The quarantine zones of The Last of Us - Lore & Discussion

One very unique thing about the last of us’ universe and its lore is how it handles the fall of society. Instead of everything from the pre-outbreak society just disappearing, some of it survives with the military establishing the quarantine zones early on. In this video, I will discuss these quarantine zones in the last of us and the lore that we have on them as well as present some theories for their past and future.
Hey everyone! So I know we’re all really excited about the last of us part II, but for today’s video, I wanted to discuss something that’s mostly the last of us part I related, that being the quarantine zones and the lore behind them, as well as some theories I have. But there will also be a small segment dedicated to the quarantine zones & the military and their potential role in The Last of Us Part II.
Enjoy!
Outro song: Popsicle - LFZ
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[@TheiPadCat]

Do you think we'll see any active QZs in Part II? I sure hope we do! Also, don't forget to join our discord server, we're on the verge of 100 members! discordapp.com/invite/M5vqCt6

[@jvvayne555]

TheiPadCat I actually do think we will see QZ’s in part 2

[@TheiPadCat]

Well of course we’ll see the WLF-controlled Seattle one. But what about actual active ones?

[@adamyork5612]

Imagine if WLF or the military rolled up on tommys, i could see them definitely taking over established settlements as their own.

[@TheiPadCat]

Hmm maybe. I don’t know about FEDRA taking over settlements, they don’t seem to be the expansionist type. WLF though? Since Washington is in their name I’d assume they plan to take over or “liberate” the entire state.

[@tvhead7074]

TheiPadCat 9:16-9:24 I always assumed that was what the soldiers at the capital were

[@alexnedin]

I've always wanted an Outbreak DLC in a quarantine zone. Young Tess meeting Joel and they meet Bill - that something I would definitely pay for.

[@TheiPadCat]

Oh yeah me too! Though I’d prefer it following Joel and Tommy throughout the 20 years and how they ultimately fell out. Maybe ending it with Tommy joining the fireflies and Joel meeting Tess. I talked about that in my video on my ideal dlc story for part II

[@alexnedin]

I remember now. Your option is definitely better.

[@docmcgee3483]

I'd buy both of them

[@CC-8891]

Thats what the second game should have been. Then part three can finish the story.

[@msfox103able]

@@CC-8891 If they make a part 3 the need to do that.

[@gordonchard6243]

You'd imagine coastal cities like Boston have natural barriers and can also be supplied from the sea, an inland settlement has no choice but to scavenge and also have to defend all 4 sides.

[@mohamedkhalloufi1522]

Fun fact in the concept art you can see a quarantine zone with people and soldiers and the Brooklyn bridge behind the wall so maybe NYC also has a functioning quarantine zone

[@CG101INC]

Let's go!!! 😂😂 Sorry, I'm from New York 😅

[@agentmasterflex5545]

Which one is it. If you can remember or recall?

[@DempseyWhiteley]

​@agentmasterflex5545 it's a collection of different cities

[@stavros1216]

NYC would genuinely be great for survivors, depending on how and if FEDRA managed to clear Manhattan Island for example. Just block or destroy all bridges and the sub-water tunnels and you've got an entire island with parks to cultivate crops in. Fishing would help the people with food. With how close international airports are, I could imagine the entirety of the coastal NYC being some sort of Mega-Fort controlled by FEDRA and also supplying the other QZs

[@minifigw7145]

It's likely that some QZs are still operational and under military control. In the DLC for the first game, it becomes apparent that the Denver QZ had a massive US Military presence within the last few years, as they could still afford to send helicopters out on rescue missions, indicating a high level of stability (also some of the artifacts mention that there were entire infantry battalions in the city, which indicates a force well over 10,000 strong). The abandoned Pittsburg QZ was sending messages to a headquarters in Atlanta, so that's likely still running as well.

[@fedra5873]

It’s theorized that there are millions of ppl in the US safe zones

[@duckboiii4441]

Also, as Atlanta is where the CDC is, it makes sense that there would be lots of troops there

[@WiseOwl_1408]

Ya. Unrealistic as hell.

[@Nai-qk4vp]

@@duckboiii4441 Doesn't matter.

[@tyrequ5303]

I’d like to think Philly survived with a QZ as they can send in boats from the lakes near Ben Frank and Walt Whitman bridge to bring in supplies food, clothes, guns, oil. I’d like to think the outbreak started in Camden New Jersey which gave them the opportunity to blow up any near by bridges to stop the infection for a little while and then when things got a little out of control they set up QZ’s in the downtown area by the mall to me it makes sense as the mall would have tons of clothes, and tiny bits of salvageable food to take. Because they have Primark, foot locker, H&M, etc. they’d prob send Fedra soldiers on supply runs and was going good during the first 10 yrs but when the infected starting mutating it was hard for them to do so, eventually they ran out of supplies and soon it was either abandoned or was killed by infected

[@derpphil5400]

Really found it interesting when Ellie mentions in the DLC, Left Behind, that she is receiving training on how to kill fireflies. Legit some heavy militarization of society when even children aged 12 at what are essentially state sponsored boarding schools administered by a military junta are learning to kill. Also interesting to think about the fact that obviously most of these soldiers, government officials, and other adults are people who were themselves around the ages of 12 or younger at the time of the outbreak. Their childhoods were generally taken from them for the sake of surviving in a harsh world and they bare the task of trying to preserve the nation their parents and grandparents established for them decades ago.. by any means they think is necessary.

[@stanwebb4572]

My guess is that bigger zones may have actually survived: -more important to FEDEA (they would evacuate troops from zones like Hartford to larger, more important ones) -They're more connected to get supplies (e.g. on the coast etc)

[@TheiPadCat]

I think you’re guessing right

[@simonroh4958]

Well then how did LA and New York Fall, since those are the biggest cities?

[@reckergamer1879]

@@simonroh4958 Why cares about LA it gonna fell without the zombies

[@Jump-Shack]

Curious on if there is one in Tacoma since that's one of the cities near Seattle

[@herosmerlose5784]

@@simonroh4958 was it ever stated NYC or LA fell? I remember Los Angeles being mentioned as being under martial law when the pandemic began, so presumably becoming a QZ. I can’t recall NYC ever being mentioned whatsoever.

