<P> The game is set in the fictional Hope County, Montana, where a preacher named Joseph Seed has risen to prominence . Seed believes that he has been chosen to protect the people of Hope County from an "inevitable collapse" and has established a congregation called Eden's Gate . Ostensibly, this is to fulfill his mission of leading the people to salvation; in reality, Seed is a radical preacher and Eden's Gate is a militaristic doomsday cult . Under his rule, Eden's Gate has used both coercion and violence to forcibly convert the residents of Hope County, and intimidation to keep them from contacting the outside world for help . When an attempt to arrest Seed ends with the deaths of several lawmen, the player is swept into the armed conflict between Eden's Gate and the remaining Hope County residents who are organizing themselves into a resistance movement . </P> <P> The player takes on the role of a sheriff's deputy who is part of the task force sent to Hope County to arrest Seed . Seed has assumed the title of "the Father" and maintains control over Hope County with the aid of his siblings, known as "the Heralds": Jacob, a former military officer that oversees their armed soldiers; John, a lawyer that has been able to acquire much of the land in Hope County for Eden's Gate; and Faith, who acts as a pacifist to bring the people to believe and trust in her older brother . The residents of Hope County opposed to Seed include Pastor Jeffries, a local church leader that has seen his congregation taken by Eden's Gate; Mary May, a bartender whose father was driven to suicide by the cult; and Nick Rye, a cropduster pilot who wants to eliminate the influence of the cult in order to build a better future for his children . </P> <P> The game is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, with Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft Kiev, Ubisoft Shanghai, and Ubisoft Reflections offering assistance . Dan Hay, who was lead producer for Far Cry 3, was the lead director, with writing led by Drew Holmes, who had previously worked on BioShock Infinite and its downloadable content . The game will continue to use the Dunia Engine, a modified version of the CryEngine which the Far Cry series has used for several titles . The team chose Montana as the game's setting, as the state lies on the frontier of the United States . To create a realistic environment, the development team visited Montana for fourteen days to collect information regarding its biomes, environment, and the "self - reliant" nature of the locals, who do not want any authority or outsider to intervene in their life . The development team had previously carried out a similar research excursion to Nepal during development of Far Cry 4 . As the development team was no longer satisfied with having one core antagonist in each game, the cast of antagonists was significantly expanded . </P> <P> The setting and the tone of the game originated from separatism . According to Hay, when he was young, he often felt unsafe because of the conflicts between the two superpowers during the Cold War . This manifested in the twenty - first century in the form of frequent terrorist attacks such as the September 11 attacks, and financial problems such as the subprime mortgage crisis and in turn caused people to become increasingly protective as they questioned the government . Ultimately the concept of the "global village" began to collapse, which sets the theme of the game and prompted the team to write a story that features a doomsday cult as the game's main antagonist . Hay started writing the story in late 2014; in February 2016, he investigated the details of the occupation and standoff of a wildlife refuge in Oregon, as he wanted to look for evidence that can show the rise of separatism . To create a memorable story, the characters in the game were designed to have different views and opinions on important events, and different ideologies . Despite the dark theme, the team wanted to ensure that the game is still fun and entertaining to play . Therefore, the team implemented a large arsenal of weapons and open - ended gameplay possibilities for players to use . </P>

What is the premise of far cry 5