The Last of Us season 2 is bringing in one of the biggest game omissions from season 1 – and the showrunners say it's for a "good reason"

The Last of Us season 2 has got a new trailer and it's confirmed the introduction of spores, which was a huge omission in season 1. At the one minute 19 seconds point in the latest clip, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) can be seen shining a light on an infected, before their breath releases spores.

The showrunners confirmed its introduction as part of the recent SXSW panel, with Neil Druckmann saying that there is "an escalation of numbers and types of infected" in season 2. He explained: "Season 1, we had this new thing that wasn’t in the game of these tendrils that spread, and that was one form. And then one shot you see in this trailer, there are things in the air." Meanwhile Craig Mazin confirmed that "spores are back"

Druckmann added: "The reason [we’re doing it now], I mean, we really wanted to figure it out, and again, everything has to be drama. There had to be a dramatic reason of introducing it now, and there is."

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In both The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2, spores are a key part of how the infection is spread, meaning that whenever you enter a place with a high concentration of infected, you usually have to put a gas mask on. This was entirely absent from the show's first season, but now some fans are thrilled they're making a return.

Posting on Reddit, one wrote: "I love that they are finally bringing spores to S2. It was my favourite thing about the infected in the games and it also adds that cool spores filter when walking through a level with spores, it added so much to the immersion." Meanwhile, a second added: "Thank God. There’s so many good scenes that rely on the spores."

The Last of Us season 2 begins on April 13 on Max and April 14 on Sky and Now. For more, check out all the new TV shows on the way in 2025 and beyond.