Do you have to kill all of the bloaters in The Last Of Us?

Answer 1

No, you don't.

There are five Bloater bosses in The Last Of Us.

The first one you will find in the high school sports hall. You will have to kill this one to escape.

The second one is the final stationary infected in the university dorms. You can sneak past this one.

The third Bloater attacks Ellie and David while they are trapped in a building. You will need to kill this one to get to the next part of the game.

The fourth and fifth Bloaters are in the subway in the very late game. They can be avoided but with difficulty.

If you have the game on hard or Survivor difficulty, then you may experience additional Bloaters. These can be avoided too but at an increased difficulty.