Death Battle Predictions: Ellie VS Clementine

 

“Zombies are then a symbol of our own mad urges to destroy ourselves, and a terrifying portent that we might succeed.” -Kim Paffenroth

Ellie Williams, resourceful survivor and humanity’s final hope for a cure from The Last of Us.

 

Clementine, The Walking Dead’s wayward orphan turned hardened zombie killer.

When the world comes crumbling down overnight, it takes a strong will to find the courage to keep moving forward, even when it seems like there’s nowhere to go. Young as they may have been when the apocalypse started, these two young women have been through thick and thin; tragedy and loss, but also love and companionship. Through the mentorship of their father figures, they’ve shown the resilience and drive to keep fighting for a better tomorrow, both for them and the ones they love. So when all bets are off and the two cross paths, who will come out alive? Will it be Ellie or Clementine who will be the last one walking? Let’s find out in this nail-biter of a DEATH BATTLE!

Before We Start…

Should be pretty simple to go over both. For Ellie, primary focus will be given to her two games with some side material such as The Last of Us show and comics. Clementine is pretty much the same, with focus on the four seasons of The Walking Dead Telltale series, as well as side material from any spin-off games, such as The Walking Dead: Michonne and mobile games, the latter of which Clementine even appears in. We’ll also be looking at the main The Walking Dead TV series and comics for additional scaling, as nobody within the verse should be that far apart from each other. We’ll also be looking at the Clementine comic for feats, but fuck that comic story-wise, we’re ignoring it and you can’t stop us.

Note as well, for this second wave of bonus blogs, we will be experimenting with a new inclusion: mock fight scripts, to reflect our research and provide a fun little scenario similar to an actual DB fight. This probably will not become a regular addition to our blogs in the future, but we thought it would be a fun experiment for the next few blogs at least. This will be linked just before the verdict section.

With all that established, the apocalypse is coming and it’s survival of the fittest.

Background

Ellie

“To the edge of the universe and back. Endure and survive.”

In 2013, a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus began to spread all throughout the United States, infecting and killing humans at an alarmingly fast rate. Unable to contain the virus, the country was turned into a police state under the control of the military, placing survivors of the disease into quarantine zones to separate them from the infected. With the world drastically changing, and almost everyone having given up on finding a vaccine for the virus, a group called the Fireflies was formed. Their main goal? To restore the government to what it was, as well as find and produce a cure. And Ellie was the key.

Growing up in a Boston QZ, Ellie Williams grew up an orphan in a military preparatory school, being close friends with a girl named Riley. One day, the two were infected with the virus, but while Riley succumbed to it, shockingly enough, Ellie did not. A friend of her mother's and the leader of the Fireflies, Marlene, believed that Ellie’s miraculous immunity was the key to creating a vaccine. Marlene tasked Joel Miller, a smuggler, with escorting Ellie to Salt Lake City, where she would be used to create the cure. Over the course of the next year on their trek across America, Joel and Ellie went from not caring about one another in the slightest, to being inseparable and reliant on one another. This came to a head when, after arriving in Utah, Joel learned that the only way for the vaccine to be made was for Ellie to die, which he refused to allow, killing everyone in the Firefly facility and saving Ellie. The two returned to a community in Wyoming run by Joel’s brother Tommy, where they hoped they would live out the rest of their lives in peace.

For years, Ellie resented Joel for saving her life, believing that she should’ve died if there was any chance of a cure. However, four years later, Abby, a former Firefly and the daughter of one of the surgeons Joel killed, found and killed him for her father’s murder, forcing Ellie to watch as the closest thing to a father figure she ever had was brutally murdered in front of her eyes. Ellie swore revenge on Abby, tracking her down to Seattle, only to fail in her efforts as Abby nearly struck down Ellie’s pregnant girlfriend Dina. Given mercy by Abby, Ellie soon returned to Wyoming and sought to live out her life with Dina and her son JJ. But unable to forgive Abby for Joel’s murder even after being spared, Ellie abandoned her family and pursued her once again to Santa Barbara. After a brutal clash, Ellie was the one showing Abby mercy, finally letting go of her quest for revenge. She returned to Wyoming once more, coming to terms with Joel's death and his decision to sacrifice millions of lives to save hers.

Clementine

                                             “I am STILL. NOT. BITTEN.”

Clementine was born in 1994, and lived a good life as a young child with her parents. However, her life would drastically change far too soon. When the zombie infection engulfed the world, Clementine’s parents were on a trip in Savannah, Georgia, leaving their child with a babysitter while they were gone. When Lee Everett arrived at her house after a near-fatal car crash, he found her in the backyard’s treehouse, hiding from her babysitter who had been turned into a zombie. Having a strong suspicion that her parents were dead, Lee decided to look after Clementine. From there, the two would embark on a journey across America in the zombie apocalypse, meeting survivors and finding conflict seemingly everywhere they went, growing a near-inseparable bond akin to that of a father and daughter. Unfortunately, not only were Clementine’s parents soon revealed to be undead, but Lee would soon succumb to the zombie infection as well, forcing Clementine to kill him… or leave him behind. Depending on player choice.

Alone, Clem wandered the wasteland of post-apocalyptic America in search of a place she could spend the rest of her days. Over the course of the next few years, she befriended many survivors, such as Luke, Jane, Bonnie and even an old friend, Kenny. Unfortunately, every time, Clem ended up either losing those close to her, or being forced to leave them behind. Eventually, however, she found her true purpose in the apocalypse: to take care of a young child named AJ, the son of a former group member, Rebecca. Clem raised AJ from infancy, and swore to find a home for both of them to grow up in, eventually finding it in the abandoned Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth. While their escapades there would involve more people dying, some familiar faces, and even the near-death of Clementine herself, she and AJ finally found a home to call their own, and a new family who mostly didn’t die. For once in a very long time, Clementine was happy where she was.

Experience & Skill

Ellie

Ellie was born into the apocalypse and attended military preparatory school from a young age. She went on to receive personal training from Joel in their escort venture, improving her skill with heavy firearms. Later on, she became more proficient with other firearms, archery, and general survival skills. She’s particularly skilled with knives, able to instantly kill unsuspecting enemies with brutal throat slashing. She’s fought all sorts of undead from the typical runners, dangerous clickers and extremely resilient bloaters. She’s also taken down bandits, cults, trained soldiers, even going toe-to-toe with Abby. Having killed her first man at 14, she’s got about 5 years of total experience fighting and murdering, being 19 in The Last of Us 2. All in all, she’s quite the capable fighter, and willing to take down anyone who endangers her and her friends.

Clementine

At the age of 8, Clem was thrust into the world of the apocalypse and on her own, she likely would not have survived. Luckily she had a guardian to watch over her in the form of Lee Everett. He taught her how to defend herself with firearms, and cut her hair to prevent walkers from grabbing it. Later on, Clem also received some training from fellow survivor Jane, learning to take down walkers more efficiently by going for their legs first, then finishing them off. Throughout her 9 years in the apocalypse, she found herself in a constant fight to survive, occasionally helped by allies, but mostly solo. During this time, she picked up many survival skills, and proficiency in both firearms and melee weapons.

