Easter Eggs Only True Fans Caught In Far Cry 6
Warning: The following contains spoilers for "Far Cry 6."
The bigger the game world, the more opportunities to sprinkle in Easter eggs. Since Ubisoft is addicted to the open world formula, the studio unsurprisingly litters its titles with these types of treats, "Far Cry 6" included. While the game is hardly a minefield of references and in-jokes, players don't have to go out of their way to find them, just keep one eye trained at all times. This is easier said than done when a fictional dictator's personal army is hunting you down.
Many Easter eggs in "Far Cry 6" are surprisingly easy to miss, either because players are too busy dodging bullets and sniper fire to catch them or require an encyclopedic knowledge of past Ubisoft titles to comprehend what they're looking at. But rest assured, Easter eggs dot the fictional nation of Yara. If you're having trouble finding some of these cheeky little jokes (or need them explained), you're in luck.
Here's your field guide to the guerilla references and jokes you can find in "Far Cry 6."
Pagan Min appears on magazine covers
"Far Cry" games sell themselves on main villains who hog the game cover and are as charismatic as they are psychopathic. First came Vaas Montenegro in "Far Cry 3," followed by Pagan Min in "Far Cry 4." Joseph Seed dominated "Far Cry 5," and now Anton Castillo has his turn in "Far Cry 6." But just because Anton is the face of the game, that doesn't mean the presence of past big bads can't be felt — and not just because of upcoming villain-centric DLC.
Throughout "Far Cry 6," players can find magazines that feature Pagan Min strewn in random locations. These periodicals might seem out of place in the isolationist nation of Yara since its military tends to seize foreign trade as contraband, but what totalitarian regime would be complete without some hypocrisy? If you look closely, these publications are all the same chocolate-themed digest that tout interviews with Pagan, which implies that "Far Cry 6" takes place chronologically before "Far Cry 4."
Since these magazines pop up on desks in numerous locations, they're as easy to find as they are to miss, and once you find one, you've seen all this Easter egg has to offer. Still, they're still a cute tribute to one of the "Far Cry" franchise's best villains, and you can't help but wonder why there are so many of these magazines in Yara. Are Anton's men big fans of chocolate or Pagan Min? Perhaps its pages reveal his secret recipe for Crab Rangoon. Fans may never know.
Boomer lives
After "Far Cry Primal" introduced tameable mammoths and saber-toothed tigers, Ubisoft expanded the mechanic for "Far Cry 5." The game included plenty of human partners, but animals still stole the spotlight, most notably Cheeseburger the bear and Boomer the dog. After one of the "Far Cry 5" endings canonically resulted in a nuclear detonation, many audience members wondered which furry allies would survive the ensuing neon post-apocalypse in "Far Cry New Dawn." According to an Easter egg in that game, Boomer wasn't one of them — but "Far Cry 6" provides a refreshing retcon for the goodest boy in video game history (yes he is, yes he is).
In "Far Cry 6," players can recruit a petting zoo worth of animal companions, including Guapo the crocodile and Chorizo the wheelchair wiener puppy. However, the most lore-important companion is revealed during the mission "Boom or Bust." Players have to smash open shipping crates to find weapons, and while most contain hungry pumas, one houses a dog that looks suspiciously like Boomer, who the protagonist names Boom Boom. This isn't just a case of Ubisoft recycling assets, though.
According to a note stashed with the dog, Boom Boom was shipped from Montana at the request of "some crazy American" named Hurk. Yes, the same Hurk from previous "Far Cry" games, including "Far Cry 5." And since that game takes place in the fictional Hope County of Montana, this Easter egg confirms seemingly creates an alternate fate for Boomer. Instead of dying at the end of "Far Cry 5," Boomer probably lived a long life herding chickens and pigs on Yaran beaches. You all can breathe a sigh of relief now.
Sean McKay drops some Far Cry names
In "Far Cry 6," players have to dismantle Anton Castillo's operations, one of which is run by Sean McKay. The man is an amoral weasel in a three-piece suit who poisons people, spouts racist innuendo, and generally makes players want to take him down. Come "The Deported," players finally catch up to McKay, but he has one final trick up his sleeve: hand the revolutionary army a ton of Yaran Pesos (which, according to him, costs as much as a double cheeseburger due to exchange rates) in return for his safety. Oh, and he provides an Easter egg.
If players stick around after they let McKay live, he eventually gets bored, pulls out a satellite phone, and starts chatting with old friends. The conversation might go over the heads of newcomers, but McKay lays several Easter egg names that should ring familiar to "Far Cry" veterans. These are Willis Huntley, a CIA operative who has popped up in numerous "Far Cry" games, and Longinus, the gunrunning priest from "Far Cry 4." Since these characters are part of the same conversation, not only does this Easter egg imply that the three have a history together, it also indicates that McKay might have had a finger in the Kyrat civil war from "Far Cry 4," arming both sides and making a profit from their conflict.
Players who decide to do the right thing and kill McKay will actually miss out on this world-building long-distance call.
