The Last of Us 2 spoilers have leaked online – here's how to avoid them (and why you shouldn't share them)

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

Don't worry, this article contains no spoilers for The Last of Us 2.

Huge spoilers for The Last of Us 2 have leaked online, revealing key story details about Naughty Dog's highly-anticipated sequel.

These spoilers are rumored to have been leaked by a former Naughty Dog employee who allegedly posted a video containing the spoilers on YouTube after a payment dispute with the developer went awry. However, it's worth noting that this hasn't been confirmed.

The spoilers pretty much reveal the game's entire plot, including a level list and cutscene footage. But, we're not going to share any of the details here, instead we're going to advise you on how to avoid The Last of Us 2 spoilers - and why you shouldn't be reading them in the first place.

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We're all hungry for information on The Last of Us 2, but we strongly advise not to share the spoilers that have emerged.

For one thing, you may want to know the ins and outs of the game's story but others may not - its not fair to take their first-hand experience of the game away from them. Many players want to go into The Last of Us 2 with their eyes closed, experiencing the story and characters as Naughty Dog intended, including all the twists and turns. After all, we've been waiting for this sequel for years. So, if you're going to read them, then go ahead but don't push spoilers in the face of others.

Secondly, spoilers with this level of detail are a kick-in-the-face to the teams that worked on the game. Naughty Dog employees have worked tirelessly on The Last of Us 2, with reports of crunch, to bring fans this game experience - so players can enjoy the game the way the developer intended.

Then there's the legal risk. If these spoilers did come from someone inside Naughty Dog who broke an NDA, sharing the information on social media could put you at a legal risk. Although there is no risk to people in reading these leaks, readers should take care to not re-publish them. Spoilers for a game as big as The Last Of Us 2 often spread quickly on social media, so people must avoid indulging in this by sharing posts or articles because this could be classed as copyright infringement.

If, like us, you want to avoid The Last of Us 2 spoilers on social media then here are some steps you can take to try and reduce the risk of stumbling on any.

Twitter
The best way to avoid spoilers on Twitter is to mute words. Although it's worth noting that nothing is full-proof, muting words should greatly reduce the risk of stumbling on any The Last of Us 2 spoilers.

Here's the steps to take to mute The Last of Us 2 spoilers:

Open Twitter
On desktop, select the three dots at the bottom left of your screen and click 'Settings and Privacy'
On mobile, click on your face on the top left-hand corner, then select 'Settings and Privacy' from the menu that appears on the left
Select 'Notifications' then 'Muted', followed by 'Muted Words'
On desktop, a small plus sign should be visible on the top right-hand side of the screen - click that to add muted words
On mobile, an 'Add' button should appear at the bottom right-hand side of the screen - click that to add muted words
This then brings you to a screen that allows you to type in words or phrases you want muted
You're going to want to mute phrases like "The Last of Us 2", "The Last of Us: Part 2", "Naughty Dog", The Last of Us spoilers", "Spoilers" and anything else related to the game you can think of
In the 'Mute From' section, we advise muting these word 'From Anyone', from your 'Home Timeline' and from 'Notifications' - to be extra safe.
Under 'Duration', we would say to mute these words for '7 days' as the spoilers should be less rampant by then but you're not muting The Last of Us 2 news forever

Facebook
You can now mute words from your timeline on Facebook too but his will only mute certain words in comments, not in posts, it would seem.

Here's how to mute words on Facebook:

Go to 'Settings and Privacy' from the device you're using
Select 'Settings' then 'Timeline and Tagging'
Under 'Timeline' select 'Hide comments containing certain words from your timeline'
You can then add the words or phrases you would like muted from comments - hit 'add' after each one
Again, we advise muting phrases like "The Last of Us 2", "The Last of Us: Part 2", "Naughty Dog", The Last of Us spoilers", "Spoilers" and anything else related to the game you cant think of
When you're done, make sure to select 'Save Changes'

Outside of muting words in comments, we suggest 'snoozing' any pages you like or follow (or friends) that you think could post spoilers.

You can do this by clicking the dots beside someone's post, then select 'Snooze x for 30 days'.

If you want to be super safe then avoid social media for the next couple of days. In addition, we advise you avoid the likes of Reddit and Resetera too - just in case.

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An award-winning games journalist, with seven years of experience in games journalism and a degree in journalism from City University, London, Vic brings experience from IGN, Eurogamer, The Telegraph, VG247, Dot Esports and more to the TechRadar table. You may have even heard her on the radio or speaking on a panel, as she’s previously appeared on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio Ulster and more. Not only is Vic passionate about games, but she's appeared on both panels and podcasts to discuss mental health awareness. Make sure to follow her on Twitter for more.