Far Cry: New Dawn Guide -- Far Cry 5 Character Fates, Easter Eggs, And References
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Far Cry: New Dawn is a direct sequel to Far Cry 5, taking place 17 years after the events of the latter game in the same place: Hope County. Though the apocalypse, a nuclear winter, and the arrival of the vicious marauders known as the Highwaymen have all had a huge impact on the Hope County you might remember, New Dawn is still full of callbacks, references, and direct continuations of the story of Far Cry 5.
The references and story scattered throughout Far Cry: New Dawn run the gamut--some are big story points that you can't miss, while others are optional missions that recall side characters you met along the way in Far Cry 5, and still others are bits of environmental, out-of-the-way storytelling you might miss altogether. In a whole lot of cases, New Dawn answers your burning questions about what happened to your favorite characters from Far Cry, including that protagonist of that game.
We've run down the many Far Cry 5 Easter eggs, references, and stories we've come across as we've explored this new vision of Hope County. Note that this list is full of spoilers, though, so read on at your own risk. You can also check out our Far Cry: New Dawn review, and our guide to the new systems added since Far Cry 5.
Kim Rye And Baby Carmina
In Far Cry 5, the player character, the Deputy, meets Kim Rye and her husband Nick as they're preparing to have their baby. The couple gets embroiled in the Resistance against the Eden's Gate cult and their leader, Joseph Seed, and you interact with them for several story missions--including one that involves the delivery of their baby, Carmina.
Seventeen years later in Far Cry: New Dawn, Kim has become the leader of Prosperity after the Collapse, the nuclear apocalypse that devastated the world. With Nick in the clutches of the Highwaymen, Kim sends Carmina to meet with Thomas Rush, the man roaming America rebuilding settlements, to enlist his help in Hope County. Carmina also joins New Dawn's player character, the Captain, as a Gun For Hire ally.
Grace Armstrong
Your sharpshooter Gun For Hire in Far Cry 5 was Grace, a tough-as-nails fighter who brought sniper rifles to bear in battles. After the Collapse, Grace lost her sight and thus her capability as a soldier, but she retained her ability with firearms--specifically in building them. You'll recruit her early in Far Cry: New Dawn as one of your Specialists for upgrading Prosperity. There, she'll pass on her wisdom to your new Guns For Hire, as well as provide you with a Saw Launcher she's upgraded with her deadly know-how.
The Fate Of Cheeseburger The Bear
One of the best allies in Far Cry 5 is Cheeseburger, a huge bear who mauls enemies at your command as a Fang For Hire. After 17 years and a nuclear war, Cheeseburger is, unfortunately, no more. The man who found and trained Cheeseburger from a cub, Wade Fowler, eventually tried to train another bear at his F.A.N.G. center. You can return to the F.A.N.G. center in New Dawn for the Treasure Hunt mission "For Whom The Bear Tolls" to find out what happened to Wade in the aftermath of the Collapse, as well as see some fun references to Cheeseburger.
Teaming Up With Pastor Jerome
Pastor Jerome was a key member in the Resistance against Eden's Gate in Far Cry 5. A former soldier known 17 years ago as The Father, he was an ally of the Deputy and a quest-giver in that game. Jerome was a former friend of Joseph Seed before he started the cult and locked down the county--when that happened, Jerome started to fight back, dedicating himself to protecting Joseph's victims. After the Collapse, Jerome kept up his efforts of saving people from danger, this time from the Highwaymen. You can recruit him to fight alongside you as a Gun For Hire in Far Cry: New Dawn.
Hanging Out With Hurk
Hurk is a mainstay of the Far Cry series, showing up in every game to bring a lot of explosions, bumbling, and hilarious lines to the proceedings. The version of Hurk you run into in Far Cry: New Dawn is the same one that you couldteam up with in Far Cry 5, only he's created something of a life for himself since the Collapse. Hurk has become a father, but he's on a John Wick-style search for vengeance against the Highwaymen in New Dawn, and you can recruit him as a Gun For Hire to give him a hand in his quest.
Sharky's Machine
You'll find pyro Sharky Boshaw in Far Cry 5 and recruit him into the fight against Eden's Gate as a Gun For Hire in that game, where he's a pretty effective teammate who sets basically everything on fire. Sharky's back in New Dawn, having survived the Collapse along with his cousin Hurk. He spends his time hanging out near some sulphur ponds raising Hurk's baby son, Blade, while his cousin goes on his vengeance rampage. You can't fight alongside Sharky in New Dawn, but he is one of the five Specialists you'll need to recruit to advance Prosperity and the game's story.
Nick Rye
Along with Kim, Nick is a character you meet in Hope County who eventually joins the Resistance, and who you'll talk to for several story missions in Far Cry 5. In New Dawn, he's been captured by the Highwaymen and forced to help them build new airplanes. Nick is one of the Specialists you'll need to recruit to build up Prosperity, which means rescuing him from the Highwaymen's clutches to reunite the Rye family.
Master Fisher Skylar Kohrs
Skylar Korhs is one of the minor characters you can interact with in Hope County in Far Cry 5 at Dylan's Master Bait Shop. In the Treasure Hunt mission "Riddle Me Fish," you can find the bunker she and Dylan used to survive the Collapse. Both are gone by the time you arrive, but there's the suggestion that Dylan has died since Far Cry 5 and Skylar has gone off in search of some monster fish to fry.
Larry Parker's Lab
One of the more ridiculous guns you can get in Far Cry 5 is the Magnopulsar, a gun that emits microwaves and causes its targets to explode. To find it, you have to find and talk to Larry Parker, a scientist in Hope County, and complete side quests with him. Larry made it through the Collapse into Far Cry: New Dawn--you won't meet him, but you will find his bunker in the "Going Haywire" Treasure Hunt. When you discover it, you'll also find a group of Highwaymen trying to get inside, only to get zapped by a ridiculous electrical field. Finding your way inside tells you about what happened to Larry.
Joseph Seed
The final moments of Far Cry 5 leave you with a choice: Kill Joseph Seed, the leader of the Eden's Gate cult, or spare his life. Letting Joseph live is the canon ending, given that, if you do that, you see right afterward that Joseph was right about the end of the world--Far Cry 5 ends with the nuclear bombs falling and the beginning of the Collapse. Joseph drags the Deputy, the character you play in the game, into a nearby bomb shelter, to survive the nuclear war.
We find out in Far Cry: New Dawn that Joseph did make it through the Collapse, and that when he eventually emerged from his bunker years later, he met up with the surviving members of the Eden's Gate cult to form New Eden. Those folks generally leave the people of Prosperity alone, choosing instead to fight the Highwaymen. As the Captain in New Dawn, your path eventually intersects with New Eden and the things that Joseph Seed has created.
So What Happened To Your Far Cry 5 Character?
Once you find New Eden, you also discover the fate of the Joseph Seed, where you can read journal entries that tell the story of how the Deputy, stuck in the bunker and terrified of the end of the world, became a follower of New Eden. Before long, you run into the Deputy, now wearing a mask and never speaking, and known as The Judge. You can even recruit the Judge to fight with you as a super-stealthy Gun For Hire.