Best Far Cry villains ranked, from Vaas to The Jackal

Far Cry’s villains are often the star of the games, more so in fact than the player’s character. Here’s all the main Far Cry villains ranked by popularity and ruthlessness. 

With Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito all set to play new Far Cry villain Antón Castillo in the sixth main entry of the series, we thought now may be a good time to look back at those who’ve come before.

Far Cry is known for its expansive open worlds and satisfying gunplay, but each game’s main villain is usually the most memorable thing about it. Far Cry’s villains are charismatic, layered, and deliciously evil – yet still manage to be sympathetic at times.

Here’s a breakdown of each major villain, ranked by their memorability and ruthlessness:

6. Lucas Krieger: Far Cry

Dr. Lucas Krieger is quite one-dimensional compared to later Far Cry villains, but he makes a suitable foil for Jack Carver in the series’ first game.

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Krieger operates more like a Marvel supervillain than a typical Far Cry villain, using an experimental serum to turn soldiers into mutants. Yet as he’s the original Far Cry bad guy, he deserves his place on this list.

5. The Jackal: Far Cry 2

The Jackal was a far cry (see what we did there?) from original villain Lucas Krieger. When we first hear about The Jackal, he’s a feared and legendary mercenary that traffics arms to gangsters and revolutionaries. Although by the time the player meets him, he’s not at all what they expected.

The Jackal’s motivations aren’t inherently evil and he’s fighting something far more deadly than any man-made weapon. His true identity will also shock players of the original Far Cry.

4. Batari: Far Cry Primal

While some may consider Ull to be the main villain of Far Cry Primal, it’s really Batari pulling the strings. While Ull is the big blunt instrument we see the most of, his overt brutality is nothing compared to what Batari plans to unleash on the world. Batari worships a sun god called Suxli and will burn any person or village in the name of her fiery deity without remorse or mercy.

3. Joseph Seed: Far Cry 5

Seed is the leader of a violent far-right religious cult which kills anyone that rejects their message, or him as their religion’s prophet and divine leader.

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While Seed certainly has a menacing presence, he’s not as original or memorable as the next two entries on this list. Although what makes Joseph Seed truly scary is his parallels to some aspects of real life.

2. Pagan Min: Far Cry 4

Pagan Min is the king of Kyrat, a charming, charismatic, polite, and murderous dictator. Although he’s different from most Far Cry villains in that he doesn’t spend most of the game trying to kill the protagonist. Instead throughout Far Cry 4, he simply wants Ajay, to hear him out and appears to show genuine affection for him.

He’s also saddened when Ajay joins the rebels and takes up arms against him. By the time Ajay does hear Pagan out, cornering him at gunpoint, what he says may make the player think twice before they pull the trigger.

1. Vaas Montenegro: Far Cry 3

Vaas still remains the most memorable Far Cry villain by far. Michael Mando’s performance as the crazy pirate drew critical acclaim from both fans and pundits when the game was released. Vaas is insane, violent, and unpredictable.

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While he’s actually killed well before the game ends and replaced by less honest and less likable villains. Vaas is so memorable, that many players actually missed him throughout the rest of Far Cry 3’s run time. But this may be because the other villain’s biggest crime was they were awful dullards by comparison.