The Collapse refers to a global nuclear catastrophe which occurred in September 2018, during the events of Far Cry 5. The Collapse was the result of escalating tensions between major world superpowers, which ultimately led to nuclear strikes on the United States. In the following 24 hours, the world entered a state of total nuclear war, resulting in the destruction of much of the planet and human civilization.
Following the Collapse, humanity and the environment slowly began a recovery, including a "super bloom" in which plants grew in renewed abundance. However, the remnants of the United States came under the threat of a national network of raiders known as the Highwaymen. The events of Far Cry New Dawn take place 17 years after the Collapse, in the remnants of Hope County, Montana.
The Collapse was prophesied by Joseph Seed, who used it as justification to form the Project at Eden's Gate and ultimately take over Hope County.
Background[]
Decades before the Collapse, Joseph Seed experienced a vision of the world being destroyed in a great fire, and interpreted this as a message from God that He would purge the Earth of the corruption of mankind. Seed believed that he had been chosen by God to guide a select few in preparing for this coming storm. Seed subsequently reunited with his brothers John and Jacob, whom he had been separated from years ago, and formed the Project at Eden's Gate, a doomsday cult with teachings based on a combination of Biblical scriptures and Joseph's own visions as their "Father." Eden's Gate gained many followers in the southern U.S. states, but after conflicts with police, they made an exodus to Hope County, Montana, where they prepared for the Collapse's arrival by gathering land and followers and building bunkers to shield them from the apocalypse.
In the weeks leading up to the Collapse in 2018, international relations began to break down in the midst of a large number of terrorist attacks as well as worsening relations between global superpowers, particularly the United States, North Korea, and the Middle East. These events are detailed by radio news broadcasts in Far Cry 5. Among these events:
Various terrorist attacks occurred around the world.
- A bombing occurred in a metro station in Amsterdam. Police later arrested a suspect, who claimed to have been acting on the words of God, and called himself a "true prophet."
- A suicide bombing killed 1 and injured 3 soldiers. The attack occurred in Afghanistan. The American soldier was from Butte, Montana.
- An attack on a police facility in Kashmir left 8 dead and dozens injured. The injured were evacuated to a nearby hospital. At least 2 of the attackers were killed.
- Reports came in of the possible release of a biological weapon in South America. Hundreds died within the course of three days. Officials initially claimed it was a viral outbreak.
- 19 people died and 38 were injured in a terror attack in the Middle East. This was the third attack in September 2018. The Department of Homeland Security issued an intermediate alert; affected regions included New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and San Francisco. Montana was not expected to be affected.
- Moscow, Russia was attacked in a major bombing, with casualties in the millions. This shattered any remaining hope for peace.
The U.S. appeared to be entering a financial crisis.
- Budget cuts occurred in the educational system, hospitals, and police force, and various grocery store chains across the country filed for bankruptcy. However, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury denied this being a sign of a financial depression.
- A nuclear power plant in Tennessee (presumably the Walking Horse Nuclear Plant) was shut down due to equipment malfunction. This news was particularly alarming due to it being a relatively new plant.
- One of the U.S.'s top three credit reporting agencies experienced a massive data breach. The company hired cybersecurity specialists Blume Corporation to look into the matter.
A conflict occurred between North Korea and the United States and its allies in the Pacific Ocean:
- Unsanctioned nuclear testing began to occur off of the coast of Asia. Although most of the countries in the region abided by the nuclear weapons ban, North Korea was not one of them. The U.S. government attempted to convince its allies in the area to put pressure on North Korea to stop the testing.
- Several Middle Eastern countries recalled their diplomats from the United States, saying that tensions with Korea made it too dangerous to remain.
- In Asia, due to threats of nuclear activity and potential trade sanctions, conflict was considered likely to break out in the near future. If this conflict did occur, it was likely that the United States would get involved.
