Joseph Seed also known as "The Father", is the main antagonist of Far Cry 5 and Inside Eden's Gate. He is a ruthless megalomaniac who is the founder and the leader of the Hope County-based religious cult organization "Project at Eden's Gate" alongside his brothers and adoptive sister who he dubs "The Heralds"; Jacob, John, and Faith Seed. Eden's Gate has used both coercion and violence to bring the existing residents of Hope County into its cult, as ordered by Seed, and, as of the events depicted in the game, is in direct conflict with The Resistance and its members.
Seed truly believes that he was chosen by God, and that he was told of the coming end of the world. His goal is to protect his followers, or "children" from the coming end and lead them to "Eden's gate."
All Joseph Seed Scenes
Joseph is shown to be a psychopath, having no problem killing, torturing and looting to advance his project. Despite this, he has shown mercy on the player numerous times, even after the player kills his entire family, even offering them the chance to walk away. He is calm in dire situations, and is very charismatic, leading to his rise to power, convincing numerous people to join him. He may actually have some sort of supernatural powers, as is shown with his prediction of the nuclear explosion (although he may have been at fault) and his quote "sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone" in the secret ending, which was a direct quote from Whitehorse while approaching in the helicopter.
According to The Book of Joseph, Joseph first heard from the Voice while he was being beaten by his father for reading a Spiderman comic. The second time Joseph heard the voice was after John had been beaten. Afterwards, the Seed family was separated and placed into foster care. He would pass through several foster families during his adolescence, and would find it difficult to connect with his classmates and siblings, living a life as a lonely orphan. During this period, the Voice's message would accompany Joseph throughout this period.
As a young man, Joseph squatted in a old packing plant in his hometown as he searched for his brothers, worked as a bellhop in the meantime. During this time, he would also become deeply interested in religion in an attempt to understand the Voice. Later, he would move to Atlanta in search for John, and found work as a garbage collector. In many of his jobs, he was fired for talking about the Voice. Later on, he took on the position as a caretaker in a psychiatric hospital. One night as he headed to the hospital for a night shift, he was mugged by three men, and it was then that the Voice contacted him for the final time. The Voice gave him a vision of the apocalypse and the "punishment" that would be inflicted upon the world.
After recruiting his two brothers into his Vision, Joseph began to preach out of a former slaughterhouse in Rome, Georgia, eventually building up a considerable congregation of the marginalized in society. However, following the disappearance of a man who had been kicked out of Eden's Gate, the police interrogated and accused the Seeds of being behind the man's disappearance. After that, the Seeds then moved to Hope County with their following.
He had a wife and a daughter, both of which were involved in some type of car accident while traveling to see a friend. During the accident his wife was killed, leaving him with only his infant daughter. When he was in the hospital he says they handed him a pink bundle filled with tubes (his daughter). While in a room alone with his daughter Joseph believes that that's when God told him about the end of the world and to start Eden's Gate. He then killed his daughter by pinching the plastic tube attached to her face shut to prove his willingness to "serve God no matter what he asks.”
Far Cry: New Dawn
FAR CRY NEW DAWN All Joseph Seed Scenes
“I led us to the new world, I thought it would be glorious...I was wrong.” — Joseph Seed
Joseph survived the nuclear holocaust and waited out the nuclear fallout in Dutch's Bunker along with the Junior Deputy. At some point, it's revealed that the Deputy started to believe in Joseph and wanted to be cleansed. Joseph later left the bunker and went north of Hope County; and judging by the notes he left behind, the Deputy went with him.
17 years later, Joseph leads his new group, New Eden, who are what remains of his previous flock. New Eden found it very difficult to survive post-apocalyptic America until Joseph discovered their salvation in the form of an Apple tree to the north of Hope County. Joseph empowers his "chosen" with miraculous apples from his mystical tree which grants them superhuman strength and durability. This empowerment allowed Joseph's followers to survive the post-apocalyptic winters, famine, and pestilence. Eventually, the New Edeners thrived and built their own community where they reject everything from the old world and strive to live off the land in peace.
Their peace would not last long however as New Eden came into conflict with the Highwaymen soon after. Joseph began to despair that the world had not become the paradise he had envisioned. During Joseph's stay at Dutch's Bunker, Joseph Seed dreamt of a "shepherd" that would realize the paradise he prophesied. Joseph left New Eden in self-imposed exile to await this "shepherd" who would seek him out, leaving his prideful son, Ethan Seed, the de facto leader of New Eden.
The Captain sees apparitions of Joseph during the mission "The Prophecy". The Judge, a member of New Eden, won't let the Captain inside the New Eden compound until the Captain recovers the book Joseph's Word. The Captain then sees apparitions of Joseph guiding them to the book, which once recovered will grant the Captain access to New Eden and earn the cult's trust.
Eventually, the New Edeners sent the Captain to retrieve their father, Joseph. When the Captain reaches Joseph's Sanctuary, they find that Joseph has been expecting them for they were the "shepherd" he saw in his dream. Joseph bestowed upon the Captain one of his sacred apples and guided them on how to master its power. When they returned to New Eden, Joseph hailed the Captain as New Eden's "shepherd" and rallied the New Eden cult to wage war on the Highwaymen. Joseph's son Ethan is reluctant to give up leadership of New Eden but Joseph insists he must for it is "God's will." Joseph also gave leave for the Judge to follow the Captain as their Gun for hire, noting their talent for violence will serve the Captain greatly.
New Eden's alliance with Hope County's Scavengers has turned the tide of the war against the Highwaymen. Joseph believes the Security Captain is the one destined to lead the new world back to prosperity and will shepherd Eden when he is gone. Joseph is also aware that his son Ethan covets power and acclaim, and most likely desires the power of their sacred fruit. However, he knows that Ethan's soul is not pure and has tried his best to keep Ethan from partaking of the fruit. Joseph, driven by the will of the Voice, believes it is his destiny to aid the Security Captain and help them unlock the mystical powers hidden inside them; serving as a guide during their time together. Ethan betrays New Eden however and has enticed the Twins -- Mickey and Lou -- to eradicate New Eden. After the Captain defeats the Twins at the ruins of New Eden, Joseph and the Captain found Ethan at the sacred apple tree. Ethan expressed his resentment at being replaced by an outsider and in an act of defiance, Ethan ate an apple and was corrupted by it; forcing the Captain to put him down. Joseph mourns the death of his son, and stated that his only fault was that he was his. Joseph then burns down the mystical apple tree and finally acknowledged that he was not the messiah God had promised, but rather the true "shepherd" was the Captain. Joseph states his soul has become a cancer and knowing he doesn't deserve to live for the monstrous crimes he's committed, asks the Security Captain to kill him.
- If spared, Joseph will fall to his knee's screaming to be released and then the Captain can either put him down or just leave him. Later, if you return to Joseph’s compound, the tree is completely burned, Ethan's body is burned and merged with the tree and Joseph is no longer there and has left for parts unknown. It is likely he realized he has to live with his actions and decided to find a new purpose. It’s unknown what happened to Joseph but it’s likely he officially resigned his leadership of New Eden and exiled himself again for what he did. Ultimately, Joseph realized he had to live with the shame of the atrocities he has committed.
- If killed, Joseph is shot in the chest and dies instantly and falls to the ground dead. If you return to the tree later, Ethan's body is burned and merged with the tree and Joseph's body is gone.
