Far Cry 5's Lost on Mars expansion is out July 17 and takes players millions of miles away from the farms of Hope County and the jungles of Vietnam, to the red planet. This time around, you'll be playing as everyone's favorite fighter pilot, Nick Rye.
The journey starts when Nick gets a call from his old buddy Hurk. Hurk's found himself in a bit of a predicament and needs Nick to bail him out. Before he realizes what's happening, Nick is beamed up and finds himself waking up on Mars. Turns out, Hurk's got himself all torn up about something... literally. His body has been split into 12 different pieces, and it's up to you to do your best impression of all the kings' men and put "Humpty-Hurky" back together again. Fortunately, you'll be able to take Hurk's disembodied head along for the ride in the shell of an old robot. Together, the two form Brobot, who will act as your permanent Gun for Hire during your time on Mars.
Hurk's not your only problem on Mars. A race of alien arachnids infest the planet, and are plotting a takeover of Earth. Luckily, Lost on Mars gives you access to an entirely new armory of alien weapons to keep the arachnids at bay. Trading in conventional ammo for cooldowns, Martian weapons come in all the classic varieties, like pistols, rifles, and shotguns, but also include more exotic fare like the Power Glove, which lets you punch arachnid aliens to death; the Morphinator, which turns arachnids into explosive cows; and the Chikenade, which spawns an explosive chicken that attracts nearby enemies.
If you want to stop the arachnids for good and save the earth, you'll have to restore the defensive functions of an AI named ANNE. Getting ANNE up and running again means you'll have to collect energy cores and use them to restore power to 19 antennas all around the planet. Accessing these antennas will require you to leap from one floating platform to the next; this is where your gravity belt comes in, a device that acts as a jetpack, letting you climb tall structures and cover giant distances in a single leap.
This added verticality and mobility comes in handy, given that the local Martian fauna wants nothing more than to eat you alive. The arachnid enemies on Mars are some of Far Cry's most formidable foes. Luckily, the weak spot on their backs opens them up to fire from above. Use your gravity belt to get yourself airborne, and you can take out the arachnids from the sky. Of course, those aren't the only enemies you'll encounter; Mars is filled with various types of arachnid enemies, including tanky heavies, self-destructing minis, flying arachnids, and deadly Queens. Queens offer up some of the most difficult fights and while fighting one can be tough enough, certain instances will pit you against two or three at a time. Successfully take them out, and you'll be rewarded with some juicy resources.
The Martian landscape is made up of rocky terrain and large swaths of dirt, but be careful where you step. Arachnids are particularly good at burrowing and if they detect you walking on dirt, they'll pop up right under you and attempt eat your face off. Fortunately, your gravity belt lets you minimize any unnecessary time spent on dirt.
While Mars may be the epitome of a far cry from Hope County, players will be able to make some psychedelic trips back to Nick's hometown by exploring geysers on the planet. Geysers offer up some of the most unique gameplay in Lost on Mars, as Nick is transported to a twisted version of Montana, allowing him to finally get some closure on an old enemy of his.
Lost on Mars is available July 17th for $9.99, but if you already own the Season Pass or Gold edition, you have everything you need to stop the arachnid invasion. For more on Far Cry 5, be sure to check out our previous coverage.
