The Last Of Us 2: Best Weapon Upgrades

As Ellie takes a path of vengeance in The Last of Us Part 2, she’s going to need a fair few weapons to get through threats of both human and infected alike. Players can find an abundance of weapons in The Last of Us Part 2 that will aid on their odyssey, but what’s even better, is when they find an upgrade bench. Utilizing scrap that has been scavenged throughout the chapters, players can upgrade their weapons at a bench, which will see some desirable effects.

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Scrap is a limited resource in The Last of Us Part 2, so players are going to want to choose the best weapon upgrades wisely for the Ellie and Abby chapters, making sure that they are getting the most out of their weapons, and even the worst threats on offer won’t stand a chance.

Updated on January 6, 2025, by Jake Fillery: The best weapon upgrades in The Last of Us 2 are essential for those within the Ellie and Abbie chapters so that they do not face an early and grizzly death at the hands of infected and survivors. Bringing along scrap and a decent gun to a workbench can mean the difference between life and death, especially when some upgrades should be prioritised first so that the best guns in The Last of Us Part 2 are given the attention they deserve to make every combat encounter easier.

Best Weapon Upgrades for Ellie

Ellie’s chapters will find her unlock specific weapons for her arsenal, separate to Abby’s. These weapons can be upgraded to maximize the efficiency against humans and infected alike, as Ellie’s odyssey to find and kill Abby rages through Seattle.

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Bow – Rangefinder

Mark The Distance Of Enemies on The Reticle

The bow is easily one of the best weapons in The Last of Us Part 2. It hits hard and is a silent killer. Yet, aiming with the bow might cause trouble for some players. Luckily, the rangefinder upgrade means that players will automatically mark the distance of their enemies on the reticle of the bow, meaning fewer missed shots and better accuracy.

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Bow – Draw Speed

Faster Draw Time When Using the Bow

Ellie’s talent with a bow should not be understated, and it’s a great weapon that players shouldn’t sleep on. The bow is Ellie’s primary stealth weapon when she doesn’t have the required materials for a silencer on the semi-auto pistol, and it also deals a lot more damage, and the arrows can be re-obtained. As such, having a faster draw speed means the draw and knocking speeds are greatly increased to make sure Ellie is constantly firing arrows with deadly flair.

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Pump Shotgun – Fire Rate

+55% Fire Rate

Ellie’s shotgun is a powerhouse, but considering it’s more of a close-range weapon, it’s only really useful against hordes of infected. To beat these ghastly fungus foes, upgrading the fire rate is a solid choice, as players will be able to fire their shots quicker, ensuring they aren’t beaten and bitten to death.

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Bolt-Action Rifle – Damage

+25% Damage

The bolt-action rifle may not be the most handy weapon in Ellie’s arsenal, due to its slow firing power and the fact that its loud bullet firing gives away Ellie’s position, but with an improvement to damage, players can take out Shamblers and Bloaters from a distance without having to worry about their face getting ripped off.

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Semi-Auto Pistol – Stability

+35% Stability

Whilst most upgrades for the semi-auto pistol are good, stability is perhaps the best The Last of Us Part 2 upgrade for this weapon, specifically because it’s the only gun that Ellie can use with a craftable silencer.

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With better stability, players won’t miss their headshots when in stealth, meaning they won’t lose a bullet and durability on their suppressor.

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Semi-Auto Pistol – Capacity

10 Bullets in a Magazine

The Semi-Auto Pistol will be Ellie’s most common weapon. Ammo is extremely accessible and easier to find than other guns, so players might find themselves using this old reliable gun, which is why it’s never a bad idea to stay on top of upgrades for it. One of the best upgrades is Capacity, which allows players to increase the 6-bullet magazine to a total of 10 bullets, which both means more collectible ammo for the reserves, and a larger capacity to make sure a missed shot won’t be the end of Ellie’s life.

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Revolver – Damage

+40% Damage, +25% Accuracy

Replacing the barrel of the revolver will provide it with more powerful shots. Not only will there be a near 50% damage increase, but the addition of better accuracy makes this upgrade well worth the asking price, especially when the revolver already kicks hard. This upgrade will easily take care of Shamblers, and perhaps even Bloaters.

Best Weapon Upgrades for Abby

Abby’s chapters have exclusive weapons separate from Ellie, and it’s best to focus on these following upgrades first to make sure that she survives her violent bout in Seattle and pray for that a dreaded confrontation with Ellie never happens.

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Semi-Auto Rifle – 4x Scope

Press The X Button To Use A Zoom-In Scope

The semi-auto rifle is a powerful weapon, paired with its instant-kill headshot capability, players have a great weapon on their hands.

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Yet, the 4x scope only makes it better and more reliable, as players can use this scope to get a better look at enemies, whether they are stalkers, peeking their heads, or scavs far off in the distance waiting to get a shot with their bow and arrow. Controlling the battlefield with range is a great idea.

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Semi-Auto Rifle

Total of 12 Bullets in a Magazine

Ammo is vital, especially for Abby who needs to fight off infected, Scars, her own WLFs, and her hunter, Ellie. To make things just a smidge easier, the ammo capacity upgrade for the Semi-Auto Rifle will be worth some scrap, due to how players can have 12 bullets in a magazine rather than 9. Not only does this allow players to shoot more bullets without reloading, but it also provides more carry capacity for this ammo type.

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Crossbow – Stability

+55% Stability

The crossbow is a rather efficient stealth weapon, due to the arrows being fired with utter silence. However, the crossbow can be quite the burden to aim, so focusing on a stability upgrade will mean that players are less likely to miss their shots, and alert enemies to their position, whilst also making sure that they don’t break arrows by missing their targets.

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Double Barrel Shotgun – Damage

+30% Damage

Abby’s double-barrel shotgun will see a powerful kick added to its design thanks to a damage upgrade. The double-barrel shotgun already has powerful potential with each blast, as well as a decent range, so adding even more means that players can get extra careless when it comes to the more tank-like enemies in The Last of Us Part 2.

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Hunting Pistol – Damage

+25% Damage

The hunting pistol has its own skill set for a reason, and that’s because it can hit extremely hard if players know where to shoot and what upgrades to get. Extending its damage with this upgrade, players will make quick work of Bloaters and Shamblers by firing from a safe distance, whilst never losing the damage that they crave.

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Military Pistol – Fire Rate

+50% Increase to Fire Rate

Ammo is a resource that all players will need to survive, as not every Scar and Infected can be taken down with Abby’s brutal punches and chokehold. As such, it’s a good idea to invest into the default weapon, the Military Pistol, and its Fire Rate upgrade. While it might eat up ammo, it’s going to give players a faster pull of the trigger so that missing a shot isn’t a harsh penalty against sprinting enemies that need a good bullet to the head.

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Military Pistol – Capacity

+4 Magazine Capacity

The default pistol for Abby, upgrading the magazine size means that players can have more shots in their weapon for when the tough gets going. Abby will face her fair share of hordes of infected and scars, so extending the capacity of the pistol means less reload time, and more bullets to fire into heads.

Systems