Far Cry has long been one of Ubisoft's flagship series and with good reason; the series' brand of chaotic open world violence and exploration is one many gamers crave. There are so few titles balance the necessary ingredients quite the way Far Cry has been able to consistently do. When the official announcement trailer was released after a series of cryptic vignettes showing rural Montana, as well as the cover art rife with religious references and piles of firearms, fans are rightfully excited for Far Cry 5. 

Even with a launch trailer, some of the details can be hard to pick up, especially when you're subject to the blistering speed of the hype train. Don't worry fellow Far Cry fans, I'm here to shed light on a few things that you may have missed. Even if you didn't miss them, it never hurts to shovel some more coal atop the fire that drives the hype train to such dizzying speeds. Put on your wing suit, load yourself down with an arsenal capable of clearing out a small country, and for the love of God, look out for honey badgers. Here are 15 Things We Already Know About Far Cry 5.

15 The Vehicles Are All Iconic American Brands

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Finally, some familiarity with vehicles in the Far Cry series! Previous entries only feature generic cookie cutter compacts devoid of personality. Plus, they gave us freaking elephants to ride, so who the hell would take a car?

I’m looking forward to being able to power some serious American muscle around the countryside before taking it off the side of a cliff, bailing at a leisurely 140 MPH, and gliding through a ravine while my muscle car blossoms into a brilliant ball of flame below. The developers have also promised a host of off-road vehicles and big rigs at player’s disposal to rip up Hope County at their leisure.

14 The Game Will Have A Map Editor

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Now, this is interesting. Any gamer that has dabbled with mods or map editors in the past know that the best maps are often created by fellow players, some transcending the realm of “hobby” into “holy crap, how did they make this and how are there enough hours in a lifetime?”

I’m very excited for a Far Cry map editor, but there is a small gnawing doubt at the back of my mind: what if the map editor sucks? What if only the most vanilla of elements can be manipulated, and the more intricate game elements have to be left at the wayside for the main game? I’m sure that Ubisoft won’t allow that, they never screw up!

13 The Rumors That It Takes Place In The Wild West Aren’t True

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When news of Far Cry 5 started to circulate online, the main sticking point was that the game was rumored to be taking place in the Wild West. Riding horses, lever-action rifles, and standoffs with desperadoes seemed to be a surprisingly awesome setting for a Far Cry game. After all, they already did cavemen, why not cowboys?

But, as we all know now, the game will be taking place in modern day America. Although, a religious cult based in rural Montana may be the closest thing that the world still has to cowboys these days, Montana is in the Western United States, and the Far Cry games do tend to get pretty wild. So does the game still take place in the Wild West? Did Ubisoft just pull a fast one on the gaming community? Ponder that. I have to go sit down for a minute.

12 The Campaign Will Be Fully Co-Op

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Much like Far Cry 4, Far Cry 5 will allow the entire game to be played in co-op with a friend. No word on couch co-op, but with the way the entire gaming industry is turning, the possibility of local co-op in an AAA title is scant.

Similar to Far Cry 4, your online friends will be able to jump in and out of your game seamlessly, meaning that the carnage and mayhem can be shared among friends. I look more forward to exploration with a buddy, especially with some of the new animals and vehicles that have been promised by Ubisoft. I’m looking forward to bailing out at high altitude, wing suiting into the sprawling woodlands below, and RPGing a pack of wolves mid-flight as my buddy swoops alongside me. It’s just too bad you can’t ride elephants this time.

11 Red Neck Baron

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The trailer shows off some aerial combat this time around, something that has been missing from the Far Cry series since vehicles became one of the mainstays in Far Cry 2. We also see one of the supporting characters strapping a machine gun to his plane before the trailer ends, meaning that maybe the planes will be customizable?

I’m all for adding aerial combat to the series; it’d be a fresh rush to be able to run out of a particularly harrowing firefight by flying off into the sunset … to circle around again and rain death on your enemies from above. Another really cool addition would be introducing a hangar. Adding a level of customization could go a long way in terms of plane mechanics. Being able to pick out your paint, weapons, and maybe even copilots would be a dream come true. One can hope.

10 Big Sky Country

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Far Cry is coming to the States, and Montana is an excellent backdrop for a series that historically does a service to its environments in the graphical department. Montana is a “big sky country” for a reason; it’s scenic and beautiful. The landscape ranges from snow-capped mountain ranges, to lush, flat prairie lands, all populated with a bountiful variety of wildlife.

Like most recent titles (I’m looking at you Witcher 3), I already predict numerous breaks in gameplay just to take in the beautifully scenic views. It also will be a gorgeous environment for all the silly and violent antics associated with the Far Cry series, and its nutty player base.

9 "Back! Back You Zealots!"

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As soon as the cover art for Far Cry 5 was revealed, it was obvious that the villains were of a religious affiliation. The homage to the Last Supper painting, the American flag’s stars being replaced with a cultish cross complete with an open Bible on top, and the man bowed in front of the main antagonist with the word “sinner” scribbled on his back all give us some pretty loud hints.

Once the trailer dropped, it was obvious that these zealots were a tad bit over the top: forced baptisms, home invasions in the name of religion, and that word “sinner” painted on every conceivable surface in Hope County. Although it might seem like a poke at organized religion and the many who misuse it for malicious ends, one of the starring buddy characters in Far Cry 5 is a priest fed up with the extremism exhibited by the cult’s leader Joseph Seed. In his trailer, he vows to end the cult’s reign of misguided faith by any means necessary.

