Spoiler warning: The following guide includes major spoilers regarding playable characters in the game.
In The Last of Us, finding Training Manuals improved different aspects of your kit, like making a shiv last longer or allowing you to create a more efficient smoke bomb. In The Last of Us Part II, these manuals are far more important, as they unlock different skill trees. That means you'll miss out on massively important upgrades and abilities if you don't track them down.
Once a skill tree has been unlocked, you can unlock the individual skills with supplements, which you'll find as you explore. Here's a list of every Training Manual location in the game.
List of every Training Manual in The Last of Us Part 2
A disclaimer: some of our staff have found Training Manuals in alternate locations. It's possible that there are multiple locations for acquiring each manual. We are investigating further.
Training Manual 1 — Crafting
Playing as Ellie, your first Training Manual will be found in the Courthouse in Seattle. You have to visit this location as part of the story. This book grants the Crafting skill tree.
Source: Android Central and Android Central
Training Manual 2 — Stealth
Ellie's second Training Manual is easy to miss. You can find it in Seattle after being captured by the WLF and breaking free. It's in a bookstore with a Pride flag on the front. This book unlocks the Stealth skill tree.
Source: Android Central
Training Manual 3 — Precision
After leaving the theater in Seattle for the first time, look for Goldstar Liqour store. You'll need to go down into a basement, fight some Shamblers, then continue up. This manual unlocks the Precision skill tree.
Source: Android Central
Training Manual 4 — Explosives
Ellie's fourth and final book is found after leaving the theater in Seattle for the second time and heading out on Route 5. You'll find an apartment complex. The book is in a room on the second floor. This manual grants the Explosives skill tree.
Source: Android Central
Training Manual 5 — Covert Ops
Abby's first Training Manual can be found after being attacked by Scars. It's located in a boat suspended up in the air. This book grants the Covert Ops skill tree.
Training Manual 6 — Firearms
Abby's second manual is in an auto repair shop that you enter immediately after meeting Yara and Lev. This book grants the Firearms skill tree.
Source: Android Central
Training Manual 7 — Close Quarters
Next up for Abby is a manual located in a safe in an apartment building referred to as the Tall Building. The code to unlock the safe is 30-23-04. This manual gives you the Close Quarters skill tree.
Source: Android Central
Training Manual 8 — Ordnance
Abby's final manual is found on the island where the Scars live. It's in the back of a large truck that's hard to miss. This book gives you the Ordnance skill tree.
Source: Android Central
So there you go. Four Training Manuals for Ellie and four for Abby — eight Training Manuals in total.
The Last of Us Part II is a lengthy journey
The Last of Us Part II tells the next chapter in Ellie and Joel's story, with an upgraded combat system and new skill trees allowing more options than ever. If you'd like to learn more about it, you can read our review from PlayStation lead Jennifer Locke. In it, she wrote that "The Last of Us Part II is an outstanding achievement in storytelling with believable, flawed characters, but some of the narrative decisions are sure to be divisive."
