Far Cry New Dawn is out in the wild at last, and if you’re mourning the pre-apocalypse Hope County, don’t worry: there’s more than just ruins linking the two games. Your character from Far Cry 5 returns in New Dawn, having escaped from the bunker they were trapped in with Joseph Seed. However, your deputy Rook has changed a lot during the 17-year gap between the games - and you might not like how they’ve turned out. But the good news is that you can get them as a Gun for Hire, so here’s how to find them, and how to get them on your team.

Warning: Spoilers follow for Far Cry New Dawn. You have been warned.

How to find Rook

Still here? Good. Right, here goes: first go to the island in the middle of the map, where you’ll automatically begin a quest named The Prophecy. Complete it, then take the book that you find to New Eden, a settlement in the North which will become automatically marked on your map thanks to a new quest named ‘Eden’s Fire’. Do the quest, then return to New Eden. Depending on where you are in the main story, you might have to wait for this next mission to be triggered - but the next section is part of the core story, so there’s no chance of you missing it.

Progress with the main story until you get the mission ‘Into the Bliss’. Complete it, then the main mission ‘Joseph’s Secret’ will trigger, which you’ll also need to finish before finding yourself back in New Eden. Joseph will call you over for a chat, and at the standing right beside him is The Judge, a masked archer who lives in New Eden and appears to be the right-hand man (or woman) to both Ethan and Joseph. Grateful for your help, Joseph will “give leave for [his] Judge to follow you...they speak only one language: that of violence. In this, they will serve you well”. Prepare yourself: this is Rook from Far Cry 5, who is now one of your Guns for Hire. Aside from grunts and growls they won’t say a word, but it’s definitely them. Don’t believe me? Read on...

Here’s what happened to Rook between Far Cry 5 and Far Cry New Dawn

All the evidence you need for The Judge being Rook is waiting inside the bunker on what used to be Dutch’s Island. Inside you’ll find scribbled notes written by Rook. These notes chart how Rook felt some very severe survivor’s guilt from living through the nuclear blasts with their friends’ fates unknown, and shows how they eventually succumbed to Joseph’s message and became a follower of his. I know, I know, it sucks. But it’s this note in particular that hints what happened to them:

Notice how in that note Rook becomes obsessed with the idea of being a judge: “If I judge as your judge the judgement is right and just”. Rook also writes, “Please give me a mask I am afraid”. Yep, that line breaks my heart too. As Rook, we survived mental conditioning, a helluva lot of gunfights, and saw our friends get massacred, and in the end that all got to the poor deputy. Now take a look at the character who opens the door to you when you arrive at New Eden:

This is The Judge, a Gun for Hire in Far Cry New Dawn. And oh look, they have a mask. Mask, judge, androgynous build...see where I’m going here? There’s no doubt that The Judge is an older version of your character from Far Cry 5. Plus as they don’t speak and you can’t physically tell whether it’s a man or woman, regardless of which gender you chose in Far Cry 5 The Judge still looks like your Rook. The Judge also has stealth abilities, which fits with Rook’s note about wanting to remain unnoticed, masked, and reborn, and needing to “cleanse the sin” from the world. So it makes sense that they’d be okay with joining you on your adventures as you cleanse Hope County of Highwaymen and fight Mickey and Lou.

In case you needed even more evidence, characters like Nick Rye, Pastor Jerome, Hurk, and Carmina Rye also have brief chats with The Judge, reminiscing about old times as they recognise that person behind the mask as the deputy who once saved them all from Joseph’s cult. So, there you have it. The Judge is, in fact, your character from Far Cry 5. Your broken, silent, converted character. Sob. Well, now I’m sad.

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