- Reports came in of military skirmishes in the Pacific, worrying top officials. One Washington staffer stated that the potential to escalate remained a large concern. Rumors spread of U.S. Army Reserve soldiers being told to be ready at a moment's notice.
- U.S. miliary installations in Europe and the Middle East were instructed to go on FPCON CHARLIE alert in response to threats coming from the Pacific.
- All communication from North Korea came to a halt, a possible sign that the Koreans were preparing for nuclear war.
Tensions escalated in the Middle East:
- U.N. peacekeepers were deployed to the Middle East in order to root out known terrorist groups. These measures were considered ineffective, with analysts stating that they were merely escalating tensions, and helping these terrorist groups recruit new members.
- Peace talks in the Middle East broke down. A series of bombings occurred, killing 2 and injuring 11. Among the injured were several U.S. reporters who were on hand during the talks.
- Military bases in the Middle East were placed on high alert due to troop movements along the Israeli border. The joint chiefs of staff stated they were closely monitoring the situation.
- Many refugees in the Middle East sought asylum in the United States due to increasing tensions. The White House refused to make a statement. Meanwhile, Canada accepted thousands of refugees.
The United States began preparations for war.
- In light of recent global conflicts, the United States government requested that all U.S. citizens traveling in Asia and the Middle East return to the U.S. as soon as possible. The U.S. Department of State issued an advisory against all unnecessary international travel. Families were encouraged to travel within the United States instead of abroad.
- Due to the nuclear testing in the Pacific and the failed peace talks in the Middle East, international analysts stated that the U.S. may be facing war.
- The Pentagon went on alert in response to a "credible but not specific" threat of an attack on the United States. A senior Pentagon official stated that most U.S. military bases were on FPCON CHARLIE alert.
- Washington D.C. prepared to evacuate, with the President being moved to a secure location. The National Military Command Center deployed crisis response teams to major cities along the eastern seaboard.
Events[]
The Collapse occured in late September 2018. According to a war journal left behind by Sam Fisher, the Collapse began with a nuclear attack on Malmstrom Air Force Base in Cascade County, Montana. For the next 24 hours, every nuclear power in the world unleashed their collective arsenals in a total global nuclear war. North Korea, Israel, and Pakistan were all wiped out in this conflict. In addition to this, large portions of China, Russia, the Middle East, Central Europe, and the United States were destroyed. Among the affected areas of the U.S. was the state of Michigan; Fisher's note suggests that Chicago survived, but was damaged in the attacks.
During the Collapse, despite it being a nuclear war on a global scale, some countries and cities remained unharmed for a time, such as the Caribbean region, the third world country of Yara, and Miami, which was still a tourist centre and an important place of welcome for Caribbean immigrants.
Nuclear bombs also dropped on Hope County, Montana, devastating much of the landscape. Joseph Seed saw this as the fulfillment of his prophecy. Many of Hope County's residents were killed, but a great number survived due to the region's survivalist culture and numerous underground bunkers.
Aftermath[]
The Collapse was followed by global environmental catastrophe, including a nuclear winter which led to the starvation and death of countless people. The radiation from the nuclear weapons mutated various fauna. However, the absence of human actvity on the Earth's surface led to the gradual recovery of the environment, and many areas experienced a super bloom of renewed plant and animal life. By 2024, the environment had recovered enough for humans to return to the surface.
The infrastructure of the United States was decimated by the Collapse, but yet what is the United States continued to exist and over time, small communities began to recover. However, violence eventually began to occur as well, with a man named Vince eventually forming a nationwide confederation of marauders and killers known as the Highwaymen. The Highwaymen began to take control over most of the country, forming chapters led by high-ranking individuals. Meanwhile, Thomas Rush, a war veteran, formed his own network of peaceful allies to rebuild communities and establish settlements across America, succeeding in rebuilding the city of San Francisco.
