Some clever gamers have found an alternate ending to Far Cry 4 — one that can be completed in under 15 minutes without laying your hands on a single weapon.
There are, of course, spoilers.
In Far Cry 4 protagonist Ajay Ghale returns to his homeland of Kyrat, to spread his mother’s ashes as her dying request. At the very beginning of the game, Ajay meets the brutal warlord Pagan Min, who takes him in and feeds him a meal after his troops murdered everyone else on his bus. At some point, Min steps out to take a phone call and asks that you wait for him. This is when the player takes control for the first time, beginning the game in earnest.
If, however, you actually do wait around in that room for about 13 minutes, Min returns and apologize for keeping you waiting. He then tells you about how your mother, sent by your father to spy on Min, fell in love with him and had a daughter. Your father killed the daughter and drove you and your mother out of the country. Min takes you to his daughter’s enshrined ashes so you can lay your mother to rest with her. Your mission accomplished, he takes you to a waiting helicopter and the credits roll.
Brutal warlord though he may be, Pagan Min isn’t an entirely terrible guy, apparently. See how easy it would have been to avoid all that death? You can resolve the whole game’s raison d’être by taking the most direct and peaceful course of action. All the ensuing chaos of a typical playthrough is on you. It’s a cheeky and thoughtful easter egg.
Far Cry 4 arrives on November 18, 2014 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Update: Read our review of Far Cry 4 here.
