The Last of Us: Grounded Bundle detailed: New difficulty, maps, weapons and skills

Naughty Dog has revealed The Last of Us: Grounded Bundle, new DLC for The Last of Us. As the third and final drop in the game's season pass, the Grounded Bundle will include new trophies and a mix of single-player and multiplayer content.

Briefly touched upon back in February, The Last of Us single-player will be getting a new difficulty: Grounded Mode, the "hardest challenge you'll ever face" when completing the campaign. "The AI is relentless, smart, and brutal, and survival will be near impossible," Naughty Dog's Eric Monacelli says. Don't worry, the difficulty will be well worth it as you can earn one of the most difficult Trophies, "Completed Grounded Mode." For those of you who are not a season pass holder, Grounded Mode will cost $4.99 standalone.

In addition to the new single-player difficulty, the bundle also includes the Reclaimed Territories Map Pack featuring four new maps: Wharf, Capitol, Coal Mine, and Water Tower. Each map will offer a number of Trophies to be earned and is set in a location "that will be familiar yet unfamiliar to players of the single-player campaign."For non-season pass holders, this map pack will cost $9.99 standalone.

Wharf: Set in the rusted-out docks where Joel encountered Robert, the Wharf map features close quarters gameplay, two snipers nests, and a giant boat. It’s full of good opportunities for climbing, flanking, and stealth.

Capitol: Set in Boston, the Capitol Map features indoor and outdoor gameplay. It encourages the intelligent use of flanking.

Coal Mine: Set in Colorado, Coal Mine is a winter map that’s spotted with abandoned buildings. It’s a spacious map that has long lines of sight and a bridge that’s a perfect perch for snipers. The dynamic snowstorm obscures the view so be on your toes.

Water Tower: Set in Lincoln, PA, the Water Tower map features two primary chokepoints for some deadly face-to-face confrontations. It’s mainly an outdoor map with a few indoor areas and some very unique lighting. It might seem open, but it’s really a tight map that’s perfect for close quarters melee.

New guns and new survival skills are coming as well. The Survivalist Weapon Bundle (included with the season pass, or $5.99 standalone) will get you four new weapons: Specter, Double Barrel, Enforcer, and Launcher. "These guns have very unique attributes that have been carefully balanced so as to offer new play styles that fit into the existing Factions gameplay."

Meanwhile, the two Survival Skill Bundles, Situational Survival Skills Bundle and Professional Survival Skills Bundle, will offer "very effective ways to find your new play style." These will cost $3.99 each standalone, but are also included in the Grounded Bundle.

Lastly, everybody — regardless of if you own a season pass or not — will be getting a new gun, the Full-Auto Rifle, for free. "This is a fully automatic, modified burst rifle that is very easy to use," Monacelli explains. "It's the perfect weapon for people who are new to Factions and experts alike."

For those interested, you can still purchase the season pass for $19.99, offering you the Grounded Bundle, and the already released Abandoned Territories and Left Behind DLC, with more than 80% in savings versus purchasing all of the content individually.

[PS Blog]