Notes hint at other Ubisoft games
Collectible notes are a reliable method of fleshing out a game world. No need to create new models and textures; just type out a small blurb, maybe add in a typo or two for character, and bam, you have a helpful journal entry. And if you insert a joke or reference into the note, it becomes an Easter egg.
"Far Cry 6" has a ton of collectible journals to keep audiences busy. Most scraps make Yara feel alive, while others just remind audiences they're playing a Ubisoft game. One such note, which lists several Ubisoft references, is found in Bunker 2 during the Treasure Hunt "Cache Money." These references include mentions of an "ancient spear," a Chinese knife, an urn, and a pair of extendable, gauntlet-mounted blades. While the urn is a mystery, the knife probably references the Silver Dragon from "Far Cry 3," while the spear and blades are obvious allusions to the Spear of Leonidas and Hidden Blades from "Assassin's Creed." A similar note in a different bunker also lists other Ubisoft game items, including the Golden Apple, also from "Assassin's Creed," and a box of Electrum, which is both a currency in "Starlink: Battle for Atlas" and a real-world alloy.
Speaking of "Starlink," players can find a model of the game's Zenith ship near the back of Bunker 2, complete with a note stating the game canonically exists in the "Far Cry" world. Unfortunately, the ship is described as a "rare asset," so "Starlink" probably didn't fare any better in the "Far Cry" world than it did in the real one.
Tons of movie references
You simply can't go wrong with a good movie or book reference. Classic stories are ingrained in the cultural zeitgeist and make for popular Easter eggs — it's almost a video game tradition to include at least one such reference, and "Far Cry 6" crams in more than a few.
The first movie-themed reference players will probably uncover is a gun charm, specifically a pair of bullets dubbed Full Metal Jacket. These are mandatory customization items looted during the mission "Juan of a Kind" and they, quite obviously, reference the movie "Full Metal Jacket." The item description even transcribes Gunnery Sergeant Hartman's iconic last line.
Players can also find a two-for-one deal in the Treasure Hunt "The Emerald Skull." On the surface, this mission seems like one big "Indiana Jones" riff, especially since it is themed after a mystical skull and hides an unlockable fedora. Instead of tasking players with following the trail of an Indiana stand-in, the mission asks gamers to trace the steps one Dr. Halfmain. Many gamers might not get this reference, but late-1880s literary buffs should recognize it as a play on H. Rider Haggard's adventurous Allan Quartermain (via Britannica).
Even if these Easter eggs go over gamers' heads, "Far Cry 6" has one final, unmissable reference that takes up an entire map. Players who participate in Special Operations are whisked away to isolated areas, one of which is Mesozoico, a.k.a. Mesozoic Park. Not only is the name an homage to "Jurassic Park," the area copies several iconic landmarks from the film. Someone should sue Anton Castillo for copyright infringement.
Tiny text on the plaque
Usually, an Easter egg's humor relies on an in-joke — gamers who never played "Dragon Age" probably won't giggle when they see an Ogre statue in "Mass Effect 2". However, some Easter eggs are designed to be universally funny. While many "Far Cry 6" Easter eggs require prior knowledge of Ubisoft games, one doesn't. It does, however, require a sniper rifle.
If players accept the "Stealing Home" mission, Freddy Fonseca Jr. will ask them to steal his father's lucky glove, jersey, and jock strap back from Yaran authorities. A tiny plaque rests on each piece of memorabilia, and you might wonder what the plaques say. Well, if you look close enough, you will see text that is too small to read. Some players might give up, but if they think outside the box and zoom in on the jersey's plaque with a sniper scope, they can read the following message: "This text is so small you can't read it."
That's it. That's the joke. The text is too small to be read by the naked eye, but that's nothing some military equipment can't fix.
Old game consoles turned into weapons
"Far Cry 6" likes to drive two points home: The game's revolutionary army relies on old equipment and MacGyver-ed weaponry, and players can customize their items in a variety of ways. What's the point of wielding a homemade flamethrower if you can't deck it out in Hot Rod flames? While many weapon skins are the standard "Call of Duty"-esque cosmetics that come in standard tropical environment colors (e.g., jungle camo, tiger and zebra prints), others are a little more jokey. A few skins even imply that the revolutionary army is so strapped for parts, they're making guns out of old video game consoles.
Two of the funniest skins in "Far Cry 6" are the Into Orbit skin for the Rocket Launcher and La Guaracha for the RPG-7. These skins make the weapons look like a space rocket and a clarinet, respectively, and there are few concepts more humorous than blowing up enemies with a rocket that shoots rockets or a weaponized wind instrument.
However, the award for best weapon easter eggs goes to the Commodore skin for the RMS18 shotgun and the Wood Panel skin for the Desert Eagle. These two skins are not-so subtle references to some of the first game consoles ever, the Commodore 64 and the Atari 2600. The Commodore skin features the Commodore off-white coloring (sun-yellowing not included) with some of the console's rainbow stylings for flare, while the Wood Panel is just an Atari 2600 in the shape of a pistol, complete with a "TV GAME CONSOLE" sticker.
There are worse ways to recycle discontinued game platforms.
