Far Cry: New Dawn - Does The Story FIX Far Cry 5? | Ending Discussion [VIDEO]

Far Cry: New Dawn pushes the Ubisoft formula into a colorful post-apocalypse — and it’s also a semi-sequel to last year’s derided Far Cry 5. Because I’m a complete mark for these types of games, I forced our GuideRanx correspondent Erich to sit down with me and discuss everything Far Cry: New Dawn related — more specifically, we’re breaking down the story. What started out as a short, simple discussion exploded into a 40-minute epic. It’s all documented in the video above.

There are going to be some massive spoilers ahead. We talk about the ending to both games — Far Cry 5, and Far Cry: New Dawn. The ending of Far Cry 5 is pretty well-known at this point. As villainous preacher Joseph Seed predicted, the nukes fall and destroy the planet, leaving the survivors to hide underground until the worst of the event is over. Far Cry: New Dawn picks up the pieces from there, as your unnamed mute hero helps the people of Hope County build a society from the rubble.

Ending Explained

The story begins with your hero travelling with a former Special Forces operator named Thomas Rush. Rush and his associates help rebuild after the apocalypse, and the group is arriving by train after a distress call from the Rye family — characters that previously appeared as story companions in Far Cry 5.

After a crushing defeat at the hands of the Highwaymen, a neon-pink gang of post-apocalyptic raiders lead by the evil Twins, your unnamed protagonist sneaks off to Prosperity. The settlement is built over the ruins of John Seed’s mansion, on the southern edge of Hope County. The county is a paradise — completely intact after the bombs fell. The buildings have crumbled, but natural beauty remains, and plenty of the residents from the previous game are still alive and kicking.

One of those residents is the cult leader Joseph Seed. He’s created his new society in the north, naturally called New Eden. But, he swiftly abandoned his own people to live as an ascetic monk in the badlands further north. Late in the story, you’re tasked with reconnecting the current leader of New Eden, Ethan Seed, with his erstwhile father.

After completing a vision quest, you meet with insane former serial killer Joseph Seed at his new home, deep in bliss-infected territory. The cult’s drug de jour from Far Cry 5 was apparently produced in such abundance that it still remains, toxifying the land twenty years after nukes were dropped.

Once you gain Joseph Seed’s trust, he offers you an “apple” from a magical, mutant tree. This apple literally unlocks special powers — like a double-jump. It’s a completely absurd biblical metaphor. And it only gets more absurd from there.

At the end of the story, Ethan Seed betrays his father, allowing the Twins and their Highwaymen soldiers to invade New Eden and kill everyone there. He’s jealous of his father’s sudden resurgence in the community, and angry that a madman is so easily trusted. We’re supposed to think Ethan is wrong about all of this, for reasons I can’t comprehend.

After defeating the Twins, Ethan retreats to the magical apple-growing tree. He eats one, and transforms into a black smoke yeti from Far Cry 4. This isn’t a vision. This actually happens. Because the protagonist is (presumably) God’s Messenger, with a heart free of sin (despite all the killing) you’re granted special powers. Ethan is deemed evil, and transforms into a monster instead.

One standard boss battle later, and Joseph Seed tearfully requests that the player murder him. You can pull the trigger, or let Joseph step into his burning home to end things himself. Is this ending earned? We discuss it all in the video. We also discuss whether this ending (and story) justifies the silly way Far Cry 5 concluded. There’s a whole lot to talk about, and the short answer is yes and no. The long answer is in the video above.

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