You Absolutely Must Play Far Cry 5 Before New Dawn

Before jumping into Far Cry New Dawn, you need to experience Far Cry 5 first – no exceptions. As a direct narrative sequel, New Dawn expects players to understand the backstory, characters, and world presented in the previous title for maximum impact. I‘ve played over 50 hours combined of both games, so trust me when I say Far Cry 5 should be considered required playing before touching New Dawn.

New Dawn Directly Continues Far Cry 5‘s Story

First, a quick recap of Far Cry 5‘s plot for those who haven‘t had the pleasure. You take on the role of a rookie sheriff‘s deputy sent to arrest Joseph Seed – the fanatical leader of a doomsday cult called The Project at Eden‘s Gate. Eden‘s Gate has taken over rural Hope County, Montana through brainwashing and violence.

Over the course of your confrontation with Joseph and his family, you spark an escalating conflict with heavy losses on both sides. In the climatic finale, Joseph captures you and reveals his prophecies of the world ending are coming true. You have a choice – walk away and spare Joseph‘s life, or resist and trigger a secret nuclear bomb. Both endings lead to global nuclear war, setting the stage for New Dawn.

New Dawn picks up the story 17 years later, with civilization in ruins after the nuclear war (dubbed "The Collapse"). You control a completely new protagonist, but return to find a transformed Hope County emerging from nuclear winter. Survivors gather to rebuild at Prosperity, a settlement built on the remains of Joseph‘s compound.

The connections between both games run extremely deep:

• Joseph Seed‘s son Ethan has become leader of a violent religious group called New Eden
• Carmina Rye, daughter of beloved Far Cry 5 sidekicks Nick and Kim, is a major NPC
• The nuclear war kickstarting New Dawn is a direct consequence of Far Cry 5‘s endings
• The Judge, a mysterious ally from New Dawn, is revealed as a brainwashed version of your old deputy character

These key story elements will lack proper context without knowing the backstories from Far Cry 5. You‘d be completely lost on the relationships between returning characters. New Dawn expects you to recall details like Joseph‘s prophecy and build‘s heavily on revisiting a transformed Hope County.

Gameplay and Progression Feel Familiar Too

On the gameplay side, New Dawn also carries over and adds to Far Cry 5‘s core mechanics. Driving, shooting, crafting, and exploring Hope County feels very consistent between both titles. New Dawn does switch up the weapon progression system, basing gear levels on color rarities.

This expanded system of scrappy low-level white weapons leading up to elite purple rarity gear stacks on top of Far Cry 5‘s own weapon skins/modifications. Understanding how it works builds from the previous knowledge.

Outside of combat, you still capture outposts, build partnerships with locals, and unlock new gear through side activities. Reviews agree the moment-to-moment open world exploration feels like classic Far Cry gameplay. In a poll by GameSpot, 89% of respondents said they loved how New Dawn improved the explorable environments.

An Epilogue Worth Experiencing After the Full Story

As a standalone package, Far Cry New Dawn earns solid marks as an innovative post-apocalyptic take on the series‘ formula. But coming in blind robs you of the intricate, rewarding ways it connects back to Far Cry 5 in terms of narrative and gameplay.

Without witnessing the nuclear war firsthand, seeing old characters return or landmarks transformed lacks proper weight. Not knowing the history dampens reunions like finding out an older version of Carmina is the pilot that rescues you.

For maximum enjoyment, absolutely complete Far Cry 5 first before starting your New Dawn adventure. It may seem obvious, but I‘ve seen enough newcomers ask online whether they need to play the previous title. As someone who 100% completed and loved both of these games, trust me when I say the epic story payoffs make playing Far Cry 5 a must!