I thought I’d start this for anyone - like me - that is either new to the series or the game.
If you have any tips or suggestions of your own - including fun things to check out - just post it here.
Along with any amusing things you come across including this description of Cougar Skin:
Or this one I stole from @BalekFekete :
Tips & Tricks
For those of you just starting the game -
What to do first?
Perks are skills and abilities that make your deputy a more formidable opponent and a better survivor than the other citizens of Hope County.
Perk Points
Unlike previous Far Cry games, Far Cry 5 lets players buy new skills by collecting and spending perk points.
Perk points can be earned in a number of ways:
- Locate Prepper Stashes
- Every stash hidden around Hope County has three perk points to collect. This is the best way to farm perk points quickly, especially with the help of our guide.
- Complete Challenges
- Challenges are one of the best and simplest ways to unlock perk points - you might not even realize you’re doing it!
- Find Survivalist Magazines
- You can find individual copies of the survivalist magazines found in prepper stashes scattered around the map, so keep your eyes peeled!
- Play Far Cry Arcade
- Leveling up in Arcade will earn you cash and perk points to use in the campaign.
What to Unlock First
Once you’ve collected your first few perk points, you’ll need to figure out what perks to unlock first. Here are recommendations for how to spend your first 15 perk points:
- Parachute (1)
- Odds are you’ll find yourself plummeting towards the ground at high speeds - it’s always better to do that with a parachute.
- Grapple (1)
- This will let you reach almost any location around Hope County
- Close Combat Gear Bag (1)
- Because extra sidarm ammo is never a bad idea.
- Wingsuit (4)
- This will let you get around even faster, especially if you need to make a quick retreat from a mountainside firefight.
- Harvest Master (8)
- One of the best ways to earn money besides raiding Prepper Stashes is to hunt animals and sell their pelts. This perk will double the loot you take from plants and animals.
Of course, what you unlock is up to you - so spend some time checking out all your options before spending your initial perk points.
Find Your Groove
Dutch’s island is the perfect playground to explore different styles of play. Maybe take out an outpost using just a bow and your bare hands, or blow another one sky high.
Once you’ve figured out what might be your (initial) go-to fighting style, build yourself a loadout that fits. If you want to maintain maximum stealth, then a compound bow and a trusty baseball bat are the way to go. If you favor a louder approach, well, I’m sure there’s somebody with a flamethrower around here somewhere…
(There is, as soon as you get off the island head towards Holland valley and you’ll find them burning an orchard on the side of the road.)
Adopt a Dog
Every hero needs a good sidekick, and who could ask for a better one than Hope County’s resident good boy, Boomer.
While the other guns - or fangs - for hire have a lot of great qualities, Boomer is an excellent get early on since he can mark enemies and retrieve weapons for you. Plus, no matter how bad your situation gets, he’ll always be a loyal friend.
Uncover a Prepper Stash (or Two)
Prepper Stashes are a great way to gain some quick Perk Points and cash, and some even have other special rewards like unique weapons or vehicles. You’ll definitely want to hit up a stash or two early on, but we suggest your first ones be since they also unlock a vehicle, meaning you won’t need to buy one from a garage if you need a ride:
- Holland Valley: Man Cave
- Unlocks a customized pickup truck.
- Henbane River: Getaway
- Unlocks a classic muscle car.
- Whitetail Mountains: Hangar Pains
- Unlocks a fighter plane.
Get to Know the Locals
The population of Hope County will do their best to help your efforts against the cult. Talk to people around town or that you rescue and they’ll often give you helpful information that will lead to missions, outposts or hidden stashes.
For the Series Vets, here’s what’s new -
No More Towers
The most notable update to Far Cry 5 is the absence of the radio towers that became a series staple after Far Cry 3.
Now, instead of climbing a tower and adding all of the “to-do” items on your map, you gain information on nearby activities or items by interacting with the world around you. This can be anything from the simple act of looking at a deer crossing sign to make a new hunting spot, to liberating a van full of prisoners who warn you about a heavily-guarded outpost just up the road.
Aircraft
While you won’t find any F-15s or Harriers in Hope County, there addition of planes and helicopters adds a considerable amount of variety to your travel options and combat strategies.
Fast Travel Points
In previous Far Cry adventures, to unlock a Fast Travel point, you were required to liberate an outpost or fortress before it could be used.
While the outposts around Hope County do have their own fast-travel points, you’re no longer limited to fast travel just between liberated outposts. As you drive, boat and fly around the map, you’ll notice blue location markers reveal themselves as you pass by - these may also be used as fast travel points, making getting around much more convenient.
Vehicular Fast Travel
Similarly, you’re now able to fast travel while in a vehicle, and if that vehicle is a land vehicle (car, truck, or ATV), you’ll usually spawn with it at your new location.
It seems not to always work when going to locations without a nearby road, but it’s still a helpful feature.
Guns For Hire Skills
The marketing for Far Cry 5 leaned heavily on the Specialist guns for higher (Boomer, Nick Rye, Cheeseburger, etc), but the normal hired guns have also received a major update.
No longer are your guns for higher just a random group of rebels in a jeep - the citizens of Hope County all have their own skills and specialties, like sniping or melee combat. You can tell what type of soldier a new recruit is thanks to the icon that appears to their name when you speak with them, as well as on the Roster screen.
Specialists
That said, the Specialists are incredibly useful in combat as well - though some moreso than others depending on the situation.
Cheeseburger and Boomer, for example, might make an awesomely deadly duo when invading an outpost, but they don’t fare too well against armored vehicles or attack aircraft.
Hurk, on the there hand, is an expert (to use the term loosely) when it comes to dealing with enemy vehicles, and Nick Rye is great at keeping enemy hunters off your tail.
No More Special Takedowns
Don’t worry- the chain, sidearm and distance takedowns are still very much alive in Far Cry 5, but mercifully absent is the need to unlock the ability to perform takedowns from above and below, or against certain types of enemies.
No Crafting Upgrades
Crafting still exists in Far Cry 5, but its importance to your progression in the game is much reduced. Instead of having to collect 4 rabbit skins and some fish bones to make a bigger ammo bag, you simply purchase the relevant perk (I.e. close combat mastery, which lets you carry more handgun ammo and melee weapons) with he perk points you’ve acquired.
Instead, you now craft homeopathic medicine, explosives, and other thrown weapons with materials you loot from around the world.
) The flamethrower sucks up close. Every time I use it i catch myself on fire. Seriously, it’s a fun weapon, but I hate it.