The Far Cry New Dawn Ultimate Bundle includes the base game, the full season pass (Lost on Mars, Dead Living Zombies, Hours of Darkness), and a suite of weapon skins, vehicle skins, and perk boosters. It does not include Far Cry 5. If you own neither, buy Far Cry 5 first—this bundle is a sequel that assumes you finished it. If you already own New Dawn, the bundle saves you roughly the cost of one DLC pack.
Far Cry New Dawn released in February 2019 as a direct narrative sequel to Far Cry 5. Set 17 years after a nuclear exchange wiped out most of the United States, it returns to Hope County, Montana, now reclaimed by wildflowers and ruled by the Highwaymen—a scavenger faction led by twins Mickey and Lou. The game is shorter, more colorful, and mechanically lighter than its predecessor. It is also the only Far Cry game with a base-building progression loop tied to loot rarity. That distinction matters more than most reviews admit.
What the Ultimate Bundle Actually Includes
| Item | Type | Standalone Cost (USD, 2019 MSRP) |
|---|---|---|
| Far Cry New Dawn (base game) | Full game | $39.99 |
| Far Cry New Dawn Season Pass | 3 DLC missions + extras | $29.99 |
| Horde Specialist Pack | Weapon skins + vehicle skins | $4.99 |
| Hoppy Survivor Pack | Outfit + weapon skin | $3.99 |
| Survivor Weapon Pack | 3 weapons + perk | $4.99 |
| RPG-7 Weapon Pack | RPG-7 + skin | $2.99 |
| Ultimate Pack (pre-order bonus) | Perk boosters + ethanol | N/A (pre-order) |
Season Pass note: the three DLC missions are playable from the main menu, not embedded in the open world. You access them separately. They are not essential to the main story. If you only care about the single-player campaign, the base game alone covers it.
Decision archaeology: the Ultimate Bundle exists because Ubisoft wanted a single SKU that collected every New Dawn purchase option. It is not a discount on future content—all the DLC was already released. If you find the bundle on sale at $15–$20, it is the best value. At full price ($49.99), it is cheaper than buying base + season pass separately by roughly $25, but you are paying for items you may never equip.
Where New Dawn Sits in the Far Cry Timeline
Far Cry 5 ends with a nuclear detonation. New Dawn opens 17 years later. The player character is the same deputy from Far Cry 5, rescued from a bunker by a survivor named Carmina Rye. The game expects you to recognize references to Joseph Seed, the Project at Eden‘s Gate, and the Rye family. If you have not played Far Cry 5, the opening will feel like a cold start to a conversation already in progress.
Hard-Stop Verdict: Play Far Cry 5 first. The emotional weight of New Dawn depends entirely on knowing what was lost. The game does not recap the previous story.
Entity → mechanism → outcome: The Highwaymen (entity) control outposts that generate ethanol (mechanism). Capturing an outpost stops their resource flow and gives you a safe house (outcome). Outposts reset for harder versions later, but they never fully revert to enemy control.
How New Dawn Plays Differently
New Dawn replaces the standard Far Cry open-world loop of “liberate outpost → unlock weapon → liberate next outpost” with a layered progression tied to three systems: Prosperity base upgrades, weapon tiers, and Expeditions.
Prosperity — Your Base, Your Gear Gate
Prosperity is a central hub you build by spending ethanol and other resources. Upgrading it unlocks better weapons, vehicles, and traversal tools (grappling hook, air balloon, helicopter). This is the only progression path. You cannot buy the best weapons from a shop at rank 1.
Density Spike + Sparse Beat: The grappler upgrade comes from Prosperity level 2. The helicopter comes from level 3. The best LMG in the game comes from level 4. There is no shortcut. Farm ethanol by capturing outposts and completing Expeditions.
Weapon Tiers — The Ladder You Cannot Skip
New Dawn uses a weapon-tier system that Far Cry had not tried before: grey (common), blue (uncommon), purple (rare), gold (legendary). A grey assault rifle does so little damage to a gold-tier enemy that you will empty two magazines and die. This is not a suggestion—the damage multiplier scales per tier. You cannot fight Highwayman lieutenants with starting gear.
Entity → mechanism → outcome: Weapon tiers (entity) gate enemy damage thresholds (mechanism). If you bring a grey weapon to a gold-tier outpost, you deal ~30% of normal damage (outcome). The game does not tell you this. You will learn it when you die.
Expeditions — The Escape Valve
Expeditions are set-piece missions to locations outside Hope County (a crashed plane, a flooded swamp, a prison). They are optional but reward crafting materials and ethanol that outpace open-world gathering by a factor of roughly 3x per run. They also ignore the weapon-tier gate: you can complete them at any rank, though difficulty scales with your Prosperity level.
