Last of Us Part II: How to open the grocery store safe

Good dog

Now that The Last of Us Part II is finally out, folks are diving in and might run across a puzzle or two that stumps them.

So, we decided to make a set of spoiler-free guides. Read on for the grocery store safe solution! (NSFW language on an in-game note below).

Very early on in the game during the Patrol chapter (Day 1), Ellie will come across a grocery store, which serves as one of the core tutorial areas for many game concepts (most notably stealth).

As soon as you enter the building, before you drop down to the main action sequence, you’ll encounter a safe puzzle. The hint? The combination has to do with a “good boy.”

Immediately thinking that the combination was the date the grocery store owner’s son was employee of the month (found right outside of the safe room on a bulletin board), I tried out a few dates, to no avail.

Alas, “good boy” was right in front of my face: the dog! Who makes a dog employee of the month when there’s actual people working at the store who are probably worthy of recognition?!

Yep, just take a look at the dog’s date and you’re good to go. In my game, the combination was 07-20-13, for “July 2013.”