[@dart2475]

I never understood why al these rebel groups decided to try to overthrow the Fedra Redime. While they were brutal at times, they were still the only group that was both capable and willing to take care of thousand of civilians l.

[@Mark-gt5uu]

In Seattle you find a note from the WLF describing FEDRA as "fascists". I think that says it all really - People get bored, don't like getting told what to do and decide to rebel against authority without thinking about the consequences. After murdering federal soldiers in cold blood, displacing thousands of innocent/vulnerable people and taking over the zones, things end up being worse than they were before. Seattle under the WLF is awful - They literally shoot unarmed people. They still had rules and curfews for citizens before they banished them all. Sure, life under FEDRA sucks but whoever takes over from them is always much, much worse. I also found it really ironic that the Fireflies described Boston QZ as "the safest place for Ellie to be" yet simultaneously tried to destroy that zone. I wonder what would happen to all the children with nowhere to go? All the rebel groups; Fireflies, Hunters, WLF etc are scum. If they don't like life in the zone then they should just leave...

[@jasonfunderburger572]

Becuase they were probably tired of being told what to do 24/7. Also food shortages, being bored and restless etc

[@NeloBladeOfRanni]

@@Mark-gt5uu tbf in regards to the fireflies in boston fedra was specifically trying to lure them out.

[@SomeGuyWhoPlaysGames333]

Because the FEDRA soldiers were complete assholes who often times did the opposite of take care of people, like holding onto rations and letting people starve, as we find out was the case in the Pittsburgh QZ.

[@jasonfunderburger572]

@@SomeGuyWhoPlaysGames333 and literally shooting people on the spot if they showed any signs of infection. Which is fair I suppose, but I don't think people are going to be happy if they're at constant threat of being shot against a wall with 0 warning

[@benmac7552]

The world of the last of has so much potential that part 1 didn't tap into fully. So many potential stories to be told. Naughty dog could make lots of games in the world of the last of us if they chose to.

[@TheiPadCat]

Oh definitely! I’d love to see a game take place closer to the outbreak itself or something that gives us more insight into one of the factions. Doesn’t even have to be a game. I’d settle for some more comics or any type of world building really. The lore we have is fantastic and I’d love for them to expand upon it.

[@The88Cheat]

I really want a game the explores what happened to Joel and Tommy as they survived after the outbreak. There is definitely some interesting stuff there.

[@havertzthefuturegoat2518]

welp not anymore

[@thehomiedani927]

To bad they kinda fucked it up

[@Geckoinc2]

:(

[@elyca6329]

I do recommand the book: World War Z, from Max Brooks (it has NOTHING to do with the movie, they share only their name). The story is from the point of view of an UN agent who is tasked to trace the history of the zombi apocalypse, some 20 years after the END of the apocalypse. From there, you see how the apocalypse came about and how it changed the world from the point of view of a multitude of characters from all around the world. It paints a very realistic (and terrifying) timeline. It's very interresting

[@TheiPadCat]

Yeah I’ve heard people say the book is so much better than the movie but I just never got around to reading it. But that sure sounds very interesting! I’ll make sure to try and remember checking it out, thanks for the recommendation :)

[@elyca6329]

@@TheiPadCat : My pleasure! It's not a long read and I honestly think you'll like it a lot. Have a nice day!

[@Ytnzy250]

@@TheiPadCat I can highly recommend the Audible book, perfect if you hike someplace or have a lengthy commute anywhere.

[@Sir_Guardus]

@@elyca6329 to be honest it still have a shit ton of bullshit but if the military at least holds on its better the TWD

[@Klinkertinlegs]

The audiobook is GREAT.

[@decanusseverus8773]

It’s because of things like the zone that TLOU is so fascinating to me, the idea of the military becoming the face of the government, there would have probably been factionslization and maybe not but I think it would be very possible for some military reserves to start their own factions in the early days

[@fedra5873]

It’s reallistic

[@EnclaveSOC-102]

@@fedra5873 I agree, the government and military wouldn't just go down that easily like what you see in the Walking Dummies which has the lamest Zombies(I know they say that Walkers aren't Zombies, and frankly I don't care) ever if you think about how stupid they've become with AMC having dumbed them down after season four, although it could have been earlier.

[@justusP9101]

@@fedra5873 based pfp and name

[@Edithae]

@Random Enclave Fanboy TWD has never said that Walkers aren't "zombies". They are. They just never had the concept of a "zombie" in their universe because the old voodoo folklore and George Romero movies never happened, so they don't call them zombies and they weren't prepared by pop culture.

[@vingram100]

I have always felt that the Fireflies and/or vets were rogue FEDRA soldiers who trained civilians.

[@CoachCraigWest]

"Let's get on with it" I love that part, everytime 😂👌

[@TheiPadCat]

Funny thing is, I never intended for it to be that way. I did it as a random joke in one of my old videos and people ended up liking it so much I brought it back and now it’s part of my intro haha

[@CoachCraigWest]

@@TheiPadCat haha nice. Everything worked itself out and now it's a classic intro lol Dope video as always bro 👊💯

[@TheiPadCat]

Yes it did haha. And appreciate it man!

[@nautikient2151]

@@TheiPadCat lol

[@cammy1147]

During the Utah chapter Joel does say he ended up in a triage centre like the one in Salt Lake City which suggests there was some makeshift quarantine zone to some degree in Austin or the surrounding area, most likely abandoned by the game is set I would say

[@TheiPadCat]

Yeah, I thought about that too. It’s never mentioned where it was located but logically it would’ve been Austin.

[@Agente6231]

12:47 I love the Quarantine Zones, they are my favorite places in the video game. Having an isolated city with high concrete walls and military surveillance points and checkpoints with its own school training area, makes a city defensible against the infected. #TeamFEDRA

[@orangesnafu26]

actually whats happening to covid pandemic seems similar to the stupidity of people in reality and in games and movies

[@xaviercolon9124]

Ikr

[@theprocrastinationnation4802]

Lol you’re really comparing a pandemic with a 1% lethality rate to one that killed 60% of the population? Not saying coronavirus isn’t a joke but there’s a BIG difference there

[@dionas3446]

@Hank T not quite 20 years 60% of the world died faster

[@firstlast9846]

*Broooo* I literally said this like a Week ago - - The Stupid decisions in movies have been made realistic - based on what happened irl

[@wtfisthis96]

@Hank T no, actually, 60% of the people die or get infected in the first year. 20.years later probably around 80% of the humanity are infected or die.

