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Far Cry 6 map: which territory should you go to first? Madrugada Valle De Oro El Este Other territories
Far Cry 6 map: which territory should you go to first?
As you’ll know if you’ve read our Far Cry 6 tips and tricks guide, the map of Yara is absolutely massive. Once you leave Isla Santuario, the starting island of Far Cry 6, the game really starts to open up. From the tiny Libertad Island you will quickly be given free reign to travel anywhere in Yara. Aside from the capital, Esperanza, which we’ll talk about later, there are three main territories in Yara: Madrugada, Valle De Oro, and El Este. Each of these territories is roughly equal in terms of size, difficulty, and the amount of time you’ll spend there completing main operations and side quests. Within each territory you must make contact with a certain group and help them out enough that they’ll agree to support you in the invasion of the capital later on in the game. But the order in which you visit these territories is entirely up to you. Having said that, Madrugada is a great first place to start. As the start of the production chain of Viviro, the cancer-treating plant upon which the antagonist Anton Castillo’s wealth and power is founded, it’s an ideal territory to start at from a storytelling standpoint - and it’s filled with great characters and compelling family drama between the Monteros. You also unlock the Guerrilla Camp at the Monteros’ farm very quickly, and its position to the far south of the territory makes for a rather satisfying northward push as you work through the territory conquering enemy camps and destroying Anti-Aircraft Cannons. But a close second-place is El Este, simply because I love the environment there. It’s also filled with its share of drama and great characters (particularly El Tigre), but there’s something particularly special about getting lost in the jungle-filled mountains, hunting down enemy soldiers amongst the wild flora and fauna of Yara. If you want to deviate from the path recommended by the game, I’d go to El Este first. Another thing worth bearing in mind is that after setting foot in each territory’s main Guerrilla Camp, you’ll quite quickly gain access to a quest which can unlock a certain Amigo. So if you’re after a specific animal companion, this may influence your choice of which territory to explore first.
Madrugada
Madrugada is composed mainly of tobacco farmland, and it is the home of the Monteros - a powerful and influential family of farmers-turned-freedom-fighters who need help staying alive and relevant while Anton Castillo and his nephew Jose enslave Madrugada’s populace and set them to work as cogs in the Viviro production machine. It’s a great place to begin your journey on the Yaran mainland - filled with great quests, colourful characters, and family squabbles. It’s also where you can find and unlock Chorizo the dog as an animal companion, so that’s a big plus.
Valle De Oro
Valle De Oro requires your attention because it is home to Maximas Matanzas, a rap crew led by Talia and Paolo, whose influential voices will be very important in the upcoming conflict against Castillo. It’s the most sprawling territory of all, reaching all the way to the northmost part of Yara - and the north-eastern section of Valle De Oro is home to Castillo’s own influential voice: his Minister of Culture, Maria Marquessa, who needs to be taken out of the picture as soon as possible. Completing the first main quest in Valle De Oro brings you to the new Guerrilla Camp led by Maximas Matanzas, and here you can embark on a quest to unlock Boom Boom, another canine companion.
El Este
El Este is a mountainous region filled with thick jungle and plenty of opportunity early on for parkour, climbing, and sliding around everywhere. High in the mountains live the Legends Of ‘67, the fighters who overthrow Castillo’s father back in the day. Libertad needs their help with the invasion of Esperanza, but they’re not the only freedom-fighters in El Este. Younger blood exists in the form of La Moral, led by Yelena and Jonrón - and it is quickly revealed that they don’t particularly see eye-to-eye with the Legends. Yet, anyway. That, of course, is where you come in. El Este’s thick jungle adds a certain something to your Guerrilla-ing around, and the sheer verticality of at least the southern half of the territory is a welcome change from the relative flatness you’ll find elsewhere. Shortly after meeting the Legends you’ll be able to start a quest to unlock Chicharrón, a bloodthirsty rooster with a terrible temper. Who knows, you may not need any more convincing than that.
Other territories
Aside from Madrugada, Valle De Oro, and El Este, there are three other territories that make up Yara. And in fact, by the time you come to set foot on the main three territories, you’ll already have set foot in the others. Esperanza is the capital of Yara, and the base of operations of Anton Castillo and his son, Diego. It is where you began your journey as Dani in the opening moments of Far Cry 6 as you attempted to escape Yara. It’s also, as you might imagine, the most heavily guarded territory of all - a veritable fortress of a city filled with patrolling elite guards and restricted areas. You’re generally encouraged not to set foot there (at least early on) unless the story missions give you a reason to go there. Isla Santuario is the true starting island of Far Cry 6. It’s fairly small and fairly safe compared with the rest of Yara, but it’s still filled with enemies, secrets, and wrongs to be righted in the name of Libertad. Once you complete the main missions in Isla Santuario, you and Clara will ship off towards Libertad Island, which is essentially your own base of operations throughout the game. You can return to this tiny island whenever you want to chat with Juan or just want a break from the endless enemy patrols you’ll find everytwhere else in Yara. Hopefully this quick primer on each of the territories that make up Yara in Far Cry 6 has served you well. If you’re at this point in the game, you may want to check out our pages on how to get Depleted Uranium and Gunpowder to unlock and upgrade your equipment. It’s also a good idea to understand the different ammo types in Far Cry 6.