Rhetorical Q→A: Why would a new player bother with Expeditions? Because they bypass the early resource grind. One Expedition run at rank 1 gives enough ethanol to upgrade Prosperity once. That is faster than capturing two outposts.
Factions, Recapture, and the Pink Aesthetic
There are two factions: the Highwaymen (enemy) and the Survivors (allied NPCs). The Survivors are not a faction you join—they are the people of Prosperity. You do not earn faction reputation. You earn trust by completing missions for specific survivors, which unlocks their personal weapons.
The most misunderstood mechanic: outpost recapture. After you capture an outpost, the Highwaymen may retake it after a set number of in-game days. You can prevent this by paying ethanol to “secure” the outpost. Self-correction: Actually, this mechanic only applies after you complete the main story. During the campaign, outposts stay captured. The recapture loop is post-game content for grinding resources.
Entity → mechanism → outcome: The recapture timer (entity) triggers after the final mission (mechanism). Outposts revert to enemy control, letting you recapture them for more ethanol (outcome). This is how endgame players farm. New players should ignore it.
The visual tone—neon pink, magenta, and overgrown flora—is not a mistake. The creative director explained it as “hope after collapse.” It polarizes players. If you prefer gritty post-apocalypse (Metro, STALKER), this game will feel visually jarring. It is not a bug. It is the intended contrast.
Where to Start — The 5-Step Onboarding
If you just loaded into New Dawn for the first time, do not sprint toward the first mission marker. Follow this sequence instead:
- Explore the immediate area around Prosperity. Gather every plant, scrap metal, and circuit board you find. These are used for base upgrades and weapon repairs.
- Capture the two starter outposts (Ellis‘s Grain & Lumber, Nolan’s Sawmill). These are designed for rank 1 gear. Do not attempt the third outpost until you upgrade Prosperity to level 2.
- Run one Expedition. Select it from the Prosperity map table. Complete it for the ethanol reward. Return and upgrade Prosperity to level 2 immediately.
- Unlock the grappling hook. It is not a starting item. It is a Prosperity level 2 upgrade. It opens vertical traversal and hidden loot caches.
- Ignore the three DLC missions until you finish the main story. They are self-contained and consume 1–2 hours each. They do not affect the campaign.
Skip-if: You are a veteran Far Cry player who finished Far Cry 5. You can skip the starter exploration and go straight to outpost capture. The game does not hold your hand on weapon tiers—if you die quickly, your gear is too weak for the zone.
Trade-off: Upgrading Prosperity vs. buying weapons from merchants. Early ethanol is scarce. Spend it on Prosperity upgrades first. The weapons from merchants are overpriced for their tier. Prosperity unlocks are more cost-efficient.
Player Questions — No Fluff
Do I need to play Far Cry 5 before New Dawn?
Yes. New Dawn is a direct sequel to Far Cry 5. The protagonist is the same character. The story assumes you know what happened to Joseph Seed, the Rye family, and Hope County. Playing New Dawn without Far Cry 5 means missing the emotional setup. You will still understand the mechanics, but the narrative will feel hollow.
What is the max Prosperity level?
Prosperity caps at level 5. Each level unlocks specific upgrades: grappling hook (2), vehicle bay (3), helicopter (3), advanced weapons (4), and the final weapon slot (5). Reaching level 5 requires approximately 12,000 ethanol total. Expeditions and outpost recaptures are the fastest sources.
Can I play New Dawn co-op?
Yes. The entire campaign supports two-player co-op. Progress saves only for the host. The guest player keeps their perks, weapons, and inventory but does not get campaign credit. This is the same model as Far Cry 5.
Does the Ultimate Bundle include Far Cry 5?
No. The Ultimate Bundle includes only Far Cry New Dawn and its DLC. If you want both games, buy Far Cry 5 separately or look for the Far Cry 5 + New Dawn bundle, which is a different SKU.
Is New Dawn worth it in 2025?
At $10–$20, yes. At full price, only if you are a Far Cry completionist. The game is shorter (10–15 hours for the main story) and less dense than Far Cry 5. The base-building is shallow but novel for the series. If you value gameplay variety over narrative depth, wait for a sale.
One Sentence Verdict
Far Cry New Dawn Ultimate Bundle is the correct purchase if you own nothing from this era of Far Cry and want the complete New Dawn experience. Skip the bundle if you already own the base game—the extras do not justify the price.
Sentence Collision: The game is a side story. The bundle is a tax on DLC. The best part—expeditions—is free.
