How Far Cry 6 Was Inspired by Cuba’s Resolver DIY Philosophy

When Far Cry 6 launches for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on October 7, it’ll add a new word to the series’ lexicon: “Resolver.” It’s a concept inspired from Cuba – where Yara, Far Cry 6’s fictional setting, draws much of its inspiration. “Resolver” (pronounced “rreh-sohl-BEHR”) embodies a spirit of determination, resourcefulness, and problem-solving. In Far Cry 6, it’s a driving force behind the game, its guerrilla protagonists, and the ways it enables players to approach the world.

“Resolver,” translated from Spanish, means “to solve.” In Cuba, the word has a deeper meaning. Thanks to decades of scarcity brought on by trade embargoes and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cubans were forced to figure out how to make things work with what they had.

“Because importing items was so challenging, Cubans had to make do with whatever they already had on the island,” says Lead Game Designer David Grivel. “That’s why, for instance, we see so many American cars from the ‘60s still running over there. But ‘Resolver’ is not just about maintaining objects, it’s also about creating new ones. In our research, for example, we were inspired by things like a desk fan made from an old vinyl record player.”

Of course, in Far Cry 6, protagonist Dani Rojas will be fighting a revolution against an overwhelming military force, and they will need to use everything at their disposal, which is where “Resolver” is crucial.

“In Far Cry 6, ‘Resolver’ is all about turning the player into a one-guerrilla army,” Grivel says, “and inflicting the maximum amount of chaos with what they have.”

This manifests in different ways; from scrounging gear, to kitting out vehicles, to hacking together weapon mods. Resolver is most prevalent in two key types of gear – the first being, of course, Resolver weapons. These are specially crafted, unique armaments built from the ground-up with scavenged scraps.

“An example that jumps to mind,” says Grivel, “is one of my favorites: ‘El Pequeño.’ It’s a minigun made from an old motorbike engine. It’s absolutely deadly.” (We’re guessing it’s named “the little one,” ironically). Other Resolver weapons use gasoline pump handles, car batteries, bicycle grips, and even CD players.

And the second type of gear? Supremos. A non-guerrilla might call them “backpacks.” These back-mounted behemoths give players a huge advantage, albeit a time-limited one. A massively powerful flamethrower is one example, while another provides a dramatic boost to healing. And one particularly destructive type, the Exterminador, lets players unleash a barrage of auto-targeting missiles. Of course, you can’t just wander around blasting off rockets every couple of seconds; each Supremo has a cool-down period once used, so they will often be items of last resort. Once the cooldown time’s up…well, so is your enemy’s.

Naturally, cobbling together such intense weaponry requires a certain set of skills. That’s where Juan Cortez comes in.

“Juan is Dani’s guerilla teacher,” Grivel says. “He’s the one who introduces you to the ‘resolver’ philosophy. He’s the master craftsman; the one you go see when you want cool new Supremos, gadgets, and Resolver Weapons to play with.”

“But he’s more than that,” says Grivel. “He’s a real mentor to Dani.” That’s because he doesn’t just have the skills to build D.I.Y. weapons; he also has the experience to know when and how to use them. “His past isn’t clear,” Grivel says, “but what’s for sure is that he’s been part of quite a few revolutions already.” That experience will prove invaluable in learning to use Resolver weapons, gadgets, vehicles, and other gear in the most efficient and effective way. The “Resolver” way, in other words.

The result of this homebrew philosophy is that the customization lets players embody their own, very personal, version of Dani. Far Cry games have always given players the ability to approach objectives in a huge variety of ways, but Far Cry 6 takes that idea to new heights.

Prefer a stealthy approach? You’ll want to get your hands on La Clavadora. This is a crossbow that fires harpoons (yes, we said harpoons) – and is perfect for silently one-shotting your enemies.  Or, if you don’t mind leaving a mess, you could always opt for La Sorpresa and use explosive rounds to create absolute chaos.

Want to get up close and personal? Soak up bullets and dish out damage at the same time with El Muro – it’s a modified riot shield coupled with a hand-cannon. It’s the urban warfare version of peanut butter and chocolate. And you won’t just have weapons and gadgets that support your guerrilla lifestyle choices, you’ll also be able to equip specific mods and clothing to enhance Dani’s abilities.

“There’s fire-retardant gear for hot situations, and a stealth outfit that reduces your movement noise and detection,” says Grivel. “There’s gear to improve the tagging of enemies and overall intel-gathering, and gear to improve your hunting skills. We support all kinds of playstyles –– there are weapons and gear for every type of player.”

You don’t have to specialize; you can mix and match gear, weapons, and mods to your heart’s content, and you can save loadouts to swap between as the situation calls for it.

“I love mixing long-range sniping, stealth, and mobility,” Grivel tells us. “So, I love equipping gear that allows me to be better at each of these aspects: shoes that make less noise when you move, pants that help you carry more sniper ammo… One piece of gear I absolutely adore is the parkour pants, which allow you to gain speed after a slide. It’s a ton of fun to execute, so I usually equip that gear when exploring, slide down a hill, get up, get a speed boost, and keep going. That’s one of my favorite ways to get around. And it’s a fantastic combo in a combat situation!”

Of course, you can’t slide everywhere, so when you just need to get there (and in style) hop in the Angelito. It’s a dune buggy that can soar across the skies of Yara, and when you get behind the wheel, you’ll wonder why the hell all cars can’t do this.

Now, a guerrilla needs to use every weapon at their disposal – and that includes chickens. More specifically, an amigo named Chicharrón. With his leather jacket, studded collar, and burning vendetta against anyone in a uniform, he’s one tough little war-chicken. You’ll want him to be your wingman, but you’ll always be wondering if you’re his sidekick instead.

If this sounds like an unbelievable amount of variety, well, you’re starting to get the potential of the “Resolver” mindset. It’s about resourcefulness, creativity, and surprise. It’s an attitude that runs through Far Cry 6 from top to bottom, and when you step into Dani’s shoes on October 7, you’ll see that in a revolution, there’s no better weapon.

“We can’t wait for players to experience the game on Xbox Series X|S at a steady 60 FPS, and with uncompromised native 4K resolution on Xbox Series X. It’s a huge leap forward, especially for an open world first-person shooter like Far Cry 6 with epic vistas and heart-pounding action gameplay.” said Technical Producer Peter Handrinos.

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