She’s also got a knack for stealth. Even at a young age, she was able to maneuver around Carver’s base, and frequently dodges walkers by keeping quiet and out of sight. She’s killed numerous walkers over her life, as well as armed threats, including trained professionals from the S.S Stewarts Fitzgerald crew. She also briefly held her own (though was at a disadvantage) against Lily, a hardened soldier, and survived their encounter. Clem’s been doing this for a long time, and will do whatever it takes to survive and keep those closest to her safe. 

Equipment

Ellie

Semi-Automatic Pistol (Beretta 92FS Inox)

Ellie’s standard pistol that she uses throughout The Last of Us 2, which can hold up to 10 shots in a clip. With the spare parts she loots from the places she passes through, Ellie is able to craft temporary silencers, allowing her to kill with greater stealth.

Revolver (Taurus Model 66)

Commonly used by the previous protag and surrogate daddy figure Joel, the Taurus Model 66 Revolver is a powerful six-shooter that packs a punch.

Submachine Gun (SIG-Sauer MPX)

A submachine gun that Ellie stole from slavers, which can hold up to 20 bullets in a clip. Ellie has had very little canonical experience with this gun, but she is still very proficient at using it, due to her experience with other firearms.

Shotgun (Remington 870)

A sawed off shotgun that Ellie finds and then makes use of, which can hold up to six shells at a time. It’s great for close-quarters encounters, and can quickly obliterate almost any opposition.

Bolt-Action Rifle (Remington 700)

A bolt-action rifle that works on a one-shot-at-a-time basis. It is an extremely powerful rifle that is great for long range. Ellie can upgrade the rifle to have a 6× scope, and hold up to six bullets.

Bow and Arrow

The bow itself is simple, but the arrows it fires come in two different variants, which Ellie can craft. The first is simply a standard arrow, but the second is an explosive arrow, powerful enough to decimate a person in one shot.

Smoke Bomb

A smoke bomb that Ellie can craft. She uses it to disorient enemies and set up for sneak attacks, as well as escape dangerous encounters if the situation gets hairy.

Stun Bomb

An explosive weapon that Ellie can craft, which detonates on impact with a target and stuns nearby foes, leaving them open for follow-up attacks.

Trap Mine

A bomb that Ellie can craft and then plant, obliterating targets that wander into its blast radius. 

Molotov Cocktail

When thrown, this fiery cocktail creates a burst of fire around where it breaks. Perfect for burning zombies alive - or particularly unfortunate humans.

Nail Bomb

A particularly deadly explosive with blades built in during its construction. It detonates when an enemy comes within its blast radius, and tears any poor target within its vicinity to shreds.

Melee Weapons

• Switchblade: A blade given to Ellie by Marlene, which was originally a gift from Ellie’s mother. This is Ellie's main weapon of choice if she runs out of bullets; it can land killing blows on unsuspecting enemies when she sneaks around. 

• Shiv: A more crude bladed weapon, which can be used to carve out the throats of any zombie or human that Ellie wants.

• 2×4: A simple piece of wood that Ellie can utilize as a deadly blunt weapon. Like all of her other blunt weapons, it can also be upgraded into a bladed weapon.

• Hammer: A claw hammer which Ellie uses to bash infected and non-infected skulls in.

• Crowbar: A metal crowbar Ellie uses. While she doesn't use it as efficiently as another gaming protagonist, she is still quite deadly with it.

• Wrench: A tool under normal circumstances, in Ellie’s hands it becomes a blunt weapon that she can use to wreck enemies.

• Pipe: A long, broken piece of metal pipe that Ellie swings around, which is one of her more durable weapons.

• Machete: A standard machete, which Ellie can find. In her boss fight, she wields this against Abby, and can instantly strike a fatal blow if Abby faces her head-on.

• Sickle: A farming tool that the Seraphites use offensively, which Ellie obtained from their corpses. Its sharp blade is great for hacking enemies to death.

• Hatchet: A bladed weapon which Ellie uses to chop into enemies.

• Tomahawk: A small axe that Ellie can use, which can score fatal blows with just a chop.

• Fire Axe: A firefighter's trusty tool, which is particularly long by axe standards. Ellie uses this to split open enemies and dish out deadly punishment.

• Pickaxe: Ellie obtained this weapon through killing Brute Seraphites, It has very little durability but can instantly kill people and infected alike.

Health Kit

A healing item which Ellie can find or craft, which can be used to bandage and heal herself up in the middle of combat, restoring her health in gameplay.

Clementine

SIG-Sauer P250 Compact

This is Clem’s short-ranged weapon of choice throughout the series. In terms of its capabilities, it’s a semi-automatic pistol that was introduced in 2007, which at full capacity fires 17 shots before reloading. It is thus pretty effective at killing zombies and people, as shown when she was able to headshot multiple people from a fair distance away. 

Colt M1911A1 (Two-Tone)

The Colt M1911A1 Pistol was the standard-issue sidearm for the United States Forces from 1911 to 1985. It is a semi-automatic pistol that has a 7-8 round system, and a firing range of 50 meters. Clem used this gun to kill a guard named Eddie. 

Glock 17

The Glock 17 is a 9mm semi-automatic gun that was utilized during one of the most impactful moments in Clementine’s life: when she had to put down Lee. This was also the gun she used later, when she was given the choice of whether to shoot Kenny, or let him kill Jane.

Bow and Arrow

For a more quiet approach, Clem can whip out a bow and arrow for silent takedowns, useful against hordes of walkers or groups of armed threats. Later in season 4, she acquired a compound bow, which she used throughout most of the season.

Knife

While having to struggle against zombies at close range, it is always important to have a stabbing weapon on hand. Clem is capable of easily taking down a zombie with one direct stab to the brain.

Axe

While not as much her go-to for melee, Clem has still shown proficiency with using an axe against people. 

Remington 870 Police Magnum (Short Barrel)

Generally, Clementine’s preferred shotgun is the 12-gauge Remington 870 Police Magnum. Like all shotguns, it fires a short-ranged but powerful blast that can easily splatter zombie heads.

Crowbar

A tool typically used for prying things open, the crowbar also serves as an effective blunt weapon for bashing in zombie skulls. It is also sharper on the ends, which increases its deadliness to an extent.

Prosthetic Leg

After having her leg bitten and then cut off by AJ, Clementine was lucky enough to survive, but left with one less leg than usual. She now sports a prosthetic leg, which took some time to adjust to, but eventually started feeling natural. 

Barbed Walking Sticks

After losing her leg, Clem created new tools for fighting zombies, including a pair of walking sticks wrapped with barbed wire. After acquiring her prosthetic leg, she naturally no longer uses these as often.

