Far Cry 6 will be taking an interesting approach to its post-launch content. While previous games featured random packs like a Zombie mode and Vietnam level, the latest entry will give gamers the chance to play as Far Cry’s villains. Given the series’ standout antagonists, this is an excellent move, as it gives them the chance to control each of the dictators from the past three games.
Far Cry 6 will give fans a DLC pack centered around Far Cry 3’s Vaas, Far Cry 4’s Pagan Min, and Far Cry 5’s Joseph Seed. While Pagan Min and Joseph Seed are interesting given the fact that their fates are not always death, it is none other than Vaas Montenegro that proves to be the most exciting. Arguably the most popular Far Cry villain due to his role in the third game and the insanity speech, this DLC has the chance to answer the series’ longest-running question: is Vaas truly dead?
Vaas’ Questionable “Death” In Far Cry 3
While Vaas is fondly remembered due to the excellent performance of Michael Mando, the reality is that the character was heavily underused in the main story. Following the iconic insanity sequence, players only have a few more encounters with the character, as his sisters Citra sends Jason to kill him. Happening at around the midway point of the game, Vaas’s death leads to Jason moving onto the true main villain in Hoyt. While Vaas is far more charismatic, he is not seen after this point — though this does not necessarily mean that he is dead.
When Jason fights Vaas, he does so inside a hallucination. A common tactic in the Far Cry series, this allows Ubisoft to give players some more fantastical arenas to fight in. It also makes the human antagonists significantly stronger, as they can be given far more health while keeping the somewhat realistic tone of the series intact. In the case of Vaas, the hallucination saw Jason gunning down several clones of the villain before reaching the "real" version. When he does, he stabs him several times, giving the terrifying foe a brutal death.
However, this kill happens inside the hallucination, leaving players unclear on if it really even happened. Further, once Jason has killed Vaas and drops down beside him from exhaustion, the villain seemingly comes back to life for one last scare. Looking up at Jason, the hallucination comes to an end with the killer staring into the survivor’s eyes. Gamers never see a body either, with Jason instead waking up in Citra’s temple and planning to kill Hoyt. Given that Citra is Vaas’s sister, it is not impossible to believe that she let him go, even if she did seem hellbent on her cause. In turn, while Vaas is likely dead, the open-ended way in which he was killed and the lack of evidence after the fight has seen fans debating for years.
Why Pagan Min and Joseph Seed’s Appearances Matter
While the Vaas DLC has fans the most excited, as it has been a long time since the character was seen last, it is not the only piece of content that features in the Season Pass. Pagan Min will be getting his own content pack, and if it is anything like Vaas’s, it will see the crab rangoon-loving dictator facing off with the protagonist Ajay. Joseph Seed will also feature, and while some of his melee kills in the trailer are awesome, it is the fact that he appears at all that proves to be the most interesting. Just like Pagan Min, Joseph Seed’s fate is left up to the player.
In Far Cry 4, players have several options when it comes to dealing with Pagan Min. Outside of the secret ending which sees players befriending the character, there is an option to let him leave Kyrat on a helicopter. Players can let him fly away safely, or they could shoot down the dictator as he flees. They can also bring a straightforward end to his life with a single pistol shot, giving players some meaningful choice in what happens to the interesting character. However, the fact that he can live suggests that this DLC could pick up after that fact, with Ubisoft exploring what happens to Pagan Min next.
The same exact scenario repeats itself in Far Cry: New Dawn, with players coming across Joseph Seed once again. At the end of this short spinoff, players have the chance to kill the cult leader or let him live, making his fate just like that of Pagan Min’s. Both these characters are different from Vaas, as that character is always scripted to “die” in the hallucinogenic fight with Jason Brody. Due to these options existing, there is a legitimate possibility that Vaas is alive. If the the DLC explores the endings where Pagan and Joseph live on, then Vaas’s DLC could do the same, adding weight to the longrunning fan theories about the villain surviving.
Why Vaas Will Likely Remain Dead After Far Cry 6’s DLC
While it is possible that Vaas could be alive, though, fans should not get their hope up regarding such a scenario. Not only have the theories regarding Diego proved false, but the trailer for the DLC shows a similarly trippy style to Vaas’s fight with Jason. The same style extends throughout the footage of the Joseph and Pagan packs, meaning that it is unlikely for any of these stories to continue the villains’ narratives. Instead, these will likely be examples of what could have been, with the antagonists living out a fantasy where they were victorious as they take their final breaths.
While this may require Ubisoft to make the deaths of Pagan and Joseph canon, it would fit with the idea that Vaas is truly dead. After all, if Vaas did survive his fight with Jason, he likely would not be reliving moments like the insanity sequence where the protagonist takes his place. Instead of fleeing the island or taking it over, Vaas is seen reliving his “greatest hits” from his victim’s point of view. With this in mind, the DLC could be looking at some kind of purgatory or hell for its characters, with Far Cry players seeing them tortured for all the harm they caused others.
Regardless of the outcome, the DLC is interesting, and it provides the perfect chance for Ubisoft to give fans closure on Vaas. While they may not like the answer, as it seems more likely that he is dead than alive, at a definitive answer will finally exist. On top of that, fans should get the chance to spend more time with the character, which is exactly why so many have been desperate to see him return in the first place. While it may not be a story where Vaas is alive, players will still get to see and hear the character again. As such, regardless of Vaas’s fate, the Far Cry 6 DLC should be a ton of fun for longtime fans.
Far Cry 6 launches October 7, on Amazon Luna, PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
