Discover the troubling fate of your Far Cry 5 character in New Dawn

Far Cry New Dawn is out today, and it takes place in a familiar setting: Hope County, Montana, the same location as Far Cry 5. New Dawn is set almost twenty years after the end of Far Cry 5, as the survivors of the nuclear war are attempting to rebuild their lives and society. As you explore the world of New Dawn, you'll run into a few familiar characters, the people you met and helped in Far Cry 5. They're older and grayer now, but still alive.

The biggest question is, what about your own character from Far Cry 5? What happened to the rookie deputy whose attempted arrest of creepy murder-cult leader Joseph Seed kicked off the chaos in Hope County? Last we saw, the nukes were going off and your rookie was dragged into a bunker with Seed. What happened next?

Some of the answers can be found in New Dawn. Obviously, there will be big spoilers for Far Cry New Dawn below, so stop reading if you don't want to know.

In an effort to combat the Highwaymen in New Dawn, a character in the friendly settlement of Prosperity will suggest enlisting the help of Eden's Gate, the remnants of Far Cry 5's cult. They're living off the land in seclusion far to the north, having essentially sworn off technology. They wear animal skins and hunt with bows and arrows. Basically, they've gone prehistoric. On your first attempt to talk with them, you're silently greeted by a masked figure who won't let you in.

Only later, after undertaking a quest to recover a book of Joseph Seed's writings will you be allowed in, again by the masked figure. Joseph Seed's son is running things in Eden's Gate, and later the masked figure, known as The Judge, will become one of your companions.

The Judge never speaks. Attempts to talk to them result in just vague hisses, as if they no longer have a tongue. And when you investigate the bunker on what's left of Dutch's Island, you'll find notes here and there, presumably written during the time your Far Cry 5 character spent with Joseph, trapped underground.

"God tells you," one note reads. "If I listen to you, it's good, and right, and I can help, and I can save people, and make it right, and everything will be okay. If I judge as your judge, the judgment is right and just, the judgment is God's Word. I see now. I am so sorry."

"Please give me a mask I am afraid."

"Thank you Joseph thank you Father."

Well, that's a huge bummer. I mean, sure, Joseph was right about the world ending, but he was still a complete creep and scumbag and murderer. But stuck in the bunker with him for perhaps years, it seems your character from Far Cry 5 eventually began to see things Joseph's way. The Judge is who your character became.

You'll find more evidence to support this. Bring The Judge with you to Roughneck's Crag, in the northwest corner of the map. Like the 8-Bit Pizza Bar from Far Cry 5, Roughneck's Crag is the spot your companions hang out together when they're not following you around. Spend a while there, and Pastor Jerome and Hurk will chat with The Judge (a one-sided conversation since The Judge doesn't talk). They'll talk about old times, and what's become of The Judge since then. Carmina Rye, Nick Rye's kid (who was born during Far Cry 5) will thank The Judge for helping her parents, and back in Prosperity Nick seems to know The Judge too.

So, that's what became of your character, the rookie, from Far Cry 5. Brainwashed by the endless droning of Joseph Seed, always wearing a mask, never speaking (I guess you never spoke in the game anyway, but I am convinced The Judge no longer has a tongue), and so opposed to technology they won't even get in a car anymore. We knew Far Cry 5 had a dark ending, but this just makes it bleaker still.