Makeshift Bomb

A makeshift bomb that was created by her ally Willy, which was used to blow up a part of Delta’s ship.

Road to Survival Equipment

For those who don’t know, Road to Survival is a (canon) mobile game featuring characters from all across The Walking Dead, including Clem. In the game, she is able to obtain various weapons from exploring, or using less savory methods. It should be noted that most of the weapons increase stats, such as: 

• Attack: The amount of damage that Clem deals when she attacks. Items that increase attack will allow her to do more damage. 

• Defense: The amount of damage that Clem takes when she is attacked. Items that increase defense will allow her to take more hits. 

• Crit: When weapons increase Clem’s critical rate, it increases her chances of dealing a critical hit. Such a hit deals around 50% more damage than normal against humans.

• AP/AP Bonus: Known as Action Points; when Clem gains these, it fills a bar called the Adrenaline Bar. Once this bar is full, it activates Clem’s Adrenaline Rush.

Pistols

• 9MM Pistol: A semi-automatic pistol that can fire up to 13 rounds without being reloaded. It gives Clem +10 crit%.

• 357 Revolver: A revolver that can fire six shots before reloading and packs quite a punch. It gives Clem +10% attack

• Police Revolver: A revolver that is typically used by members of the police. It gives Clem a small bonus to AP when it is fired. 

• Jim’s Revolver: Named after the character Jim, one of the antagonists in Road to Survival; it gives Clem +15 crit. 

• Gavin’s 9MM: Named after the character Gene Gavin, also known as the Major; it gives Clem +20% attack. 

• Scoped Pistol: This pistol has a scope on it, allowing Clem to see foes from a distance, as well as take more accurate shots. It gives her a moderate bonus to AP when taking damage.

• Scoped Revolver: A scoped version of a revolver; it is quite a bit more powerful than the revolver, but only fires six shots before reloading. It gives Clem +15% attack and a small bonus to AP when taking damage.

• Six Shooter Revolver: A fairly standard revolver that gives Clem +20% attack.

• Jim’s Pistol: The second weapon based on Jim; this is a six-shot revolver that gives Clem +15 crit.

• Camo Pistol: Used in military tactics and training, this pistol gives Clem +20 crit and a medium bonus to AP when attacking.

• Darius’ Gun: Used by the character Darius; it gives Clementine +20 crit and +15% defense. 

• Silenced Pistol: This pistol specifically has a silencer on it, allowing for silent kills, as noise is one of the things that can alert walkers. It gives Clem +10% attack, +15 crit and +5% defense. 

• Magnum Revolver: This magnum is known for packing quite a bit of power behind it and does high critical damage, as shown with the +20 crit and +10% defense. 

• Sandy’s Magnum: Based on the character Sandy’s weapon. It gives Clem +15 crit, and a large AP bonus when taking damage. 

• Governor’s Revolver: The famed revolver used by one of the biggest villains in The Walking Dead: the Governor. It gives Clem +15 crit and a large AP bonus when attacking. 

• Clementine’s Gun: The gun used by Clem throughout The Walking Dead game, it is an extremely balanced weapon in terms of stats, granting +10% attack, +25% defense, and +15 crit.

• Army Pistol: Used by the army in combat missions, it gives Clem +30 Crit and +10% Defense.

• Desert Eagle: A standard Desert Eagle pistol; it gives Clem +20% attack and +30 crit. 

• Revolver: Despite simply being named “Revolver”, this is one of the more effective revolvers in the game, giving Clem +30% attack and +20% defense. 

• Assault Pistol: This pistol is for covert missions, with its silencer and scope allowing users to take out foes quickly and easily. It gives Clem +25% attack and +25% defense.

 

Machine Guns

• Semi-Automatic Pistol: A semi-automatic pistol that fires bullets quickly. It gives Clem +10 crit.

• SMG: A magazine-fed, automatic carbine that focuses on high fire rate over power. It gives Clem +10% defense. 

• AK-47: Developed in Russia, the AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova, is one of the most well-known machine guns in the world, with an extremely high rate of fire. It gives Clem +10 crit. 

• Standard Machine Gun: Fully automatic, autoloading firearm designed to have a high rate of fire that is sustained over time. It gives Clem +10% defense. The 2-Star version gives her +10% attack and +15 crit. The 3-Star version provides +20 crit and +10% defense. 

• MP5: It is a sub-machine gun designed by Germany in the 1960s, which lacks power but has a high rate of fire. It gives Clem a medium AP bonus when attacking. 

• Mitchell’s SMG: The gun used by Mitchell; it has the same traits as an SMG: high rate of fire. Provide +15% attack and +15% defense. 

• Army SMG: An SMG used in military operations, it gives Clem a large AP bonus when attacking.

• Barker’s Rifle: A weapon used by Trey Barker, it gives Clem +10 crit and +20% defense.

Shotguns

• Standard Shotgun: Your standard everyday shotgun, perfect for blowing up zombie heads. It gives Clem a +7% attack and +7% defense. 

• Pump-Action Shotgun: Similar to the standard shotgun, except for the fact that it has a much faster reload speed, giving Clem +7 crit and +7% defense.

• Hunting Shotgun: A shotgun specifically focused on hunting wildlife, it gives a small AP bonus when attacking.

• Sawed-Off Shotgun: Notable for its shorter barrel length, which is less accurate but packs a greater punch at close range. It gives Clem +15% attack, and a small AP bonus when attacking. 

• SXS Shotgun: The side-by-side shotgun allows for a quicker rate of fire, and gives Clem +15% attack and +10 crit.

• Camouflaged Shotgun: Used by military, these give Clem +20% attack and a medium AP bonus when attacking.

• Tactical Shotgun: Used in tactical warfare, this shotgun gives Clem +10% attack, +15 crit, and +5% defense.

• John’s Shotgun: Used by John in Road to Survival, this shotgun gives Clem +20 crit and a medium AP bonus when attacking.

• Lily’s Shotgun: Used by Lily Caul in Road to Survival, this shotgun gives Clem +10% attack, +10 crit, and +10% defense.  

• Military Shotgun: Used in high-intensive military operations, it gives Clem +30% attack and a large AP boost while attacking.

• Multi-Round Shotgun: Due to the high ammo count before reloading, this is seen as a very effective shotgun. It gives Clem +15% attack,+25 crit and +10% defense.

Rifles

• Standard Rifle: Your standard-issue rifle; it gives Clem +10% attack.

• Hunting Rifle: A rifle specifically made for hunting; it gives Clem +7% attack and +7 crit.

• Bolt Action Rifle: A manual firearm that requires reloading via the bolt handle in order to fire. It gives Clem +20% attack. 

• Light Sniper: This deadly sniper allows Clem to pick off foes from a distance. It gives her +20 crit. 

• Sentry’s Rifle: Essentially an upgraded version of the previous sniper rifle. It gives Clem +15 crit and +15% Attack. 

