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7 tips to give you the edge in Far Cry New Dawn
Far Cry New Dawn's twins are venerable foes to face, but our tips will give you the edge and help you take them down quickly.
Set 17 years after the events of Far Cry 5, the latest instalment in the series, Far Cry New Dawn, is a game all about bombast, foraging, surviving, and the colour pink. This is a vibrant, colourful Hope County.
New Dawn in name, and in nature, Ubisoft's latest entry in the long-running series takes things back to simpler times. No longer do Joseph Seed and his siblings run roughshod over the people of Hope County, instead the locals are afraid of The Highwaymen, a gang of thugs ruled by the twin sisters Mickey and Lou. Almost as if you split Far Cry 3's antagonist Vaas Montenegro in half, one of the twins is unhinged, while the other is the brains of the operation. Together they strike fear into everyone, though, and offer a stiff opposition to the peace the resident of rural Montana strive for.
However, with our handy tips you’ll be able to take them down quickly, or at least be super powerful when you attempt it.
1. Scavenge everything
You'll need parts to build the sawblade
© Ubisoft
As a series, Far Cry has always been arcade-like and fun, but it's veered towards becoming a collectathon in the recent entries. New Dawn ratchets this up, and there are things everywhere that need to be looted. Whether it's a coil, plant, or generic looking machinery, everything has a purpose.
In battle you can craft multiple throwable weapons, and the more resources you have, the bigger your arsenal will be. Running out of throwing knives? No problem if you've got the crafting materials to replace them. Molotovs? No problem. No matter what you're doing in New Dawn, make sure that you loot every nook and cranny before you leave, especially because you'll need resources to revive your buddies when they are downed, and therefore not available in your roster.
2. Remember that you can craft medkits
Just one little button (and some resources) to heal up
© Ubisoft
It's easy to forget the small things in the heat of battle, but as well as crafting throwables, you can ensure you're never low on health by making your own medkits. It's a tiny thing, really, but when you bring up the weapon wheel, in the bottom right of the screen (it's a pretty cluttered user interface and thus easy to miss), it shows you that, on PS4 at least, you can hold triangle to craft some handy health kits. Instead of relying on finding them in the middle of a gunfight, you can slow time down with that radial menu, and quickly stock up on the heals.
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3. Unlock the Lock Picking perk, asap
Perks mean skills
© Ubisoft
While making your merry way around the reborn Hope County, you'll find numerous safes that contain titanium. The trouble is, you won't know that unless you've gained the specific perk that lets you get inside the safes and grab the less-than-shiny loot. Titanium is essential for crafting weapons and vehicles, so you want to make sure you're collecting it from the earliest opportunity, so you're able to unlock plenty of combat options in your weapon wheel.
4. Complete challenges and treasure hunts to perk up
Speaking of perks, the best (and most fun) way to gain perk points quickly is to complete treasure hunts and challenges. Treasure hunts are found by exploring the world, and listening to conversations. You can tell if someone knows a treasure hunt location, as they'll have a diamond over their head. Whatever you're doing at this point, stop, and speak to the diamond-headed people. Solving these treasure hunt puzzles will gain you at least three perk points (via collectible magazines), and are one of the most enjoyable parts of the game as well.
Challenges, on the other hand, will pop naturally, as well as when you seek them out. They range from getting specific types of kills, to hunting animals, or just certain types of exploration. Again, they're a fun and rewarding way to 'perk up'.
5. Ethanol is vital, so get lots of it
Upgrade your base and you'll be stronger
© Ubisoft
New Dawn has a light base building mechanic to it, with each of the game's facets boiled down to sections of your camp, Prosperity. Whether it's your workbench, infirmary, explosive lab, or cartography area, every time you level them up, you gain something. For example, Level 2 cartography lets you buy maps that reveal treasure hunts, and more collectibles, while your healing garden lets medkits regenerate health for 20 seconds at Level 3. To get ethanol, you can take outposts, or generally complete missions, so it's easy to do. The more side-quests you do that reward ethanol, though, the stronger your base will be.
6. Don't be afraid to let go of your outposts
Give up your properties to gain more loot
© Ubisoft
As per pretty much any modern Far Cry game, outposts return. These are enemy controlled strongholds with a set amount of foes that, once killed, turn the location into somewhere your people command, and thus you can fast travel to. In New Dawn however you can scavenge your controlled outposts for ethanol, and retake them, essentially on a higher difficulty. Remember that tip about how you need ethanol? Get some powerful weapons, scavenge your outposts, and boost your base.
7. Play with friends, even if they're a dog
Any dog is a good dog
© Ubisoft
The buddy system also returns in New Dawn, as well as a new dog, Timber, who can get in cars with you now, which is a huge win. Each of the eight available friends for your roster have unique skills that can be leveled up by having them with you on battle. Timber, for example, will tag enemies, dig up materials, and even fetch weapons for you. If you get 15 kills he will then tag alarms and materials, and at 40 kills he'll even stop animals that are attacking you.
Check out the map for any radio signals, and rescue any potential buddies by doing their missions. While you're at it, don’t forget the game is playable in co-op, but when doing so, your AI buddies won't be with you. The bigger the roster, the more combat options you have, and the easier it'll be to take down those pesky twins.
