The short and definitive answer to the question of whether Ellie kills Abby at the end of The Last of Us Part II is no. In a climax that remains one of the most debated moments in contemporary gaming history, Ellie chooses to let Abby go. This decision is the culmination of a grueling journey defined by trauma, a relentless pursuit of vengeance, and the eventual realization that blood cannot wash away grief.

The Brutal Confrontation at Santa Barbara

To understand why Ellie spares Abby, we must first look at the state of both characters when they finally meet for the last time on the foggy shores of Santa Barbara. This is not the powerhouse version of Abby we played as in the middle section of the game. After being captured by the Rattlers—a cruel group of slavers—Abby has been subjected to months of torture and starvation. When Ellie finds her tied to a pillar on the beach, Abby is a shadow of her former self: emaciated, her signature muscular physique withered away, and her spirit focused solely on protecting Lev, the young Seraphite who has become her moral compass.

Ellie, too, is a shell of a person. She has abandoned a peaceful life on a farm with Dina and their baby, JJ, driven by post-traumatic stress that manifests as intrusive visions of Joel’s death. For Ellie, killing Abby isn't just about justice; it’s an attempt to "fix" her own broken mind. She believes that by ending the life of the person who took Joel from her, the nightmares will finally stop.

The fight that ensues is visceral and pathetic in the truest sense of the word. There is no glory in it. Both women are exhausted and wounded. Ellie forces the fight by threatening Lev’s life, leading to a shallow-water struggle where they exchange heavy, desperate blows. In the heat of the struggle, Abby bites off two of Ellie’s fingers, but eventually, Ellie gains the upper hand. She pins Abby beneath the water, and for several agonizing seconds, it appears the cycle of violence is about to reach its logical, lethal conclusion.

Why Ellie Stopped: The Vision of Joel

At the very moment Abby’s life is fading—as she goes limp under Ellie’s grip—a flash of a memory interrupts the violence. It is not the bloody image of Joel’s face at the moment of his death, which has haunted Ellie throughout the game. Instead, it is a brief, sun-drenched image of Joel sitting on his porch, holding a guitar.

This single frame is the catalyst for Ellie’s mercy. Throughout The Last of Us Part II, Ellie’s quest for revenge was fueled by the guilt of her unresolved relationship with Joel. She was angry at him for lying to her about the Fireflies, and she had only just begun the process of trying to forgive him when he was murdered. By killing Abby, Ellie was trying to protect the memory of Joel, but in that final moment, she realizes that killing a weakened Abby does nothing to honor him or resolve her inner turmoil.

She lets go. She sits in the surf, sobbing, and tells Abby to "just take him" (referring to Lev) and leave. This act of mercy is the first time in the game that Ellie chooses her own humanity over her obsession. She breaks the cycle of violence that has claimed jesse, Owen, Mel, Yara, and countless others.

The Parallel Journeys of Redemption and Decay

The reason the ending feels so heavy is that the game spends half of its runtime forcing the player to inhabit Abby’s perspective. We learn that Abby’s motivation for killing Joel was mirrored exactly in Ellie’s motivation for hunting Abby: Abby’s father was the surgeon Joel killed to save Ellie at the end of the first game.

While Ellie is on a downward spiral of moral decay, Abby is on an upward arc of redemption. Abby’s relationship with Lev mirrors Joel’s relationship with Ellie. By the time they reach the beach, Abby has already moved past her need for revenge. She had spared Ellie twice—once in Jackson and once in the theater. She has found a new purpose in life, which is why her survival feels like a necessity for the world of The Last of Us to hold any hope. If Ellie had killed her, she would have been murdering the "new Joel," essentially destroying the very thing she was trying to avenge.

The Cost of Forgiveness

Forgiveness in this universe is never free. When Ellie returns to the farm after sparing Abby, she finds it empty. Dina has moved on, unable or unwilling to wait for a woman who chose a suicide mission over her family.

In a final, poignant scene, Ellie attempts to play Joel’s guitar. Because she lost two fingers in the fight with Abby, she can no longer play the chords correctly. The music is dissonant and broken. This is the ultimate physical manifestation of her loss. By pursuing Abby, she lost the ability to maintain the last tactile connection she had to Joel’s hobby.

However, there is a subtle peace in this ending. Ellie leaves the guitar behind at the farmhouse and walks away into the trees. For the first time, she is not carrying the weight of the guitar or the weight of the revenge. She is finally free to start a life that isn't defined by what Joel did or what Abby did to him.

The Significance of Catalina Island

For those wondering what happened to Abby and Lev after they sailed away into the fog, the game provides a subtle hint after the credits roll. The main menu screen changes from a dark, stormy boat in the fog to a bright, sun-lit boat beached on a shore near a large circular building. This building is the Casino on Catalina Island.

This change confirms that Abby and Lev successfully reached their destination. They found the regrouped Fireflies. This is a massive plot point for the future of the series. It suggests that the Fireflies are still active and that Abby has returned to the organization her father once served. It leaves the door open for a potential third chapter where the search for a cure—and Ellie’s role in it—could resurface, but this time with a different dynamic between the two survivors.

A Thematic Breakdown: Why the Kill Didn't Happen

Many players were frustrated by the choice to spare Abby. After 20+ hours of gameplay, the "catharsis" of the kill was denied. However, narratively, the kill would have been a dead end.

  1. Breaking the Cycle: The game is a critique of the "an eye for an eye" philosophy. If Ellie kills Abby, then Lev—if he survives—has every reason to hunt Ellie. The cycle continues indefinitely. By letting Abby live, Ellie effectively ends the war between them.
  2. Ellie's Humanity: If Ellie had killed a starving, defenseless woman who was only trying to save a child, there would be no coming back for her. She would have become the monster she perceived Abby to be. Sparing Abby is the only way Ellie saves what is left of her own soul.
  3. The Memory of Joel: The final flashback revealed at the end of the game is about forgiveness. Ellie tells Joel, "I don't think I can ever forgive you for that. But I would like to try." Her sparing Abby is her putting that "trying to forgive" into practice. She is forgiving the world for being cruel, and she is forgiving herself for not being able to save Joel.

Impact on the Player Experience

The emotional weight of The Last of Us Part II relies on the player's willingness to feel the same exhaustion that the characters do. By the time you reach the beach, the game has bombarded you with so much violence that the act of killing Abby feels more like a chore than a triumph. The developers intentionally stripped away the "fun" of the combat in the final sequence, making every stab and punch feel nauseating.

This is why the ending is so effective. It forces the player to reconcile their own bloodlust with the reality of the characters' suffering. You are forced to realize that you don't actually want Ellie to kill Abby, because you’ve seen the humanity in both.

Looking Ahead: What This Means for the Future

With Abby and Lev reaching the Fireflies and Ellie walking into an unknown future, the landscape of the world has shifted. The "Firefly" hope is reborn. Ellie is no longer bound by the survivor's guilt that told her her life only mattered if she died for a vaccine.

She has survived the worst parts of herself. While she doesn't kill Abby, she does "kill" the version of herself that was consumed by hate. That is a far more difficult and meaningful victory than any physical death could have provided. The story of these two women is a testament to the idea that even in a world that has completely collapsed, the choice to be better is still available, though it may cost you everything you thought you wanted.

In conclusion, Ellie’s decision to spare Abby is the definitive resolution to the game’s core conflict. It is a moment of profound psychological complexity that elevates the story from a simple revenge tale to a deep exploration of trauma and grace. While Abby survives the encounter, she is forever changed, and Ellie, though scarred and alone, is finally at peace with the ghost of Joel Miller.