• Sniper Rifle: A more mechanic-based sniper rifle that offers balanced stats via +15% attack, +10 crit, and +5% defense.

• Abraham’s Rifle: The rifle used by Abraham Ford. It gives Clem +10% attack, +15 crit, and +5% defense.

• Camouflage Rifle: Used in stealth military operations, it gives Clem +25% attack, +15 crit, and +10% defense. 

• Governor’s Rifle: The famed rifle of the Governor, AKA Philip Blake. It gives Clem +10% attack, +25 crit, and +15% defense.

• Kenny’s Rifle: The rifle of one of Clem’s most important friends and a mentor figure in his own right, Kenny. It gives her +30% attack, +15% defense, and +15 crit.

Bladed Weapons

• Prison Shank: A sharp knife that gives Clem +10% attack, allowing her to do more damage. 

• Poker: A sharp poker that gives Clem +10 crit. 

• Pocket Knife: A fairly common knife for combat; it gives Clem +15% attack and +10 crit.

• Butterfly Knife: Has similar traits to the pocket knife, but focuses more on critical damage over attack, adding +10% attack and +15 crit.

• Margaret’s Knife: Named after the original character Margaret from Road to Survival. This knife is an upgraded version of the pocket and butterfly knives, giving Clem +20% attack and +15 crit. 

• Ice Pick: Used for shattering ice, but equally useful for stabbing heads; it gives Clem +20 crit and a bonus to AP when she takes damage. 

• Machete: Originally used for chopping crops, the machete eventually became an iconic killing weapon in its own right (Jason noises intensify). It gives Clem +20 crit and +10% defense. 

• Jeremiah's Machete: Named after one of the main antagonists in Road to Survival; it gives Clem +15% defense. 

• Worn-Down Katana: Katanas are extremely deadly, and despite its worn-down-ness, this one is still rather effective. It gives Clem +20% attack and +10% defense. 

• Contaminated Katana: Contaminated with the blood of zombies, it focuses more on critical attacks then damage. It gives Clem +20 crit and a medium AP bonus when taking damage.

• Kukri: Originally made in Nepal, the Kukri is effective both as a killing tool and in regular day-to-day activities. It gives Clem +30 crit and +20% defense. 

• Bowie Knife: Created in the 19th century, it is a knife mostly used for survival training and hunting animals. It gives Clem +25% attack and +10% defense. 

• Tactical Knife: Used more in military combat scenarios, this knife gives Clem +30% attack and +20% defense. 

• Jesus’ Blade: Named after Paul “Jesus” Monroe, this blade is quite an impressive weapon, giving Clem +30% attack and a large AP bonus when she attacks an opponent. 

• Jesus’ Scrap Sword: Made by Jesus from scrap, it gives Clem +15% attack, +15% defense, and a large AP bonus when she attacks the opponent. 

• Michonne’s Katana: The katana of one of the most iconic characters in The Walking Dead, Michonne. It gives Clem +30% attack and +20% defense. 

• Ezekiel’s Sword: This canesword is the signature weapon of one of the biggest badasses in The Walking Dead: King Ezekiel. It is an extremely balanced weapon, giving Clem +25% attack, +15 crit, and +10% defense. 

• Reinforced Katana: A powerful katana that gives Clem +30% attack, and a large AP bonus when attacking. 

Axes

• Hatchet: Perfect for chopping up zombie heads, this hatchet gives Clem +15% attack, +10 crit, and +5% defense.

• Meat Cleaver: Known for chopping up meat, it gives +20% defense and a medium AP bonus while taking damage.

• Fire Axe: Specifically designed for firefighting; gives Clem +15% attack, +25 crit, and +10% defense.

• Benjamin’s Fire Axe: Used by the character Benjamin in Road to Survival; it gives Clem +10% attack, +15 crit, and +5% defense. 

• Lee’s Axe: An axe used by daddy Lee; it gives Clem +30% attack and +20 crit. 

Blunt Objects 

• Club: A stick made of wood. It gives an AP bonus when attacking with it. 

• Hammer: A tool normally for building, but useful in the zombie apocalypse as well. It gives +10 crit.

• Monkey Wrench: A smooth-jawed adjustment wrench; it gives an AP bonus when taking damage. 

• Long Pipe: What I gave your mother last night. It is a decently long pipe, which gives +10% attack. 

• Tire Iron: A tool that allows people to work on tires; it gives +15% attack and an AP bonus when attacking.

• Crowbar: A common hand tool, which gives +20% attack.

• Lead Pipe: A pipe used to get water in homes; it gives +10 crit and +15% defense. 

• Metal Rod: A rod used for holding objects tighter; it gives +15% attack and +10 crit. 

• Rebar Rod: A rod used to increase the strength of concrete; it gives a medium AP bonus when attacking. 

• Shovel: A tool used to dig up dirt and other items; it gives +20 crit.

• Spiked Club: A baseball club with nails on it for extra damage; gives +20% attack.

• Fuel Depot Wrench: A wrench used for fueling cars; it gives +10% attack, +15 crit, and +5% defense.

• Prison Crowbar: A crowbar that was found in a prison; gives +15% attack and +15 crit. 

• Sturdy Club: A club that is quite sturdy. Can you tell we’re having trouble finding creative ways to describe some of these yet? It gives +20% attack and a medium AP bonus when taking damage. 

• Tyreese's Hammer: The hammer Tyreese used to kill zombies; it gives +20 crit and +10% attack. 

• Fuel Depot Pipe: A pipe used to transfer fuel to areas; it gives +10% attack and +20% defense. 

• Sledgehammer: A heavy hammer primarily used for construction, but like most tools apparently, also good for murderizing zombies real good. It gives +20 crit and +10% defense.

• Pool Cue: An item used for the game pool; it gives +15% attack, +10 crit and +5% defense. 

• Lucille: A bat wrapped in barbed wire, used by the antagonist Negan and named after his dead wife. It gives +30 crit and +20% defense. 

• Oar: An item used to help people travel by boat. For some reason, it gives +20 crit and +30% defense. 

• Dwight’s Club: A club used by the Savior member Dwight. It gives +30% defense, and a large AP bonus when taking damage.

Abilities

Ellie

Infection Immunity

While it is not fully explained how, Ellie is immune to the Cordyceps fungus, which is the infection that turns people into… well, Infected. If she gets bit, Ellie will not turn; in fact, she was bitten three weeks before the main story of The Last Of Us starts, and has never turned in the years since. Because of this immunity, she can enter areas with spores without the need of a gasmask. 

There is really no definitive answer why Ellie is immune. According to Marlene, it is because the Cordyceps virus that infected her brain mutated after doing so, but the exact specifics of this (i.e. why it happened, what the mutation entails) are never fully elaborated. One fan theory suggests that Ellie's mother was infected when she was pregnant with Ellie, and thus got a mutation in her brain which allows her to fight off the infection. However, this is just a theory. A game theory.

