Far Cry 5 launches in just under a month, so it’s time to visit a new region of Hope County: the Whitetail Mountains, a rugged land of trees, ziplines, and tons of opportunities to snipe cultists and blow stuff up. Montana’s mountain country is a paradise for stealthy players, with plenty of forests to hide in and wingsuit-friendly cliffs for getting the drop on enemies, and it’s home to some of the toughest people you’ll meet in Far Cry 5.
Before we get a chance to journey into the mountains, however, Far Cry 5 begins in the passenger seat of a helicopter. A U.S. Marshal has come to Hope County to arrest Joseph “The Father” Seed, leader of The Project at Eden’s Gate cult. As a rookie sheriff’s deputy, you get to ride along with the marshal, the sheriff (who thinks this is a terrible idea), and another deputy. Landing at the cult’s compound, you walk straight up to Joseph’s chapel unchallenged, and slap the cuffs on him over his followers’ protestations. As you run back to the landing zone, captive in tow, the cult starts getting rowdy, ultimately crawling all over the helicopter as you take off. If you’re looking toward the cockpit, you’ll see one of them climbing up the windshield, only to jump straight up into the rotors – which sends you spiraling back to Earth.
Before we get a chance to journey into the mountains, however, Far Cry 5 begins in the passenger seat of a helicopter. A U.S. Marshal has come to Hope County to arrest Joseph “The Father” Seed, leader of The Project at Eden’s Gate cult. As a rookie sheriff’s deputy, you get to ride along with the marshal, the sheriff (who thinks this is a terrible idea), and another deputy. Landing at the cult’s compound, you walk straight up to Joseph’s chapel unchallenged, and slap the cuffs on him over his followers’ protestations. As you run back to the landing zone, captive in tow, the cult starts getting rowdy, ultimately crawling all over the helicopter as you take off. If you’re looking toward the cockpit, you’ll see one of them climbing up the windshield, only to jump straight up into the rotors – which sends you spiraling back to Earth.
Getting to Jacob through his army of zealots won’t be easy, but you’ll have some powerful friends in your corner. The Whitetail Militia, led by shaggy, bearded Eli, have been fighting a losing battle against Jacob’s troops, and you’re just the help they need to tip the scales. They’ll give you most of your missions in the region, telling you to rescue missing militia members or help set up a pirate radio station, but your real support on the ground comes from three other operators with their own axes to grind against the cult.
First up, there’s Hurk, whose full name turns out to be Hurk Drubman, Jr. Hurk lives in the shadow of his cigar-chewing politician father, who thinks he’s an idiot but still sends him along to help watch your back. Toting a rocket launcher and his usual dimwitted enthusiasm, he’s great for those moments when you want to charge into a cult outpost, guns blazing, and just annihilate your foes as quickly as possible. So is Cheeseburger, a tame bear who’ll join you after you liberate his home – a tourist destination known as the F.A.N.G. Center – and give him a couple of salmon. While Cheeseburger has issues with diabetes (possibly from eating too much of his namesake), they haven’t slowed him down at all, and watching him rip through squads of cultists and toss them around like ragdolls adds an extra touch of brutality to your raids.
If you’re more of a stealthy player, you’ll want to stick with Jess Black, a scarred loner who hunts with a bow and has a vendetta against a flamethrower-carrying zealot called “The Cook.” Free her from the local lumber mill and help her take down The Cook, and she’ll join your growing resistance, at which point you may find yourself impressed by her ability to take down helicopters with just her bow and a flaming arrow.
You can bring two Guns for Hire into battle with you at a time, drawing from a pool of specialists, like the three mentioned above, as well as any of the civilians you recruit to the cause. (For extra fun, you can pair up two specialists that don’t see eye to eye, like Jess and Hurk, and listen to their banter.) And if you want a really versatile partner – one who can do everything you can do, cover angles you didn’t even think of, and laugh at your jokes – Far Cry 5 also lets you play through the campaign with a buddy in co-op. Not only does this let you inventively rip up Hope County alongside a friend, but you’ll still be able to roll with a computer-controlled companion. Your partner won’t keep the progress you make in their own game, but they will get to hang on to any weapons, money, or skills they earn while you mow down cultists together.
The battle for Hope County begins on March 27, when Far Cry 5 launches on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For more on the game, check out our previous Far Cry 5 coverage.
