Far Cry: New Dawn’s Creative Director Talks Weapon Crafting, Enemy Factions, and Furry Post-Apocalyptic Foes

Picking up 17 years after the cataclysmic conclusion of Far Cry 5, New Dawn finds Hope County, Montana making a post-nuclear winter comeback. Flowers are blooming, skies are blue, and survivors are rebuilding the once cult-controlled community.

According to Creative Director Jean-Sebastien Decant, however, New Dawn presents much more than a pretty, post-apocalypse populated by hopeful survivors. Based on our one-on-one time with Decant, who served as FC5‘s narrative director, it seems fans will also face a new enemy faction – and find fresh ways to deal with them – and even reunite with some old Far Cry 5 friends.

Xbox Wire: New Dawn is interesting in that it works as a sequel to Far Cry 5, but also as a standalone post-apocalyptic entry in the series. How was the concept conceived?

Jean-Sebastien Decant: We were toying with different scenarios for [Far Cry 5‘s] ending, and the doomsday was the most exciting one. At the same time, we’ve wanted to do a Far Cry in a post-apocalyptic city, so it was like, okay, we could finish [Far Cry 5] in a dramatic fashion, and it would actually be the beginning of a brand new world and a brand new story.

XW: New Dawn takes place in Hope County, but it’s been transformed by time and nuclear war. Will players still recognize it or any of its landmarks?

Decant: The map has been transformed by the events, for sure, and some elements that were very recognizable are gone. But some things remain…the remnants of the statue of the Father are still there, and John Seed’s ranch has become the home-base “Prosperity” for the good guys. So, there are plenty of places that you could discover again.

XW: How will this new world’s scarcer resources affect players and how they survive?

Decant: People must make do with what they have, so makeshift weapons and vehicles are at the core of the game. Gathering and crafting elements to make your weapons is going to be key. Additionally, the whole progression of the game now evolves around Prosperity, the home-base. It’s a place in which you will invest in resources, and build, and get upgrades in return.

XW: These crafting elements are discovered in the world?

Decant: Yes, but we also have Expeditions, the ability to go outside of Hope County and discover what happened in other places 17 years after the events. You can get some very rare resources in these snatch-and grab-missions.

XW: What sort of makeshift weapons and gear can fans look forward to crafting?

Decant: We have some brand-new weapons, like the saw blade launcher…it’s nasty and crazy. But there’ also tiers of weapons, so when you upgrade the armory in Prosperity, you get the ability to reach a new rank of weapons. You can craft these new weapons, but if you’re in love with a specific existing weapon, you can still invest resources to upgrade its efficiency ad infinitum.

XW: Based on the new enemy faction, the Highwaymen, it sounds like players will need all the help they can get. What can you tell us about them and their twin sister leaders Mickey and Lou?

Jean-Sebastien Decant: They see the world with two categories of people. You’re either a problem maker or a problem solver, and you don’t want to be a problem maker. They are also scavengers, going from place to place, claiming all the resources for themselves. They don’t feel like there is a tomorrow, so they live for the day. And if you are in their way, it’s going to be very bad.

XW: In addition to the Highwaymen, it sounds like players will have to deal with some wildlife that’s been, er, altered?

Decant: In Far Cry 5, there was the cult’s drug Bliss. Lots of that Bliss was poured into Hope County back in the day. So combined with17 years of nuclear apocalypse, maybe it gave us an opportunity to create some weird animals… more bulky, more aggressive, almost like from the primal days.

XW: New Dawn‘s trailer shows some brief glimpses of characters from Far Cry 5, including Joseph Seed, Hurk, and Pasture Jerome. Does the game contain many of these call-backs and characters to the previous entry?

Decant: There is plenty of that. We are keeping what is going on with Joseph Seed close to our chest, because there is much more to it than what we are showing right now. Nothing  that I can talk about, but what I can tell you is that the Father, well, the world is kind of where he wanted it to be, so there is a chance for a fresh start, to try something new.

Thank you to Jean-Sebastien Decant for taking the time to share with us these exciting details about Far Cry: New Dawn. Stay tuned here to Xbox Wire for the latest news on this game and many others coming soon to Xbox One.

Far Cry: New Dawn is available for pre-order today on Xbox One via the Microsoft Store. Click here for pre-order details.