Listen Mode

Characters in The Last Of Us can stay still and listen to footsteps for incoming infected or scavengers, allowing them to get a surprise attack on them. Note, however, that Listen Mode does not actually allow them to see through walls; this is simply a game mechanic to visualize the ability. In actuality, the characters are simply locating a target through sound. Sufficiently stealthy foes can circumvent this by being extremely quiet. 

Craftsmanship

Thanks to being out in the world for a long time, Ellie has developed a knack for crafting. She can make supplies like bombs, bows and healing items. She also can craft new items she found perfectly after only using them once. Lastly, if she is near a workbench and has the right parts, she can upgrade all of her weapons to make them more powerful, hold more ammo, etc. 

Skill Tree

Ellie can improve her skills throughout the second game. She starts with the survival skills tree but can find magazines that unlock more upgrades. She already starts with the survival skill tree already unlocked.

Survival Skills

• Listen Mode Movement Speed 1: Move faster in Listen Mode; +50% movement speed.

• Faster Health Kits: Increase the speed with which Ellie can use a health kit.

• Increased Health: Increase maximum health; +25% health.

• Listen Mode Movement Speed 2: Move faster in Listen Mode; +100% movement speed.

• Endure: Otherwise lethal damage will instead leave you at low health, giving Ellie an opportunity to escape.

Crafting Skills

• Faster Crafting: Craft all items twice as quickly.

• Craft Improved Health Kits: Craft more effective health kits; +50% healing.

• Craft More Smoke Bombs: Ellie can craft more smoke bombs (4) and make more from the same amount of resources.

Stealth Skills

• Listen Mode Clarity: Enemies seen in Listen Mode show up in sharper clarity.

• Faster Prone Movement: Move faster while prone; +50% movement speed.

• Improved Silencers: Increase the durability of crafted silencers. 

• Faster Stealth Kills: Stealth kills are faster; +100% speed and keep a profile.

Explosives Skills

• Improved Trap Mines: Craft more effective trap mines that are deadly at greater range; +50% blast radius.

• Improved Molotov Cocktails: Increase the effectiveness of molotov cocktails; +50% flame radius.

• Craft More Trap Mines: Increase efficiency at crafting trap mines; can also hold up to four.

• Craft More Explosive Arrows:  Increase efficiency at crafting explosive arrows; can craft up to four.

Precision Skills 

• Aim Stability Increase: Improve aiming stability and accuracy; +100% each.

• Faster Aim Movement: Move faster while aiming; +50% movement speed.

• Listen Mode Range: Detect enemies at greater distance in Listen Mode; +50%.

• Hold Breath: Ellie holds her breath to steady her aim.

• Craft More Arrows: Increase efficiency at crafting arrows, producing more from the same resources; up to three.

Clementine

Adrenaline Rush 

Each character in The Walking Dead: Road to Survival has a skill called Adrenaline Rush. This is achieved by filling an adrenaline bar by gaining AP (Attack/Action Points). In Clem’s case, she has various Adrenaline Rush skills across differing versions. 

• Ankle Biter: Deals 300% damage; anyone around her gets +20% attack and +20% defense for two turns.

• Feisty Attack: Deals 350% damage to one enemy and all enemies adjacent to them; all teammates get +20 crit for two turns.

• Out of Nowhere: Deals 175% damage and causes the enemy or those adjacent to bleed for three turns, causing them to lose 150 HP. 

• Taking Names: Deals 300% damage and debuffs the enemy by removing any positive attack statuses of all enemies adjacent to the target. All teammates in Clem’s area gain 70% defense for one turn, making them more tanky.

• Defense Provoking: Deals 225% damage and grants a taunt buff, which allows the user to gain additional AP if they are attacked by the taunted character. This move also gives two allies up to 15% bonus HP or Hit Points when it lands. Finally, it gives a Pain Split buff to one other ally for one turn, allowing Clem and the ally to distribute damage across one another. 

• Defense Derision: Similar to Defense Provoking, except it does 400% damage rather than 225%, and gives up to two allies 30% bonus HP instead of 15%.

• Damage Dispersal: Deals 400% damage to a target, and automatically removes all positive statuses from the enemy or those adjacent. 

• Deadly Dispersal: Similar to Damage Disperial in that it removes all positive statuses that the enemy or adjacent enemies have, but instead of dealing 400% damage, it deals 600% damage. 

• Ruinous Dispersal: The upgraded version of Deadly Dispersal; does 800% damage instead of 600%.

Specialist Skills

These are skills that are gained automatically from specialist recruits like Clem:

• Parting Shot: If Clem dies, she will fire one last shot to hit the opponent with.

• Tenacity: Used in dire circumstances; if Clem is above 10% health and takes a hit that would normally kill her, her health is reduced to 1 HP instead of zero.

• Vitality: Clem gains HP based on the amount of unspent Action Points.

Active Skills

These are skills that are constantly impacted whilst Clem is in play:

• Taunt and AP Gain: When taunting the enemy, Clem gains +25% AP.

• Focus, Recover Impair, and AP Gain: When using this skill, Clem goes into focus for up to three turns. She will also remove impairments from allies that would prevent them from gaining AP. Finally, when using this skill, Clem gains +20 AP.

Leader Skill

These skills are specifically designed to support Clem’s teammates during combat. Certain versions of Clem will give her allies attack and defense buffs, while other versions will reduce the defense by the target by 25%.

Feats

Ellie

Overall

• One of the few people immune to the Cordyceps brain infection

• Killed many members of the Washington Liberation Front

• Killed many members of the Seraphites 

• Survived in the Infected apocalypse for over 19 years, at least five of which was spent fighting

• Killed David and his group of cannibals 

• Killed 200+ people in The Last of Us 2 

• (Mostly) got revenge for the murder of Joel Miller 

• Defeated Joel’s murderer, Abby Anderson, in 1-on-1 combat 

Strength

• Slammed a 2X4 onto Abby hard enough that it immediately broke on impact 

• After stabbing Abby’s dog, was able to push it several meters away

• Dominated Abby in their final fight, when Abby was weakened

• Overpowered a weakened Abby and stabbed her in the chest

• Overpowered Mel’s knife strike and eventually stabbed her

• Capable of contending with Bloaters, who can:

• Bust through walls (2.448 Megajoules)

• Smash apart multiple arcade machines with a charge

• Comparable to Abby, who:

• Slammed Ellie through a wooden floor

• Stomped a zombies head in 

• Snapped a neck

Speed

• Dodged an arrow (1.8 m/s)

• Killed a person faster than they could shoot at her

• Killed a Clicker faster than it could attack 

• Dodged punches from a weakened Abby

• Aim-dodged gunfire from Abby 

• Comparable to Abby, who:

• Can react to handgun bullets and move in-tandem with them in gameplay (Mach 0.867 - Mach 1.3)

• Aim-dodged a shotgun blast (fired by Ellie herself)

