Ubisoft demonstrated the amusements and advantages of animal companions in Far Cry 6 in the form of Amigos, and wherever Far Cry 7 ends up taking place, it needs Amigos of its own. Far Cry 6 released in October 2021, and there is typically around a four-year wait between games in the Far Cry franchise, so the expectation for Far Cry 7 is anywhere from 2023 to 2025.
Far Cry 6's Amigos were well-received by players; the addition of combat-efficient animal companions and the undeniable lure of pet ownership were both positive factors for a game that suffered criticism in other areas. Most notably, Ubisoft is faulted for making the Far Cry franchise formulaic and stale, and in a bid to possibly avoid repeating that mistake, Far Cry 7 reportedly will be a live-service game (although there is almost no developer news on that front). Since Amigos added value to Far Cry 6, they can be used again (in a new way) in Far Cry 7. Just because Ubisoft knows the next installment needs a shake-up doesn't mean they have to abandon every idea previously used, especially if it was a good one.
In Far Cry 6 players had seven available Amigos, two of which were unlocked through DLC. They featured a mix of wild and domesticated animals, from a Dachshund puppy to a white panther, and the types of animals were all related to the setting of the story (except for the Robo-Dog, not sure what was going on there). The most popular of the seven was the black panther, Oluso, who usually took top place in most rankings of All Far Cry 6 animal companions. Each Amigo had unique abilities, helpful for tanking, support, damage dealing, and stealth. Going forward with Far Cry 7, animal companions native to the setting (or pets, or even domesticated farm animals) should be available as companions with special skills, just as Far Cry 6's Amigos were.
Far Cry 7 Animal Companions For Tropical Settings
The tropical animals that made appearances in Far Cry 6 were the black panther, the white panther, and the crocodile, while the domesticated animals of the setting were two dogs and a cockerel, along with the oddball of the group, a robot dog. If Far Cry returns to another tropical setting, there is a wealth of related wildlife to offer as companions. Three possibilities are: a tiger (continuing the big cat trend), an anaconda, and a poison dart frog. These possible animal companions would be cool to have, considering that (if Ubisoft doesn't lean too far into a hugely different direction) Far Cry 7 might actually refurbish the tropical setting of Far Cry 6.
The unique skills of these three possible Far Cry 7 animal companions, based on the abilities of Far Cry 6 Amigos, would favor stealth, damage over time, and brute attack power. A tiger companion would serve as both tank and damage-dealer, as these animals weigh upwards of 400 lbs, and are both agile and vicious hunters. Like Chicharrón, the rooster in Far Cry 6, this companion could full-body take-down opponents; or like Guapo, the crocodile, chomp down on a few legs to restore health. An anaconda would make a deadly stealth companion, while a poison dart frog could also be sneaky and silently damage or KO opponents, out of combat, with poison.
Far Cry 7 Animal Companions For Sci-Fi & Urban Settings
Considering that Far Cry 7 could make big changes in time or location, sci-fi or urban animal companions could be a possibility. The robot dog, K-9000, could theoretically reappear in the next game, much in the way that Boom Boom the cattle dog (previously Boomer) traveled over to the island in Far Cry 6 from Montana in Far Cry 5. But if Ubisoft wants to avoid the reuse of previous game characters or references, then there are a few other robotic (or natural) urban animals they could implement as companions in Far Cry 7, such as a rat, a gnarly alley cat, or a pigeon - that last one might seem ridiculous, but this is Far Cry after all.
Far Cry 5's game-changing post-launch DLC explored Mars, which is as sci-fi as the series went. Should Far Cry 7 take place in a futuristic city, or even a modern city, then animal companions that are "native" will be relatively limited and have a need for discretion. Thus, the most common animals to be found are rats, cats, and pigeons. All of these would favor stealth, but the rat could also do damage over time, with an infectious bite; the alley cat could be a support who utilizes distraction techniques; and the pigeon could be a support who can track and mark potential threats or points of interest. Depending on the level of technology in this setting, any of these normally mundane animals could become mechanically engineered, monster companions.
Far Cry 7 Animal Companions For Desert Settings
A prevailing opinion for where Far Cry 7 should take place is that the next installment should be located in a desert region, possibly anywhere from the Saharan Desert of the North Africa region to the Arabian Desert, in the Arabian Peninsula to the East. While these environments are extreme and harsh, they still have their native animals who would make fantastic companions. A few possibilities are: a fennec fox, a horned desert viper, a cheetah, a scorpion (or a camel spider), a sand cat, an Arabian Wolf, an Arabian Leopard, and a Pharaoh Eagle-Owl (which are exactly as cool as they sound). Imagining those with Far Cry 6 Amigo abilities, and something like the camel spider becomes true nightmare fuel.
Among Far Cry's beautiful wildlife are the big cats who've become a trend, so a cheetah or Arabian Leopard would make epic damage dealing companions; the cheetah's unique ability would be related to speed, perhaps an ability to chase down fleeing opponents, and the leopard's would be one of stealth (and perhaps also dragging opponents up into a tree to kill and have a brief snack). A Pharaoh-Eagle would make an excellent support companion, as well as inflicting damage with lethal talons, and a horned desert viper could be both stealthy and painful (though their venom is not usually fatal). And, the best for last, it's hard not to imagine the psychological damage a trained camel spider could inflict on opponents. It might not do much physically, but the chaos that could be caused could be fantastic.
While it is arguable that Far Cry 7 needs an evolution, hopefully Ubisoft decides to include animal companions, like the Amigos, in the next installment of the franchise. The Amigos of Far Cry 6 were a great addition to the game, both for the simple pleasure of a companion and pet and for the way that they got one over on their opponents.