Ubisoft has shared a set of do’s and dont’s for playing Far Cry Primal.
First off, here are the things you want to do.
Grab as much as you can carry.
Collecting loot is far more important in Far Cry Primal than in other Far Cry games, for two reasons. There is only so many item slots, and they can only carry so much of a certain item type. At the same time, crafting is especially important in a world before guns. You will need to use discernment when picking items every now and then, but when you can, grab everything.
…Scout ahead.
How do you scout in the Stone Age? You give up the binoculars for your owl companion, of course. The owl has better scouting range, and can ever be upgraded to do some fighting for you.
…Be sneaky if you can.
Stealth exists in the stone age. For the most part, you can hide in tall vegetation. You can also misdirect enemies by throwing rocks a different way, and apparently headshots work here as if you used a silencer.
…Use hunter vision often.
In a compromise to modern gaming, you can visualize Takkar’s ability to track down animal and human trails with the push of a button. Use it to find materials, enemies, or prey.
…Bend fire to your advantage
For the purposes of this game, fire will function as a light, to scare animals, or to fight. You can also use a lit spear or club to keep you warm in cold areas. Keep animal fat around so you can set fire to anything anytime you want.
…Learn to use your beasts effectively.
Takkar is a beastmaster, and each beast has its role. Use wolves for take downs, and lions and jaguars for stealth kills. Dholes are good for fetching items, and the biggest animals, bears and sabretooth tigers, are combat tanks and travel animals.
…Recruit Wogah as soon as you can.
You can recruit certain Wenja to teach you skills. When you get to this point, choose Wogah. He will teach you crafting, and he gives you the grappling hook, Wogah’s Claw.
And now, here are the things not to do:
…Be reckless with your life.
While Far Cry Primal does not have permadeath, every time you die, you’ll lose everything you held. To add to that, you won’t be able to easily restock your items. If you will take chances, make sure you know what you’re doing.
…Ignore the side missions.
At least don’t go for the side missions until you have rebuilt the Wenja to a reasonable population. The more Wenja there are, the more things you unlock, and the more look you get in your stash. The side missions really can wait.
…Pass up a chance to take an outpost.
One less enemy outpost is one extra respawn or fast travel point. And Central Europe is a huge open world that makes these points useful.
…Be afraid of the dark.
The nights have hidden dangers, but it’s worth your while to risk it. Some animals can only be hunted at night, and more importantly, the cover of night provides good opportunities to take out enemy strongholds.
…Keep your pet around if you’re trying to tame a weaker one.
The fact is the animals you tame hunt each other when you’re not around. If you have a bear with you and you’re trying to recruit a weasel, you’ll do better if you send the bear away. Don’t hesitate to do this when you need the animals lower down the food chain to do something.
…Hold back against bosses
Spoilers follow here:
Believe it or not, you can recruit a character from the Udam and Izila. The catch is, each of them are bosses with their own strongholds. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about killing them accidentally. Just take their stronghold and they’ll go back to your village no matter what happens. If you can successfully do this, you’ll get new story missions from them.
Learn more about the making of Far Cry Primal in this behind-the-scenes video and this in-depth interview.
