A The Last of Us 2 fan has discovered a small reference to Abby and Manny hidden in Ellie and Joel’s Jackson base.
Whilst playing through the game, YouTuber Caitlin (as spotted by TheGamer) found an NPC in Jackson holding a clipboard with a “snowplow schedule” attached to it. Once they used the game’s photo mode to get a closer look at the contents of the schedule, they discovered Abby Anderson’s name as well as fellow W.L.F member Manny Alvarez also on the list.
For those who haven’t played The Last of Us 2 yet, here’s why this is so puzzling. Without spoiling anything in the game, lead protagonists of the first The Last of Us game Joel and Ellie have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming after the events of the first game. Across the country, we find Abby as well as the rest of the Washington Liberation Front (W.L.F) in Seattle. If you’ve played the game, you’ll also know why Abby’s presence in Jackson would be so jarring.
So why are Abby and Manny’s names on the list in Jackson? Well, Caitlin has a theory, as they stated in the description of the video: “Seriously though, this is just the reused assignment list from the FOB.” With the FOB being an abbreviation of the Forward Operating Base aka the W.L.F’s main headquarters.
This is also backed up by the fact that you can see that both Abby and Manny have been assigned the task of “report to Isaac'' with Isaac being the pair’s boss as well as the leader of the W.L.F as well as other W.L.F members Nora and Whitney (aka PSP girl) also appearing on the list.
This is just one of many hidden details that fans of Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic game have discovered since its release a year ago. Many of which require exploring the game out-of-bounds or via its photo mode to see for yourself. This includes finding out where Tommy was hiding out in Seattle, what the inside of Joel’s Jackson home looks like, and that Joel and Ellie both encounter the same dog in both games - however, this could also be a reused asset similar to the assignment list.
For more behind-the-scenes secrets of The Last of Us 2, take a look at the game’s alternative ending that almost made it into the final game.
