'Far Cry 5' Beginner Guide: Character Customization, Best Weapons, Perks and More

Far Cry 5 is out now, and with any major release there are bound to be questions from new players on the best way to get started. There are a ton of weapons, 50 perks and little direction given for what to do once you really get going. Don't worry! If you follow this guide, you'll be doing great.

'Far Cry 5' Beginner Guide: Tips For Starting Off Right

Far Cry 5 Character Creation/Customization

Character creation in Far Cry 5 happens during two different stages. The first, during the opening cutscene, asks if you are a man or woman. There's no gameplay differences between the two, so pick whichever you want. Keep in mind, this is the one decision you CANNOT change while playing, so pick carefully here.

Once you've completed the opening segment, you'll find yourself in an underground bunker with a man named Dutch. Once you wake up he'll tell you to get changed. This is when you can actually customize your look and clothing. Hair and clothing can all be changed later, but your face is permanent so choose carefully.

Once you really get going and want to change your look again, simply go to any General Store on the map. There is an option in the store for clothing. Select this and you can customize your hat, gloves, shirt, pants and hair style.

Far Cry 5 Best Perks: Skill Tree Perks To Fill In First

There are 50 perks in Far Cry 5 and some of them are way more helpful than others. If you're wondering which perks or skills are the best early on, definitely focus on the perks that help you move around the map. These include the Grapple, Parachute, Human Fish and Wingsuit perks.

Other useful perks are the health boosts (even if they are some of the most expensive perks available) and the Repair Torch perk (because it can also open safes for you). The Additional Holster and Weapons Collector perks are a must, but are costly. Saving up the combined 17 perk points is worth it for the extra weapons slots.

From there, pick the perks that best suit your play style. Like to use sniper rifles? Pick the Rifle Mastery and Rifle Ammo Bag perks. Prefer to use stealth? Pick up the Sneaky Sprint and Ghost and Takedown Mastery perks. Have an ally you like to play with? Pick their perk once you've unlocked them.

To get more perk points, you'll need to complete challenges. To see the challenges, press R1/RB while looking at the perk chart. An easy way to complete challenges is to switch up the weapons you use and allies you fight with.

Far Cry 5 Best Weapons

Determining which weapon is "best" often falls on which weapon types you prefer to use. Typically the better weapons in each category of melee, pistol, shotgun, SMG, rifle, sniper and the others are the weapons at the bottom of each list, but before the fancy painted guns. These specialty versions of other weapons look nice, but cost more and don't have better stats. Save your cash and stick with a normal looking gun before getting the fancy gear.

Personally, I found using the M60 LMG made just about any mission a breeze. Coupled with the extended magazine upgrade, the M60 is capable of clearing a room in seconds. It is also the gun of choice to use against the armored enemies, and pretty effective against vehicles. If you go this route, I strongly suggest picking up the Heavy Weapons Mastery perk to increase your reload speed.

What Missions Do I Do First?

After completing the handful of missions for Dutch on his island, players are given the freedom to go into any of the three regions and start taking back Hope County. But which mission should you do first? There's really no set path, so it's up to you.

My advice: open your map and find one of the locations to get a Gun/Fang for Hire. Rae-Rae's pumpkin farm is closest to your location, and you can unlock Boomer the dog to join you when fighting. If you don't want Boomer, the Baron lumber mill to the north has Jess Black and Peaches Taxidermy has Peaches the cougar.

Once you have an ally to help with the initial learning curve of combat, pick a mission or two in each of the three regions. Decide which Seed you want to eliminate first, then focus on that area.

So what do you think? Do you have any other questions about Far Cry 5? Do you prefer stealth, run and gun or a mix of the two? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.