Sabal (2024)

"The one and only time I walked into this place, I came in a sane man and came out… like this." Spoiler Warning Plot and/or ending details for Far Cry 4 follow! Read at your own risk!

Sabal is one of the deuteragonists of Far Cry 4. Along with Amita, he is one of the leaders of the Golden Path. Unlike Amita, who wishes to modernize the people of Kyrat, he is more interested in preserving Kyrati traditions and continuing with the old ways. He is one of two hidden antagonists of Far Cry 4, along with Amita.

Background[]

Sabal grew up in an era of a broken Golden Path. The leader Mohan Ghale died when Sabal was a child, and he grew up idolizing the rebel leader’s legacy. As an adult he set about trying to recreate the era when the Golden Path was a real threat to Pagan Min.

Sabal is a traditionalist. He sees great value in his culture, religious heritage and history, and believes that Kyrat needs the stability of tradition to bring peace to its people. Sabal often seeks moral guidance from the religious texts and teachings of Kyra. He also uses religion as a political tool. These views are in direct conflict with Amita's more modernist world view.

He’s personally invested in seeing Bhadra installed as the next Tarun Matara. He sees the practice as sacred and truly believes that the tradition brings protection from evil while ensuring good luck and prosperity. If Sabal can be the one to crown Bhadra as Tarun Matara, it will be the rallying cry for the future of Kyrat as a spiritual place, isolated from outsiders, and seal Sabal’s role as leader.^[1]

The previous Golden Path leader, Mohan Ghale, did not allow women to join the military, despite the objections of his wife Ishwari Ghale. When both Mohan and Ishwari were gone, which left the Golden Path leaderless, Sabal and Amita stepped in. They changed the rule to let women join, reviving the Golden Path's dwindling strength.

Sabal's idol, Mohan Ghale, married Ishwari Ghale in 1981 - this is despite her being 13, and Mohan an adult. Their marriage was also arranged and approved by her parents, and the religious leaders of Jalendu Temple paid her dowry. The village elders only warned against this because they regarded marrying the Tarun Matara as bringing 'bad luck', not because of her age. (Amita's parents also followed this approach and wanted Amita to get married at only 6 years old.) Sabal still idolizes Mohan nevertheless and wishes to maintain the Tarun Matara practice. His lack of criticism toward Mohan's stance on child marriage further divided the Golden Path, as Amita, Ishwari, and many other Kyrati women have been affected negatively by this practice.

Sabal's drive to re-install and support the old traditions of Kyrat without being willing to accept criticism on the harm these traditions can do, divided the Golden Path and drove away Amita and her supporters, who wanted to see more modern changes and improvements. On the opposite side, Amita's desire to move Kyrat away from their faith and modernize the country at the expense of traditional Kyrati values drives away Sabal and others who find these things still hold value.

Far Cry 4[]

Sabal hears that Ajay Ghale is returning to Kyrat and sends Darpan, a trusted spy and longstanding Golden Path member, to protect Ajay from the Royal Army. Both are captured and taken to De Pleur's Compound. Sabal then leads a rescue team to the compound; they only manage to rescue Ajay, as Darpan was trapped in De Pleur's torture room.

Amita is furious when she learns that they sacrificed Darpan for Ajay, but Sabal is confident that the son of Mohan Ghale was worth the sacrifice. Amita seems unconvinced. After completing two simple missions for both Golden Path leaders - collecting wolf pelts on behalf of Amita, and liberating a bell tower for Sabal - the rest of the map is unlocked. The player can henceforth choose to support either Sabal or Amita as leaders of the Golden Path.

Fate[]

If the player sides with Amita:[]

In the mission To Reap What You Sow, Amita will order Ajay to kill Sabal. She argues that he will split the Golden Path, and his death will prevent another civil war. Upon arriving at Sabal's hideout, Ajay walks into the house and confronts Sabal, who is performing a small religious ritual at his desk. Sabal repeatedly insults and undermines Amita's leadership and views, to make the player question their choice of siding with her; he tells Ajay that she will turn Kyrat into an oppressive totalitarian drug state no different than Pagan's. He even implies that Ishwari would be disappointed in her son:

Sabal then closes his eyes and tells Ajay to make his choice.

• If the player decides to pull the trigger, Ajay shoots Sabal in the head.
• If the player decides not to shoot Sabal, Ajay tells him to go. Sabal takes his Kukri and drops it on the ground, telling Ajay: "Gone, brother, gone."

Regardless of the choice here against Sabal, Amita steps into power.

If the player sides with Sabal:[]

In the mission To Reap What You Sow, Sabal will order Ajay to kill Amita, arguing that she is "just another Pagan" and has no respect for her country's heritage. Upon arriving at Amita's hideout and dispatching her followers, Ajay walks into the house and confronts Amita, who is typing some documents on a typewriter. She is surprised that Sabal sent Ajay specifically to kill her. Cynically, Ajay remarks: "Who else pulls the trigger around here?"

Amita criticizes Ajay for being Sabal's puppet, following his blind faith and tradition without question. She implies that she thought better of Ajay - "I actually believed you when you said all you wanted to do was honour your mother's dying wish." - and mocks the notion that he can save Kyrat simply because he is Mohan's son. She then tells him to follow through with his orders and pull the trigger, sarcastically claiming that it is the will of Kyra.

• If the player decides to shoot Amita, she picks up the folder with her documents and slumps back on the chair; after a few moments, she drops the folder and succumbs to the wound.
• If the player decides not to shoot Amita, she picks up her folder and walks away in anger, telling Ajay that while he is saving her life, he is killing Kyrat.

Regardless of the choice here against Amita, Sabal steps into power.