Durability

• Survived Abby slamming her through a wooden floor 

• Slammed back first onto a wooden crate and was mostly fine

• Survived a beat-down from Abby, which involved her arm getting broken, as well as several punches to the face

• Survived getting smashed through a window and falling into running water

• Can tank hits from Abby, who is strong enough to lift up large metal doors and dumpsters 

• Comparable to Joel, who survived a fall into water from a few stories up

• Comparable to Abby, who can:

• Survive two to four pistol shots before going down

• Survive being tortured for months on end, though was greatly weakened from the experience

Clementine

Overall

• Survived living in the zombie apocalypse since she was eight years old (she is currently 17)

• With the help of a bunch of kids and teenagers, caused the destruction of the S.S Stewarts Fitzgerald, and defeated members of its crew

• Kept a literal child alive in the apocalypse for several years, training him how to read and shoot a gun in the process

• Has become an expert at zombie killing, to the point that it is almost effortless for her

• Defended Richmond against the forces of the New Frontier 

• Defeated Lilly, Abel, Eddie, Minerva, Marlon

Strength

• Smashed the glass windshield of a car with two kicks

• With the help of Javi and Gabe, pushed a large garbage truck

• Pushed a garbage bin with Javi’s help

• Can hurt Violet, who survived an explosion that destroyed part of a large boat (112-607 Kilojoules)

• Can kill walkers, which can survive getting run over by RVs and trucks

• Comparable to:

• Rick, who decapitated a zombie with one swing

• Michonne, who sliced a zombie in half with one swing

• Lee, who could do the same thing

• Abraham, who crushed a zombie skull with one stomp (while we don’t see it, this sound effect indicates he crushed the zombie’s head)

• Characters who can harm the Governor, who survived at least some portion of an explosion that shook a town and vaporized hundreds of walkers (583.27 tons for the full blast; the exact amount he took is difficult to quantify, but it should at least be a fraction of this)

Speed

• Dodged an arrow fired with a compound bow from a few meters away

• Outran fully grown adults and dodged gunfire from a shotgun while doing so (see above)

• Comparable to: 

• Minerva, who also reacted to compound bow arrows (Mach 0.132)

• Kenny, who potentially reacted to automatic fire from an AK-47 after it was fired, though the presentation makes it debatable

• Lee, who reacted to and ducked a crossbow arrow, not moving until it was a couple centimeters from his face (Mach 1.35 - Mach 10.2)

• Jesus (not that one), who reacted to automatic M16A2 fire from Abraham (not that one either) after the bullets were fired, diving behind a car before they reached him (Mach 2.57 - Mach 5.2)

• Tyreese, Michonne, the Governor's men, Rick, Carl, and Lori, who all aim-dodged gunfire on various occasions

• The Governor, who reacted within microseconds to get behind cover (Mach 29 - Mach 1457 at melee range)

Durability

• Fell into a river and was swallowed up by the current 

• Has been shot and survived, though took time to recover

• Had her fingers crushed and was forced to amputate a finger 

• Survived being partially stabbed 

• Has been in multiple car crashes and despite needing time to heal, is generally fine

• Got launched into a wall by a boat explosion

• Could move around after getting her leg vertically sliced by an axe

• Had a leg chopped off and cauterized by a 5-year-old and survived (this post is by Season 4’s writer, Michael Kirkbride)

• Survived a fall from a second-story balcony 

• Survived in a frozen lake for minutes

• Survived an avalanche

• Survived jumping into a large hole, though it did lead to her prosthetic leg breaking

• Should be comparable to:

• Rick Grimes, who survived a three-story fall. He also survived getting his arm cut off.

• Ordinary people, who survived a car crash

• The Governor, who:

• Was tortured by Michonne and survived (gore warning)

• Survived being hit with PART of an explosion that was as large as a building, caused a town-wide earthquake and vaporized hundreds of walkers (583.27 tons for the full blast yield)

• It should be noted that his position in relation to the blast’s epicenter is unclear, and it’s likely that the SUV he was in protected him to some extent, which makes the amount that he withstood difficult to quantify. However, given that he emerged with his clothes burned and his body covered in soot, it’s clear that he was at least subjected to a portion of the blast.

• Heath, who survived a grenade explosion (though he lost his leg)

Weaknesses

Ellie

Ellie is a hardened survivor, but she is also human, and thus like every other human can be killed through human means such as being shot, stabbed, or eaten by the infected. She is also less physically strong then someone like Joel, who had the physical strength to overpower any human fighters he came across. Ellie does not have that luxury, and if caught at close range by a stronger attacker, she is liable to be overpowered and beaten, as shown by her fights against Abby. While she did beat Abby in the end, it was against a severely weakened Abby who had previously suffered months of torture.

However, Ellie’s greatest weaknesses come from her greatest strength: her drive and determination to accomplish her goals at any cost. While her tenacity is impressive, it can ultimately lead to her being hyper-focused and failing to consider the consequences of her actions, something which repeatedly came back to bite her throughout The Last of Us 2. Due to her actions, all of her relationships and connections broke down, and she ended up alone by the end. 

Clementine

Like her opponent, Clem is very much human at the end of the day, and can be killed through human means, as shown through the numerous game over situations in The Walking Dead. She also is relatively lacking in sheer physical strength compared to some of the especially strong characters throughout the series. Due to this, she is often forced to use the strategy taught to her by Jane or her intelligence in order to defeat her opponents.

In terms of arsenal, most of the time she relies on a knife and basic firearms, utilizing more unusual weapons rather rarely. Finally, her prosthetic leg makes her significantly less mobile and has an added risk of breaking, though we’re of course using “prime” Clementine, who still has both legs.

Fight Script

Now for the experimental bonus content that we promised. For those of you who didn’t read the note at the beginning, you should really be reading those we will be writing mock fight scripts to accompany our wave 2 bonus blogs. This won’t be a permanent addition to our formula, but we thought it would be a fun experiment, and that people might enjoy it. As a heads up, the script will spoil our chosen winner, so feel free to read it either before or after the verdict, whichever order you find preferable. Or skip it entirely, if you aren’t interested.

We hope you enjoy it!

Verdict

Stats

When it comes to durability, Ellie can survive hits from Bloaters, which are strong enough to physically destroy walls. This was calced by our team to be around 2.448 Megajoules, which is (surprise!) wall level. Relative to her own verse, Ellie’s durability is not her most impressive attribute, as shown when physically stronger opponents like Abby have taken her out in a couple of hits. She generally relies less on taking hits, and more on avoiding hits. That said, her pain tolerance is pretty insane. She’s taken arrows to the shoulder and just ripped them out no problem, powered through her finger getting bitten off, and survived being impaled through the hip well enough to regain consciousness, kill some soldiers, patch herself up, and then keep going unhampered.

