Far Cry’s Deadliest Hunts

More so than any Far Cry before it, Far Cry Primal puts a huge emphasis on animals and the hunting thereof. Not only are dangerous beasts your prey and primary antagonists, but they can also be indispensable friends once you unlock the ability to tame them. It’s a new dynamic for a series that’s long been defined by gunfights against heavily armed mercenaries, and it’s given me a reason to look back at some of deadlier, more legendary creatures I’ve tracked, killed and skinned in Far Cry over the past few years – and to wonder what could have been, had we both been just a little friendlier. You know, like Takkar and his furry pals:

<div data-agegate='{"age":"17","content":"

“}’>

Albino Crocodile

Hunted in: Far Cry 3

While Far Cry has no shortage of dangerous fauna, skilled players can usually get the better of them without coming to direct harm. No such luck when you’re hunting Far Cry 3’s Albino Crocodile. It’s not difficult to get the drop on this stealthy beast. Unlike the other crocs, it stands out against its murky surroundings, even while hiding under a sheet of vegetation – but this is the only hunting mission that requires you to actually throw yourself into the jaws of a dangerous animal.

The mission calls for you to kill the Albino Crocodile with a machete, meaning you’ll need to get close. But the second you do, it detects and turns on you, and your only way out is to stab it in the head a few times while it chomps you. Are croc attacks less creepy when you can see them coming? Hunting the Albino Crocodile is a sure-fire way to find out.

What I’d do if it was my friend: Make it follow me onto land so I can see if the Internet is right about crocs being fast runners. Hide in the swamps and help it ambush passing pirates. Actually, just hang out in swamps as much as possible. Become the swamp. Draw power from its muddy reeds and stately banyan trees. Secretly influence Vaas to build more swamp-based outposts.

Gulo

Hunted in: Far Cry 4

Like all honey badgers, the vicious little monster known as Gulo doesn’t give a shhhhhhhhhockingly inoffensive expletive, like “darn.” Gulo doesn’t give a darn. Sure. If you need proof, just look at the way he leaves trash strewn around his lair. Overturned cars! Rhinoceros husks! The lifeless bodies of armed men! I’ve seen reality shows about hoarding that looked more hygienic.

For all his buildup and bluster, Gulo isn’t that hard to deal with, so long as you keep backing away (or find a safe place to stand) and hammer his body with as much machinegun-based violence as possible. Even so, his tiny frame can absorb a lot of punishment, and one bite can quickly put your health in the red. The build-up alone makes him one of Far Cry 4’s most memorable encounters, granting him a special place in the darkest, most fear-filled recesses of our hearts.

What I’d do if he was my friend: Flip over Pagan Min’s dinner table and leave his palace a smoking ruin. Carve a gruesome swath through Kyrat, heralding an unstoppable new reign of blood and horror that will make grown men weep for generations. Eat all the crab Rangoon.

Maneater Shark

Hunted in: Far Cry 3

For those of us who watched Jaws a few too many times as children, nothing carries quite the same primordial, paralyzing fear as the idea of jumping into the water with a hungry shark. Not only is it faster in the water than you are, but your awareness is limiAUGH IT’S GONNA GET ME.

The unease created by the unique Maneater shark is only compounded by the hook jutting out of its lower jaw, which looks like it would make getting stuck in those jaws even more horrific. (It doesn’t, really, but still.) Luckily for would-be hunters, the quest that sends you after the Maneater requires you to kill it with a bow, not a machete, so you’ll only have to go face-to-jaw with the thing if you motor out in a Jet Ski and fall into the water (which is a sound tactic for getting the beast to chase you, but not for long-term survival). It’s better to find a boat and snipe it from a safe, unsinkable platform.

What I’d do if it was my friend: Are you kidding? Having a shark friend would be awesome. I’d visit dive sites with impunity, confident that my trustworthy new companion would scare the other sharks away. Then I’d ride across the waves on its back, secure in the knowledge that a bull shark’s renowned sense of loyalty would prevent it from growing impatient and suddenly chomping my legs off.

C’mon, look at this face. Can you think of a better swimming buddy?

It only wants to be petted. Go on, put your hands near its face.

Unique Horn Dragon

Hunted in: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

The Blood Dragons that roam the nameless hills of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon may look like oversized neon iguanas, but their ability to shoot lasers from their eyes is a pretty clear sign you should steer clear. These are some of the deadliest predators you’ll face in any Far Cry game, and the deadliest Blood Dragon is an elusive creature known as the Unique Horn (har har).

Unlike most of the other predators on this list, the Unique Horn has a few reliable weaknesses. Huge piles of explosives are an obvious one. So is the glowing mark on its chest (which should be obvious, if you’ve ever played a video game before). They can also be distracted if you toss out their favorite treats: the cyber-hearts of dead enemies, which cause them to briefly ignore you. Use this knowledge to your advantage, and this beautiful and dangerous creature can quickly be converted into an ugly mountain of explosive reptile meat.

