While the infected population plays a large role in building up the world of The Last of Us, the world is also split up into several kinds of factions of survivors, from the communist town of Jackson to the cannibals led by David in Colorado.
The second season is going to present two new major factions that Ellie and Joel will be running into in the form of the WLF (Washington Liberation Front) and the Seraphites, and while Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) gave players a closer look at the WLF, the Seraphites still have some mystery about them.
Who Are the Seraphites in The Last of Us?
In the latest trailer for the game, the Seraphites are given the spotlight for two short clips—one of the men with the matching scars on his cheek, and another of the graffiti on the wall with the symbol and message “Feel Her Love”.
In the game, Abby’s faction the WLF is at war with the Seraphites, who they refer to as ‘Scars’ because every member has the signature scars on their cheeks; there’s no thorough explanation as to why they chose to have every member have a ‘glasgow smile’, but it’s said to be a reminder that humans themselves were imperfect.
While the WLF are a fully militarized faction with access to a modern society, the Seraphites are a religious cult that follows “The Prophet.” One of their main traits is that they don’t use anything from the world pre-pandemic, so they are very rural, living off the land and making use of bows and arrows. Their hunting parties also make use of special whistles to signal to each other different messages.
Of course, there’s also the more dangerous aspect of their faction in that they are very brutal when it comes to punishing non-believers and are not shy of making displays of violence. The first official look at the game had the Scars performing an execution with Abby:
How The Series Could Expand Their Story
As anyone who played the original game knows, the first season of the series was not shy with adding some changes here and there, much to the service of the story—and it looks like they’ll be doing the same with the sequel.
It’s very possible that the show could explore the beef between the WLF and the Seraphites—which was only hinted at during the game but wasn’t really part of the main story. In the lore, the WLF actually captured the leader of the Seraphites, and it’s possible that it’s her (or them?) that Isaac has captive in the first trailer.
With the prophet not even making an appearance in the game, it’s likely the show could actually delve into her backstory and how she was able to convince everyone to join her faction—all the way leading up to her death in the hands of the WLF and the start of the more violent rise of the Scars.
The Last of Us Season 2 is expected to premiere on Max sometime in 2025.