When does Avatar Frontiers of Pandora take place? Timeline explained

Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, the latest open-world adventure from Ubisoft, is based on James Cameron's blockbuster film series Avatar. The second film was released about a year ago, and now that the game is officially available, a key question arises: When does Avatar Frontiers of Pandora take place? Some signals are scattered throughout the game, and Ubisoft has hinted in previous previews that the Resources Development Administration (RDA) would also be the antagonist in this plot.

This article will delve deep into the history of Avatar Frontiers of Pandora and the films to determine when the journey of the Na'vi begins in the overall canon.

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When do the events of Avatar Frontiers of Pandora occur?

Games that combine aspects from a movie or other visual medium to create a new plot may find it more difficult to be given a prominent place in the universe's canon. Thankfully, that is not the case with Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, as it is set after the events of the first film. When compared to the timelines of the two films, this is when the game takes place.

• The title is set after the events of the first movie. You get a glimpse of the final battle of the film between the Na'vi and the RDA in the game's introductory sections.
• The conflict takes place in the year 2154. This is where Avatar Frontiers of Pandora begins. You are a Na'vi orphan who is kidnapped by the RDA to be trained to fight as a soldier of humanity.
• During the prologue, a scene will play out where the RDA executive, John Mercer, will announce that Jake Sully (protagonist of the movies) has gone rogue and turned the Na'vi against the humans.
• Soon, your teacher, Alma Cortez, puts you into cryostasis to save your life.
• You wake up fifteen years later, in 2169, you must protect your homeland against the returning RDA before the events of the second movie, Avatar: The Way of Water.
• From here on out, the game is set in Pandora's Western Frontier, where you can explore and learn about your Na'vi heritage while combatting the colonizing forces of RDA.

The Western Frontier is a new region unique to the game. This means that the movies strongly influence the game's story but do not immediately overlap with it.

Among the many characteristics of the movies referenced and carried over to the game are the Ikrans, gigantic bird-like creatures that the Na'vi use as mounts to traverse the vast landscape of Pandora. To know more, you can check out this guide on the Ikrans.