Far Cry 5 is the latest entry in this popular first-person shooter from Ubisoft. Set in Hope County, Montana, players assume the role of an unnamed deputy that’s tasked with bringing down an influential doomsday cult called the Project at Eden’s Gate. Led by Joseph Seed – aka Father – this cult has taken over every aspect of the county. They’re extremely dangerous and are known for kidnapping, torturing, and brainwashing people into believing their ideology.
———Major Spoilers Below!———
The Resist Ending
The main focus around Far Cry 5 is systematically disrupting the cult’s influence in three key regions. Each region is controlled by a cult leader who specializes in different aspects of Eden’s Gate such as security or chemical warfare. Once the player has fought their way through all three regions they will be given a mission titled “Where It All Began.” This is the final story mission and it has the player confront Father in his own church. Once you arrive you’ll be given two choices by Father – Resist or Walk Away. Keep in mind you cannot replay this mission without restarting all of Far Cry 5, but if you want the crazy ending make sure to pick Resist.
Selecting this option will cause Father explain that the final seal has been opened and he will kick off a boss battle by infecting you with their hallucinogen called Bliss. This triggers a fight where you have to knock your mind controlled allies down so you can revive them and clear their minds. After 12 of your allies are revived the player can finally put Joseph Seed down. The engagement is fairly straightforward, especially when compared to Jacob and Faith’s boss battles. After you beat Father the sheriff will go to cuff him once and for all.
Then things go completely off the rails. Right before you can detain Father a giant explosion will occur in the distance that resembles a nuclear bomb. However, we investigated the area where the explosion happened and couldn’t find any evidence of a bomb. It’s possible that this location is in the out of bounds section, but there was no physical evidence. We also never found any lore entries that suggested they had a nuke, however, there is a chance we missed something given how big the world is.
After the bomb goes off the player shoves Father in a car with his allies and enters a driving sequence. All you have to do is get to the bunker before the timer expires while the world around you falls apart, gets set on fire, and generally becomes unpleasant. Right before reaching Dutch’s bunker you crash the car leaving only you and Father alive. Joseph drags you to Dutch’s bunker – who he then kills – and the player awakens chained to a bed. Father then gives you one final speech where he explains that you killed his biological family so God must want the player to become his new family member. Far Cry 5 concludes with you ending the world (or at least Hope County, Montana), being imprisoned with Joseph in a bunker, and becoming the newest member of the Seed family.
The Walk Way Ending
If you decided to walk away from everything then you’ll simply lay down your arms and Father with forgiving you. This is followed by your character getting into the truck while your allies argue amongst yourselves about what to do next. However, as you drive away the screen will begin to go red which could mean a few different things. One of the most obvious possibilities is your character just dies from all the trauma caused by the Bliss. You’ve been exposed to this toxin for most of the game so this could be the rookie overdosing and becoming an “Angel.”
The other possibility is Father decided to trigger the bomb anyway and this is it going off as you drive away. Yet, we think this is more unlikely since the explosion was tied to the final seal breaking and you walking away prevents this. While Hope County still lives, this could still be viewed as the bad ending since you gave up and decided not to fight Father.
Following the Clues
Currently, there are three explanations for what caused the massive explosion at the end of the game. Either Father triggered a bomb when the final seal was open or he was actually right and this is the end of the world. The final possibility is you are still under the influence of Bliss and none of this actually happened. We see the familiar starry visual effects throughout the ending so there’s a small chance that these events are all in your head. This is the most unlikely of the three, but it’s nice to hope you’re just going crazy and the apocalypse didn’t just occur.
However, if you’ve been paying attention to the various Eden’s Gate characters then you know something was going to happen. John, Jacob, and Faith all warn the player that this has been apart of Father’s plan from the beginning. Jacob specifically informs the player that Father knew that the player would try to kill his family members. After each core member dies you are also treated to a small cutscene where Joseph explains that another seal has been broken. If you assume that Joseph has been right this whole time then it’s the player’s direct actions that caused all of this.
Your recklessness and violence caused every seal to break and thus bring everyone in the game closer to the end of the world. Yet, if you want to believe it’s just a bomb there is a high chance that Eden’s Gate could obtain one. It’s clear that they have infiltrated every level of government in Hope County, so there’s a chance they got to someone who could have launched the missile. Plus, we learn that Jacob served in the military so he might possess contacts that could have fed the cult info about the nuke. The explosion is also in the shape of a mushroom cloud and nothing supernatural happens during the driving sequence.
Ultimately, Far Cry 5 leaves it up to the player’s interpretation of the cult’s beliefs. There is just enough evidence for both theories to be right. Maybe you should just walk away and ensure that no one gets obliterated. Sure, the cult’s activities will continue, but at least you’re not responsible for possibly ending the entire world.