Far Cry 5 guide: The best ways to earn resistance meter points

There are three main regions in Far Cry 5 (Henbane River, Holland Valley and the Whitetail Mountains) that you need to clear before you can tangle with the final boss. Each zone is governed by a resistance meter, which unlocks a unique boss after you fill them up by playing story missions, cult events, liberating outposts and destroying structures.

Here are the most effective ways to power through the story and gain as many resistance points as possible.

Travel to areas with human and animal icons first

It doesn’t matter which region you start in so long as you eventually clear all three. Just keep in mind that, if you’re having trouble in one of them, you can leave, level up elsewhere and head back.

Missions in each region will raise the meter of that particular resistance point’s gauge, so while you can jump around and gain new perks (skills), you can’t complete all three regions at the same time because each region has its own meter.

Your first goal is to hit all of the named locations on the map, denoted by large pictured icons that showcase various human or animal characters.

Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft

Hitting these zones will make your entire journey easier in myriad ways. Each location has a specialist associated with it that will join you as a special party member at the end of the mission.

These areas also serve as a hubs for story and side missions (more on those in a moment), often doling out quest chains that lead to more missions and more resistance points.

They’ll also provide useful map-hopping fast travel points for when a particular mission requires traversal.

Complete story missions

The quickest way to beef up each resistance meter is through story missions, represented by an American flag symbol on the world map.

Story missions are limited in number but offer big rewards. After completing the tutorial island, you’ll receive several story missions, but you’ll need to track down others in major or minor settlements. Generally, you can find story missions in named locations (denoted by giant icons with NPCs on them).

Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft

Head to those first in any given region for big rewards and missions that provide ally NPCs, which will make every mission a little easier to handle.

Then work on side missions

Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft

Side missions have star icons on the map and are listed as their own journal entries. These typically show up in larger areas, though they can also be scattered about the map.

After all of the story missions have dried up, try these next. They usually contain smaller objectives (and thus smaller rewards), but can lead you into new locations.

Some of them are even framed as mini-games of sorts that might not be tailored to your skillset. If that’s the case, you can safely leave these behind and go for one of the options below. You do not need to complete every side mission to complete the game.

Look for pins and outposts

Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft

When in doubt, look to a region you haven’t been to before. You’ll often find new side quests randomly in the wilderness. If you’re completely lost, look to the little pin symbols to locate smaller locations of interests (hotels, small residences) or outposts. Even the most innocuous pin could be a location that provides multiple quests or a well-placed fast travel point.

Outposts are the jackpot of pins. Swarmed by enemies at first, clearing out all of the inhabitants to liberate an outpost grants bonus resistance points and often provides extra missions to complete.

Use main roads

Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft

You know how we keep saying that you’ll come across missions naturally by exploring? Well some of them are discovered as you travel down major roads. These are often random missions that come and go, injected in just to ease the leveling process.

Bonuses that involve micro-objectives often pop up, such as saving innocent civilians or destroying enemy trucks. The more you travel along the major roadways, the more bonuses you’ll find. Just look for white icons above enemy vehicles or characters, and you’ll know that it’s a mini-quest (most of which involve destruction).

Fly around and look for shiny red objects

Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft

If you’re out of ways to earn resistance points, it’s time to take to the skies.

Head to an airstrip (Rye & Sons Aviation in the southwest of Holland Valley is the most obvious one), buy a cheap plane and look for cultist objectives.

In addition to all of the aforementioned bonus objectives found on major roads, you’ll also spot bright red structures littered about the map. Either blow them up with your plane or land and take them out with explosives (such as a rocket launcher or remote explosives) for a hefty resistance point reward.

If you continue to follow the main roads and clear objectives as you’re flying, you should be able to earn the resistance points you need to face each region boss.