Important Notes

Important Notes for Red Dead Redemption 2

This section covers crucial warnings, irreversible decisions, missable content, difficulty spikes, grinding traps, online etiquette, save management advice, and common regrets. Read this before diving deep into the game to avoid costly mistakes.

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Warnings & Pitfalls

• Manual Save is Your Lifeline: The autosave system overwrites your most recent checkpoint, and story missions can lock you into outcomes you dislike. Always create a manual save before every mission (especially missions with a yellow icon or that are marked as "chapter end") and after major purchases or upgrades. Manual saves are separate from autosaves and can be loaded at any time.


• Horse Bonding & Temporary Horses: Bonding with a horse (level 1–4) is permanent while the horse lives. If your horse dies permanently (not just injured), bonding progress is lost. Always have a stable slot for your main horse, and never leave a temporary horse untended in dangerous areas—it may despawn or be killed.


• Weapon Degradation & Maintenance: All weapons degrade with use. A dirty weapon loses accuracy, damage, and reload speed. Clean your weapons regularly at camps, gunsmiths, or using gun oil. Ignoring this leads to frustrating failures in combat.


• Bounties & Wanted Levels: Killing lawmen or committing crimes in towns accumulates a bounty. Bounties cannot be paid from the player menu; you must visit a post office or pay at a train station. If you die while wanted, you lose money (taken from your cash, not gold bars). High bounties attract bounty hunters who can ambush you. Pay off bounties promptly to avoid nuisance.


• The Honor System: Your honor (good vs. bad) affects NPC reactions, discounts, and story outcomes (including the final mission). Honor is changed by actions: greeting strangers (increases), robbing/killing innocents (decreases). It cannot be reset once set, but can be shifted gradually. There is no "neutral" route; your choices have consequences.


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Irreversible Choices




• Story Mission Outcomes: Some story missions have binary choices (e.g., "Save or Abandon" a character, choosing which side to take in a conflict). These choices affect who lives or dies, which items you get, and the ending. Many are irreversible and affect the epilogue. Save before making any decision you're unsure about.


• Chapter-Specific Content: Certain side missions, stranger encounters, and collectibles are only available in specific chapters. Once you advance a chapter, you cannot return to earlier areas (temporarily) or complete missed missions. See "Missable Content" below.


• The Arthur Morgan Journey: Arthur’s health and stamina are influenced by story events. A key irreversible choice occurs near the end of Chapter 6 that determines Arthur's fate and leads to the epilogue. This choice cannot be undone. Save before the mission "Red Dead Redemption" (the final mission of Chapter 6).


• Grinding for 100% Completion: Some tasks (like studying all animals or finding all dinosaur bones) must be done before the epilogue because certain animals or locations become inaccessible after the main story ends. Check missable guides for 100% completion.

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Missable Content

The table below lists the most common missable items, missions, and collectibles. Bold means the content is permanently missable (cannot be obtained after a certain point).

Tip: Use a checklist or guide before each major story mission to ensure you've completed all available side content.

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Difficulty Spikes

• Chapter 1 (Colter): The snow section is linear and slow. It teaches basic controls but can feel tedious. Be patient—it's short.


• Chapter 2 (Horseshoe Overlook): After the open world opens up, the learning curve steepens: hunting, crafting, combat, and the wanted system all at once. Don't rush story missions; practice hunting and combat in the wild.


• Chapter 3 & 4 (Lemoyne): Enemy AI becomes more aggressive, and the region introduces swamps with alligators (instant kill). Use cover and explosives carefully.


• Chapter 5 (Guarma): A linear island section with harsh weather, limited resources, and tough soldiers. Stock up on ammo and health items before starting the mission "Banking, the Old American Art".


• Chapter 6 (Annesburg area): High honor players may find emotional difficulty, but combat-wise, enemies are numerous and well-armed. Use Dead Eye upgrades.


• Epilogue Part 1 (Princess): Only one main story mission, but many random encounters. Difficulty is low.


• Epilogue Part 2 (Beecher's Hope): Low difficulty overall, but the final mission ("American Inferno, Burnt Out") can be tough if you aren't prepared for a shootout.


• Online Mode (Red Dead Online): The first few hours are brutal. Low health, weak weapons, and experienced players will grief you. Play in defensive mode and avoid show-downs until you have improved ability cards.


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Grinding Traps




• Hunting for Money: You can earn cash by hunting and selling pelts, but the return diminishes quickly. Better ways: treasure hunts (maps give gold bars), bounty hunting (online), or story missions. Don't waste hours hunting perfect pelts unless you need for crafting.


• Legendary Animal hunts: These are one-time events. If you kill a legendary animal and don't skin it, the pelt is lost forever (and the animal doesn't respawn). Always skin immediately and sell to the trapper.


