How The Scars Communicate By Whistling In The Last Of Us

The Seraphites — or “scars,” as the Wolves call them — communicate using a special whistling code in The Last of Us. In its second season, The Last of Us has carefully built up its depiction of the Seraphite religion. The Seraphites were first seen in season 2, episode 3, “The Path,” getting slaughtered by Wolves, which seemed to suggest they were a benevolent group being victimized by the local militia. Then, in episode 4, “Day One,” Ellie and Dina found disturbing evidence that the Seraphites had massacred some Wolves in even more gruesome fashion.

In The Last of Us season 2, episode 5, “Feel Her Love,” Ellie and Dina finally come face-to-face with the Seraphites and experience their brutality firsthand. After being rescued by Jesse, they cut through a nearby park, where they see a W.L.F. soldier getting hanged and gutted by the Seraphites. As the Seraphites circle them and shoot an arrow into Dina’s leg, they hear some spooky whistles. This whistling code was introduced a few episodes ago — what do the whistles mean?

The Seraphites Whistle To Communicate & Warn Of Incoming Threats In The Last Of Us

The Whistles All Have A Very Specific Meaning

When the Seraphites were first introduced in “The Path,” a young Seraphite kid was asking her dad about the cult’s beliefs, the prophet’s teachings, and the whistles, as an excuse to explain all that lore to the audience. As the patrol moved through the woods, a watchman tailed them and kept whistling to them. Initially, his whistles signified that there was nothing to worry about. But then, the whistle changed and the patrol suddenly went into panic mode and hid. This demonstrated that the scars use whistles as a form of coded communication — especially to warn others about impending threats.

In The Last of Us Part II video game, the first time Ellie hears these whistles is when she’s cutting through the park on her way to the hospital (on her own, unlike in the TV show). As she moves through the park, an arrow hits her in the shoulder and a troop of Seraphites ominously descends upon her. Throughout the game, as you encounter more and more Seraphites, you get the hang of the whistling code and you’re able to use it to plan how you’re going to fight back.

Why The Scars Don't Use Radios Or Walkie-Talkies Like The WLF

The Prophet Denounced Old-World Technology

While they’re mapping out their journey at the theater, Ellie and Dina figure out that the Seraphites don’t use walkie-talkies or radios. Ellie and Dina notice that the Wolves talk openly about their locations and strategies over the radio, and that the Wolves didn’t seem concerned about the missing walkie-talkie they stole. They determine that a big part of the Seraphite religion is denouncing old-world technology like radios, flashlights, and automatic weapons, so they use whistles, torches, and bows and arrows. This is one of the key teachings of the Seraphite prophet.

What The Seraphites' Different Whistling Means

YouTuber Daniel Nightcraft Decoded The Seraphites' Whistles

The Seraphites’ whistles aren’t random; Naughty Dog meticulously developed a real meaning behind each individual whistle. YouTuber Daniel Nightcraft decoded the Seraphites’ whistles in a fascinating video. He identifies nine core whistles: a call and answer to open a line of communication; a light alert to identify a disturbance; a called-shot whistle; an enemy ambush whistle to announce first contact with the threat; a high-alert whistle to warn that they’ve lost sight of the enemy; a whistle to announce that the enemy has been spotted again; a “moving up” whistle; and a “man down” whistle.

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It’s worth noting that the whistles in the TV show don’t necessarily correspond to their meaning in the game. In the game, players need to pay attention to the whistles so they can strategize in their fights against the Seraphites (it’s especially handy on the taxing “Grounded” difficulty). But in The Last of Us season 2, it’s more important to create an overall creepy atmosphere than to get the meaning of the whistles exactly right.