Clem on the other hand has remarkable pain tolerance as well, having gotten shot, put through multiple car crashes, gotten her leg sliced by an axe, and been forced to suture her own arm with no medical supplies when she was only 12 years old. Additionally, though she passed out from the pain, she lived through having her leg chopped off and cauterized by a 5 year old, without proper medical treatment. But while you could make favorable arguments both ways in the pain tolerance department, raw durability more definitively favors Clem.

Comparing her to other human characters like the Governor, who survived an explosion that was as large as a building, caused a town-wide earthquake and vaporized hundreds of walkers, with a full yield of a whopping 583.27 tons of TNT. Of course, the SUV likely protected him to some extent, and his location relative to the epicenter is unspecific, which makes his exact durability difficult to calculate. However, even 1% of 1% of a blast of this magnitude would dwarf the Bloaters’ strength by nearly 100 times. And keep in mind that while Ellie can contend with the Bloaters, she’s not their equal in raw physical strength. The Governor’s feat is kind of just blatantly higher then anything that Ellie (or anyone in The Last of Us) has currently.

And yes, Clem does scale to it. Even setting aside the obvious point of “people in The Walking Dead are unenhanced humans who shouldn’t have vastly different stats from one another,” Clem would be on a relative level to Jesus, who appeared in Season 3 of the Telltale game. Jesus is comparable to Rick, who is in turn comparable to the Governor. Though they are told through different mediums, The Walking Dead’s various media is all interrelated. Glenn also shows up in the Telltale game.

Through basic Newton’s Third Law, and the fact that Clem can trade blows with characters strong enough to harm her, the durability comparison would likewise carry over to strength.

Speed favors Clementine as well. Comparing their arrow feats directly (Ellie against the bandits VS Clem against Lilly’s soldiers), Ellie only moves a very short distance relative to the arrow, placing the results at a highly amusing 1.8 m/s, well within the range of a normal human. Clem’s feat meanwhile was from a similar distance, but she moved farther in response, and the bow involved was more impressive, being a compound bow. Factoring in reaction time for Ellie’s feat, she would have had to react in about 84 milliseconds, about 3x faster than a normal human’s reaction time. Lee’s arrow feat, meanwhile, in which he reacted to crossbow arrows from centimeters away, involves a reaction time of 0.285 milliseconds, nearly 300x faster even than that.

Of course, you can also push both higher. Abby can move in-tandem with the Seraphites’ handgun fire, which is worth Mach 1.3 at most. A solid supersonic feat to be sure, but not faster than Lee’s feat. Additionally, if bullet timing is the name of the game, Jesus was able to react to automatic fire from an M16. Not only is such gunfire considerably faster than handgun bullets, but Jesus was able to move several meters to dodge them, much farther than Abby’s arm movement in response to the bullets in her case. This predictably comes out to be several times faster on Jesus’ end, around Mach 5.2 on the high-end. So whether we want to compare arrow timing or bullet timing, Clem has Ellie beat by a notable degree. This is to say nothing of the Governor’s microsecond feat, which while funny, is probably an outlier. Its existence doesn’t help Ellie’s case though.

While Ellie is tough no doubt, the stat trinity is in Clem’s favor. 

Arsenal & Abilities

In a fight like this, you’ve gotta make the most of what you have.  In this case, while we did show off a wide variety of different guns and weapons the two can have, it’s more than likely that the two will only have a select few on their person during the fight.  Ellie does have a few notable advantages here, but so does Clementine.

With her crafting, Ellie can make items that would help her control the pace of the fight, namely her smoke bombs, mines and molotov cocktails, all of which Clem is going to need to carefully work around. Aforementioned durability feats aside, given her portrayal as a squishy human vulnerable to good ol’ fashioned bullets and stabbings, she wouldn’t be able to survive taking shrapnel to the face, getting set on fire, or even being ambushed by the undead, which would likely be present at some point in the fight.

It won’t be impossible, however, as Clem has shown the stealth capabilities needed to do it, and even knows how to make her own bomb if need be. Still, with her craftier arsenal and a useful ability in Listen Mode, Ellie can more reliably keep Clementine at a distance and keep track of where she’s at. Not to mention, despite the difference in strength, Clem can and will still die if Ellie manages to put a bullet in her head. But what happens when Clementine inevitably gets past all of that and faces her in a one-on-one fight?

Both Ellie and Clem have fought numerous raiders, bandits and even trained military women in the form of Abby and Lilly respectively, and have shown capable, albeit unrefined hand-to-hand combat abilities. Not only that, but both can use just about any weapon they have and can find on their own.  However, things start tipping towards Clem’s favor when considering that Ellie has been overpowered by physically stronger fighters before, like Abby. Keep in mind, the only reason Ellie beat her in the end was because she fought her in a weakened state; even then, it wasn’t an easy fight to win, and was severely outclassed by a much more ready Abby previously. 

Of course, this would mean nothing if Clementine wasn’t relative to Abby, or at least superior to Ellie. However, with her superior strength and other TWD characters surviving far greater, Ellie is going to have a hard time keeping pace with Clem in a fight, and would eventually be overpowered. Not only this, but Clementine has shown more often than not to have a cooler head in combat situations, while Ellie has shown to be much more aggressive and gung-ho, even in her older years. This would especially help at longer ranges, as Clem’s constant evasion could prompt Ellie to take things to close-range before Clem does.

When concerning Clementine’s abilities from Road to Survival VS Ellie’s kit, there’s really no competition. While Listen Mode is indeed very effective at countering stealth, it won’t be as useful when the two actually face off. Both have special gameplay abilities that allow them to weather a hit that would otherwise be fatal, so neither has a particular advantage in that aspect. However, in terms of recovering from that hit, Clem has healing abilities to consider such as Vitality, which is more reliable compared to Ellie’s med-kits. When both are human and prone to getting worn down by long-term punishment, a more reliable healing option is a big deal. Additionally, if we were to take Clem’s many stat buffs from RtS at face value, she has the means to increase her ability to deal and withstand damage, as well as increase her already-impressive survivability and healing. These are options that Ellie simply doesn’t have.

Ultimately, Ellie may be very effective at longer ranges with her better equipment, but Clementine is eventually going to be able to close that gap and overpower her. Some of Ellie’s tools and tricks may win her the fight in some situations, but they’re nothing that Clem is completely incapable of working around, so long as she’s sufficiently careful.

Tertiary Factors

Having been raised in the apocalypse, both girls have picked up their fair share of experience and skill. When it comes to their father figures teaching them, Joel ultimately taught Ellie more, helping her to master more powerful weapons and the utmost musts for survival. While Lee did help Clem get ready for the world, he moreso nudged her down the right path and gave her some basic advice. Not to say that shooting bottles and cutting hair isn’t nice, but it’s not as noteworthy as what Joel taught Ellie. Most of Clem’s skills were learned on her own.

This isn’t to sell Clem short of course. Surviving (mostly) by herself in the zombie apocalypse and teaching herself how to do most things is not a small feat. In terms of sheer experience, in fact, there are some points to be made on both sides. 

