Tigers, Propaganda Posters and Yalung Masks! We can’t stop playing Far Cry 4! In fact, we often daydream about Ubisoft’s open world adventure away from our consoles. Yes, we adore family members, but the PS4, Xbox One and PC get turned on the minute they go to sleep. That’s when we stock up on Molotovs, syringes and grenades before heading into Kyrat, unaware of the many discoveries we’re about to make.
With hundreds of collectibles to find, bell towers to liberate and bad guys in need of machine gun fire, there’s a plethora of fun things to do in addition to the single player campaign. If you need a little inspiration, no worries. We’re happy to point you in multiple directions and get your Far Cry 4 adventure started the best possible way.
Hunt for Collectibles
It won’t take long to earn enough money to purchase collectible item maps from a Sherpa or while visiting an outpost. These virtual pieces of paper reveal everything there is to grab in Kyrat, including 150 Propaganda Posters, 55 Masks of Yalung, 20 Lost Letters and Mohan Ghale’s Journals.
At first we thought buying maps was cheating, but Kyrat is simply too big to run around aimlessly. Besides, you’ll occasionally need to wipe out enemy forces to grab Propaganda Posters, and the Masks of Yalung often force you to put your climbing and cave spelunking skills to great use. Then you have the five Thangka Paintings, which are the toughest collectibles in Far Cry 4, but finding them all is worth the effort because they transport hero Ajay Ghale to Shangri-La, a cool dream world filled with demons and gorgeous scenery. Even better, you’ll occasionally have a white tiger tagging along, and you can sick it on enemies.
When it comes to collectibles, you could spend upwards of 30 hours finding them all without finishing half the campaign. Crazy!
Tip: Use Molotovs to get hard to reach Propaganda Posters.
Ride an Elephant
Most of the animals in Far Cry 4 want you dead, tigers, bears and eagles especially. Not true with elephants. Once you unlock the Elephant Riding skill these pachyderms become your friends. You can even hitch a ride and charge through Kyrat, smashing vehicles and throwing Pagan Min’s soldiers around like ragdolls. They’re almost indestructible and deal a heavy amount of damage, making them the perfect companions for storming a heavily guarded outpost or stomping other creatures, rhinos and wolves in particular.
Tip: Elephants can swim.
Fly the Buzzer
There are multiple vehicles in this game, some naturally better than others. A standard-looking Jeep is a nice way to get around, but we prefer the Jet Ski, ATV and hang glider. The best vehicle, though, is the Buzzer, a crude helicopter ideal for scaling mountains and getting the drop on bad guys; you can fire a grenade launcher from the Buzzer. You can’t go everywhere (an alarm sounds and the motor craps out when you reach peak altitude), but the Buzzer is an awesome vehicle to have at your disposal.
Tip: You’ll always find a Buzzer at the Ghale home, once you pay to unlock the privilege.
Liberate Bell Towers
Ubisoft covers much of Kyrat in fog at the start of the game. To reveal sections of the map, you’ll need to climb and then liberate 17 different bell towers in Far Cry 4 to stop broadcasting Pagan Min’s message. Each tower is a puzzle of sorts, and we enjoyed figuring out how to go from top to bottom without plummeting to our doom.
Tip: Save time by flying the buzzer near the top of a bell tower and then exiting the helicopter so Ajay lands near the radio, which you’ll then switch off.
Throw Bait
There are three reasons to skin animals in Far Cry 4. First, you can sell the skins for cash. Second, you’re able to craft materials into a bigger wallet, ammo bag or syringe holder. Third, you add the creature’s meat to Ajay’s inventory. Sneak up behind some enemies and then throw the meat, which will attract a carnivorous critter that immediately goes on the attack. Easy way to dispose of enemies without wasting ammo or putting Ajay at risk.
Tip: Throw bait from a safe distance. You don’t want the summoned bear to set its sights on Ajay.
Free Outposts
Seeing black smoke rising into the air fills us with excitement because we stumbled upon a captured outpost. Killing all of the enemies swings this location in the Golden Path’s favor, granting access to different missions (hostage rescue, for example), a bed for Ajay (use it to advance time) and vehicles.
How you go about killing these soldiers is entirely up to you. Sometimes we’ll hop on an elephant and charge through everyone in minutes. Other times we’ll creep into the camp and lodge arrows into some heads. Stealth is usually the best way to go, only because once they see Ajay someone will sound the alarm calling for even more soldiers, but you can always counter with Golden Path freedom fighters if you have them to spare.
Tip: See a caged tiger? Free the big cat and watch it run amok.
Compete in the Shanath Arena
Think of this as Far Cry 4’s horde mode. Once liberated, you’re free to return and test your skills against computer-controlled enemies in three different modes: Battles (anything goes), Endless Mode (the enemies keep coming) and Weapon Challenges (you only use one weapon). Definitely a great way to pass the time, and we love the Gladiator style vibe.
What’s your favorite activity in Far Cry 4? Driving trucks off mountains? Killing Demon Fish with an RPG? Co-op? Let us know.
Published: Dec 16, 2014 09:20 pm