Far Far West Beginner Guide — 12 Tips to Avoid Getting Boned in Your First Playthrough
12 essential Far Far West beginner tips: how to unlock weapons, spell combos that break the game, movement tech, best upgrades, when to leave a fight, and why Voodoo Drain is a lifesaver.
Far Far West looks like a goofy game about robot cowboys fighting ghosts and aliens, but it's got a lot more bite than you might expect. So before you dive in, here's what you need to know to avoid getting boned — 12 tips that'll make your first playthrough all nice and speedy.
1. Manually Pick Your Weapon Unlock
The game really should tell you about this immediately, but it doesn't: you can only work towards unlocking one weapon at a time, and you have to manually select which one.
If you don't set it, you'll be farming the shotgun by default. And while it's nice, it ain't no minigun.
Where to Find Weapon Fragments
| Source | Notes |
|---|---|
| Level bosses | Guaranteed drops |
| Forge events | Reliable source |
| Loot goblins | Random encounters |
| Wishing wells | Random |
On average, each weapon takes 3-5 games to unlock. Once you do, switch focus immediately or you'll keep collecting fragments you don't need.
2. Zap Early and Zap Often
Much like Elder Scrolls, you get better at using spells by using spells. If you want to unlock the higher tiers of fire magic, you'll need to light the world on fire multiple times over.
Use your spells against enemies whenever possible — even when you don't strictly need to. The same applies to weapons, though those level faster since they don't have cooldowns.
Rule of thumb: unless you have the patience of a saint, always cast the spell.
3. Spell Combos Are Absurdly Strong
Individual spells are powerful. Combos are game-breaking.
Best Spell Combos
| Combo | Result |
|---|---|
| Acid Bubble + Fire | Massive fire tornado |
| Lightning Strikes + Acid Geyser | Weapon of mass destruction with a shockingly low cooldown |
| Fire Surcharge + Cactus Pistolero | Chaff wipe in record time |
| Cactus Mine + Voodoo Drain | Mind control mines (exactly as fun as they sound) |
| Fire Beam + Acid Geyser | Fire tornado + massive AoE damage |
The order matters. Test combos in the training grounds before taking a build into a real game.
4. Never Stop Moving
Far Far West starts chill, but higher difficulties throw insane amounts of enemies at you. Treat it like a boomer shooter:
- Never stop moving
- Never stop shooting
- Don't corner yourself
As long as you're light on your feet, you'll avoid most incoming damage and make a mockery out of melee enemies.
5. Master the Jump Dash
The most entertaining movement tech in Far Far West is the jump dash. Order doesn't matter (jump-dash or dash-jump), but the timing does.
Once you chain it properly, jumping around like a rabbit after 15 cups of coffee is unbelievably satisfying. The more you upgrade your speed, the more ridiculous it gets — you can eventually cross the entire map (and these are BIG maps) in a couple of seconds.
6. Best Upgrades to Prioritize
Ranked by value:
| Priority | Upgrade | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health | Solo = one life, keep yourself alive |
| 2 | Speed | Keeps you hopping and dodging |
| 3 | Spell cooldown | Big booms = big happy |
| 4 | Jump height | Maximizes jump dash range |
| Skip | Ammo capacity | Ammo is everywhere, hard to run out |
Even when holding down the minigun trigger nonstop, ammo isn't really a concern.
7. Don't Forget to Equip Jokers
I made it to Very Hard difficulty without realizing you can equip Jokers on weapons — they're in the bottom right of both character and weapon menus.
Hopefully saving someone else from stumbling into the same open manhole.
Best Filler Jokers
| Slot | Joker | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon (generic filler) | Gold Tooth | Gets you that gold |
| Character | Anything reduced gravity + increased speed | Got to go fast |
8. There's No Timer — Take Your Time
Unlike Helldivers 2, Far Far West has no time limit. Take as long as you want to:
- Explore the level
- Find secrets
- Power up your character
- Learn map layouts
The maps aren't randomly generated — only the objectives are. So learning where extra ammo is or which spots are good to fight from will give you a serious edge over multiple runs.
9. Prioritize Map Quests
Most maps have quests, either hidden or marked. You can only complete one part of each quest chain per run, so prioritize them whenever possible.
Why? This is how you unlock new areas. Finish the entire chain, head back to the saloon, and a new map opens up with:
- Unique quests
- New secrets
- New colorful locations to ruin
Critical Warning
Quests only count if you actually finish the mission. If you just did a 15-minute quest that took you across the entire map, maybe don't test how far a nuclear explosion could realistically throw you.
(Not that I'd have any experience with that.)
10. Boss Strategy — Circle Strafe Like DOOM
When fighting bosses, mobility is once again key. Their individual attacks aren't strong, but their large HP pools mean any chip damage stacks up fast.
Boss combat rules:
- Circle strafe like you're fighting a DOOM boss
- Focus damage on the boss, not the trash enemies
- Use spells for adds — bosses move too much for reliable combo landings
- Feel unready? Fight more enemies first, destroy spawners for Jokers
Higher difficulty = better Joker drops. Clearing the map before the boss is worth it.
11. You Can Always Leave
The most important tip in the video: you can GTFO of any nasty situation.
The only time you're locked into a combat arena is during boss fights — and those you trigger manually.
If you're exploring and suddenly get sniped from every direction while some douchebag on a horse throws even more douchebags on horses at you? Just leave.
- Use jump dash or mount to create distance
- Find ammo/health
- Wait for spell cooldowns
- Return with a hail of bullets
12. Voodoo Drain — Always Bring It
The reason I always run Voodoo Drain: it can top you off in the middle of nowhere and save your run. In a game where side quests can take 10-15 minutes to finish, that sort of thing is a lifesaver.
Emergency heal, no vendors nearby, no bottles left? Drain saves you.
Quick Reference
| Tip | Summary |
|---|---|
| 1 | Manually pick weapon unlock focus |
| 2 | Use spells constantly to level them |
| 3 | Master spell combos (Acid+Fire = tornado) |
| 4 | Never stop moving in combat |
| 5 | Chain jump-dash for cracked movement |
| 6 | Upgrade priority: HP → Speed → CD → Jump → skip ammo |
| 7 | Equip Jokers on both character AND weapons |
| 8 | No timer — explore everything |
| 9 | Do map quests to unlock new areas |
| 10 | Circle strafe bosses, focus damage on them |
| 11 | You can always leave any fight (except bosses) |
| 12 | Always bring Voodoo Drain for emergency heals |
Had a ton of fun with Far Far West. If you have questions about the game or the guide itself, drop them in the comments. For the full breakdown with visual demonstrations, check out the original video.
