What’s happened since the explosive ending of Far Cry 5.
Far Cry New Dawn is just over the horizon, and it’s vibrant take on a post-apocalyptic future marks the first time we’ve seen a direct sequel to a Far Cry story. With that in mind, we thought it would be a good idea to bring you up to speed on what’s happened in the 17 years since the bombastic finale of Far Cry 5.
The Collapse
We’re never explicitly told who fired first or what exactly led to the end of the world as we know it in Far Cry 5.However, radio broadcasts throughout the game make it fairly clear that it was the ultimate escalation of a ongoing global conflict. The reports indicate that there were major breakdowns in peacetime agreements between multiple world powers, including Russia, North Korea, the United State, and unnamed actors in the middle east. Various middle eastern conflicts are mentioned, as well as potential terror attacks occurring in the U.S. Russia appears to be the first major casualty, as one report claims that Moscow has been attacked and millions are dead.
After this,Washington, D.C. is evacuated and the U.S. President is moved to a “secure location”, major cities along the east and west coasts are put on emergency alert and US citizens traveling abroad are urged to return home. While the news announcer claims that Montanans are unlikely to be targeted, he apparently didn’t account for the dozens of missile silos hidden throughout the state that make prime targets for anyone looking to disable a nation’s ability to launch retailiatory missile strikes.
The Superbloom
The Collapse was a truly global catastrophe, leaving practically every major city and government decimated, and the face of the planet permanently scarred from pole to pole. Those scars healed, though – and in a way that few might have suspected. After the initial fallout had dissipated, and the harsh nuclear winter thawed, the long storms and shifting earth resulted in what’s known as a “super bloom,” which caused all of the bright colorful overgrowth we see across the world.
Joseph Seed’s New Eden
Hope County, with its abundance of doomsday preppers and survivalists, began trying to rebuild within just a few years of the blast – though not everyone was as driven to rebuild society. Joseph Seed, perhaps better known as The Father, emerged from belowground, vindicated that his end-times prophecy was true. He saw beauty in this destruction, a chance for humanity to start anew. Forsaking the technology of the Old World, he built himself a new following, of hunters and gatherers, determined to reshape the world into a New Eden.
Rush Securities: Rebuilding America
While the survivors of Hope County (and other like-minded survivalists) perservered in their well-stocked bunkers, those who remained on the surface were forced to migrate to safety, starve, or find another way to survive. In California, a group of survivors banded together in a lab dedicated to bio-farming and, under the leadership of Thomas Rush, managed to begin the arduous process of re-settling and rehabilitating the west coast. Rush begins utilizing undamaged railways to transport teams of scientists, engineers and security experts from place to place, with a vision to restore the rest of the United States from west to east.
The Twins: Burning it Down Again
Meanwhile, on the eastern seaboard, the situation was a little more dire. In one city, a group of dock workers managed to turn their port into a secure community. By rationing the supplies from the various shipping containers, they found themselves with the most resources – which gave them the power to take control of the entire city. Life was hard – but they were alive, and this is where Mickey and Lou, known more commonly as The Twins, grew up.
Their father led this band of survivors, and they eventually had to mobilize and leave the city when their hoarded provisions ran low. As they watched the world around them improve, with wildlife and natural resources becoming more plentiful, The Twins saw little reason to conserve their supplies like they used to. After all, death was common – better to enjoy what little of it you can instead of worrying over a future that’s likely to never come. Their father disagreed, though – but that wasn’t a problem the Twins had an issue solving. Killing him and taking control of the group, The Twins formed The Highwaymen as they are today: a ruthless band of survivors that move like a virus across the remnants of the United States, ransacking an area of all its resources before moving on to their next target – which happens to be the fertile mountains and valleys that make up Hope County.
This is where Far Cry New Dawn begins. The Highwaymen have arrived in Hope County, while a train carrying Thomas Rush and his team of scientists, engineers and security experts plans to liberate and rebuild the once (relatively) peaceful valley. That said, the best-laid plans often go astray…
JR is an editor at IGN who can’t wait to drive a motorcycle with a dog in the sidecar. In the meantime, he’ll be looking at cool dogs on Twitter.