8 It’s Coming Out In February

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Along with the big announcement trailer that showcased all the mayhem and religious zealotry, came a February 2018 release date. So, we’ll get to blast religious loonies come the start of a new year, which is always a welcome distraction, digitally speaking.

I’m sure Ubisoft isn’t particularly worried about one of their flagship series underperforming, which explains them missing the oft-sought Holiday window. Still, it's a bummer for all those cool kids whose parents will buy them 'M' rated games for Christmas (and I'm sure stockholders are non-too-happy about Ubisoft missing Q4). That being said, Far Cry 5's trailer left a strong impression, and we'll be waiting for February with baited breath.

7 Fangs For Hire

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Popularized in Far Cry Primal, the “fangs for hire” system is essentially being able to tame wild animals to become companions that will fight and scout for you. So far, a dog has been promised that will both attack your enemies and retrieve their weapons for you.

Seems like a neat idea and was one of the few things done right in Far Cry Primal. Not just that, but the fauna of Hope County could be particularly cool; few experiences would compare to having your attack bear smash down the door of an outpost and maul the occupants while you silently pick them off from the shadows. Or even better, riding in on the back of said attack bear would be truly epic.

6 You Play As A Junior Deputy In Hope County

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This doesn’t seem like much of a detail as of yet, and honestly, it will be hard to know much more until the game drops. At the moment, this is the only story detail that Ubisoft has released yet concerning Far Cry 5, besides that “the real reason is a mystery.” Story has always taken a backseat to the open-world chaos that players are capable of creating on their own, and this reveal does little to remedy my suspicions.

Maybe Far Cry 5 will be different. Maybe the story will be a wellspring of thought provoking characters and moments that resonate after the plot is finished. Or —more likely— the game could fall prey to the shoddy writing and cliché twists and turns associated with the series in the past installments.

5 The Game Is Being Developed By The Team Behind Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4

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Ubisoft Montreal  —the acclaimed team behind Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4— will be developing Far Cry 5, which is excellent news. The mechanics in those games were balanced to the point of being near perfect. Environments were well designed, enemies were a serious threat if underestimated, and the world was rife with secrets that organically motivated gamers to explore.

This also worries me to a degree though — I don’t want to play more of the same. I know what to expect when I buy a Far Cry game. I’m not trying to burden its fifth entry with the task of changing my entire perception of the series. Still, they just need to keep to core elements as solid as always while tweaking the aesthetic and adding some new mechanics that keep the series fresh.

4 Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh S—!

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As gleaned from the cover art and trailer footage, the infamously deadly fauna of Far Cry fame will be making a return. A bear is seen chasing down a man in the trailer. A puma can be seen mid-pounce as an unsuspecting fisherman casts his rod. Animals are back and they’re giving the honey badger from Far Cry 4 a serious run for his money…er, honey?

Hostile wildlife is nothing new for Far Cry, but it’ll be refreshing dealing with beasts familiar to the states as opposed to those velociraptor-like cassowaries. Honestly, those things scared the poop out of me the first time I ran into them. I thought they were Emus, a bird similar in stature but more docile in nature. Turns out they’re the most pissed off bird in gaming, and they travel in packs. Anyone else fire wildly into the sky while sprinting backward during their first cassowary ambush?

3 It’s Definitely Going To Be A Far Cry Game

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Although the setting may have changed to the United States (as opposed to some miraculously undiscovered island inhabited with mercenaries and madmen), the focus of Far Cry hasn’t changed in the least. It's going to be about frantic, open-world chaos. Guns will blaze, outposts will be raided, and wild animals will show up at the worst (best?) possible times. It seems reassuring that Ubisoft is sticking with its tried and true formula, especially after deviation led many fans to dismiss Far Cry Primal as a failure. Still, the game's uniformity could still lead to some discontent.

One of the main qualms most series fans had with Far Cry Primal was the recycled map from Far Cry 4, as in, a direct copy and paste job, except with mammoths and cave dwellers. As long as Ubisoft can cull its string of mistakes that it seems so happy to make, Far Cry 5 should come out mostly unscathed.

2 You Can Choose To Be A Man Or A Woman

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A first in the series, Far Cry 5 will allow you to customize your character to a degree. Finally, all those men that prefer to play as females will have their sweaty, basement-born dreams come true. In all seriousness, there is nothing wrong with playing as the opposite sex in-game, and the fact that Far Cry 5 is allowing the main characters gender to be an option is pretty rad.

In addition, you’ll be able to pick your character's skin color (another first for the series). It’ll be refreshing not playing as a white bro that gets caught in chaotic events that he loudly and dumbly questions constantly while spilling the blood of thousands. Now you can play as any color bro or broette while the story unfolds!

1 Stand By Me

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The developers have disclosed that your buddies this time around will serve a purpose  — apart from story fodder and talking heads when you shop around for new weapons and equipment. In Far Cry 5 the buddies you encounter will actually traverse the landscape with you and fight alongside you.

The depth of the interaction is still a mystery. Hopefully, you’ll be able to issue them commands and plan tactical ambushes or sieges. Worst case scenario: they’ll mindlessly follow by your side blasting anything that crosses your path. Fingers crossed it’s the former. Buddy AI that is miserably implemented can be a massive headache. That being said, we couldn't be more excited to learn more when Far Cry 5 releases in February for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC.