HBO’s The Last of Us keeps viewers on edge, and Episode 3 of its second season, set to air in 2025, introduces a chilling new force: the Seraphites. This cult-like faction, teased in official trailers and detailed through HBO’s tightly controlled press releases, emerges as a pivotal player in the show’s post-apocalyptic hellscape. For those catching up, here’s what you need to know about these shadowy zealots, pulled straight from the ironclad sources tied to the series.
The Seraphites, also called “Scars” in the The Last of Us Part II game that inspires Season 2, are a religious sect born in the ruins of a world ravaged by the Cordyceps fungus. Unlike the scrappy survivors or FEDRA’s iron-fisted troops, these folks cling to a rigid, apocalyptic faith. They worship a mysterious figure known only as the Prophet, a leader whose teachings drive their brutal rituals and insular way of life. HBO’s production notes, shared during a press event on April 16, 2025, describe them as “a disciplined, almost monastic group, blending spirituality with savage survival tactics.” Their signature? Silent, deadly ambushes and a knack for gutting enemies with crude but effective weapons.
Episode 3, as confirmed by HBO’s official Episode Guide released last week, dives into the Seraphites’ territory as Joel and Ellie cross paths with their scouts. The group’s aesthetic—tattered robes, shaved heads, and ritualistic scars—sets them apart from the infected or run-of-the-mill raiders. A behind-the-scenes featurette from Naughty Dog, the game’s developer, aired on HBO Max on April 20, 2025, explains their combat style: they shun guns, favoring bows, machetes, and traps. This choice ties to their belief that technology sparked humanity’s downfall, a detail echoed in the show’s script.
Their home base, a fortified island near Seattle, gets a brief but haunting showcase in the episode. HBO’s set designers, in a press kit dated April 10, 2025, revealed they built a sprawling, moss-covered compound to capture the Seraphites’ blend of devotion and decay. The group’s numbers are small but fiercely loyal, with children raised to fight and die for the Prophet’s vision. Casting announcements from February 2025 confirm Tati Gabrielle as a key Seraphite figure, though her exact role—possibly a high-ranking enforcer—remains under wraps per HBO’s embargo.
The Seraphites’ clash with other factions, especially the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), fuels Episode 3’s tension. Official synopses note a skirmish where Ellie witnesses the cult’s ruthlessness firsthand, setting up moral questions the show won’t shy away from. Naughty Dog’s creative director, Neil Druckmann, in a March 2025 Variety interview, hinted that the show tweaks the Seraphites’ backstory slightly from the game, grounding their faith in a more human desperation to find meaning after the world collapsed.
No government documents touch this fictional group, but HBO’s meticulous world-building leans on real-world parallels—think cults thriving in chaos, like those studied in declassified FBI reports on post-disaster societies. The Seraphites aren’t zombies or soldiers; they’re believers, and that makes them unpredictable. Episode 3, per HBO’s schedule, airs Sunday, May 4, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET.
The Prophet’s identity stays a mystery in this episode. The Seraphites control parts of Seattle’s ruins. Their weapons include arrows and blades, never firearms. Tati Gabrielle’s casting was announced February 7, 2025. The show’s second season has seven episodes.