Far Cry 6 Beginner's Guide: Tips To Know Before Starting

Far Cry 6 is a massive game, presenting players with a dizzying array of systems, mechanics, and activities to engage with. Alongside the expected slate of story missions and side quests are races, base-building, treasure hunts, cock fights (seriously), and more. There's a lot going on, and a lot to keep track of.

If you're planning to dive into this huge game, we have some tips to help you make the most of the experience. Whether it's leaning into the game's loud, brash elements, picking the right guns, building up a base, or making the most of your Amigos, check out our suggestions below and let us know what you'd suggest to other players. Also be sure to check out our guides to solving all of the game's treasure hunts and unique weapon locations.

Don't rely too much on stealth

First up is less a tip, and more a suggestion to have as much fun as possible. And listen: I get it. Every time I play a game like Far Cry, where you can choose to dive into the action or remain stealthy, I invariably choose the latter path. In Far Cry 6, you can certainly do that, scouting bases with your camera and then picking off enemies one-by-one with melee attacks or quiet weapons, hiding bodies, disabling alarms and cameras, and generally doing your best Sam Fisher impression. (Ubisoft's certainly not giving you any Splinter Cell games at this point to satisfy that urge.) And that is extremely effective--if you're looking to get through a base or mission as easily as possible, stealth is almost always your best option.

But my advice to you is to fight that impulse and go loud. Sure, disable cameras and take out a few enemies stealthily, but don't hesitate to engage with the opposite end of the spectrum. Far Cry 6 is at its best when things get chaotic, and if the game gifting you a freakin' rocket launcher backpack right near the start is not enough of an indication, much of its fun will come from getting into huge, loud firefights with enemies. Stealth is a very viable option, but don't rob yourself of the fun that comes from blowing everything up in sight and honking the horn as you race to run over the last enemy before your crocodile companion rips them apart himself. Bring a silent weapon with you for times where you might want to be discreet, but don't deprive yourself of using the sniper that fires explosive rounds or the shotgun that lights enemies on fire.

Know your weapons

Weapons come in multiple forms in Far Cry 6, but it's important to note that unique weapons aren't necessarily the best of the best. Whereas standard guns can be outfitted with various mods that can dramatically impact how you use them (letting you add suppressors, armor-piercing rounds, and so on), unique weapons can't be modified, meaning you'll need to take it or leave it as-is. Many of these are very fun to use, and they can be quite effective, but don't assume that some seemingly boring standard weapon isn't worth your time--by equipping them with mods, these guns can be your go-to choice in a fight.

In particular, you'll likely want to get your hands on a sniper rifle and equip it with armor-piercing rounds and a suppressor; this will let you deal with high-priority targets from a distance and without alerting anyone, helping you to keep fights more manageable. Armor-piercing rounds can also let you take down otherwise hard-to-kill enemies with much less of a struggle. Beyond that, focus on equipping yourself with weapons that inflict status effects, like burning, or that knock down targets. These will give you an edge in fights beyond just doing immediate damage.

You'll notice levels on guns, but in our experience, these don't matter much; it's more about the mods you equip that will impact their effectiveness.

The early gear can be quite good

You might be in a hurry to acquire new Supremos and Resolver weapons, and while we wouldn't discourage you from tracking everything down and experimenting, don't write off how good the early gear you'll get is. As noted above, mods can make standard weapons quite powerful, so you don't necessarily need to buy Resolver weapons in order to take on tougher fights.

Likewise, collecting depleted uranium from anti-aircraft gun installations will allow you to unlock new Supremos, alternatives to the rocket launcher backpack (the Exterminador) that Juan gives you early on. But just because it's your starter Supremo doesn't mean it isn't good--it's capable of taking down numerous enemies from a distance with minimal effort on your part, and it's also handy for taking out helicopters. Those can pose a real threat to you without the right equipment or a mounted weapon, but the Exterminador can make short work of enemy choppers.

Make the most of your Amigos

Rather than the Guns for Hire of past Far Cry games, FC6 introduces Amigos, which are animal companions that fight alongside you. These can be combat- or stealth-oriented, but either way, it's worth knowing that they won't be operating at their full potential as soon as you team up with one. You'll get Guapo the crocodile early on from Juan, and he can both passively heal himself and self-revive (once enough time has passed).

But if you inspect an Amigo in the pause menu, you'll see they have certain objectives that can be completed to further enhance them. With Guapo, you'll acquire three upgrades by completing corresponding objectives, including having Guapo get kills, recover health, and self-revive. These, in turn, will let Guapo regenerate health during combat, gain greater damage resistance when his health is below 50%, and come back with 90% of his health restored when self-reviving.

Those are some major upgrades and are worth hammering out so that your Amigo can be as effective as possible. In Guapo's case, this will take some time, but you can speed things along by remembering the objectives you need to fulfill. For instance, you can whittle an enemy's health down to just a shred and allow Guapo to finish them off, and you can avoid shooting an enemy that Guapo is about to deal with to ensure he registers the kill. Similarly, you can avoid manually reviving Guapo until he's self-revived five times. Do all of that, and Guapo will be an even more useful companion--just don't expect him to be a big help if you're trying to be stealthy.

Base upgrades are a ticket to greater mobility

While you'll eventually be able to accumulate the resources to fully upgrade your base, you should be sure to pick the most helpful options first. While it's largely a matter of personal preference, we'd recommend going with the mobility-centric options, given how big the game world is; being able to get around easily and more quickly will be a welcome development. With that in mind, we'd suggest getting the Hideout Network first, allowing you to get your hands on the wingsuit. After that, getting the Bandidos Barracks will let you open up a shop, where you can buy items to increase your movement speed or improve your run speed when your weapons are holstered. The Parkour set in particular is worth getting as early as you can buy it, as the movement speed and stamina upgrades it provides are significant--running around on foot can be a real hassle without them.

Side missions can have great rewards

Even if your intention is to just make your way through the main story, it's very easy to get sidetracked by the plethora of things you'll encounter along the way. Side quests, in particular, are one of those distractions that are worth investing time in, as the rewards they pay out can be great, including gear with useful bonuses. These perks cover a wide range of things, but the important thing to note is that these can be conducive to very different playstyles, so it's worth getting your hands on as much gear as possible to see what works best for you.

Having the right gear will be a big help in fights, particularly if you wade into areas that are higher than your current rank. Of course, completing side missions (along with treasure hunts, taking over bases, and so on) will also help you to rank up more quickly, giving you the freedom to safely explore more of the world.