11 Tips to Survive Far Cry: New Dawn

The post-apocalyptic world is bright and full of terrors – namely mutated animals and a bloodthirsty gang willing to burn everything to the ground for ethanol and lulz. In order to survive the world of Far Cry: New Dawn, you’re going to need a few pointers. Here are some of the things I wish someone would have told me before I started playing.

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Crafting has been a part of the Far Cry DNA since the third entry, but in New Dawn, it’s one of the most important things you’ll do (besides taking down the Twins and the Highwaymen). Not only will you have the ability to craft medkits and projectiles such as throwing knives, dynamite and remote bombs, you can also craft weapons. And sure, they don’t do much damage at first, but as you start to upgrade Prosperity, you can make bigger and deadlier weapons to take down some of the stronger enemies in the game – even the Elites.

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As signaled by the damage numbers that float above your enemies’ heads as you shoot them, New Dawn has some RPG elements. Before you go into a situation guns blazing, take a second to scope out the situation with the Tactical Binoculars. Not only will you find out where all the hostiles are located, you’ll also learn what kind of enemy they are and what rank.

Pay attention to the rankings! Grey is an easy-to-handle level 1 enemy, while Blue and Purple equate to levels 2 and 3, respectively. Yellow signifies Elite enemies, which are the hardest. Make sure you have weapons to handle each rank or it’s going end very quickly and very badly for you.

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The Perk System is back and depending on your style of play, some Perks are worth getting sooner than others. But whether you’re all about pummeling people to death or unleashing a righteous barrage of bullets, here are the Perks I recommend getting right off the bat. More Medkits, More Lung Capacity, Lock Picking and Tactical Binoculars. And after you reach a certain part of the game you can upgrade Perks like More Medkits and several of the ammo-increasing Perks – take advantage of this soon and often.

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Prosperity is your home base and it’s up to you to protect it and help it thrive. To do this, you’ll need to upgrade it, which is accomplished by recruiting Specialists, securing copious amounts of Ethanol and completing specific story missions. Beware, as the more you upgrade Prosperity, the more the Twins will notice. Eventually, they’ll try to take everything you built during a series of strategic assaults. However, the rewards far outweigh the risks as the more you upgrade the base, the better weapons and vehicles you’ll be able to craft, the tougher your Guns and Fangs for Hire will become and the stronger you’ll become.

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So you’ve got to take down a pair of murderous twins and their army of well-armed hellions. Time to go in like a one-person wrecking crew right? Wrong. Now’s the time to rely on your rag-tag group of Guns and Fangs for Hire. Similar to Far Cry 5, New Dawn gives you 9 helpful companions to assist you on your mission.

Each Gun or Fang has three specific skills that are unlocked after they’ve killed a certain amount of enemies (15 and 40 respectively). Nana, the septuagenarian sharpshooter starts with Silencer (for silent sniping) and later unlocks Smoke Monster (sees through smoke grenades) and Piercing Gaze (sees through cover). In addition to providing their skills, they’ll also revive you when you’re down for the count, so it pays to have a Gun or Fang by your side.

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Post-apocalyptic Hope County is still a massive world to explore, but sometimes you need a break from the fictional Montana. When the wanderlust hits, go see Roger Cardoret, Prosperity’s helicopter pilot. From there, you can go on Highwaymen looting expeditions to Florida, Louisiana, Arizona and San Francisco. Once you reach your destination, you’ll be tasked with stealing a special package. Make it back in one piece and those pilfered goods can net you some rare resources that you can help you and Prosperity.

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Another way to piss off the Twins is to take over the many outposts sprinkled throughout Hope County. Similar to the outposts of previous games, your job is to eliminate all the enemies (preferably without being seen or sounding an alarm). Once you take over the base, you’re awarded Ethanol and other precious resources. You could hold onto your new outpost or Scavenge it, allowing the Highwaymen to retake it. From there, you can retake the outpost. But keep in mind every time you attempt to retake an outpost, there will be tougher enemies and more alarms to contend with. But there’ll also be bigger and better rewards.

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