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This article lists some general gameplay tips for Just Cause 4.

Gallery of in-game tips[]

It is a collection of screenshots of all the gameplay tips that the game shows when the player is at specific points in the storyline. These appear in the middle of missions when introducing new game features.


Game completion[]

Main article: Just Cause 4 100% completion list.

  • Settlement liberation, as seen in previous games, has been removed from JC4 (except for the Los Demonios and Danger Rising expansions), so unlike in the previous games, there's no more need to hunt down and destroy any of the chaos objects. A few missions require the destruction of specific objects, but normal game progress can easily happen simply from completing missions and occasionally blowing up a few vehicles belonging to the Black Hand. There is no shortage of Black Hand coming after Rico, since heat in JC4 works differently than in previous games. See Liberation and Chaos points for more details.
  • Instead, the completion of individual settlements is tied with the completion of stunts. Performing all stunts in and around a settlement will mark it as complete, with a tick on it. This contributes to 100% completion and unlocks grappler mods, but doesn't progress the game at all. See the article for more information.

Destruction, stunts and free-roam[]

Gunplay and weapon mechanics[]

  • Although it may not seem so, aiming down sights (or at least making Rico aim down sights, as the player stays in third person) greatly enhances accuracy. Not only does it allow for more precise aiming, bullet spread and recoil is decreased as well. As a trade-off, the field of view is slightly shrunken. By default, aiming down the sights is mapped to the Left Shift key on PC.
  • In Just Cause 4, all weapons are very easy to control by Rico. Spread is low and so is recoil. However, while gun kick and horizontal recoil are pretty much non-existent, vertical recoil is certainly a thing. Weapons such as the SMG-2 or the Defender Machine Gun have high vertical recoil. Aiming down sights can somewhat remedy this. For said weapons, one may want to consider tap-firing/burst-firing when trying to hit well-covered enemies across long distances. First shot accuracy and recoil is often very low.
  • In this context, range refers to both damage drop-off across range and bullet despawn radius. While subtle, damage falloff is there, which means shooting at close range deals slightly more damage to a target than shooting at long range. Bullet despawn radius refers to how far away a bullet can be from the player before it despawns (disappears). Most SMGs have an incredibly small bullet despawn radius of maybe 50-100 meters or so. Assault rifles can go up to 150 meters (though usually shorter), and LMGs around 200. Sniper rifles and most vehicle mounted weapons have an much longer despawn range of possibly several kilometers (at least 1 km). Shotgun pellets will despawn within 25-50 meters.
  • Bullet (projectile) drop is an important factor to consider when sniping targets across long distances. This refers to the trajectory of a projectile when fired, and the way it travels straight at first, but then starts dipping lower across long distances. While generally this does not affect close to medium range weapons, sniper rifles and artillery have to account for this when shooting from afar. Bullet drop is very pronounced in this game: for example, the PBX Super-Sniper 4's bullet trajectory already starts dipping as soon as 75-100 meters. Its difficult to estimate the drop, but at even medium-longish ranges, generally one should try to use their common sense and shoot a little higher than the target to compensate for bullet drop. It may take a few tries to hit smaller targets, but by appropriately readjusting one's aim after missing, one will eventually hit the target.
  • Similar to bullet drop, bullet velocity is a factor in sniping as well. Also similar to bullet drop, bullet velocity is very pronounced in Just Cause 4. This refers to the speed of a bullet when it is fired from the weapon: in reality, velocity and gravity among other things will affect bullet drop, but in the game, drop is an already predecided value, and seemingly largely independent value. One may think velocity will only result in a delay from shooting to hitting the target, since drop is not related to velocity, but while this may be true in the game, it is not the case for shooting moving targets. By the time the bullet gets to the intended location, a moving target may have left the location, resulting in a miss. As such, one is advised to lead, as in shoot somewhere in front (ahead, in the direction of movement) of a moving target. Velocity is generally very low when compared to other shooters, so for most weapons you're gonna have to lead starting from medium range. Shooting a faraway and moving target requires both drop compensation and leading, which is quite difficult, especially in this game where both factors are very pronounced.
  • Bullet (or any form of moving projectile) penetration is largely nonexistent in this game. While a lot of things can be destroyed, few things can be penetrated, i.e. the bullet goes through the object, with or without destroying it, but without being stopped by the impact. It's therefore impossible to get "collaterals", since the bullet will always stop upon impact; this may make snipers feel a bit weak. The only thing that is known to be penetrable are windows of vehicles, but they too have a small health value which renders them impenetrable until the health value is depleted from taking damage. Generally a single bullet will shatter the glass, but in the case of bulletproof glass on more armored vehicles, a weaker small-arm may require several rounds to break the glass.
    • On the note of windows being penetrable, don't think you're immune to snipers if you're in a helicopter, or an armored truck. The windows are generally reinforced, but snipers are armed with the LRD-3 Sniper and will aim at Rico, not his vehicle. They will usually penetrate through the window and hit him. If you see yourself taking damage but the vehicle is in good condition, this likely the case: snipers shooting through the window.
  • Double-tap R (on PC) to holster the currently held weapon.
  • The only way to get rid of a weapon without it being replaced by another (drop it) is to use up all ammunition, primary and secondary.

