After two months since the release of Far Cry 5, Ubisoft has at last announced the release date of the first of the game’s three DLC expansions. The release date also confirms the veracity of a recent Amazon leak; a product listing for the DLC which included its release date and which was quickly taken down.
Far Cry 5’s first DLC is entitled “Hours of Darkness”. The expansion is set during the Vietnam War, and pits players against the Viet Cong. Ubisoft’s announcement confirms that Hours of Darkness will release on the 5th of June for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The DLC will be priced at $11.99 USD, confirming another piece of information gleaned from the Amazon leak last week. In addition, Ubisoft also announced that they would be adding a whole array of “Vietnam-themed” game assets from the DLC to Far Cry 5’s Arcade mode today.
The announcement was accompanied by a teaser trailer for the DLC.
Details of Hours of Darkness
Amongst the information revealed by Ubisoft was the identity of the DLC’s playable protagonist. That character is in fact Wendell “Red” Redler, an elderly NPC from Far Cry 5. Redler appears in the side-mission “What They Carried”. This mission strongly hinted at his role in the upcoming DLC; it involves the old veteran asking players to recover the lighters owned by his former war comrades. The storyline of Hours of Darkness is apparently centered around Red’s efforts to rescue his comrades. It’s unknown if the lighters will be revealed to have greater significance, but it is certainly a possibility.
Like Far Cry 5’s main game itself, Hours of Darkness is playable both solo and via online co-op. Once players have completed the DLC story, they will unlock two additional modes. Survivor Mode greatly increases the difficulty of the expansion, while Action Movie Mode alters the DLC to be more over-the-top.
It is unknown yet when the other two DLCs will release. Lost on Mars and Living Dead Zombies were all advertised as being parts of the season pass. If Hours of Darkness is already ready to release, it could well be the case that the next installment will release in the next month or two.