Far Cry 6’s Vaas: Insanity DLC is out now, and fans know they can expect Pagan Min and Joseph Seed shortly after the calendar turns over. On paper alone, the idea of playing as these iconic Far Cry villains is a pretty big deal, especially as there are certainly different elements to each character. Vaas is genuinely insane, yet his personal turmoil and conflict come from the desire to do what he wants and the expectations that Citra and the Rakyat had for him—something that, too, makes his conflict with Jason Brody all the more personal.
Meanwhile, Pagan Min’s DLC is titled Control because of how much of a control freak and manipulator he is. His personal brand of villainess is derived from a deluded sense of goodness and a tragic past for his family, while Joseph Seed’s is derived from a place of spiritual and religious conviction about the coming End of Days, with the DLC appropriately being titled Collapse—and he ends up being right about it happening in the end. Yet, despite this, there is one major reason that Vaas set a high bar for these two DLCs.
What We Know About Far Cry 6’s Upcoming Pagan Min and Joseph Seed
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Right now, there is very little specifically known about the two upcoming Far Cry 6 DLCs. The trailer shows a bit of Pagan Min’s history and his family, while Joseph Seed appears to be fighting demons. This could be extrapolated to mean more, but it doesn’t really reinforce or establish something fans don’t already have good guesses on: Pagan Min’s lead up to becoming the autocrat he is and Joseph’s religious calling. Beyond that little hint, it’s also seemingly confirmed that both DLCs will be roguelikes just like Vaas.
That’s a bit of an interesting move, given Ubisoft could have geared the gameplay styles specific to each character. For example, it would have been interesting to see Pagan Min’s DLC be more of a bullet hell game given his overall pension for destruction, while Joseph Seed's Collapse DLC could have been more of a soulslike boss grind—something along those lines. Because, no matter what, the big problem this consistency presents is that neither character seems like they could justify it the same way Vaas does.
Far Cry 6: Vaas’ Definition of Insanity vs. Pagan Min’s Need for Control vs. Joseph Seed’s Fear of Collapse
Roguelike, in particular, works for Vaas because it involves doing the same thing over and over again, which is his most iconic line. The “definition of insanity” for Vaas is literally translated into gameplay with this approach, while forcing himself to deal with Citra’s manipulations and his hatred for Jason Brody. It forces him to face his own insanity by embracing his own definition of insanity, and even after one run is done, it offers more incentive to keep repeating it. Not only is Vaas trying to escape his own mind, but Vaas attempts to prove he’s better than Citra and Jason. The Far Cry 6 Vaas: Insanity DLC secret ending is proof of that.
Yet, that level of application of insanity is basically null in Pagan Min and Joseph Seed. Pagan Min is known for his disturbing calmness, excessive violence, and his care/love for family. It’s their loss that pushes him to his most extremes, but even then, a lot of it is about preparing Ajay Ghale for Far Cry 4’s future. The “definition of insanity” roguelike approach doesn’t work here so well, but a constantly shooting first-person bullet hell would.
He’s known for excessive violence, and so are Bullet Hells, and it could be complemented by disturbing, eerie, and oddly calm dialogue lines in the midst of all the violence. It seems Far Cry 4’s Pagan Min is trying to reconcile with the loss of his loved ones and family in this DLC; if this is the case, roguelike could show him always seeking their approval, but it’s also likely to undermine these relationships. Meanwhile, a bullet hell could theoretically better show how he wrongly went about his family.
Seed, meanwhile, is charismatic, not beyond forgiving, as merciful as he is violent, and sometimes reasonable. He makes several attempts to avoid unnecessary bloodshed in Far Cry 5 and Far Cry New Dawn if sometimes those actions remain a bit misguided. His religious connections, his fear of the collapse, and his goal of making paradise all likely factor in here, but the keyword is fear.
Because of the coming end of days, fear ultimately drives Joseph Seed in Far Cry 5. A roguelike wouldn’t necessarily be the worst way to show his fear and overcome it, but it would underplay those fears when they have to be faced over and over again. The point may be to show he overcomes fear, but repeatedly exposing him to the same fear isn’t it. Instead, perhaps a more high-difficulty boss grind Souls shooter—something loosely similar to Remnant: From the Ashes but more in Far Cry’s typical style.
This way, Seed could have faced several powerful demons and be constantly in fear through gameplay, with players mimicking this fear in if they can't beat a boss or if they will need to grind to prepare for it. Obviously, these are just some ideas, but the point is simple: the roguelike genre perfectly captures Vaas’ insanity, but it may not be the best genre to capture Pagan Min’s need for control or Joseph’s fear of failure.
Far Cry 6 Villains DLC: The Same Gameplay Over and Over Again…
Not to mention, had this gameplay been more oriented to the individual character, it would change the basic experience as well. As it stands, Joseph Seed and Pagan Min have a real chance of simply mimicking Vaas from a gameplay standpoint, and players have likely already mastered Vaas’ weapons in Far Cry 6.
Essentially, if it works the same and the pistol is there, fans will know it may be the best weapon already, just as it was for Vaas’ mind level 5. It all remains to be seen of course, but more variation seems like it would have captured the characters better, just as roguelike did for Vaas but doesn’t seem likely to do for Pagan Min or Joseph Seed.
Far Cry 6 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.