[@marshallhunter9446]

What a lot of people don’t understand is that when the world ends, it’ll go out with a fizzle not a bang.

[@itsclemtime2357]

Imagine if the US Government in LOU did an Fallout’s Enclave and went offshore or underground that’d be a good plot idea for 3

[@baneofbanes]

I mena the government is still in control of a handful of cities.

[@orestiskopanas5084]

What is fallout enclave? Explain it bro

[@walter2721]

Orestis Kopanas the remnants of the us government who fled the mainland during the Great War. They took up residence in an oil rig off the coast of California called raven rock (I think?). They’re authoritarian and very technologically advanced. They believe that all the irradiated and mutated creatures on the mainland aren’t human and deserve to die, including ghouls who are just regular people disfigured and mutated that still retain their intelligence and sanity.

[@orestiskopanas5084]

@@walter2721 wow Sounds very interesting

[@walter2721]

@@orestiskopanas5084 yeah I recommend you check it out more. Fallout lore is always really interesting.

[@richardk.]

I love watching this now, with the show being out and us understanding the fungus outbreak

[@hackergaming6372]

I believe dc would have a pretty good quarantine zone. It probably had advanced warning and due to being the nations capital it has a large military presence. Also the presidents speech suggests that dc took a while to fall.

[@greedgod5827]

I wonder if the Boston quarantine zone is still intact or if it's been abandoned by the time part 2 happens

[@TheiPadCat]

Well, personally I really think it is. The fireflies were on the run and I doubt any other resistance movement could topple them if the fireflies were chased out barley surviving.

[@stavros1216]

​@@TheiPadCat| Agreed. The Fireflies were the strongest opposition to FEDRA, yet got absolutely nothing out of their "resistance" except maybe petty remarks by FEDRA soldiers before getting low-diffed

[@cheddacheese8112]

In the walking dead, everyone is infected..which means no matter how you die whether gunshot or natural causes you turn, I think it is self explanatory how the military got overrun, they problems were getting mass casualties..outing them in MASH units they turn and now you have a zombie outbreak in the base, after awhile to the soldiers went awol to focus on there own survival.

[@joseavila2443]

In real life by the time the government would do something it be too lates look at coronavirus

[@xsargantxshaftx7997]

@@joseavila2443 yeah Ive gotta say 2 years into covid this theory is trash

[@joseavila2443]

@@xsargantxshaftx7997 dam I just realized its been 2 years

[@sablemae8853]

Seems like the northwest would've been more prepared than say Austin. So I'd assume they had decent quarantine zones but not sure if they'll still be ran by fedra. Possibly they'll be run by WLF since it sounds like they run Seattle at least. Also looking at the pic of Ellie on her house entering Seattle,the buildings don't look as destroyed and rundown. Could be just that pic though and it gets worse the closer u are

[@TheiPadCat]

Well if the south to north spread theory is accurate I’d assume Seattle was one of the last places to be hit. And yeah. The “Washington” in WLF implies as much. Otherwise they might as well have been called the SLF. And yeah I did notice that, I think I pointed it out in my breakdown I recall correctly. It may just be that we see it from such an angle that the full destruction isn’t visible. Or it actually might not have been bombed to oblivion at the start..

[@sablemae8853]

@@TheiPadCat maybe the lack of destroyed buildings supports the theory of using chemicals to either cure or kill the infected. Obviously not enough evidence for it but it's an interesting idea.

[@TheiPadCat]

Oooh. Didn’t think of that. Definitely a good point! The damage we do see to the buildings seem to be more to be from not being maintained for 25 years rather than bombs so I could definitely see that being the case!

[@fedra5873]

North east was safe

[@stavros1216]

What might've made it worse for the military in southern states to take control of the situations and build QZs is the closeness to the border. South America got hit hard and I'm sure people were fleeing the chaos to the north, because the US were considered powerful and safe. Now imagine millions of likely infected people crossing the US-Mexico border and not just overwhelming already almost completely destroyed law-enforcement, but also FEDRA. I like to imagine that Nukes were used to stop the "invasion of infected"

[@lukemimnagh4185]

The way I would run the QZ’s is that you can enter if you like, but only if you are clear of infection. Then, if you want to leave, that’s fine. The less people you have to take care of, the better; but, if you leave the QZ, then you cannot re-enter that QZ, but if you wish to enter a different QZ that is fine

[@shadowslayer9988]

I would run my QZ but making it so that every has to be documented and tested 3 times a day for infection. Everyone would have a job to do no room for laziness. No one can have guns or weapons besides military and law enforcement personal. If someone wants to leave the quartile zone they can as long as they have ID but they would be searched and tested for infection and the same procedure would happen when they return. Finally someone that is not from the QZ can not enter.

[@realdaggerman105]

@@shadowslayer9988 The people get angsty that they’re getting frisked 3 times a day. The soldiers and cops get upset and disillusioned with your vicious methods. They start colluding and eventually try to overthrow you.

[@xdCrispy-Crisss]

That’s a good idea, I think part of the stagnation of some zones was how restricted their area was. Maybe I’m thinking crazy here but, I think if FEDRA ran missions (scavenges, recon, rescue etc.) and expanded the QZ to potentially reconnect with some sate governments, there probably wouldn’t be supply chain issues and revolts. I think part of the QZs downfall was their economy, it probably wasn’t self sufficient and had little to no contact with other state governments or settlements to facilitate trade and communications. Another factor I believe led to their downfall was how restrictive they were, I get the restrictions they are necessary to some capacity. I think if people “combined” their resources you would see something like a volunteer force to aid FEDRA; to expand on that if people inside the QZ made “militias” and FEDRA incorporated them and ran missions to scavenge, expand the area from infected/hostilities and smuggling missions, the people inside would probably not have revolted. Basically what I’m saying is the people don’t live in “America” anymore they live an “Boston QZ”. Some of the restrictions may have led people down a rabbit hole of ideas that the FEDRA are Dictators when they just wanted to control the infection and keep the people alive. Now, that’s not to say conscript every ables body to fight, no. The base still needs to be held down so people in the inside get jobs, kind of a free trade/free market economy as coins and cash are pretty useless. With supplies coming there can be more jobs inside to manufacture weapons, goods, services and growing small bits of food (apartment gardens) to strengthen the QZ economy.

