StaceyPowers Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 (edited) Okay, so I admit I could just be missing something obvious here, but I can’t figure out how the Infected manage to survive as long as they do in the Last of Us. In fact, on my first play-through, I just assumed that all of the Infected I saw had only been in that state for a week or so, and that those that didn’t get shot probably starved to death (or died of thirst) not long later. But since then, I’ve seen lots of references saying that the Infected take months to progress through the stages to reach the Bloater stage. That’s all good and well, except how do they survive that long? What are they eating? Did we ever actually see them eating in the game (if we did, I can’t recall)? It seems like they can eat, being as they have mouths—but it can’t be easy for a blind Clicker to locate food, unless it only hunts down and consumes live prey. Or is there some kind of photosynthesis at work? I’m not asserting this is a plot hole, because I don’t think it is—but it is unintuitive, and it makes me realize there’s a lot we don’t understand fully about the Infected life cycle. Anyone have thoughts or theories to share? Do you think we might learn more about the life cycle or even see new stages in the next game? Edited July 7, 2018 by StaceyPowers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 I mean... they're dead, are they not? Do they even need to eat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aimee Hart Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 Yeah gotta say I'm with Ben on this one. I think that because their undead they don't actually need to eat. At least, I don't think so... It's been a while since I've played the game I've gotta admit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyPowers Posted July 8, 2018 Author Share Posted July 8, 2018 (edited) 8 hours ago, Ben said: I mean... they're dead, are they not? Do they even need to eat? I'm not sure that's actually the case. I mean, insects infected by real-life Cordyceps aren't actually dead while they're still walking around, are they? If they are, that's even more bizarre than I realized. Now I'm curious whether they eat while infected too. Edited July 8, 2018 by StaceyPowers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 On 7/8/2018 at 9:27 PM, StaceyPowers said: I'm not sure that's actually the case. I mean, insects infected by real-life Cordyceps aren't actually dead while they're still walking around, are they? If they are, that's even more bizarre than I realized. Now I'm curious whether they eat while infected too. Hopefully they clarify in a tie-in comic/novel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantanoice Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Iirc the infected aren't dead, they're living people with... well... an infection. :v The game depicts them eating people a lot. Also, maybe now that they're part plant they can eat through the process of photosynthesis. 😛 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyPowers Posted July 18, 2018 Author Share Posted July 18, 2018 12 hours ago, fantanoice said: Iirc the infected aren't dead, they're living people with... well... an infection. :v The game depicts them eating people a lot. Also, maybe now that they're part plant they can eat through the process of photosynthesis. 😛 Why can't I picture this? Was I just not paying attention to stuff going on in the background? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o-o Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 Dish, aren't they actually dead? 😛 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyPowers Posted October 24, 2018 Author Share Posted October 24, 2018 On a playthrough I did catch a couple of them eating a corpse, so yes--I can confirm that they are eating the dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DylanC Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 On 10/24/2018 at 9:46 PM, StaceyPowers said: On a playthrough I did catch a couple of them eating a corpse, so yes--I can confirm that they are eating the dead. Aye, I was gonna chime in to say this. I remember seeing them eating bodies of people in the game. Also, they really like eating people who are alive, too. Pretty sure that’s how they get their sustenance. I’m guessing the cordyceps infection also gives them a prolonged lifespan, giving them living properties more in-line with a fungas. Creepy, right? Crazycrab 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyPowers Posted October 26, 2018 Author Share Posted October 26, 2018 12 hours ago, DylanC said: I remember seeing them eating bodies of people in the game. Yeah, I have no idea how I missed this on my first playthrough. I'm guessing now that I'm on the lookout for it, I'll probably notice it everywhere, lol. DylanC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demon_skeith Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 Sounds like something that the game makers forget to detail more on, but maybe that will be told upon the upcoming new game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DylanC Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 4 hours ago, Demon_skeith said: Sounds like something that the game makers forget to detail more on, but maybe that will be told upon the upcoming new game? Aye. There’s definitely room to expand the science/origins behind the cordyceps virus. Really looking forward to The Last Of Us 2. My most anticipated game, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingpotato Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 I remember the movie 28 weeks later where they specified that the zombies actually starved to death, but in other games, movies and TV shows zombies can roam forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazycrab Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 (edited) They eat people, animals and other infected and whatever else they can find until they die. When they do the fungus releases spores which spread the infection. Edited January 31, 2020 by Crazycrab kingpotato 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
