Far Cry 5’s Best Starting Weapons: Perks, Drawbacks, and Cost

Here’s some of the best weapons to unlock during Far Cry 5’s first few hours.

Far Cry 5 is out now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and it’s just as challenging as ever. Don’t expect to run-and-gun your way through fights against Project at Eden’s Gate. Hope County, Montana’s cult, means business, and they’re armed to the teeth.

During your opening hours in Far Cry 5, you’ll come across a sizable arsenal of guns to grab while you work on liberating your first area from one of Joseph Seed’s siblings. But with the Junior Deputy limited to only one primary slot and one secondary weapon at the start, it can be hard to decide which weapons to bring along for your first few raids.

Here’s our guide to Far Cry 5’s best starting weapons during its opening hours.

AR-C

Yes, it’s one of the first rifles you can pick up in the game. But that makes it one of the most valuable during Far Cry 5’s opening hours. The AR-C is a reliable automatic weapon that can be customized in various ways for the player’s benefit. Throw an optical sight on, and it can pick off cultists from a sizable distance. Add in a suppressor, and it works well for stealth missions. Or just simply use the AR-C as a backup rifle, intended to help players deal with short, medium, and even long-range threats while taking down a cult outpost.

The AR-C is the starting player’s jack of all trades, which means it’s not particularly an expert at anything. But as far as a reliable backup goes, it’s worth carrying one around. Not to mention, cultists regularly carry ones too, which means it’s easy to find ammo to replenish your AR-C if you’re ever running low.

SMG-11

Don’t let this weapon’s name fool you. It’s not a submachine gun, it’s actually a sidearm that replaces the player’s pistol. This means that it’s possible for players to carry two automatic weapons at once before players unlock the ability to carry more than one primary.

And for players who love using automatic weapons, the SMG-11 is certainly worth the replacement, too. Unlike the 1911, which fires semi-automatic shots one-by-one, the SMG-11 has a fast firerate and decent handling. For players who want to quickly and swiftly take down enemies in short-distance and close-quarters engagements, the SMG-11 makes for a great replacement over the standard issue pistol. Just keep in mind that the SMG-11 suffers from its decreased damage, accuracy, and range over its semi-automatic sister.

AR-CL

One of the best opening weapons to grab by far is the AR-CL, a semi-automatic rifle designed to let players take out their enemies from a medium or long distance away. Unlike the AR-C, which is an automatic rifle that has scope customization options, the AR-CL comes with a long-range scope by default, letting players magnify their view for better shots without spending any additional money to customize the gun.

The AR-CL is a must-grab for a couple reasons. It’s one of the game’s first long-distance weapons, and it lets players take relatively precise shots while secluded in bushes or cover. For cult outpost raids, that’s invaluable, especially after unlocking its silencer. Players who prefer a healthy balance between stealth and heavy firepower will find plenty of use picking off cult marksman from shrubbery, and the AR-CL’s semi-automatic firerate means it’s much more forgiving when it comes to mistakes.

But the AR-CL’s strength is also its greatest weakness. Its range and semi-automatic firing style means that up close, players are at a disadvantage to cultists with automatic rifles, shotguns, and flamethrowers. Grab the AR-CL if you’re planning on confronting cultists from afar. But if your playstyle includes plenty of close-quarters combat, consider balancing the AR-CL out with something else.

45/70

The 45/70 hunting rifle, on the other hand, fires one bullet at a time, requiring the player to cock back the rifle each time they want to fire again. But in exchange, it provides higher damage output and accuracy than the AR-CL, which makes it perfect for picking off both cultists and animals. Add on a scope, and this .45 caliber rifle is a worthy sniper replacement.

That said, there’s two drawbacks to the 45/70. For one, you’ll need to buy your own scope if you want to use the 45/70 to go sniping, which means players will have to clock in at least $1,000 just to do so. And because the 45/70 isn’t semi-automatic, missing a shot is particularly punishing. The 45/70 is a great pick-up for natural marksmen, but there’s plenty of reasons to stick with the AR-CL if accuracy just isn’t your thing.

Flamethrower

As one of the first special weapons in the game, the flamethrower lets players unleash napalm onto their enemies with devastating results. The flamethrower has a relatively short attack range, but it doesn’t burn through fuel quickly, and it can successfully cause panic among both Peggies on foot and in vehicles. Not to mention, any flames spewed from the flamethrower can spread to the ground or buildings, causing terror at cult outposts or gatherings. The flamethrower’s flexibility is its huge selling point, for sure.

Just keep in mind that you’re making a few sacrifices to use it. For one, its flames can also harm you, and it’s easy to trap yourself in a ring of fire if you simply spray and pray. This makes it incredibly dangerous near buildings or forests. Likewise, it takes several additional seconds longer than a rifle to down an enemy with the flamethrower, because players need to wait for the napalm to stick and for their enemy to burn to death. This means players may face ongoing damage from their target while they’re waiting for the weapon’s flames to stick. In worst case scenarios, this can give cultists the window they need to kill the player.

So when it comes to the flamethrower, to each their own.