The Last of Us Season 2: Who are the Seraphites or Scars?

We're off and away with The Last of Us Season 2, with geared-up new factions and mysterious hooded nomads roaming post-apocalyptic America and threatening the lives of our beloved protagonists.

In Season 1 of Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann's Naughty Dog game adaptation, it was all about FEDRA and the Fireflies. But now, with the majority of Fireflies sent into oblivion by Joel (Pedro Pascal) in the Season 1 finale — was that a good idea, Joel? — and FEDRA seemingly nowhere to be seen, there are new players on the board.

And that includes the bow-armed, hooded travelling group known as the Seraphites or "Scars."

Now, I'm not going to tell you everything about this group — if you've played the games, you'll know what happens with them in The Last of Us Part II. But here's what I can tell viewers of the HBO series about the Seraphites as it happens in Season 2 (with no spoilers beyond what happens in the latest episode on Max).

When do we meet the Seraphites in The Last of Us?

The first we see of the Seraphites beyond the trailer comes in Season 2, episode 3. We meet a group of people on a forest trail to Seattle (the same road Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Mercred) take later in the episode), with each member clad in hooded garments branded with the same strange symbol.

They're all also marked by the same self-inflicted facial scarring on either cheek (hence their nickname, the "Scars"). It looks like these marks are given early in life for members of this group, as even Constance (Makena Whitlock), the very young girl in their party, has them.

The Seraphites also prefer melee weapons like their signature hammer or stealth weapons like bows and arrows, and they communicate in a sophisticated whistling language.

What do the Seraphites believe?

We don't know much about the Seraphites' spiritual beliefs at this point in the TV series, but we do know a few things. First, we know they follow a leader known as "The Prophet."

"The Prophet isn't magic, they're just people that see truths hidden from others and share their truth no matter what the cost," the Seraphite leader explains to Constance in episode 3. "So it was with our Prophet. That's how we keep her spirit alive, we follow her words, we obey her teaching, but we keep ourselves safe."

The Seraphite also mentions that The Prophet has been dead for 10 years, and that he "wouldn't count on her to help" their situation. So, who is this Prophet and what do they preach? We'll find out soon enough.

What's the deal between the Seraphites and the WLF?

When we meet the Seraphites in episode 3, the leader of their group calls for the group to take cover when it appears "Wolves" are on their path. We know this as the nickname for the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), who have a snarling wolf on a yellow triangle for their logo — one of their members, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), killed Joel.

We're not yet sure what the relationship between the WLF and the Seraphites is at this point in the series, but we do know they're not friendly, as Ellie and Dina discover the entire Seraphite party slain at the end of the episode — it's not clear who committed the massacre, but the episode strongly suggests it was the WLF. And judging by the Seraphite leader's reaction to "Wolves" over what his daughter calls "Demons" as a threat, we think they're more scared of the WLF than they are of Infected.

With both parties existing in Seattle, perhaps their rivalry is territorial — but from the looks of the WLF's tanks, guns, and footsoldiers at the end of the episode, the odds seem somewhat against the Seraphites.

The Last of Us Season 2 is now streaming on Max. New episodes air weekly on Sundays 9 p.m. ET on HBO.