So you’re new to the series and you don’t know jack about the Far Cry series? No worries at all, this guide is going to be strawberry to whatever cake you’re baking. The article below is meant to be a be a Beginners Guide detailing some of the core concepts and mechanics of the game. This is our Far Cry 5 Beginners Guide.
Far Cry 5 Beginners Guide
Far Cry 5 is a huge open world with lots of animals to hunt, lots of bad guys to put down and some carefully hidden collectibles to be found. Sometimes it can all be all be a little too overwhelming so we’ve decided to compile and put succinctly all the information you need when you first set your feet in Hope County.
Surprise Ending
Before anything else, maybe you’d want to complete the entire thing in 10 minutes? You heard that right! When you first have the choice to arrest John Seed in the opening minutes of the game, don’t do just that. Wait two minutes idle, then you’d have completed the game in a matter of minutes. So much for the whole world exploration.
Go with the West First
Far Cry 5 is divided into lands according to the story arch. The easiest one, for the rookies, will be going west. This region is under John Seed. The area, unlike others with the harsh environment and tough enemies, is straightforward both in terms of geography and your interactions. You’re completely fine traversing this area on foot early on.
There are a tonne of quests here that will give you cash, weapon, and upgrades to give you an early head start. Of course, the other regions: Jacob’s and Faith’s are not restricted from the beginning but one will require grappling hook skill while the other will have drug-fueled zombies affected by something called the Bliss. John Seed’s region is the way to go.
Who’s a Good Dog?
With the introductions of pet for the first time in the series, there’s a lot of cool things that can be performed. One of the pets that you can acquire early on is the dog, Boomer. After completing the game’s prologue, head to Rae Rae’s pumpkin farm and clear out the enemies there. Find the caged dog there, get him out and you’ve got yourself a new pet.
Not only will Boomer tag enemies for you, but distract them, steal weapons from them and even revive you. This one is surely a no-miss. Once you go deeper into the game, be sure to unlock the bonkers bear, Cheeseburger and the cougar, Peaches. Pets really make your life much easier.
Grab a Buddy
You can also hire human companions in the game to assist you in various ways. These include a sniper who will take out enemies on your command. You can also have air assistance from a rider flying high above.
For stealth, you can partner up with a master hunter operating a bow. They revive you too. Remember to do the same for them as well otherwise, you’ll have to wait 10 minutes before you can summon another buddy.
Move Silently
Sometimes stealth is much more of a powerful assault than aggressive combat. Since most of the missions rely on this technique, it is safer, saves up on ammo and will help you earn more rewards. Some will, plainly, be impossible to carry out without stealth like some hostage rescue missions which fail when you’re detected.
Not to mention, guards at outposts will alert others and bring in more reinforcements if you’re not careful enough. With the technique, you need to have a silencer in front of your weapon (pistol, rifle, etc.). Sneaking behind enemies and performing silent takedowns are also highly recommended. Overall, stealth is a highly rewarding play-style
Exploration and Interaction is Key
Since Far Cry 5 is an open-world sandbox, you need to delve into the world to get something out of it. This includes talking to NPCs in the game which provide information like locations for a particular hunt, collectible or another useful bit of info. This will update your maps with waypoints and markers, unlike the previous installment in the series where maps update due to radio towers.
Moreover, roaming around Hope County, you’ll be able to hunt animals for profits. You will also be able to collect medicinal herbs and other materials which you can use to craft upgrades and add to your skills. Traversing landscapes, you will create fast-travel points which could save a lot of time if your desired destination is high in the mountains.
As you drive around on roads or roam outposts, you’ll notice captives or prisoners kneeling towards the enemy. Save these civilians because they reveal info on ‘Pepper Stashes’ which are locations for a lot of goodies. You can find more on Prepper Stashes Locations Guide by heading over to the link.
Craft, Use Perks, and Upgrade
Perks in the game help you acquire skills and upgrades for your character and weapons. These are unlocked after obtaining perk points via completion of missions, pepper stashes, and activities like fishing. Some perks will allow you to carry more ammo per weapon while others will add an additional weapon slot.
Then there are a range of skills to unlock and improve like lockpicking, harvesting, grapple hook, parachute, and wingsuit. Health stats are also given a boost. So perk system in the game is to be utilized to its max.
Before every battle or a hunt, you need to make sure you’ve got the right amount of explosives required. If you’ve got the sufficient materials, you can craft Molotov, proximity mines, and other explosives.
This is simply carried out by opening your weapon wheel and holding the craft button (triangle on PS4). Don’t forget, you can also use homeopathic potions which grant you temporary speed, vision and health boost.
Reel them In
A new feature in the series, fishing grants both cash (by selling) and perk points. The relevance and importance of Perk Points has already been discussed above. For money uses, you can check out the Money Guide by heading over to the page.
Fish are caught from fishing holes marked on the map. Grab magazines or talk to people to acquire knowledge and locations for the rarer fish species. You can find a detailed Guide on Fishing by heading over to the link. To make the whole business easier, you can unlock the Wonderboy Fishing Rod. This is acquired after you complete the side mission offered at Dylan’s Master Bait Shop in Whitetail Mountains.
This is all we have in our Far Cry 5 Beginners Guide. If there is anything else that you would like to add, let us know in the comments section below!
