Ellie has always been a reader, even when peace is hard to find. The Last of Us Part II asks you to read in two very different ways. Notes and journal pages wait for you; subtitles do not. Conversations continue while you ride, search a room, or hide from enemies.
In a fast scene, a subtitle competes with the exit you need to find and the enemy moving nearby. The settings below keep important dialogue readable while the action fills in the rest.
Set up subtitles for combat
Subtitles are hardest to follow during combat, when dialogue competes with movement and enemies.
A good starting setup: choose Story Dialogue, set Size to Medium, leave Background Off, and keep Names On. This keeps the main conversations readable without filling the screen with every search command. Keep the original English voices. The localized tracks are far from perfect, and some lines lose meaning or feeling. Use English subtitles when a line is hard to catch.
In a calm scene, listen first and read only if needed. During combat, catch the line that affects what is happening, then look back at the room. Story + Combat Dialogue adds more enemy speech during stealth and fights. It is easier to use on a replay, when you already know the route.
If Medium is hard to read, increase Size before adding a background. Turn Names Off once the voices become familiar. Leave Direction Off unless warnings from outside the picture keep confusing you.
Hear short names and check hard words
Short forms can be harder to catch by ear. WLF is heard as three separate letters, while FOB can sound like one quick word that rhymes with job. Read each short name once while you hear it. You are more likely to hear it clearly the next time it appears.
A single unfamiliar word can make a short line unclear. In the screenshot below, kin means family members or relatives. Press Alt+X when that happens. You do not need to point at the word first. Termy automatically picks the difficult words in the subtitle and explains them over the game. Once the line makes sense, close the explanation and keep playing.
Use quiet scenes and quick word checks
Part II often places a quiet room after a hard search. Quiet scenes give you time to read longer English. Notes stay on screen, and spoken lines arrive more slowly. The museum flashback in The Birthday Gift works especially well because objects and reactions explain much of what you hear.
Read a note when the room has already raised a question. The English is easier to follow when the note explains something you just saw. Read far enough to get the answer. Some pages are mostly lists and repeated details, so skim those and move on.
Give a quiet conversation a few more seconds before stopping. A pause in the conversation or the next reply may explain a hard phrase.
Some words still need a quick check. A word such as lure can change your plan, while apostate or abomination shows how a character sees another person. Part II often uses them in short lines, so the surrounding words may not help much. Check the meaning once, then return to the scene.
| Word or phrase | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| FOB | Forward operating base, a local military center |
| pry | Ask about private matters that are not your business |
| tap out | Stop because you cannot or do not want to continue |
| lure someone out | Attract or trick someone into leaving a safe place |
| barricaded | Blocked with objects so people cannot enter |
| apostate | A person who leaves or rejects a religion |
| abomination | A person or thing seen as completely bad or against religious rules |
| penance | Something painful or difficult done to show regret for a wrong action |
You do not need to study the list before playing. Use it only when one of these words appears and the line stops making sense. Phrases such as tap out are easiest to remember as a whole, because tap and out do not show the full meaning on their own.
Casual words can also block an otherwise simple line. In the screenshot below, sap means someone who shows soft feelings too easily.
Use difficulty settings and replays
Combat can take all your attention, even when the English itself is clear. Searching for ammunition while watching several enemies leaves little time to read. Part II lets you adjust player damage, enemies, allies, stealth, and resources separately. Change only the setting that is creating the pressure.
Lower stealth difficulty when enemy searches take all your attention. Raise Resources if you spend too much of every room hunting for supplies. Increase Dialogue Volume when music covers soft voices. Slow Motion While Aiming can give you another second to understand a warning.
Replays make extra dialogue easier to follow. Choose a chapter you know and turn on Story + Combat Dialogue. The route no longer needs your full attention, so enemy commands are easier to hear. Familiar scenes also leave more attention for quiet words. In the screenshot below, rehash means talk about the same subject again.
If the next reply or action still makes sense, keep playing. Pause only when you no longer understand what is happening or why a character reacted. Part II carries meaning through the actors as much as the words. Stopping every few seconds makes both the English and the scene harder to follow.
For slower travel talk, Joel’s casual speech, and repeated survival actions, read the guide to learning English with The Last of Us Part I.
And remember: if you play The Last of Us Part II in anything but English, Ellie will come after you.
Termy explains hard words on your screen—in games, movies, and websites. One shortcut. At your level.
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