QR codes hide Far Cry secrets
While exploring "Far Cry 6," players might come across QR codes chilling out in several locations, mostly on shipping crates. Most gamers will probably try to scan these codes with the protagonist's in-game smartphone. That's how QR codes work in reality, so these in-game QR codes must lead to something special, right? Well, yes and no.
Players have to whip out their real cellphones and scan these QR codes; then they'll receive a link to a cryptic video page featuring an anthropomorphic gun chamber, a cg layout of a place dubbed "Sky Temple" (no such place exists in Yara ... yet), and a hi-tech blueprint of a big, armored cat attacking an unlucky mercenary. What could this Easter egg mean? Is it a taste of things to come in the DLC, or is it a tease of "Far Cry 7?" Fans will have to wait to find out.
The second QR code's message is a bit more straightforward, but only because it is locked behind a DLC paywall. One of the "Blood Dragon" DLC offerings is a new pet, K-9000, who sports a QR code on his tag. Scanning this code leads to a slide puzzle that, when solved, unlocks a downloadable teaser image for "Captain Laserhawk," the upcoming Netflix cartoon based on "Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon" (via Variety).
These are the only two QR codes sites such as IGN have found so far. If you scan a code that leads to a different AR Easter egg, be sure to tell the world.
An Assassin-esque leap of faith
Not all Easter eggs are built the same. Some stand out in the open, wearing a flashing neon sign that screams, "NOTICE ME!" and explains what it references, while others are a little more subtle and rely on players to put the pieces together. The latter is very fitting for an Easter egg that references Ubisoft's proprietary franchise about stealth assassins and global conspiracies.
If players visit the Cayo Seguro Peninsula in "Far Cry 6," they will find a tower begging to be climbed. No, this tower is not one of those radio towers that used to infest "Far Cry" titles; those forced players to climb them to finish/complete the game. Big difference. This tower subtly calls out to players because it is one big "Assassin's Creed" reference.
If players climb this tower, they will see a wooden plank sticking out at the top, and anyone who ventures out onto it will hear a bird cry, not unlike the one that accompanies assassins whenever they perform a leap of faith. A pile of hay is even thoughtfully placed below the plank to complete the reference. However, that's as far as the Easter egg goes. Anyone who jumps off the plank will break their legs, even if they land on the hay.
"Far Cry 6" might let players fight mutant chickens and heal their bullet-ridden bodies with a swig of rum, but gravity is the ultimate authority in the game and not to be trifled with.
Vaas before the insanity
After "Far Cry 6" was announced, gamers were quick to speculate that the game was a prequel to "Far Cry 3" and that, plot twist, Anton Castillo's son, Diego Castillo, would be reborn as Vaas Montenegro. Well, spoilers: he doesn't. In fact, Diego doesn't even survive the game's events. But, that doesn't mean gamers accurately predicted the whole prequel thing.
If players stick around after the game's credits roll, they will be treated to an after-credits scene. Unfortunately, this isn't one of those Marvel Cinematic Universe post-credit bits where characters tease upcoming events. In fact, audiences can't see a darn thing, since the "scene" takes place in a black void. However, the sequence does involve Juan Cortez talking to an "unidentified" smuggler. A suspiciously familiar-sounding smuggler.
While the smuggler's voice might go in the ears of "Far Cry" newcomers and out the other, "Far Cry 3" fans will instantly recognize Vaas' voice, chatting up Juan as if they were old friends. Probably because, judging by their conversation, they are.
Depending on the future of the "Far Cry" series, as well as the upcoming "Far Cry 6" DLC, this Easter egg conversation might sow the seeds of future titles, or it might just be fan service for audiences who have been with the series since "Far Cry 3." Then again, maybe it's an apology for killing off Diego and not turning him into a proto-Vaas.
An alternate ending to the revolution
Ever since "Far Cry 4," the "Far Cry" franchise has gently encouraged player laziness, but only via Easter eggs that defy gamer logic. If someone doesn't want to spend hours wandering a hostile countryside, they can wait 10-15 minutes during the first area and let the game play a secret cutscene where everything is resolved peacefully ... mostly. "Far Cry 6" has not abandoned that tradition, but it makes players work a bit for that early retirement and telegraphs its existence.
At the beginning of "Far Cry 6," players are conscripted into the revolutionary army at the business end of an assault rifle. However, it's for a good cause, and the army's leader, Clara Garcia, promises the protagonist a free ticket to Miami if they help her with a mission or two. And true to Clara's word, after players finish the mission "Libertad Rises," they are given two options. Players can either choose to stay and fight or run away after a fair trade.
If players pick the latter, they unlock a hidden ending cutscene that shows the protagonist relaxing on a beach without a care in the world. Although, while the main character is safe, the local exposition-spouting radio station implies that was the wrong choice. According to its report, Clara and her army are all dead, and Anton Castillo rules Yara unopposed. While the station doesn't go into details, players understand that because of their actions (or inactions), Yara is suffering. Oh, and the radio personality calls Clara's army "terrorists," so you just know the report came courtesy of Anton's own Minister of Truth.
Let's hope the beach was worth it.