What I’d do if it was my friend: Spoiler alert – you do get to briefly befriend and ride a heavily armed Blood Dragon in the game’s explosive finale. For the purpose of roaming around enemy-filled islands, however, huge guns and cybernetic targeting systems are just gilding the lily. There’s a beautiful simplicity in harnessing the power of a man-eating abomination that explodes things by looking at them, and sitting astride it while it lazily munches its way through Omega Force sounds like a fun time.

Yetis

Hunted in: Far Cry 4: Valley of the Yetis

This entry isn’t in reference to any specific Yeti, just Yetis in general, because Yetis in general will mess you up. Like the Blood Dragons, the Yetis that populate Far Cry 4’s Valley of the Yetis expansion are big, tough brutes that can take absurd amounts of punishment. They’re fast, able to keep pace with most vehicles and keep you terrified if you try to flee on a snowmobile. They’re also incredibly strong, able to knock over jeeps and pound you flat while you desperately unload all your guns into their faces. Worse still, they can hurl rocks at you from a distance, so it’s best not to upset them unless you really, really want to.

Should you anger a Yeti (and you will, should you dare to exist near it), your best hope is to keep your distance while leveling as many shots as possible straight at its head. After a few good hits or an explosive blast, the Yeti will be momentarily stunned, giving you exactly the opening you need to clamber onto their hairy backs and stab them until they’re dead.

What I’d do if one was my friend: Make it toss me into the air to grab hard-to-reach ledges. Use its indomitable strength constructively and make it to build a house out of discarded jeeps. Ride around on its shoulders. Run Bartertown.

The Sewer Turtles

Hunted in: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Unlike their clear rat-befriending, pizza-loving inspiration, the four tortoises that Rex “Power” Colt is sent into the sewers to assassinate aren’t particularly deadly. Or even dangerous. Actually, they don’t really do anything. It’d be enough to make you question the nature of morality and wonder if you’re really the bad guy after all, except for the deathtraps the little creeps went and surrounded themselves with.

Narrow walkways over electrified water, we can deal with – but hidden explosives? A Home Alone-style flamethrower trap? By the end of the mission, you’ll be annihilating these things out of sheer annoyance – and that’s when you’ll fall into the jaws of the neon crocodile lurking near the last turtle.

What I’d do if they were my friends: They just sort of sit around, which means that of all the creatures on this list, they resemble my actual friends the most. So probably we’d just watch terrible movies and feel our remaining time on Earth gradually tick away.

Thick Skin

Hunted in: Far Cry 4

The elephants of Kyrat might seem docile and helpful, but anyone who’s accidentally grazed one with a stray bullet knows that they’re ticking time bombs, ready to burst into a soldier-stomping, car-smashing frenzy the second they get hurt. For the sad creature known as Thick Skin, every moment is one of nonstop rage, thanks to a terminal disease that makes it crazy and hostile. Going toe-to-toe with this thing – using a flamethrower, no less – is a terrible idea, but all’s fair in the pursuit of Kyrat Fashion Week.

What I’d do if he was my friend: You know what? There are plenty of elephants friendlier than Thick Skin all over Kyrat, and most of them are perfectly happy to let me hop on their backs and use them as living tanks, no questions asked. So while there’s a certain cachet in befriending an animal that hates absolutely everyone else, Thick Skin simply isn’t worth the effort.

Golden Tiger

Hunted in: Far Cry 3

Tigers are some of the most dangerous animals you’ll face in any Far Cry, and they’re only going to be more dangerous now that Far Cry Primal’s versions have giant, curved fangs. There’s been a tiger hunt in every game that featured hunts, and out of all those, I have to give props to the rare Sumatran tiger you’re tasked with hunting in Far Cry 3. Not because it’s particularly more dangerous than the rare tigers in other games, but because it’s the first, and because you have to hunt it with that most Primal of weapons: the bow.

Gunning down a tiger is difficult enough at the best of times, thanks to their tendency to hide in tall grass and rush you, but being forced to use a bow and arrows levels the playing field, and puts you at a huge disadvantage if you’re the type to blunder after it instead of sneaking around or tracking it with perception-boosting drugs. Even then, the presence of other tigers nearby means this hunt can go south in a hurry.

What I’d do if it was my friend: Probably get bitten in half after making it chase a laser pointer to the point of aggravation.

Eager to find out how making friends with deadly animals changes the dynamics of Far Cry? Find out when Far Cry Primal arrives on PS4 and Xbox One on February 23, and PC on March 1.

For more on Far Cry, check out these stories:

Far Cry Primal Developer Q&A Part 1 – Creating the Unexpected

Far Cry Primal – How to Create a Stone Age Soundtrack

Far Cry Primal – Cannibals, Sun Walkers and the Story of Oros

The post Far Cry’s Deadliest Hunts appeared first on UbiBlog – Ubisoft®.