[@controlman7490]

@@realdaggerman105 How are their methods vicious? They're extremely fair. And the majority of people wouldn't get angsty if consistent testing is necessary to ensure the zones are 100% infection free. The only things I disagree with Shadow Slayer is that citizens can't own weapons. That's incredibly dangerous because if Fedra soldiers decide to abuse their power in the form of trying to rape or rob people, the common folk can't defend themselves. I also disagree with them that outsiders not from the QZ shouldn't be allowed to enter. Provided they're not infected, I think outsiders should be welcomed as well. Apart from that everything Shadow Slayer mentioned is how I would run a QZ myself.

[@danielromero001]

I'd love to see a video that tells us what happened to the world during those 20 years between the prologue and main game

[@taxi.boy.]

It’s interesting to watch these videos after completing Part II

[@firstlast9846]

*The Walking Dead* At least in the Comic - - Couldn’t handle or underestimated - - the spread of the virus with people dying every second and becoming Zombies. So they pulled out of the safe zones and regrouped. People naturally stopped trusting the Military and Society broke down naturally through mistrust.

[@stavros1216]

It's not just that. In TWD there's no military left except small splinter groups. There seems to be nothing left, no US Government, no agency specialised in dealing with catastrophes, no Central Command of any kind.

[@CC-8891]

Boston is my hometown. Its on a peninsula so they only had to make a wall on one side of the city. Not 4 sides like a land locked city. So it would be far easier to build. Boston's North End neighborhood is the quarantined part of the city.

[@purplefreak3]

11:50 oh how things changed, there was no military presence in part 2

[@Danosauruscrecks]

No lore for you!!! Lol

[@Walker-ow7vj]

purplefreak3 yeah they been wiped out by the WLF tuff shet

[@kycat85]

It’s quite possible that damaged/overtaxed infrastructure. Outbreaks of disease played a large role. People still have to contend with traditional diseases too especially when lacking sufficient health care, clean running water or proper sanitation

[@chibidakis1]

Head canon. I'd figure FEDRA would have better fallback positions like Hawaii or Puerto Rico than QZs in the heart of cities. I'd figure they're there, regaining they're strength to take back the mainland.

[@TheiPadCat]

Well I found a note while playing part II recently talking about a “FEDRA central command” but it never mentioned where that was located. So not impossible!

[@baneofbanes]

Hawaii and Puerto Rico both have populations in the millions. The government would be better off with somewhere more isolated.

[@chibidakis1]

@@baneofbanes where do you think? I'm intrigued!

[@baneofbanes]

Cole Chibidakis well the US actually owns multiple islands in the pacific where the only population is military garrisons, so there’s that for one. Alaska is resource rich and only has a population of a few hundred thousand people, the majority of whom only live in a few cities near the southern and eastern coasts and are largely isolated from each other, allowing the government to control and protect them easier, and then there’s also multiple military bunkers and installations in the Rocky Mountains, namely Colorado where it’s confirmed the military still has a strong control over Denver.

[@baneofbanes]

@@Filollisejmina No what?

[@BratGen3456]

I am an American veteran. I began watching your videos after the HBO series resparked my interest in the game that I played back when it came out. I wanted to offer my honest take from my military experience. First little unknown fact the American government has honored zombie lore, and even our emergency preparation sites include instructions on how to prepare for such a disaster, and trust me, it's often something the military/veteran alike debate about when bored enough. The most realistic thing I've ever seen as an Army veteran is the scene from the spin-off of the walking dead showing an Army medical outpost being overran. What people don't think about with this game is I believe with our levels of intelligence that we as a military would know ahead of the outbreak, which would explain some areas being more fortified. I honestly think it would be lower enlisted that would go Awol due to issues of what we all deal with serving. More likely, the possibility is that civilians would end up facing larger fractions of trained veterans as there currently to this date 22 million of us and trust me when i say we wont be backing "fedra". 😉 In fact, once it hit the fan currently serving, may stay if it suits their family but not in the numbers required. To hold such outposts. What is more likely is that veterans would come in as the fireflies and take over outposts or create them. And people would just have to hope that true Power doesn't corrupt absolutely. We'd be for protecting our own... but only as long as it doesn't affect those in our inner circles. We'd end up the bigger threat. This is why I believe that to keep the image of us as righteous defenders, we are often the first to be eliminated in end of the world shows. Because trust me, if it ever happened, most of us veterans already have thought it up, mapped it out, made our connections, and are just eagerly waiting to play. We love our country, and we love our people, but we are designed and trained for this kind of environment. It would be like heaven to us. Yet we are just sane enough that we served to prevent that reality for those who aren't. So my belief is that it's not fedra or the currently serving military that over took the posts, but veterans battling one another with different agendas. It started off chaos, someone on a power trip, and the training took that organization out. And now other veterans are fighting them with the help of those they are training. Most of us are survivalists, so I say it would be a division in how it goes down. Some would automatically go to Overrun fedra , others only later creating the fireflies to overrun those blue falcons. But a lot of us would be nowhere near those outposts and be bands of groups or solo survivalist/ preppers and more than likely at some point in those 20 years it would be a civilization war for resources. The biggest error in all these stories is not facing facts. 22 million veterans don't group think with the same motivation or beliefs. We are basically all divided and stay bound by a mutual goal. If that ever gets tested by the end of humanity, we all know if it goes down its no longer us for the people but us for our own, moral of the story align with the right veterans, and you will likely survive align with the wrong ones and pray another group shows up. Kids in a candy store, I tell you. Oh, and to answer your question, why would the military abandon zones your part correct if we thought reinforcing another area being the smarter move if their still was some government we would but the real reason. Our own families. We know that it's not actually safer in these areas because people will eventually fight for resources and/or raise up due to not wanting to be controlled. Plus, we know we are safer banded with veterans/soldiers trained and aligned with us away from dumb scared civilians. At that point, we aren't our branches. We are now with our families and our made family. We know how to take over homes and resources, find them in the wild, and eliminate threats. For you wandering in the zombie world would be dangerous and scary for us it would be like a stroll in the park. In fact, I will give a real-life example of just how bored post 9/11 veterans are we just had a Veteran who back in the day tracked people over seas for the military get so bored in his life that he paused his civilian job to spend his free time tracking down teenagers who kidnapped some random persons dog to reunite them. It's not because he cares about the dog as the media wants it to be this heartwarming story. He missed the excitement of tracking aholes down. So trust me, I say we'd be bored and know it was pointless and all bets are off. And with the younger serving, having to take innocent life would make them quickly abandon their oath only to end up still doing it but at least for their survival not a group of orders they had to follow. I served from 2007 to 2011, so this game is set just a few years after I would have served to put it in perspective. The last place I would have gone is to one of those zones, and the first thing I would have done is make military connections for information. I am keeping my uniform only to break through any barriers in my path. Later, after things have gotten established based solely on what I know, I probably like Tommy would have become a firefly if I ended up in one of those areas. But I like to believe I would be a survivalist, creating my own band of survivors as their leader and you better believe that I already have medical, police force types, cooks, etc in my inner circles who long ago already knew the plan.