Ellie survived in the apocalypse for longer, being born into it while Clem started at age 8. However, Ellie had a lot of protection and explicitly did not actually kill anyone until she was 14, making overall experience 5 years VS 9 years. That said, as established, Ellie has a lot more formal training while Clem is mostly self-taught. This reflects a broader theme where Ellie had other people supporting her a lot more throughout her time as a survivor, while Clem was typically only with others for brief intervals before being left on her own again.

Society is also generally a bit more “intact” in TLOU, with Ellie spending much of the time between the two games living in a full-on city/community. Clem meanwhile bounces from place to place throughout her years with no consistent “safe place” that she doesn’t end up leaving after a short time. You could thus make the argument that Clem had less overall help surviving, and her encounters with zombies should have been more “constant” compared to Ellie’s patrols and occasional outings. That said, Ellie has a lot more documented instances of fighting entire groups of soldiers and such, while Clem’s encounters are mostly limited to the undead. Clem does fight some trained soldiers in the final season, but mostly takes them on individually rather than in large groups, and her human kill count isn’t even a fraction of Ellie’s.

This segues into a broader discussion of zombie killing in both series, and whose skills in this regard are more impressive. While Clem did master the art of killing a walker, if you know what you're doing, walkers aren’t that much of a threat, at least on an individual basis. The primary threat that walkers pose is just that there are a lot of them, way too many to kill without running out of supplies or being overwhelmed. A singular walker can be dispatched in seconds with little difficulty by a skilled enough individual. Meanwhile, Infected in The Last of Us are much more various and individually threatening, and Ellie needed to learn how to deal with all of the different variants. Massive hordes aside, normal running zombies are (relatively) small potatoes compared to Clickers, Bloaters, etc. Ellie simply deals with more individually dangerous foes.

We could also compare the other survivors that both have fought, both having faced their fair share and come out on top. They have also fought militarily-trained characters in their series, though both have faced them in different ways. Ellie capitalized on her stealth and weapons to get the job done against Abby, while Clem went up against Lilly more directly, with… mixed results. On paper, it’s worth acknowledging that Abby has a lot more feats than Lilly (even if Lilly should technically be “stronger” through scaling), so directly equating them from a skill perspective would be a bit questionable. Regardless, their respective fights reflect the advantages that Ellie and Clem bring against each other: Ellie is better at stealth and subterfuge, Clem is physically superior.

Overall, Ellie has had better training with Joel than Clem had with Lee, but Clem’s years of survival and self-teaching are impressive enough to say she wouldn’t totally be out of her depth. There’s likewise some give-and-take with experience and their showings against trained soldiers, but Ellie has fought more dangerous undead. Skill-wise, in every aspect either Ellie has the advantage, or they both have their pluses and minuses. That said, the gap in any individual category is never completely lopsided to the point where one is completely dwarfed by the other’s resume.

Conclusion

"Everyone I have cared for has either died, or left me. Everyone, fucking except for you! So don't tell me that I would be safer with someone else, because the truth is I would just be more scared."

Advantages:

• More experience against human opponents

• More ruthless and and bloodthirsty 

• Listen Mode counters stealth options

• Can craft supplies in battle to keep Clementine on her toes

• Bombs and Molotov Cocktails provide effective options 

• Generally superior stealth capabilities

• Better ranged options

• Spent more time with her surrogate father

Disadvantages:

• Slower; would lose a quickdraw

• Weaker and less durable

• Less reliable healing options

• Fewer years of direct experience

• Spent more time on average protected / aided by others

• Her life is way worse like goddamn

• Orphan

"I never had a plan. I never knew where we were going. I never knew anything. I just fought and fought and fought, and hoped you didn't notice.  Hoped we'd find something before you did.  Did I do a good job?"

Advantages:

• Stronger and more durable

• Faster; would win a quickdraw

• More weapons to pull from

• More reliable healing option

• More years of experience

• Spent more time on average isolated / in unsafe conditions

• Better adopted mother (the comic doesn’t exist SHUT UP)

Disadvantages:

• Less experienced against human opponents 

• Listen Mode counters stealth options

• Lacks direct counters for some of Ellie’s options, like explosives

• Less ruthless or bloodthirsty (tho she can be pretty ruthless depending on the player)

• Doesn’t know what a salt lick is

• Orphan

With everything covered, while both of these two are tough as nails, we side with Clem in this battle for survival. Ellie does have her fair share of advantages, like how she can control the pace of the battle with her crafty weaponry, and would be able to counter Clem’s stealth with Listen mode. Ellie also has the better training and experience of the two, though not too overwhelmingly. Between military school, learning from Joel, and facing more dangerous undead, she has a better resume overall. That said, this is where things shift, and Clem starts taking more notable advantages.

Stat-wise, Clem has Ellie outclassed. Bloaters scaling VS Governor scaling for AP and durability, Abby VS Lee/Jesus for speed - you read that section, you get it. Arsenal-wise, both have deadly weapons to pull from, but while Ellie’s bombs and Molotovs are a threat to Clem and could kill her if she’s not careful, Clem actually has the bigger arsenal of the two. Pistols, shotguns, rifles, and various blunt and bladed weapons with Road to Survival - heck, we didn’t even cover the less-documented 5-Star weapons, which include crazy shit like chainsaw shotguns. All the grooviness of Ash Williams, with just a dash of Frank West for some extra pizazz.

We could keep reiterating all our previous points about close range and long range, healing options, close-quarters skill, but ultimately none of that is… reeeeeeally important. The fact of the matter is that neither fighter is realistically going to use their wider arsenal or get into some sort of tactical chess match during a fight like this. They’re both humans with guns, who have very precise aim, and both would die if they took a bullet to the head. In the overwhelming majority of situations, the fight is going to end in the first few seconds with a quickdraw, which will be settled exclusively by “which character can put a bullet between the other’s eyes first?”

Which means speed is the name of the game, and as we’ve covered, Clem takes that. Almost all of the bullet timing and arrow dodging in TLOU is aim-dodging, and the only ones that aren’t are either unimpressive (Ellie’s arrow timing) or low supersonic at max (Abby’s bullet timing). In comparison, while it is no stranger to aim-dodging either, TWD has many more instances of actual, provable, no-bullshit bullet and arrow timing, with Lee and Jesus’ feats being several times faster than anything you can argue for Ellie. On a clear cut and consistent basis, no matter what feats or method you want to use to compare (arrows or bullets, direct feats or scaling, high-ends or consistent ends), Clem is faster, so would win the quickdraw and thus the fight in the vast majority of situations.

Overall while Ellie was a dangerous opponent and could win from time to time, Clementine was ultimately the last one left walking.

Final Tally

Team Ellie (0) - Show is great though

Team Clementine (9) - Resident Joe, Hyperstarman, JustADude, LandonTalksALot, Mikhail, Hi Hi, Retro, Mal, Speedy 

Next Time…