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Hope County, Montana is a sprawling place, and it isn’t always clear what you should do when you first start up Far Cry 5. If you’re looking to make the most out of this open-world FPS adventure, we’ve got a few tips for you to make the early hours better.
Far Cry 5 actually changes the formula of the series. You won’t be climbing towers and creating an array of activity waypoints on your map — you’ll actually have to explore. That’s a mixed blessing. It’s awesome stumbling into a new zone and finding a new friend, but you can also miss great stuff if you don’t spend time talking to every local NPC.
Actually, Far Cry 5 adds a lot of new features to the metaphorical table. Most everything in our list involves something totally new (or returning) to the series, so keep scrolling and see why some people are so excited about Far Cry 5.
More Far Cry 5 guides on Gameranx:
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- Far Cry 5: How To Find Every Collectible Type | Pack Rat Guide
- Far Cry 5: How To Unlock Every Fishing Rod | Master Angler Guide
- Far Cry 5: Find Alien Objects In Weird Side-Missions | ‘Science Fact’ Guide
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10 Things You Should Do First | Beginner’s Guide
#1: Replay The Opening To See A Secret (Early) Ending
Right when the game begins, you’ll have something special to see. There’s a hidden ending within the first ten minutes, and you can check it out — even on your first playthrough. All you have to do is wait. When you’re about to arrest cult leader Joseph Seed in his compound, he’ll hold out his hands — instead of slapping on the cuffs, just do nothing. After two minutes pass, your armed police will walk away, leaving Hope County before causing a whole mess of trouble. It’s worth checking out.
#2: Go To The Gun Store & Buy A Silencer
Once you’ve got into the game proper, you’ll quickly learn the importance of stealth. If you want to clear out outposts without starting a gunfight, it helps to have a silencer for one of your guns — best for the pistol. Not every weapon can get a silencer, but you should be able to find at least one with the customization option right from the start. Keep the pistol on-hand for sneaking, and a bigger rifle for louder situations.
#3: Find Boomer The Dog (And Other Animal Companions)
Boomer the dog is one of the first companions you can unlock in the game, and he’s well worth the extra work to earn him. Travel down to Rae-Rae’s Pumpkin Farm to find a surprise quest. Help the little mutt out and he’ll follow you around forever. Boomer can sneak around with you, steal guns from enemies, and even tags targets! That makes him a great companion for stealth and for action, and you’ll be able to rub his belly to heal him. That’s worth the price of admission alone.
#4: Recruit Some Human Buddies To Fight Beside You
Dogs are awesome, but humans are pretty useful too. For one, human buddies can actually revive you if you die in combat — much like the buddies you could summon in Far Cry 2. These buddies will fight to the death, and some of them have pretty powerful abilities. One of the buddies is a sniper, while another flies planes — use (and summon) buddies depending on the skills they have for each situation. They’re awesome. Just don’t forget to revive them if they go down. Buddies can’t die, but their summon meter takes like ten minutes to recharge.
#5: Unlock the Wonderboy Fishing Rod To Catch Fish Easier
Another useful tool to make life (slightly) easier in the wide world of Far Cry 5. Fishing is a new thing in the game, and there are fishing spots dotted all across this wild land. You can grab fish and sell them for profit, or chase the regional best score. Whatever the reason, there’s an awesome fishing rod you can unlock fast — the Wonderboy. Skip on over to the Dylan’s Master Bait Shop in the Whitetail Mountains and start a quest. If you complete all the steps, you’ll get the Wonderboy free.
#7: Stop A Convoy With A Drive-By Shooting (And Unlock More Guns)
Want some fast cash? You can actually shoot while driving in Far Cry 5, and if you’re playing on console, your bullets are insanely accurate. Shooting is, essentially, completely automated while you’re driving, and the auto-aim is totally lenient. You can stop cars or blast convoys while cruising — you’ll be popping fools all over Montana if you shoot while driving.
- As a bonus tip, I recommend aiming for drivers to stop cars — but especially to stop helicopters. Choppers are pretty dangerous, and if you don’t have a rocket launcher, a rifle can do the job. Land a few hits on the pilot to take the entire chopper down.
#8: Get An Airplane And Start Divebombing Cultists
Airplanes are awesome, and flying high in the skies is something you’ll probably want to do early and often. To unlock an airplane shop right away, travel to the Landsdowne Airstrip to the north of the F.A.N.G. Center. There’s a Prepper Stash on the hangar door the explains you’ll need to enter from the roof — use the nearby helicopter pad to fly to the roof, enter, and you’ll be able to buy yourself an airplane. Airplanes don’t just help you get around faster, you’ll also be able to drop bombs!
#9: Find Caches And Spend Perks To Unlock More Weapon Slots
Speaking of caches (or ‘prepper stashes’) — those hidden collectible spots give you cash, ammo, and even perk points for discovering them. Really, doing just about anything enough times will earn you perk points, and they’re very, very valuable. One of the best perks to unlock is the ability to carry more ammo. That sounds lame, but if you follow the tree, eventually you’ll be able to unlock a second and third weapon slot. The more weapons you can carry, the better!
#10: And Then Unlock the Parachute, Wingsuit, or A Second Buddy Slot
There are some really, really awesome perks you can unlock in Far Cry 5. If you want to travel around fast, I recommend getting the parachute and wingsuit perks pretty quickly. The parachute will help you jump straight out of airplanes so you can get into the action fast, while the wingsuit lets you glide far distances, even if you’re just on a mountain cliff. Then there’s the expensive (but awesome) ability to unlock a second buddy slot. That’s right, you can have two buddies at once! Three might be a crowd, but who’s going to turn that down.
Got your own Far Cry 5 tips and tricks? Sound off in the comments section!