[@elliotl8216]

Detroit Dallas Los Angeles San Francisco Boston and Atlanta are the last possible quarantine zone left

[@samininam826]

Elliot L What about San Diego?

[@aaaacabou]

Denver?

[@fedra5873]

NY also has tons of them

[@fredlandry6170]

It would be interesting to see QZs in Canada or Europe and Japan.

[@giovannipeggio5071]

probably in europe and especially in Japan things would be worse, there are less firearms to defend people, maybe switzerland and nordic countries could have some more chances

[@sparkk2871]

I can't speak for other provinces but as someone who lives in BC (Canada) I have a feeling that there could likely be a giant quarantine zone on Vancouver Island. As he stated in the video, areas further away from the south got a heads up on the infection + from my knowledge we get the majority of our grain and other products from Canada itself or the USA. Vancouver Island has natural barriers due to water and it'd make more sense to transport people there rather then Vancouver itself which would be harder to defend esp if we include the metro v area. We know that there's a note stating there's authorities in Vancouver which could mean Vancouver Island instead.

[@rafiyumahmood2446]

The fact there’s concept art of the Brooklyn bridge within QZ walls just makes me hope there’s a mention or even a TLOU setting placed in NYC. As a New Yorker, I’d like to believe we could fight the Cordyceps virus back

[@oliviamoore3426]

The government seem to be intact in the last of us part 1, considering wares and supplies that Boston gets in the first game, plus it’s heavily hinted at by the military talking to one another in Boston in the first game. Communications are still intact with the government

[@I_forgot3]

I personally believe that the strongest QZ is the Atlanta one. The CDC would be by far the most important area to the government during the outbreak, so most scientists and doctors would be taken there and would no doubt have a large protection force. Georgia in general is also an industry hub in the south so they could likely have access to factories and manufacturing.

[@xdCrispy-Crisss]

I think the main factors to the downfall of FEDRA and the QZs are the economy and freedom. With the economic aspect, there wasn’t enough coming in our out to sustain some zones, part of that could be the restrictions on people which were necessary to some capacity. I think if FEDRA incorporated the people in some capacity to expand/maintain the QZ. “Militias” inside the QZ incorporated by FEDRA can combine arms to expand the overall area, connect with settlement communities and governments on recon missions, coupled with some people to apply as smugglers or scavengers, there would be more supplies coming in. With those supplies people inside can start to offer more services, goods and manufacturing weapons to strengthen it even more; another bonus is having greenhouses or apartment gardens to keep a supply of food going.

[@mattavery7581]

I wonder if it's possible that some military battalions went rogue essentially becoming warlords?

[@saeichiru9856]

Just like in Harran

[@mattavery7581]

@@saeichiru9856 Harran?

[@floopygoober69]

Matt Avery Harran is the country where dying light, a zombie game, takes place. There are heavily armed military looking people who are enemies

[@TheiPadCat]

Yeah it’s mentioned in part II even. Dina Mentions a faction in New Mexico calling themselves the “ravens”. They were former FEDRA who apparently didn’t like the strict rules they had to abide by and became just that, warlords.

[@legend_2778]

Keep up the great work I can tell you put a lot of effort into your videos and as a TLOU fan I greatly appreciate it thanks a lot bro keep up the great work 🔥🔥🔥👍🏼👍🏼

[@koraimatorres2415]

Actually quarantine is for healthy people who could have had contact with the sick, in this case, people from outside the quarantine. Isolation is for the people who are already sick or infected.

[@TheKlink]

6:57 i want the lore on those door blocking mechanisms.

[@LikeAChameleon]

I think those are hydraulic presses that swells the doorframe or whatever and it prevents you from opening the door. They probably placed it there for safety reasons.

[@burimfazliu3102]

Well Boston has the ocean on one side so there’s no danger there. So it’s easier to defend and they can, in theory, go out and fish. Idk if they can though

[@andreburruss11]

That's why I like stories like Dead rising cuz at the time it was a very zombie apocalypse scenario where society fully continues after the zombie apocalypse They still at casinos hotels resorts and big cities

[@blurrian]

I really enjoy your videos 👍🏻 Keep doing what you're doing 🙌🏼

[@TheiPadCat]

Appreciate blurryface! And you bet ;)

[@kimjong-un5570]

u still there?

[@GrumpyDadGaming]

This was a really good listen getting myself prepared for tlou2. Gonna give these all a listen. You've gained yourself a new subscriber here ✌️

[@sayam9983]

I don't wanna wait more 127 days

[@TheiPadCat]

Yeah it sucks. But at least the absolute majority of waiting is behind us :)

[@apple8464]

I think World War Z's Yonkers chapter is one answer to your question of how big institutions fail at responding quickly. The bigger the bureaucracy, the bigger the risk at a slower response time especially if there are traditional processes in place.

