The Last of Us Part 2 - The Shortcut: All items and how to explore all areas explained

Making your way to the building in The Shortcut

Follow Lev until you pass through the corner of a building, and see your next objective - the tall building in the distance - beyond a raging river.

On the right side here is a barbershop.

As well as supplies, check the till for the Nevada Coin.

Go back to the river, and climb up the left side, and onto a bus. You are next to a building here, with a room to the left.

To get there, cross the thin bridge over the rapids, and try the door. Lev will open it for you, giving you access to some supplies.

From here, go past the thin bridge and leap across the islands in the river to the building on the other side.

Abby will say the plan is to get to the top of the building. Get supplies from this floor, then take the stairs up.

On the next floor, turn right, then grab the Survivor Plea Artefact from the floor.

Smash the right-most window in here to get onto the fire escape. Smash the next window along to enter a room with some supplies.

When ready, climb up the staircase, then the ladder, and jump across to the ruined freeway.

Searching the apartment in The Shortcut

Go the short distance along, then drop down to the balcony to your left, and enter the building.

There's plenty of supplies here, including a safe in one of the bedrooms.

In the hallway, on the side table, is the Neighbour Exchange Artefact. Read it to learn a new safe code by combining the two apartment numbers - yours (checking the Artefact, it's 302) and theirs (going out of the apartment for where a 'Julia' would live, it's next door - 304) making 30-23-04.

Insert safe code 30-23-04 into the bedroom safe for some crafting materials and ammo.

When ready, head up the stairwell to the roof. There's some arrows you can grab from the targets.

To continue, cross the small rusted walkway and drop onto the balcony to the right.

How to survive the first infected encounter in The Shortcut

You will arrive at a building with floor to ceiling glass windows.

Inside are a bunch of infected. The only way in is to smash a window. Go round the corner to find a waist-high window, smash it, then quickly retreat so you're out of sight.

Once the infected quiet down inside, make your way in and hug the right wall. The way out is by climbing the shelving next to the van, then on top and out to an island on the river outside.

Exploring Interbay, Westport Optix, Ramen Roll and Arata in The Shortcut

Jump across more islands to a store named Interbay.

Next to the corpse directly inside is the Scavenging List Artefact.

There are supplies in here, as well as a Workbench in the far left corner.

When ready to proceed, go up the short set of stairs and out to the right, across the islands, and into another building.

Inside is the 'Westport Optix' opticians, where Abby will ask if this is the right building.

Ignore this floor for now and drop down into the floor to your left, into Ramen Roll. This has a bunch of optional supplies, and on the central island opposite, a melee weapon if you need it.

Head back up the hole into the opticians and search the floor for supplies.

On the right side is a set of double doors you can slide through. Before you do that, look at the window next to it.

Drop down onto the awning outside to find the Colorado Coin at the end.

Go through the double doors now, and climb the rubble up to an upper floor with Arata on the wall.

Grab more supplies, then go right down a corridor.

Lev will hop across the ruins, so you need to go right through the door and across to catch up and go up a ladder.

Exploring the Scars bridge building in The Shortcut

You'll finally be in the Scars building. Cross the walkway and continue to follow Lev, until you're forced to split up momentarily again.

Going left into the office, there is the Seraphite Truce Artefact on the table on the right.

Now join up and climb the tall wooden ladder in the end room.

Once you emerge, Scars will attack.

You need to make your way right around the corner, then right again into a corridor, where there is another wooden ladder.

Scars will heavily populate this route, so hugging the left wall will see you pass through various offices as cover.

Once up the ladder, investigate the object in front of the mural opposite for an optional conversation.

In the next room are various supplies and a Workbench, plus the next ladder up.

When you emerge up, you'll be in another Scar-filled area.

The aim here is to keep going up - start by going right to avoid the guards ahead, and keep going up various ledges, ramps and stairwells.

At the very top of the construction site, there will be a set of double doors at the far end you can go through.

Afterwards, clear the area of supplies, then go into the elevator into the corner.

Following the elevator, follow Lev down the corridor. There is the Seraphite Orders Artefact on the wall to the right as you go.

From here, it's a linear route to the end of the chapter, taking you across several bridges.

Abby has pretty good balance until the final section, where you need to really pay attention.

Take it very slow, and when the controller vibrates, stop.

When you climb down the ladder at the end, the chapter will end after you cross.

The next chapter is The Descent.