Optimizing ammunition[]

  • When running out out of ammunition for a certain weapon, an easy way to obtain more ammo is calling in a supply drop. However, getting more from a weapon while wielding the same one will result in only getting a single extra magazine or so. Hence, the most efficient way to get more ammunition is to use up all ammunition, then drop it (by swapping it, or using all ammunition, both primary and secondary) and calling in a drop of that weapon. When you pick up the dropped weapon, it will come with full ammunition.
  • Another way to optimize ammunition is to prepare in advance by having the right weapon for the job. Using the most common enemy weapon will make ammunition available on the battlefield.
    • When fighting the Black Hand, it's advised to use a SW9 Assault Rifle, a very versatile assault rifle suitable for virtually all infantry combat situations, save for extreme long range sniping. Not only is the ammunition very available, but the weapon has a secondary fire grenade launcher which may come in handy against stronger targets, such as vehicles and some chaos objects.
      • There are other weapons commonly wielded by the Black Hand as well, but are subjectively less versatile.
        • The SMG-2 is more useful in close quarters. It becomes much less effective against distant targets.
        • The 21-J Smart-Rifle is more like a designated marksman rifle than an assault rifle. This weapon is more effective at longer ranges, but suffers in close quarters.
        • The CC10 Shotgun is lethal at very close range, but drastically less effective at farther ranges. This is what you can expect from a shotgun.
      • Most weapon crates have random content, but the SW9 is still very often seen.
    • When fighting The Agency, it's advised to use a Niagara 9mm Bullpup. It's the most versatile of all Agency weapons and ammunition can be picked up off dead Agents. The Sequoia 370 Mag-Slug can kill most Agency soldiers within one to five shells, but the Bullpup is more common and works better at range, whereas the Sequoia's pellets will spread and drop dramatically at even medium range.
    • When fighting demons, it is advised to use the Demon Crossbow. Not because the enemy would use it, but because the weapon is capable of killing the demons in one bolt. This is very efficient, because Rico needs to stay in motion while fighting them and to minimize any sort of time spent standing still. Conveniently, most of the demons also "drop" ammunition for the crossbow when killed.
  • Vehicles with mounted weapons have limited ammunition. Usually, there is an excess, and to actually deplete your ammunition without spamming and wasting away you would have to play for almost an hour or more, or waste ammunition pointlessly. By then, Rico will most likely be either critically wounded from the escalating heat initially gained from using the weapons, or in another vehicle because the original one has suffered a lot of punishment from the Black Hand in heat, and is about to explode. So don't worry about conserving ammo too much.
    • With that said, weaponized fixed-wing aircraft usually have very little ammo for the "main" weapon. The Fellhawk Jet Fighter only has 30 missiles, but it can be used up to 15 times without locking on to a target. In reality this is plenty, way too much for a fighter jet to carry, but in Just Cause, engage in a dogfight for a couple minutes and the missiles will be gone in no time. The same thing can be said for the Thunderhead Bomber Jet's bombs. For these vehicles, it's advised to use the "secondary" weapon, the machine gun, which comes with an abundant 1600 cartridges, wherever possible, and only use the missiles for fast, agile targets difficult to hit with the machine gun (like other fighter jets), or the bombs for stronger targets that are basically immune to non-explosive weapons (like tanks).

Other relevant links[]

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