The fight for dominance in the Stone Age valley of Oros is an uphill battle to begin with – but maybe you crave something even tougher. If what you really want from a Stone Age fantasy is the rush of working without a safety net to cover an unforgiving world where everything is deadly and one careless mistake can end it all, then you're ready to dive into Far Cry Primal's Survivor mode. Available now as a free patch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, Survivor mode introduces a slew of tweaks designed to offer a more spartan experience.
Stripping Far Cry Primal of its minimap, Survivor mode challenges players to pay closer attention to their surroundings for signs of nearby threats or resources. At the same time, it significantly diminishes how often those things pop up throughout the world during the day, which makes hunting opportunities precious, crafting materials scarce, and enemies more of a surprise. The addition of a stamina meter means you'll now need to rest to stay strong – and also to avoid wandering through the darker, deadlier nights and their wealth of hungry predators. And while your animal companions are more important than ever, they're also more fragile since can't be revived if you let them die.
Finally, if you want to gamble all your progress and see how far you can make it with just one life, Survivor mode also introduces permadeath options. In addition to making your way through Oros with infinite respawns, you can now give yourself an extra life that replenishes after a certain amount of progress, or just go for broke with no chance of continuing.
For a quick rundown of what Survivor mode brings to the table, check out this handy infographic:
If you're feeling adventurous, you can jump into Survivor mode now with a copy of Far Cry Primal on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or PC. PC players get an additional bonus, as the patch also includes 4K textures to make Oros look even better at high resolutions.
