Far Cry 6 is out now and those who have been playing it quite a bit have likely made their way to the end. There’s a lot to be said about Far Cry 6’s ending, but that doesn’t stop fans from looking to the future. Far Cry 6 has a packed Season Pass, complete with crossover missions with the likes of Danny Trejo, Rambo, and Stranger Things, while bigger missions will see players take on the role of past villains: Vaas, Pagan, and Joseph.
Not too much has been revealed yet, but Far Cry 6’s Vaas DLC is set to drop before the end of November. The initial season pass trailer and confirmation of its title, “Insanity,” suggest that everything players love about Vaas is back, especially his VA Michael Mando. But, based on what little is shown in that trailer, there is one concern some fans may have: Vaas isn’t an antagonist in it.
Far Cry: The Historical Struggle of Protagonist vs. Villain
Although Far Cry 6 points more emphasis on Dani than past games in the franchise, the simple truth is that the franchise is still dominated by its antagonists. Jason Brody was a rather generic protagonist, informed and influenced by those around him like Citra and Vaas, and Vaas stole the show in Far Cry 3. In short, Vaas IS Far Cry 3. Ajay Ghale, in Far Cry 4, had even less of an identity than Jason, and Pagan Min stole that show too.
In Far Cry 5, Ubisoft clearly tried to embrace this emphasis on its villains, as the Deputy was a silent no-name protagonist. They were just there to give players a view into Far Cry 5’s world, which was dominated by Joseph Seed. Even if Joseph or Pagan Min or Anton for that matter don’t hold a candle to Vaas, they ARE Far Cry because its villains had come to dominate the franchise.
That’s not a bad thing, but Far Cry 6 tries to course-correct by making Dani more believable, personal, and involved. Dani is a fine protagonist, but it still falls into the same, seemingly unavoidable trap of the franchise: the iron fist of Anton is Far Cry 6 itself, not Dani. And, in this DLC, Ubisoft is essentially making the villains the protagonists, really asking the question if Vaas and the others can avoid this trap of sorts.
Far Cry 6: The Vaas DLC Seems Good, but Vaas’ Insanity Doesn’t Seem The Same
Only a peek at this DLC has been given thus far in the aforementioned trailer, but it shows Vaas asking who he is. This is not likely in the game but is to insinuate the player being put in his boy. Vaas, dead or alive, somehow ends up in some realm like the other protagonists, and it may be an exploration of his mind or something. The problem is: Jason Brody seems to be the antagonist, Jason Brody echoes the line, “have I ever told you the definition of insanity,” and Jason Brody seems to put Vaas into the mass gave (instead of the other way around) Jason Brody, in this context as an antagonist, seems to be a bigger focus than Vaas.
A Vaas DLC sounds great, and playing as Vaas may be even better. That means his insanity isn’t limited to the interactions with him as a villain, but it poses the question of how it manifests. Playing as Vaas without the sheer insanity would be the same as not playing Vaas, and the idea of making him a playable protagonist of sorts could lead to that trap based on the franchise’s history.
How this DLC captures Vaas’ insanity is key to its success. With it set to release in November, fans are likely to learn more about it soon, and hopefully, a new trailer can put away these woes and show Vaas at his best, or well, worst. At the very least, fans will be getting more Vaas here soon, and those working on Far Cry 6 are certainly aware of how near and dear his criminally insane brain is.
Far Cry 6 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.