• Money vs. Gold Bars: In story mode, gold bars are the best currency. Save them for camp upgrades or tool purchases. Don't sell gold bars—they are used for crafting trinkets and upgrading your satchel at the trapper.


• Spending money on horse revivers: These are cheap but essential. Always carry at least 2. Don't waste cash on cosmetic items before upgrading your weapons.


• Online Grinding: Getting rich in Red Dead Online requires repetitive activities: bounty hunting, collector role (maps), and trader role (deliveries). Avoid buying overpriced items early (e.g., clothing). Focus on role upgrades.


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Online Etiquette & Anti-Cheat Notes (PC)




• Defensive Mode: Enable this in Online Options. It prevents other players from lock-on targeting you and reduces damage from griefers. You can still fight back, but defensive mode signals you want peace.


• Griefing: Some players kill on sight. Avoid retaliating; you'll waste time. Just respawn and fast travel away.


• Voice Chat: Be aware that voice chat in lobbies can be toxic. Mute all non-friends in the interaction menu.


• Cheaters on PC: Rockstar's anti-cheat (BattlEye) is active but imperfect. Cheaters can teleport, spawn money, or crash servers. If you encounter a cheater, record a video and report to Rockstar. Do not accept modded money—it can lead to a ban.


• No Cross-Platform: Red Dead Online does not support cross-play between PC, PlayStation, or Xbox. You can only play with people on the same platform.


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Save Management Advice




• Use Multiple Save Slots: Rotate between at least 3–5 manual saves. Label them with chapter numbers or a description (e.g., "CH2 before hunting", "CH6 before final mission").


• Before Major Decisions: Save before any mission where you are forced to make a choice (yellow missions often have these). Also save before starting a new chapter—some chapters lock you out of side content.


• Cloud Saves: On PC (Rockstar Launcher), enable cloud saves. On console, the saves are local only. Back up your save files periodically (PC: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Rockstar Games\Red Dead Redemption 2\Profiles).


• Corrupted Saves: Rare but possible. If a save fails to load, try a backup. Keep a copy of your save folder on an external drive or cloud storage.


• Autosave Caution: The autosave will overwrite previous auto saves. Disable autosave if you want full control, but then you must manually save every few minutes. Recommended: leave autosave on, but manual save before risky actions.


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Common Regrets Players Wish They Knew Earlier




• Spending money on camp upgrades: The camp ledger has many upgrades, but the most useful are: the leather-working tools (unlock satchel upgrades), the horse station (fast travel from camp to major towns), and the fast travel map (for Arthur). Other upgrades are cosmetic or minor.


• Ignoring the Trapper & Customizations: The trapper can craft unique outfits and items from perfect pelts. Collect all legendary animal pelts early—some are only available in certain chapters. Also, buying the Legend of the East satchel (from the Trapper) increases carrying capacity dramatically.


• Not learning Dead Eye upgrades: Dead Eye is essential for headshots and slowing time. Upgrade it by completing story missions and reading newspapers. Buy the "Dead Eye: Level 3" upgrade at any gunsmith (it allows manually painting targets).


• Selling unique weapons: Some weapons are unique (e.g., the Semi-Automatic Pistol from "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman" mission). Selling them is irreversible. Keep all unique weapons in your weapons locker.


• Not exploring enough: The world is full of random events, treasure maps, and hidden loot. Don't fast travel everywhere—ride your horse and explore. You'll find gold bars, rare items, and stranger missions.


• Killing too many animals without skinning: Hides and carcasses degrade over time. Always skin immediately and store on your horse or sell. Leaving a carcass on your horse for too long reduces its value.


• Not using the horse whistle properly: Your horse can be called from a distance, but it may not follow you into tight spaces. If you're in a town, the horse may be hit by a train—whistle to keep it nearby.


• Wasting time on collectibles without a plan: Some collectibles (like dinosaur bones) require a guide. Without one, you'll waste hours searching. Use online maps.


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Final Advice




• Enjoy the Journey: RDR2 is a slow-paced game with a rich story. Rushing through missions will make you miss its best moments. Take your time, hunt, fish, and chat with strangers.


• Use the Compendium: Study animals and plants to fill your compendium for 100% completion. This helps with achievements/trophies.


• Keep Multiple Manual Saves: This cannot be overstressed. A single corrupt save or a bad decision can ruin many hours of progress.


• Check Online Resources: For treasure maps, collectible locations, and 100% guides, consult a dedicated walkthrough. Red Dead Redemption 2's world is deep, and missing content is easy.


• Patience with Glitches: The game can have minor bugs (e.g., horse not responding, NPCs stuck). Reloading a save usually fixes them. Don't panic.

Remember: No guide covers every possible scenario, but with these notes, you'll avoid most major pitfalls. Good luck, cowboy.