Revelations from Pagan Min on Sabal's leadership:[]

In the mission Confront Pagan, after storming the Royal Palace, and if the player spares Pagan, Ajay will sit down at the dining table across from him. As Pagan eats, he asks Ajay if he has already killed either Amita or Sabal; regardless of the player's choice, he tells him that he already knows the answer. Pagan says that Ajay is only giving away his country to Sabal or Amita, as he intended to crown Ajay as the new leader of Kyrat, and even encourages Ajay to kill the remaining leader and take back his power: "You're half way there. One down, one to go. Not that I want to put ideas into your head. But at least now we know you have a taste for doing what it takes." Min then takes Ajay to see Lakshmana's shrine and place his mother's urn beside her's. Once he does this, he flees Kyrat via helicopter, telling Ajay he can have Kyrat. The player can choose to shoot the helicopter down and kill Pagan, or let him go peacefully.

If Ajay kills Pagan as he eats at the table:[]

If the player chooses to shoot Pagan in the head, a message appears, proclaiming "The King is Dead". Later on, Ajay will call Sabal (if the player chose to keep him alive and in power), to inform him that Pagan is dead. Sabal will ask him if he "found Lakshmana". Ajay will respond that he doesn't know what that means, but it isn't important. Sabal will answer that all that matters is that Kyrat is free from Pagan's tyrannical reign and that's all that matters. He says it's time to celebrate like Mohan would have wanted to.

The Outcome if Sabal is the leader:[]

If Sabal was chosen to lead the Golden Path, there is a secret cutscene featuring him in Jalendu Temple post-game. Sabal has his followers execute Amita's supporters - à la his idol Mohan Ghale, who executed Golden Path members after they organized secret peace negotiations with Pagan Min - in front of the Tarun Matara. He accuses them of committing crimes against the Gods for siding against him, telling them that sins against the Gods "can only be washed away with blood". He claims that there must be a cleansing for Kyrat to move forward. The implication is that Kyrat may potentially move forward as a theocracy run by religious extremists. Ajay then has one last choice: to leave Sabal alone as the new leader, or kill him. Neither choice has any affect on future gameplay, aside from the rebels (and ONLY these rebels) on this island, which will become permanently hostile, whether or not you were detected if you kill Sabal.

If the player kills Sabal and Amita is still alive, it is assumed by NPC dialogue in Utkarsh/Banapur that Amita seizes power. If both leaders are dead, Kyrat's fate is unknown.

The Alternate Starting Route:[]

If Ajay stays with Pagan Min and Paul "De Pleur" Harmon from the start, it's unknown how would Sabal and the rest of the Golden Path react when Pagan Min named Ajay his heir, as Ajay is the son of their very founders, Mohan Ghale and Ishwari Ghale. It's also unknown how Sabal rescue operation at De Pleur's Compound would turn out in this case. In theory, it can be assumed that the Golden Path just dies off and loses the war without Ajay guiding them to victory.

Personality and Traits[]

Sabal is deeply religious and has a strong sense of culture; he believes that embracing tradition is imperative Kyrat's stability. He cares about his heritage and is proud to be Kyrati. He is shown to be generally thoughtful and respectful - although he does have a fierce temper which manifests under high pressure, such as when he learns that Amita is planning to move on Jalendu Temple, or yells for somebody to get morphine during the mission Propaganda Machine. He generally seems to be viewed by others as charismatic, as even Pagan playfully asks if Ajay has fallen for his charms yet.

Towards the end of the game, his darker side begins to show; he can become a fanatical religious extremist who values maintaining culture and tradition at any cost, including at the expense of human life. The end of the game parallels Sabal with Mohan and Amita with Pagan, and insinuates that the cycle of violence in the country started by Pagan and Mohan is repeated via Amita and Sabal.

Trivia[]

• One of the bomb disposal quests takes place at Jalendu and if this mission is undertaken after completing the campaign, Sabal and the rebels will be killed by the Royal Army soldiers/guards that spawn for the quest. This is most likely a lack of foresight, and not a canon death.
• If Sabal is fought after the end of the game, he has noticeably more health than other Golden Path members, being roughly as durable as a Royal Guard Defender and requiring several shots to bring down.
• Like Amita, Sabal will sometimes run away if you throw rocks at him. (This has no impact, but killing him will automatically fail the mission.)
• He is capable of fighting and killing Royal Army soldiers, as he will shoot any patrol boats that come near the temple.
  • Strangely, he will also not attack you with the other rebels, should you provoke them, making it almost impossible to perform a takedown on him. You have to be fast with a knife to do it.
• If you side with Amita, you can find him a little north of Utkarsh near Lake Visalakhutta, at X:479.5 Y:786.3 He is meditating near a tent. He behaves as a regular NPC and you cannot interact with him.
  • Oddly, this also happens when you shoot him in the mission.
• Sabal is left-handed, as witnessed when his in-game model starts shooting with a pistol.
• He is voiced by Naveen Andrews, who is best known for playing Sayid Jarrah in the TV series Lost.

• Strangely, Sabal's name comes from a plant named Sabal Palmetto or Sabal Palm, a plant which is quite popular in the United States. This could be an oversight or a coincidence.

  

• When viewed closely on Sabal's jacket, you could see a silver medal shaped like a Crown. Pagan Min and the Royal Army has this as a logo which can be found at the Royal Fortress and the pre-order travel journal. It's unknown if he did join the Royal Army at some point or simply refurbished one of their uniforms, and it's never explained why it's there.
  • The crown symbol may have been used by the pre-Min Kyrati monarchy which Mohan Ghale references in his journals. Sabal openly wearing the symbol may implies that he swears to restore it original meaning, which was distorted and appropriated by Pagan Min regime. This would fit in with Sabal's idolization of Mohan Ghale, as Mohan was a pro-monarchy Royalist.

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