Skip to main content
Tech Radar
  • Tech Radar Pro
  • Tech Radar Gaming
Tech Radar Gaming TechRadar Game-changing stories
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • News
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • How To
  • Deals
  • Switch 2
Trending
  • Switch 2
  • PS5 Pro
  • Black Ops 6
  • Monster Hunter Wilds
  • Fortnite
Recommended reading
A screenshot from the game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Gaming Death Stranding 2 tips and tricks: what I recommend you do to avoid failure after my nearly 50 hours in the game
A screenshot from Borderlands 4
Gaming I thought I was done with the series, but after three hours with Borderlands 4, I'm ready to be pulled back in again
Hell is Us.
Gaming Hell is Us director reveals that the upcoming action adventure game has something in common with everything from The Legend of Zelda to Silent Hill and Resident Evil
A screenshot from Dying Light: The Beast
Gaming In Dying Light: The Beast, one of my arrows sent a guard flying twenty metres as I got to grips with a monstrous new Kyle Crane - and now I can’t wait to get stuck in again
Atomfall The Wicked Isle screenshot
Gaming Atomfall: The Wicked Isle successfully makes the quarantine zone even creepier - but I have mixed feelings on it
Dying Light: The Beast
Gaming The fate of Kyle Crane will be explained in Dying Light: The Beast, says franchise director: 'We want to answer a number of unanswered questions from previous games'
Fallout 76 Wastelanders screenshot showing three characters in Power Armor, standing side by side at the bottom of a sun drenched canyon
Consoles & PC Fallout 5: everything we know so far
  1. Gaming
  2. Consoles & PC

Far Cry 5 survival guide

How-to
By Dom Reseigh-Lincoln published 26 March 2018

Giving you hope in Hope County

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Introduction

Introduction

It’s almost three and a half years since the last proper installment in Ubisoft Montreal’s open-world shooter series (sorry, the saber-tooth tiger-hunting throwback that was Far Cry Primal doesn’t count). But that wait has totally been worth it with Far Cry 5. Almost everything you loved about the previous two games - including the combat, line-of-sight stealth and hunting - have returned, while the new setting of Hope Country provides a captivating character all in itself.

However, it can be a little daunting when facing all those cultists and the dangerous Heralds - especially when you’re dropped into the middle of a world full of religious fanatics, grizzly bears and drugged-up wolves. So here are some our top tips for surviving (and thriving ) in Far Cry 5.

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
Loot every cultist you kill

Loot every cultist you kill

In the first ten hours of Far Cry 5, cash can be a little tough to get hold of, so you’ll need to scavenge for whatever you can. It’s wise to loot the body of every enemy you take down. They’ll usually have a few dollars on them and a raft of ammo to replenish your stores. 

Bodies that have yet to be looted will have shimmer to them that will disappear once you’ve pilfered their poor remains. You’ll also automatically pick up ammo from dropped weapons if you’re carrying a similar type of gun, so it pays to run across corpses if you’re running low on bullets mid-gunfight.

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Never pass up a Prepper Stash

Never pass up a Prepper Stash

Prepper Stashes are some of the most important one-off resource dumps in the game and are spread out far across Hope County. Signified by a light blue diamond symbol, you’ll usually need to find some form of clue to initiate a quest - this will sometimes be a note left in a house, or from an NPC in the world. 

NPCs with Prepper Stash quests tied to them will have the diamond symbol above their head. You’ll then be given a location to reach on the map - these are usually hidden up high or in an underground bunker. Use the notes or the clues given to you by a given NPC to find each one and loot their cash/perk/ammo filled goodies.

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
Complete challenges for Perks (then choose the right ones)

Complete challenges for Perks (then choose the right ones)

As you might expect, Far Cry 5 has a skill tree and its unique abilities and buffs are available via Perk points. To get these either raid Prepper Stashes or complete the myriad in-game Challenges. These challenges range from kills with a certain weapon, to distance traveled by wingsuit, and they’re designed in such a way to ensure you’re constantly earning more through play. Once you’ve stocked up, it’s time to invest them.

