In Far Cry 5, players find themselves in Hope County, Montana, a place that has been taken over by the doomsday cult Project at Eden's Gate. Joseph Seed and the rest of the Seed family are at the head of Eden's Gate, whom he calls his "heralds." Hope County has been split into three regions, each managed by one of said heralds.
Far Cry 5 officially starts on Dutch's Island, set in the middle of all three areas. There is no set order in which players can take on the regions, though all three of them need to be taken by the Resistance before the player can fight Joseph Seed. But the best order to tackle the areas for both story and strategy is: John's, Faith's, and then lastly, Jacob's.
3 Holland Valley: John Seed's Region
John Seed is the youngest of the Seed brothers. Before reuniting with Joseph, John was a successful lawyer. Using his wealth and his legal know-how, he was able to buy up a number of properties and land in Hope County. He's known as "The Baptist" because of his methods for indoctrinating new members into Eden's Gate, which include tattooing the sins of a person on their skin. John is in charge of the Holland Valley region, which is southwest of Dutch's Island. The town of Fall's End is located in Holland Valley and is the location of several story missions like The Cleansing, The Atonement, and The Wingman mission.
How To Tackle Holland Valley
When it comes to the presence of the Resistance, Holland Valley has the weakest Resistance presence compared to Faith's and Jacob's. There aren't any factions like the Cougars or the Whitetails located there to fight off Peggies. While it has the weakest Resistance presence, stronger enemies like Angels and Judges are less likely to be found in the area. It's easier to spot and target enemies in Holland Valley. It also contains the most missions out of the three areas, giving players the opportunity to build up a lot of Resistance Points early on.
There are several Guns for Hire and Fangs for Hire that can be obtained in the Holland Valley region. Boomer can be obtained after liberating Rae-Rae's Pumpkin Farm. Nick Rye can be recruited after completing The Wingman storyline. Finally, Grace Armstrong can be recruited after defending the Lamb of God church.
2 Henbane River: Faith Seed's Region
Faith Seed is the adoptive younger sister of the Seed brothers. Her region is the Henbane River area east of Dutch's Island. Many in Hope County believe Faith to be the most dangerous of the Seed Family as she's able to manipulate people for the benefit of Joseph and Eden's Gate. She's also the overseer of the production of Bliss, a hallucinogenic drug. Players who are exposed to Bliss, whether it is from its flower fields, the water that runs through Henbane River, or from shrines, may see visions of Faith before they trigger the story mission A Leap of Faith.
How To Tackle Henbane River
Out of the Seed Family, Faith is the least aggressive to the player, at least first. As the story progresses and the player liberates more of the Henbane River, Faith grows much more hostile to the player. Other than the usual threat of Peggies and the local wildlife, players have to deal with Faith's "Angels."
Angels are people that have been purposefully exposed to Bliss. They are mindless, zombie-like enemies that can be seen working in the Bliss fields. While they're not very intelligent and only perform melee attacks, they are stronger than the average Peggie and can take a lot more damage before being killed. Their loud screaming can alert other Angels that are nearby, meaning that they can easily swarm a player.
There are two Guns for Hire and one Fang for Hire that can be recruited in this area. Adelaide Drubman can be recruited after completing the Friendly Skies mission, Sharky Boshaw can be recruited after the Burn Baby Burn mission, and Peaches can be recruited after the Here Kitty Kitty mission.
1 Whitetail Mountains: Jacob Seed's Region
Jacob Seed is the oldest of the Seed brothers, and is the toughest and most violent. His region is up north in the Whitetail Mountains. A veteran, Jacob is in charge of Eden Gate's security and trains the Chosen of Eden's Gate as well as its Judges, giant wolves that he conditions into killing machines through exposure to Bliss and "classical conditioning." Jacob kidnaps people for the cult and puts them through a set of "trials" which pits them against one another in an effort to "cull the weak."
How To Tackle The Whitetail Mountains
Jacob's region is one of the more difficult ones because of Judges and The Chosen members, who will attack the player more aggressively as their Resistance points in Jacob's area increase. The Chosen and Judges are often paired together, though some of the VIP cult members, like the Snipers and Brawlers, can be accompanied by a Judge. Judges are not only dangerous to the player, but they are strong enough to take down Fangs for Hire, like Peaches, almost immediately.
Players have the Whitetail Militia to assist them during fights, as they and their leader Eli Palmer have been fighting Jacob Seed's forces since he claimed the region as his own. There are two Guns for Hire and one Fang for Hire located in the Whitetail Mountains region. Jess Black can be recruited after freeing her and the other hostages at the Baron Lumbermill, and after completing the mission A Dish Served Cold. Cheeseburger can be recruited after completing A Right to Bear Arms. Finally, Hurk Drubman, Jr. can be recruited after completing The Prodigal Son story mission.