You're creeping through the flooded basement of a Pittsburgh hotel. Clickers are twitching in the distance. You have three bullets, a half-broken brick, and a dream. But your shotgun is basically a paperweight because you haven't found enough The Last of Us tools to actually make it useful.
It’s frustrating.
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Honestly, the tool system in Naughty Dog’s masterpiece is one of the most misunderstood mechanics in the game. Most players think they're just random collectibles. They aren't. They are the literal gatekeepers to your survival. If you miss even one of the five tool levels, you are effectively playing the game on a self-imposed "extra hard" mode without even knowing it. You can have all the scrap in the world, but without that Level 5 toolkit, that armor piercing upgrade for your hunting rifle is stays locked away.
What Last of Us Tools Actually Do for Joel
Basically, tools represent Joel’s technical proficiency. Think of it like a skill tree, but instead of spending points, you’re hunting for physical red toolboxes scattered across a post-apocalyptic America.
Each time you pick up a set of tools, your "Tool Level" increases by one. This unlocks a new tier of upgrades at the workbench.
If you're sitting on Level 2 tools in the middle of the Salt Lake City chapter, you’re in trouble. You won't be able to increase the range of your flamethrower or the capacity of your shorty. It’s a bottleneck. The game doesn't explicitly tell you where they are, and if you walk past one, you can't just go back. Once you leave a zone, that tool level is gone until you find the next scripted location—though the game is slightly forgiving by placing "makeup" tools in later chapters if you missed an early one.
The pacing is deliberate. You aren't supposed to be a walking tank in the first three hours. You're a scavenger.
The Location Breakdown (And Where People Usually Mess Up)
The first set of tools is almost impossible to miss. It’s in Bill’s Town. You're in the church basement, Bill gives you the nail bomb, and there it is—sitting right on the workbench. It’s the game’s way of saying, "Hey, this is a thing now."
But then things get tricky.
In Pittsburgh, specifically the "Alone and Forsaken" chapter, there’s a toolset hidden in the garage after you fight the first wave of hunters. A lot of players get caught up in the adrenaline of the fight and just follow Ellie through the exit. Don't do that. Look for the shutter door.
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The third set is in the Sewers. This is the one that ruins permadeath runs. After you trigger the door trap with Sam, you’ll find a room on the left. It’s tucked away. If you’re rushing because you’re scared of the Stalkers—which, fair—you’ll walk right past it.
- Level 4 tools are in the Science Building at the University. It’s behind a locked shiv door. This is a massive resource trade-off. Is one shiv worth the ability to max out your holster? Yes. Always yes.
- The final level, Level 5, is in the Salt Lake City bus depot. It’s in a large Triage tent. By this point, the game is throwing everything at you, and it’s easy to focus on the giraffes and forget to scavenge the medical tents.
Why Your Upgrade Strategy is Probably Wrong
Most people see the workbench and immediately go for "Damage." It makes sense, right? Kill things faster.
But with limited The Last of Us tools, that’s often a trap.
In the higher difficulties like Survivor or Grounded, reload speed and fire rate are actually more important than raw damage for certain weapons. Take the 9mm pistol. A higher fire rate allows you to stun-lock a Runner that’s charging you. If you’ve invested all your scrap into a power upgrade for a gun you have no ammo for, you’ve wasted your tools.
You've got to be surgical.
I usually prioritize the Bow’s range and draw speed. Why? Because the Bow is the only weapon that allows for ammo recovery. If you use your tools to make the Bow a sniper-tier weapon early on, you save your precious shotgun shells for when things actually go sideways in the tunnels.
The Tool "Glitch" and New Game Plus
There’s a bit of a weird quirk with how tools carry over. If you start a New Game Plus (NG+), your tool level carries over from your previous save.
This is huge.
It means if you finished your first run with Level 5 tools, you can start upgrading high-tier mods the moment you hit the first workbench in the Outskirts. However, you still need to find the physical scrap. The tools unlock the possibility of the upgrade, but the scrap is the currency.
Interestingly, if you missed a tool in your first playthrough, you can pick it up in NG+ and it will still count toward your progression. The game tracks the highest level you've ever achieved across saves in that specific career.
The Reality of Scavenging in 2026
Looking back at this game years after its release, the tool mechanic feels grounded in a way modern RPGs aren't. There’s no magical crafting menu in the palm of your hand. You need a heavy wrench. You need a screwdrive set.
It forces you to look at the environment.
You start recognizing "loot-rich" areas. A garage isn't just a garage; it’s a potential Level 3 upgrade. A maintenance closet isn't just flavor text; it’s where the pliers are. This environmental storytelling is what makes the search for The Last of Us tools feel less like a chore and more like a desperate hunt for a fighting chance.
It’s also worth noting that the Remake (Part I) on PS5 and PC kept these locations identical to the 2013 original. They knew that changing the tool progression would break the game's "difficulty curve." If you got Level 5 tools in the first hour, the Bloaters wouldn't be scary. The scarcity is the point.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Run
Stop sprinting. That is the number one reason players miss toolboxes. The game is designed to draw your eye toward the objective, which usually means the toolboxes are tucked in the opposite corner or behind a "points of interest" trigger.
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- Always carry one spare shiv. Two of the tool levels are hidden behind shiv doors (the University being the most famous). If you use your last shiv to kill a Clicker, you might be locking yourself out of weapon upgrades for the next three chapters.
- Check the workbenches twice. Often, a toolbox is located in the same room as a workbench, but not on it. The developers like to hide them under tables or in nearby lockers to reward players who actually explore the room.
- Listen to Ellie. Sometimes her idle dialogue or her positioning can hint at a room you haven't entered yet. If she's standing by a door you ignored, go inside.
- Prioritize Holsters first. Before you spend scrap on weapon power, use your tool levels to unlock the second long-gun holster and the second pistol holster. Being able to swap weapons without opening your backpack is a literal lifesaver during the final hospital push.
Focus on the University shiv door above all else. Missing that specific tool level is the most common mistake and it happens right before the game’s hardest combat encounters. Make sure you have the materials to craft a shiv before you enter the campus grounds.