In Hope County, many of the survivors came together to build the settlement of Prosperity on the ruins of John Seed's ranch. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Project at Eden's Gate built their own settlement, New Eden, to the north in the Whitetail Mountains. The two groups remained neutral toward each other in spite of their past conflict. Joseph Seed later left New Eden and exiled himself to the north, leaving his son, Ethan, in charge. Eventually, the Highwaymen came to Hope County, led by sisters Mickey and Lou (the daughters of Vince), and invaded the region, posing a threat to both Prosperity and New Eden. In 2035, Hope County resident Carmina Rye contacted Thomas Rush asking for aid, but Rush and his men were attacked by the Highwaymen and captured. However, thanks to the Security Captain and the joint efforts of New Eden and Prosperity, the Highwaymen were eventually defeated. However, New Eden was destroyed during the conflict, leaving Joseph Seed as possibly the only survivor, or else the last to die.
Many areas of the United States were taken over by the Highwaymen in pursuit of salvage. Among these were a naval ghost ship H.M.S. MacCoubrey, which washed ashore in Florida; the Navajo Bridge in Arizona; Five Stars Theme Park in Louisiana; Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, California; the wreck of the C-147B Paladin government plane in Iowa; the crash site of the International Space Station in Nevada; and the Walking Horse Nuclear Plant in Tennessee.
Canonicity[]
It's unknown whether the Collapse remains canon in other titles of the series. With the release of Far Cry 6 and returning character Boomer, it can be inferred that the Collapse somehow did not occur following what is seen in 5, though to what degree is still unknown.
Trivia[]
- The in-game depiction of nuclear war in Far Cry 5 is deliberately unrealistic in order to create an overly dramatic backdrop for the final mission of the game.
- Even in the Cold War-era when nuclear powers possessed much greater amounts of nuclear weapons, nuclear carpet bombing was regarded as wasteful. The majority of military experts agree that a first strike should target the enemy's military assets, especially those that provide second/counter-strike capabilities. Since nuclear missile silos are hardened targets and can withstand pressure waves even close to ground zero, knocking them out would require multiple strikes, which excludes wasting valuable nuclear capacities on low-value targets such as isolated, barely industrialized and populated areas. In the game, Joseph Seed correctly assumed that a secluded area like Hope County would be mostly spared and serve as a perfect place for weathering the nuclear winter.
- In general, people assume that global nuclear war would be followed by a so-called nuclear winter due to the amount of dust, soil, and fallout thrown into the atmosphere by the nuclear bursts and the ensuing firestorms. However, recent studies contradict and mostly dismiss this prediction as 'improbable' as the initial assumption that at least 100 cities would burn in a firestorm comparable to what happened to Hamburg in World War II was an unrealistic scenario in the case of modern cities.[1]
- Far Cry 5 and Far Cry New Dawn make direct references to other Ubisoft video game franchises, including Watch Dogs, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, and Tom Clancy's The Division. With the release of newer installments, it is certain the Collapse is non-canon within the universes of those games.
- It is unclear whether Far Cry 6 is set within the same timeline as Far Cry 5 and Far Cry New Dawn.
- A note in the "Government Plane Wreck" expedition in Far Cry: New Dawn details an "Empty Quiver" (the theft or loss of an active nuclear weapon) scenario unfolding in Montana prior to the Collapse, with members of the government reaching out to members of a local militia for aid in recovering the lost bomb. Furthermore, a quote from The Book of Joseph regarding John Seed states the following: "The President himself would have handed John the nuclear codes without hesitation. Maybe that was how humanity would end." Going off of this, it is highly possible that Joseph himself could have very well gained access to a functioning nuclear weapon and kickstarted the Collapse on his own with the help of his followers.
- The Secret Ending of Far Cry 6's Pagan Min: Control DLC also points towards either Pagan Min or perhaps even Ajay having a hand in triggering the Collapse, as a recording of Pagan Min (presumably found by Ajay) that plays during the credits reveals that Pagan had a massive nuclear arsenal that was aimed at America specifically "somewhere in Montana."