[@duitk]

World war z is one of my favorite books, but the battle of Yonkers is stupid as hell, and the US government when under competent leadership is very good at fighting a visible threat like the last of us outbreak. The idea that artillery would not kill zombies is idiotic, artillery absolutely obliterates bodies, it physically tears them apart and the shrapnel will destroy the brain which is why soldiers wear helmets, artillery does not kill through the explosion or through concussive force, the human body is pretty good against both of those at some range, it kills through shrapnel out to a few hundred feet. That's just one example of the silliness in that pretty freaking good book. I would not use fiction to describe reality really, there are books detailing real failures in things like the war in Afghanistan or Vietnam for that.

[@apple8464]

@@duitk Lol that is exactly the point of the Battle of Yonkers - to show how completely underprepared the US Army was in fighting the zombies. They then improved their fighting style and started winning the war, starting with the Battle of Hope. Give it another read :)

[@duitk]

@@apple8464 yeees, that's not what I mean, what I mean is that the US military would have stomped all over the zombies if Max Brooks understood modern weaponry better. It's all right though fiction does not have to be realistic to be good.

[@j4nsen]

Ohh I'd really love a TLOU game based in Europe.. Or somewhere else in the world. With more scientific background and research on the fungus. Not always USA... It's a beautiful country with such diverse climate zones and geographic locations but. Still. Always USA in video games..

[@fedra5873]

Cordyceps exists

[@nearyyin5648]

Europe would died so easily withotu weapon agaisnt Cordyceps. Runners are way more dangerous thant regular zombies (i'm french), we would not stand a chance

[@ben-mur]

Bet you’re loving the new show! Love revisiting these vids

[@russiasvechenaya58]

We need a DLC with Joel and Tommy. 20 years of content they can work on

[@septianrico4141]

Just reboot the part 2 but make the story literally not suck. They would have even more years and content to milk....

[@timmy6890]

Probably one of my favorite parts about TLOU

[@SanValentin199]

4 years later, a part III against a Fedra super stronghold state would be awesome

[@elitemook4234]

In regards to the walking dead. The zombies didn't overun the militarty. The high mortality rate of the virus itself did most of the actual damage to society.

[@EnclaveSOC-102]

FEDRA all the way.

[@chulitna5838]

I like the QZ's in the same sense as I like the Enclave from Fallout. They are the legitimate successors to the USA government but trying to keep that institution alive has morphed and changed what the "USA" means.

[@aliensinnoh1]

I would love to find out that FEDRA headquarters is actually in Hawaii and they still control the entire state and it’s going strong, and they just don’t make that information known on the mainland.

[@alden4240]

Fedra Female: "This Is Ramirez Sector Twelve Request Pickup For The Four Stragglers Over" Tess: "Look The Other Way We Can Make Thsi Worth Your While" Fedra Male: Shut up. Fedra Male: Getting tired of this shit. Ellie: Mmhm.. Fedrs Male: Whats ETA? Fedra Female: Couple of mins Ellie: Oh Man..Sorry! Fedra Male: GARH! then they shoot the two Soldiers and make it into the trenches

[@hahahahahahahahaa6580]

3:37 I don't know if it had been set up in Austin specifically, but there's a piece of promotional art depicting one of the final newspapers printed before the total collapse of the US. On the bottom of the page, you can make out "Texas, New Mexico Quarantine Zones Fail" or something of the like.

[@racknack5778]

Briefly I would of used prisons as quarantine zones since there pretty well fortified and stable and a main one could be alcatraz prison since it's on a Island and there's very few ways to get there they could use it as a stronghold and they could even make a working green house with enough supplies and the government well more then likely have those supplies so that's just a idea

[@Duskofdead]

I'd actually say Last of Us has the OPPOSITE problem of most zombie apocalypse scenarios. In standard ones, you are left wondering why they didn't do anything sensible to try to stop or limit this problem before it overwhelmed everything (including the government/military). In Last of Us the spread hits so hard so fast, I don't really understand how they had the time to do things like set up QZ's surrounded by huge cement walls. Those kinds of projects take weeks that the story doesn't seem to show anyone had to react to this. If in Last of Us the infection only stated in certain areas and slowly spread out to become global, then we are left with the first problem of why didn't they just enclose and sterilize these areas before they spilled out and spread the infection everywhere. So either way, I think the LOU story world still has this problem.

[@quickcube2834]

The first wave was caused trough the food supply which was stronger and faster in the southern regions of the US cause of its closer distance , the second wave was spread by infected people firstly with a moderate pace and then slowing down because of the dwindling numbers of people and more stricter messures, and then the third wave through airborn spors, in combination with the revolutions increasing again the spread of the pathogen for a while signficant.

[@GreenSupreme.223]

The show has come out and your theories are holding up strong, bud. Nice predictions

[@Sgt-lott10]

Atlanta qz is most likely still up and will last the longest due to the fact that Georgia has a load of guns and weapons, fedra would be stupid to abandon it, being placed in Atlanta also means it has more supplies, Texas military members would probably have gone to Atlanta, if there was a Florida qz it would be Exeter melt easy to defend, if it had got news before the virus hit they could just build a wall between Florida and Georgia meaning Atlanta qz might have been abandoned to go to Florida if that was the case

[@Sgt-lott10]

@@Filollisejmina I have a feeling they’d make the quarantine zone in a separate part of New York due to the sheer amount of infected in nyc, but yeah those likely are the biggest qz’s left

[@jasonfunderburger572]

If we ever get a part three I think I'd rather have a prequel that follows Joel and Tommy, and eventually tess I suppose, and how Joel ended up in Boston. (pt 2 spoilers) I just really miss Joel honestly :((

[@riccardoromano6619]

The fail of the military is obvious, for five reasons: 1) the army of a nation is not bigger than its population, so the infected are more then them. 2) the infection spreaded everywhere, even in the military ranks, possibly killing even some admirals ecc. 3) at the initial stages, the zombies look like humans, so it's possible that everything was mistaken as some sort of protest or street fight. 4) industries ecc can't work without personnel, even electric stations don't work, also, the countryside is almost impossible to defend. 5) in TWD the army started bringing people into big cities, while trying to stop the infected, but some of them could enter in any cities without problems, there are enormous cities that are fused together, so it's more likely that the army failed.