For us, we found the following ideal for surviving in Hope County: Harvest Master (double loot from plants and animals), Parachute, Wingsuit, Journey Pack (hold more items), Additional Holster (unlocks a third weapon holster), Nimble Fingers (faster crafting) and Locksmith.

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
Focus on unlocking specialists straight away

Focus on unlocking specialists straight away

There’s a big focus on co-op in Far Cry 5, both in the sense of another player joining you for the ride and in the use of AI-controlled partners. The tougher, more versatile of these NPCs are known as Specialists and they’re unlocked via completing specific, location-based challenges. 

There are nine in total, with three located in each of the three regions of the map. All nine can be found and unlocked from the start of the game, and each one can be called in to assist with tough outposts and story missions. Each one has unique skills which range from flying planes to covert sniping, but they all come with a cool down time after use.

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
Take out Cult Outposts to create fast travel points

Take out Cult Outposts to create fast travel points

Hope County is huge, and while there's an abundance of cars to commandeer to get you around faster, nothing beats zipping around via the power of fast travel. To establish these points (represented as blue markers on your map), you’ll need to kill every enemy in a designated outpost. 

Using your camera viewfinder (press ‘up’ on the D-pad) to identify every enemy prior to taking one down is key, but beware, some use heavies, flamethrowers and helicopters/attack planes in their defense so use cover and interiors wisely. When an outpost is cleared it’ll be filled with friendly NPCs, as well as shops and potential additional missions.

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
Use bows and melee to increase your cash from animal skins

Use bows and melee to increase your cash from animal skins

Sadly, the rewarding hunting/crafting feedback loop from the previous two games has been dropped for Far Cry 5, but that doesn’t mean hunting is gone completely. There’s an entire ecosystem of wildlife native to Montana and they’re a great way to make money on the side. 

There aren’t symbols on the map to denote the general location of a species now, instead you’ll need to look out for sign posts while exploring (a small white circle should appear when you’re close to one). Remember, use bows and melee hits (a baseball bat or spade can be helpful here) as bullet-ridden corpses yields less cash when sold at a shop.

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Relax (and earn some pennies) by fishing

Relax (and earn some pennies) by fishing

Fishing mini-games might be a trope at this stage in video games, but that hasn’t stopped Ubisoft Montreal adding a pretty realistic casting, reeling and catching simulation model. You’ll need to buy a fishing rod from one of the many shops across Hope County (look out for a green symbol with a white gun motif) - you’ll find them on the far-right tab at the very bottom.

Find a nice quiet watering hole (preferably away from a road as cultists regularly pass by), press L1/LB then R1/RB to bring up the Utility Wheel. Now hold R2/RT to build momentum, then let go to cast the line into the water. Try and use L2/LT to wiggle the line and catch a bite!

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
Collect Off The Hook Fishing magazines to find the best sites

Collect Off The Hook Fishing magazines to find the best sites

While the map of Far Cry 5 is open from the start (and free of radio towers bar one ironic inclusion during the tutorial), not every element of the world will be present on the map. You’ll need to seek out collectibles to flesh it out, such as the Off The Hook fishing magazines littered around Hope County.

These are broken up into categories based on the different types of fish you can catch in the game (including Trout, Sturgeon, Salmon and Bass), and each one will pick out a river or watering hole to find them. You can even sell this at a shop once you’ve collected them - don’t worry, the info on your map will remain if you do.

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
Raise resistance in one region at a time

Raise resistance in one region at a time

With Far Cry 5’s map open from the very beginning, it’s tempting to zoom across the entirety of Hope County completing missions in a haphazard order. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you, but focusing your attention on one of the three regions at a time will pay dividends in the long run. Not least because when your resistance meter is very high in one region, it'll feel like a breath of fresh air when you move into another region where you're less hunted.

New weapons and items will be unlocked and added to shops as you complete missions in a given area, while destroying Cult property, clearing out outposts and completing side-missions will speed up the process. It’ll also increase Resistance activity in a given area (and decrease the number of cultists), as well as providing a good way to stockpile Perk points.

