Far Cry Primal takes the series in a whole new direction by eliminating technology. Players are forced to rely on their instincts and the wild if they are to survive and takeover this cruel world. With the absence of all that fans of the franchise have grown accustomed to, a new set of skills must be learned, and new tactics must be adapted.
Rushing in as if this were the same old Far Cry experience you’ve jumped into time and time again will only leave your body dead in the grass. But don’t worry, we have some tips to help you prepare for the harsh realities of survival that this game has laid out for you.
Play At Least Until You Learn the First Beast Master Skills
Far Cry Primal drops players into the brand new setting of Oros after a brief tutorial section. From this point on, players are free to roam as they please. While the world is pretty and there’s plenty to do from the very beginning, it’s best that you hold off on exploring until playing the first few story missions.
Doing so will get you the club, the bow, some XP for skills, and, most importantly, the first Beast Master Skills. These include the owl for scouting, and the ability to tame dholes and wolves. Although these are the weakest companions you can have, they are certainly better than no companion. Taking down outposts or bonfires, or even just hunting deer is much easier after you’ve acquired the preliminary skills and tools.
Scavenge Everything You See
There is no buying or selling in Far Cry Primal. If you want something, then you have to make it. Village upgrades, arrows, clubs, spears, throwable items, packs, clothing, all of this needs to be crafted, and that will require lots of materials. If you’re worried about pack space, don’t be. Ubisoft was aware of the new burden of collecting resources and they implemented a system to help.
Your village and any other resting places you’ve captured will have a stash. Anything that cannot fit into your pack will go into your stash. On top of that, villagers will collect a certain amount of resources for you once per day depending on how many you’ve saved. So let no animal, tree, or rock go untouched as you work towards your survival.
Skill Trees Are Unlocked By Recruiting Certain Characters
You are a member of the Wenja tribe, a group of people who have been scattered in this new land. One of the major focuses of Far Cry Primal’s story revolves around you reuniting them. Several of them are experts in their fields, and recruiting them to your village and building a hut for them will allow them to teach you their ways. You meet Sayla (Gathering Skill tree) at the opening of the game, the rest will have to be recruited later on. They are:
- Tensay – Beast Master Skills
- Karoosh – Fighting Skills
- Jayma – Hunting Skills
- Wogah – Crafting Skills
there are also two individuals from enemy tribes that will unlock skill trees to that particular tribe’s specialty.
- Roshani – Fire Mastery
- Dah – Melee Resistance, Berserk Bombs, and Healing
If you want or need a specific skill set, you’ll have to target the appropriate individual. Just remember, you must build their huts to fully unlock their skill trees.
Invest In Gathering and Hunting Trees
The gathering and hunting trees help out the most with resource collecting/managing, as well as dealing with animals. Since animals will be what you deal with most in Far Cry Primal, you’ll want every advantage you can get over them.
The hunting tree helps out a ton with arrow crafting, allowing you to make eight arrows out of a single piece of wood. This will help out a ton as you can only carry but so much wood and need it to make spears and clubs, as well. The extra damage against beasts is also quite helpful against larger predators.
The gathering tree will ensure that you never run out of resources, keeping you prepared for any upgrading or crafting needs.
Stealth is Your Friend
Unlike previous entries in the franchise, there is no guns blazing in Far Cry Primal. You have access to very primitive weapons, and all of your enemies have the same. There are no rocket launchers, no 100-round magazine machine guns. Just your bow, some spears, a club, and some throwables. This means that charging into a camp full of enemies will just about always equal death.
Take your time and scout the area. Lure enemies away and use takedowns. Pick off anyone out in the open with ranged attacks. If you have a pet, use it to tear apart enemies rather than get your hands dirty yourself. You’ll get less experience, but in tricky situations, it will keep you alive.
Also, remember that animals and humans can see the light of flames. Don’t be afraid of the dark. Move slowly but confidently to take out enemies while they can’t see you.
Save All of the People
You’ll come across many random events that have you saving members of the Wenja Tribe. Do every single one you come across. Saving these men and women will add them to your tribe population. You’ll earn perks for different tiers of population:
- 20 people: 1 bag of weapon resources and food will be sent to your Reward Stash each day.
- 40 people: 2 bags of weapon resources and food will be sent to your Reward Stash each day.
- 60 people: 3 bags of weapon resources and food will be sent to your Reward Stash each day.
- 70- 300 people: Receive a +2% XP bonus for every 10 rescued tribespeople.
So not only will you earn experience for completing these little excursions, they will help you out in the long run in other ways.
Hunt at Night
Hunting in Far Cry 4 is already a dangerous activity. You have to always keep an eye out for other predators (both human and beast) as you stalk your prey. This is intensified at night when animals become more aggressive and visibility is low. But, you have a higher chance at killing or taming rare animals when the sun is down.
Rare skins are needed for high level gear upgrades, and rare pets have better stats than their common counterparts. The darkness does increase your stealth, which helps to balance out the increased aggression found in animals, so it isn’t much more difficult for those who take their time. If you want to play wild like you do in the day time, then you’re going to have some issues.
Headshots are Easy
With the slower nature of Far Cry Primals weapons, enemies often have to ready themselves before attacking. This gives you ample time to line up a shot and get a quick headshot.
Most enemies and animals take 2-4 body shots to take down without your weapons being upgraded. A headshot will save you time and resources, both of which you’ll need when fighting hordes of enemies and packs of beasts.
Pick Up Your Weapons
Far Cry Primal’s combat utilizes simple weapons that you craft yourself. The primary weapons are your club, spear, and bow. You can beat and stab enemies with your club and spear as well as throw them, and you can fire arrows like a maniac until you run out. After throwing your weapons and firing off all your arrows, make sure to pick them back up after the battle is complete
While clubs and spears can break, they usually don’t after a single throw. And arrows will stay fine no matter what. Just search the bodies of your enemies. If you know you missed some shots, make sure to search the ground of the battlefield, and the sides of houses and trees, as well.
Fire Burns!
The final tip for you is to use fire as your ultimate weapon. Fire can do a lot of things for you Far Cry Primal. It can light your way, keep predators at bay, and cause a nightmare for enemies. Setting a hut on fire with enemies inside will seal their fate, or you can light a ring of fire in the grass around them and watch as they go into a serious panic.
Scattered around camps and caves are piles of wood, awnings, and patches of thistle that serve as mats on the floor. Waiting for enemies to be nearby and setting them on fire is an easy way to clear them out. Once one catches fire and runs around, they could easily set fire to everything around them. Just make sure you’re at a safe distance.
These tips will ensure that you’re the apex predator in Oros and that nothing in Far Cry Primal will bring you down. If you need help with any other aspects of this game’s cruel world, be sure to check out our expanding wiki guide.
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