Why Seraphites & WLF Are Fighting in The Last of Us Season 2

Curious about why the WLF and Seraphites are fighting a war in The Last of Us Season 2? Episode 4 dives deeper into the brutal conflict that traps Ellie and Dina in the crossfire. As old truces crumble and violent ideologies clash, both factions reveal a history soaked in retaliation and blurred morality.

Here’s how the deadly war between the Wolves and Seraphites began—and why it still rages.

Why WLF Wolves are fighting Seraphites in a war in The Last of Us Season 2

In HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2, the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and the Seraphites (Scars) engage in a war driven by a long-standing cycle of violence.

In Episode 4, Isaac interrogates a Seraphite prisoner and exposes how both sides accuse each other of breaking a truce. Isaac asks, “She tell you to kill children?” The Seraphites answer, “You kill our children.” Isaac replies, “Never by choice. You train them to shoot at us,” showing their mutual blame.

The Seraphites, a religious cult that follows the teachings of a deceased Prophet, initially lived peacefully outside FEDRA control. After the WLF overthrew FEDRA and dismantled the Quarantine Zones, the Seraphites moved into those areas and began spreading their beliefs. This expansion triggered conflict, and the WLF responded by persecuting Seraphite members.

In the game, the WLF captures and executes the Seraphite Prophet, escalating hostilities. The Seraphites retaliate by organizing a military force on their island base in Queen Anne. Both factions later agree to a truce, but either the WLF or the Seraphites break it. The war reignites without a clear beginning or a definitive instigator.

Ellie and Dina witness the brutal consequences of this ongoing war firsthand. In Episode 4, they come across a battleground where Seraphites have executed WLF soldiers. The Seraphites use primitive weapons, but their tactics remain deadly. The WLF, under Isaac’s leadership, responds with overwhelming military force.

The series portrays the conflict as deeply entrenched, with both sides committed to their ideologies and retaliations. The origin of the violence remains ambiguous, mirroring the narrative themes of endless revenge and moral ambiguity in The Last of Us Part II.