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
Always keep stocked with Homeopathics

Always keep stocked with Homeopathics

Homeopathics are Far Cry 5’s consumables, including pills that provide stat buffs for a short time (including The Fast, The Furious, Ultimate Hunter and Ultimate Survivor). As with previous entries, you’ll need to collect resources across Hope County, so raid houses for items such as Bliss Oil and the myriad plants growing across each regions verdant locales.

Raiding houses and outposts is a great way to stock up on these items, as well as looting the corpses of fallen cultists. For plants and other fauna, head out into the wilds and you should come across most ingredients. These naturally-occurring resources aren’t as abundant as previous games, so keep your eyes peeled.

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
Dom Reseigh-Lincoln
Read more
A screenshot from the game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Death Stranding 2 tips and tricks: what I recommend you do to avoid failure after my nearly 50 hours in the game
A screenshot from Borderlands 4
I thought I was done with the series, but after three hours with Borderlands 4, I'm ready to be pulled back in again
Hell is Us.
Hell is Us director reveals that the upcoming action adventure game has something in common with everything from The Legend of Zelda to Silent Hill and Resident Evil
A screenshot from Dying Light: The Beast
In Dying Light: The Beast, one of my arrows sent a guard flying twenty metres as I got to grips with a monstrous new Kyle Crane - and now I can’t wait to get stuck in again
Atomfall The Wicked Isle screenshot
Atomfall: The Wicked Isle successfully makes the quarantine zone even creepier - but I have mixed feelings on it
Dying Light: The Beast
The fate of Kyle Crane will be explained in Dying Light: The Beast, says franchise director: 'We want to answer a number of unanswered questions from previous games'
Latest in Consoles & PC
A screenshot from the game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach sold me on the PS5 Pro, but I'm still not sure I'd recommend the premium console to everyone just yet
Donkey Kong Bananza on Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo reveals that Donkey Kong Bananza is developed by the Super Mario Odyssey team – then confirms grass is still green
The Nintendo Switch 2 on a red background
Nintendo is raising the prices of some of its products in Canada, but oddly not the Switch 2 – and what could this mean for other regions?
Donkey Kong Bananza on Nintendo Switch 2.
Donkey Kong Bananza offers a no-holds-barred open world that encourages you to go bananas
Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo and Amazon deny claims that the Switch 2 maker pulled console stock from the online retailer over third-party resellers
Sidestepper taking first place in Mario Kart World
I’ve clocked up more than 60 hours in Mario Kart World – here are my 3 top tips for getting first place
Latest in How Tos
Google Chrome logo on desktop and mobile
How to private browse in Chrome on Windows, Android and ChromeOS
Coco Gauff practicing for Wimbledon 2025
How to watch Yastremska vs Gauff at Wimbledon 2025 on BBC iPlayer (it's free)
Jamie Smith and Joe Root celebrate after walking off unbeaten in their test victory against India at Headingley, Leeds.
How to watch England vs India 2nd Test: Live stream cricket online
Emma Raducanu preparing for Wimbledon 2025
How to watch Raducanu vs Xu online: live stream Wimbledon 2025 tennis FREE
A woman dances on a friend's shoulders at the Glastonbury Festival held at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset on June 29 near Glastonbury, England. The festival, founded in 1970, has grown into one of the largest outdoor green field festivals in the world.(Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
How to watch Glastonbury replays on BBC iPlayer (it's FREE)
Max Verstappen leads the pack at the beginning of the 2024 Austrian GP.
How to watch Austrian Grand Prix F1 on ORF On today (it's free)
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    3 reasons why I appreciate AI and maybe you should too
  2. 2
    Is AI the new cloud? Survey reveals companies scrambling to adopt AI - but few really know what impact it will have
  3. 3
    This tiny NAS can store up to 32TB of super-fast SSD data and even comes with a VPN server and a 4K HDMI port
  4. 4
    Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace could put sensitive data at risk because of a blind spot in default email behavior
  5. 5
    Together is finally coming to theaters - here are 3 reasons you shouldn't miss the body horror movie

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...