[@ciocaletefaranumar]

maybe the army retreted on te sea,on some cruiseships,destroyers etc. Or they moved to other contries like Canada and Mexic so they can build walls and separate the infected from the population of other countries,making USA a qz

[@senorbolainas2991]

imagine if the millitary made a QZ in San Francisco in Alcatraz

[@michaelwashington2519]

I think that the fireflys actually take over the Boston qz but we just don't see it

[@TheiPadCat]

I doubt it, the military had them on the run and forced them out of it when the main story of part I took place. But we don’t know anything for sure so anything is possible

[@fedra5873]

Nah they died

[@dbomb127]

Unlikely, the fireflies were getting killed and ran out of Boston

[@TheMissle]

Nah they died all of them the ones that were alive went to Salt Lake City before well Joel

[@debjonesloyal4190]

Id get a boat put my loved ones on there with a ton of fishing gear, weapons, a water filtration set up, set up a solar panel system and just anchor it just off the coast. Get my friends to do the same and boom a fleet, safe from the crazy shit.

[@kayo3168]

You do know that there are storms that could destroy your ship and ships need complete maintenance every now and then

[@fedra5873]

@@kayo3168 nah

[@emericdion]

you deserve more views man!

[@BABiFun]

since you like a more realistic take on the zombie apocalypse, where the government actually take action, I highly recommend you to give World War Z book a read, not the movie (it's just similar in name and nothing else), it actually kind of make The Last of Us rather unrealistic, somewhat, considering after 20 years they still haven't try to reclaim and rebuild their land, which happened in the WWZ book

[@DominionSorcerer]

To be fair, they are barely able to defend the quarantine zones have left so I don't think they're in any position to reclaim more land - least of all because the infected in the Last of Us are a lot more dangerous, as is the infection as a whole with its spores, than the slow walking shamblers of World War Z.

[@BABiFun]

@@DominionSorcerer Oh yeah for sure they are more dangerous than the traditional zombie of WWZ, spoiler alert if you haven't watch the currently airing TV series, they change how the fungus spread in the tv series, not through spores, as the director said that it'd be rather hard to believe considering how much spores we breath in daily. and in the tv series the infected are not fond of sun light, let alone fire. from those points, it'd be rather interesting to see FEDRA rebuilding the nation kinda like how they did it in WWZ book, where they go to an open ground (then barricaded) and hold their ground (by playing rock music loudly iirc). Seeing how quite effective fire is against them (even without needing a shot to the head), a flaming circle would be interesting to see, and lot of bullets I guess

[@protocetus499]

@@BABiFun they also have to deal with the rebels like WLF

[@BABiFun]

@@protocetus499 they also had to deal with rebels in WWZ. In the book, the tanks and other modern equipments are brought up when facing an independent settlement that refuses to rejoin the union.

[@protocetus499]

@@BABiFun but the rebels are stronger and keep in mind that in WWZ cure already found and the country are still somewhat intact. While in The Last of US everyone hate FEDRA even in its HQ Boston and Fireflies match their power, proven by their medical equipment in their own base. Operating millitary vehicle requires ton of resources and after 20-25 years of course its scarce. You need years to travel from west coast to the east and vice versa, you think the Soldier wont dessert or got ambushed by the infected along the way. Even if they lucky enough to build new HQ, are the soldier even loyal? why should they be loyal when they can become the king themself.

[@RixonNoxir]

as a person who never played the games and has only seen the first HBO episode, where did they get the horse?? wouldn't animals be infected just as much as people?

[@Marc_Araujo]

Animals aren't targeted by the fungus in this world. There are horses and even giraffes (that probably escaped from a zoo in Salt Lake City) make an appearance.

[@calebbarnhouse496]

So the game doesn't have anlot of depth on how it works, but the fungus that they based these off of only work on one animal each, they are hyper specfic, we know a monkey was able to carry the spores and infect a scientist when it got lose, but there's no reason to think animals can do anything except carry it

[@SalmanSalman-go4zb]

This was so nice👏

[@zacharyobrien5325]

The last of us soundtrack is iconic.

[@huhhuh364]

Part 2’s honestly crushed the already amazing soundtrack of part 1, but maybe that’s just because I’m a sucker for dark/somber soundtracks

[@mrsswindon]

never played the game but in the tv show, i thought episode 1 was the best episode. when joel is in he qz, just navigating life in that world; is what i want from a show.

[@MyTownDrunk]

Great work 🤌

[@hellcatcreations9778]

Wtf. The Walking Dead loads of reasons for its military being depicted the way it is. We’re only seeing it from Ricks POV, which just means some military left equipment behind in Atlanta. TWD has The CRM who obviously descended from the Military. Also most of the military would obviously fall, you have them executing civilians, many soldiers would go along and their would be mutiny’s. They’d be on the frontlines and see how bad it is before most, the. Many would run off to save their families. You have communications lost from central command leaving loads of little pockets of military, in charge of themselves.

[@abhaypasalkar9074]

IPadCat, can you plzz explain how buildings and streets got broken? Like half buildings have already fallen apart and few are standing on their hinges. Also how did the streets got so broken yhat the sewers underneath are exposed? Plzzz explain PLZZZZZ

[@dbomb127]

Bombing from the military, lack of maintenance, 20 years worth of battles, etc

[@calebbarnhouse496]

Erosion, and just general use, sinkholes appear in roads being maintained, let alone when left to rot, and buildings will eventually fall apart if you don't take care of them, particularly if they get even light damage, a single broken window and you'll get water in that causes mold and will cause a buildings to need major repairs, particularly once plantlife takes hold

[@lubomirkis693]

Why in beginning of the last of us 1 they just didn't stay at home ? 👤

[@thanasissk.2641]

Best yt channel🙏

[@elliotl8216]

What if Boise Idaho is a abandon zone because the city was mentioned in Ellie’s diary

[@bwy553]

But I always love how they act like the south would not make it out better than the north in the zombie stories

[@mosaingame1518]

I mean only countries that were near the infection or traded a lot would have been affected badly. Maybe parts of Asia or Africa would have been fine for the most part. Also the 60% estimate is seems like a worst case model by the WHO. Perhaps it’s possible that the actual amount of the global population affected is much lower?

