickers will wail their arms in a frenzy, and walk faster to the target that they seek. This aggression is activated once the clicker believes they have found a human to infect, and thus they will march forward. During this mode of aggression, clickers do not flinch at gunshots and will take bullet after bullet until they are ultimately eliminated.
