How do fungi control minds?

Fungi release spores that infect humans, altering behavior.

What are the symptoms of fungal infection?

Symptoms vary based on bite location, leading to drastic changes.

Infected bodies develop fungal armor and become harder to kill.

Infected individuals can evolve into runners, clickers, and bloaters.

Infected individuals gather in piles to form nests of cordyceps fungus.

Fungi, unlike viruses, have the ability to control minds, turning infected individuals into aggressive puppets spreading the infection globally.
The Last of Us universe portrays a world where a mutated fungus infects humans, leading to various stages of infection with unique characteristics, from extreme aggression to superhuman strength, ultimately forming a hive mind that aims to kill healthy hosts.

How do fungi control minds?
Fungi release spores that infect humans, altering behavior.
What are the symptoms of fungal infection?
Symptoms vary based on bite location, leading to drastic changes.
How do infected individuals evolve?
Infected bodies develop fungal armor and become harder to kill.
What are the different forms of infected individuals?
Infected individuals can evolve into runners, clickers, and bloaters.
How do infected individuals spread the fungus?
Infected individuals gather in piles to form nests of cordyceps fungus.

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Fungi can control minds, unlike viruses, with billions of humans acting as puppets to spread infection.
HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us omits spores for a different take on the cordyceps spread.
The outbreak originates from a fungus that typically infects insects but mutates to target humans.
Global warming could enable fungi to adapt to human bodies, leading to catastrophic outbreaks.
Wheat, a widely consumed product, becomes infested with the cordyceps, spreading globally.
Symptoms of infection vary based on the location of the bite, with full infection leading to drastic changes.
Infected individuals, known as runners, exhibit extreme aggression and speed, driven to spread the fungus.
Over time, infected bodies evolve, developing fungal armor and becoming harder to kill.
Clickers, blinded by fungal growth, rely on echolocation, while bloaters become hulking figures resistant to conventional methods of harm.
The final form of infection, bloaters, possess superhuman strength and aim to kill rather than infect, leading the charge against healthy hosts.

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The fungus stops spreading directly, allowing bodies to decompose for consumption over time.
Infected individuals gather in piles to deteriorate, forming nests of cordyceps fungus.
Infected exhibit a rudimentary hive mind, alerting each other to stimuli and signals.
They assemble in dark, wet areas like sewers to mutate and expand the fungus.
The infected can break through surfaces, attacking from below in large city areas.
The infected evolve into clickers and bloaters, avoiding direct sunlight.
Airborne spores are non-existent in this universe, unlike real-life cordyceps infecting ants.
Infection spreads rapidly, leading to drastic measures like extermination of infected individuals.
Survival involves avoiding infection, maintaining supplies, and navigating human threats and factions.