[@paige4814]

Before I’ve even watched the vid Ik it will be and amazing one!!

[@TheiPadCat]

Ah I’m flattered, therebel! I’m glad you have so much faith in my videos haha, the pressure is on though I hope it delivers on your expectations :)

[@paige4814]

TheiPadCat it does!! I love your videos,I hope you do game play when the game comes out!!

[@TheiPadCat]

Oh I definitely will, and I’m glad it did haha

[@paige4814]

TheiPadCat keep up the good work!!!

[@shadxed1127]

Do you still think there's gonna be Fireflies left in part 2?

[@TheiPadCat]

I’m almost 100% positive. The fireflies were a national organisation, we see their symbols all over the US and it’s implied through several notes that they have a presence in many quarantine zones. Yes Joel may have taken out the leader and a portion of the hq force but that was hardly all of the fireflies. As far as we know the only bigger and more powerful faction than them is FEDRA. Now whether or not we’ll see them in person in part II is another story, we do know that they’ll be in it in some shape or form from Neil himself but that could mean a lot of things

[@get_flankedaxr2472]

Nah they dead

[@hustlerfriends3162]

Where are you from ? I’ve seen the subs and got curious

[@Marc_Araujo]

He's from Stockholm, Sweden.

[@Leotv19]

Do you make content still?? You should do some episode and game comparisons. Thoughts on the changes, thoughts on the episode itself etc. would be great relevant content for you

[@alliecat1019]

This video definitely was created before the pandemic lol

[@strawbawrri249]

i had dyslexia for a second and i thought your name was ThaiPadCat for until I heard you say it

[@elliotl8216]

People keep mentioning providence Rhode Island as a zone where do you find the information on that

[@LordWyatt]

I really hate when games, shows, and movies portray most people or nearly everyone as incompetent morons; especially in zombie movies. Yes there’s panic, yes it may be a situation humanity may have never faced before, and yes people may do stupid things for selfish reasons; But even with all that combined people would still adapt and adjust even if not immediately. This shouldn’t just be a few people either but many. It would be far more interesting to see scenarios where people are doing their best to combat a new threat, and even being overwhelmed despite their best efforts rather than writers using incompetence as an excuse for plot reasons. Last of Us is one of the few cases where it only gets worse as time goes on. And since the Cordyceps mutated it may be decades or even centuries before it goes back, if it does at all. How much more interesting would it have been to see Government leaders, scientists, and everyone from top to bottom recognize a new threat and give their best only to see their efforts were not enough. 1:49 perfect example is the Walking Dead. There’s a vague collapse that is not explained or shown, even in Fear the Walking dead (they go from a few walkers that are easily taken out to hordes overwhelming people in office buildings🤦‍♂️). Now how much more interesting would it have been if it showed normal life but a highly contagious virus is released that within days has every single dead body rise up and attack the living? Within a few days normal life would be upended with most trying to figure out what’s happening. The government may try to prevent the knowledge from getting out but then quickly realize it will quickly grow worse if the public is not informed. There would be panic, every dead body would be coming back and it wouldn’t be clear why. People may figure out every corpse creates more rather than via bite but that might before the system itself collapses leaving most people in the dark dealing with their local situations. What about the military? Standard procedure if two shots to the chest doesn’t work is to fire into the head, but there’s one major problem: both people and many leaders would be hesitant to open fire on what could be argued as citizens. Many would think or argue that the undead aren’t really dead but are still alive and need to be captured or studied. Point is there’d be a lot of confusion on it and indecisiveness would quickly lead to the military being overrun wherever they set up, then add if they retreat how pissed off the public would be thinking they were being abandoned or the other side thinking their leaders/military aren’t doing enough. Again more chaos, more death, more walkers, and fewer living people to fight back against the growing hordes. When people start taking things into their own hands they may be arrested or shot for disrupting the leaders trying to solve the problem, leading to even more infighting and more walkers. So the Walking Dead would have a satisfying and realistic explanation for how the world fell apart while scattered survivors seem to do better than the advanced world that was destroyed. What wouldn’t make sense is every survivor being batshit crazy except for the protagonists. At some point the people would work together rather than tear themselves apart, or perhaps the Government would make a comeback like in World War Z (book not film) and retake civilized areas. The world would be changed past the point of no return and every survivor would not only have PTSD from everything they experienced and saw during the fall and small recovery, and every dead body would be quickly disposed of like in the Rot and Ruin novels. Even if the world healed or the virus dissipated to the point where corpses wouldn’t come back, it would become a new way of life and accepted. It would be the exception not the rule for someone to be accidentally bitten or killed by the infected instead of people refusing to adjust to the new world.

[@austingriff5905]

This guy kind of has the same voice as the KZbin channel Filmento

[@arlotopping2269]

how could it have started in south america if patient 0 was in seattle?

[@REGIMENT157]

It was JUST patient zero in Seattle. The outbreak fist started in South America

[@fedra5873]

Patient zero In the state not the world or country

[@Bryan51347]

This aged well.....

[@W0LFisGoated]

We need Joel In Dead By Daylight.

[@alden4240]

Nah he'd be way to aggresive as a survivor he would probably ounch the killer to death

[@alden4240]

*Punch

[@literallyinsanelycool28]

WWZ novel handles the military better than TLOU and any other zombie/infected media out there

[@xaviercolon9124]

Considering how humans are responding to covid-19 we definlty would be stupid enough to die from the zombies from the walking dead. Plus everybody's well y'know infected

[@Shamelesscritique1]

The open air quarantine zones wouldn't have worked in the games because of the spores...humanity probably wouldn't survive twenty months never mind twenty years.

[@erodotosmiltiadous]

0:59 with the COVID pandemic upon us, this point doesn't make so much sense anymore...

[@xiaozihuangyt3439]

12:43 They failed their english test

[@dlouc100]

Quarantines are actually for currently healthy people. It's called isolation when applied to sick people.