This Red Dead Redemption 2 guide is your complete resource for mastering Rockstar’s massive Wild West epic. Whether you’re just starting Arthur Morgan’s journey or pushing toward 100% completion, this Red Dead Redemption 2 guide covers everything: story walkthroughs, legendary animals, all collectibles, best weapons, and the path to 100% completion across 150+ hours of content.
Table of Contents
What is Red Dead Redemption 2?
RDR 2 Released by Rockstar Games in 2018, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel to the original Red Dead Redemption. You play as Arthur Morgan, a senior member of the Van der Linde gang, as they attempt one last big score while being hunted by law enforcement and rival gangs across America’s unforgiving heartland.
The game features a massive open world, branching story choices, an intricate honor system, deep simulation mechanics, and one of gaming’s most emotional narratives. This Red Dead Redemption 2 guide breaks down every system to help you navigate the 150+ hours of content efficiently.
Our Red Dead Redemption 2 guide is organized into clear sections so you can jump directly to what you need—whether that’s mission walkthroughs, hunting strategies, or collectible locations.
Story Walkthrough Overview
RDR2’s main story spans six chapters plus a two-part epilogue. Each chapter takes you to different regions of the map as the gang runs from the law.
All Story Chapters
Chapter 1: Colter – The gang escapes a botched robbery in Blackwater and seeks shelter in the snowy mountains.
Chapter 2: Horseshoe Overlook – The gang establishes a new camp near Valentine and begins planning their next moves.
Chapter 3: Clemens Point – Moving south to Rhodes, tensions rise between rival families and within the gang itself.
Chapter 4: Saint Denis – The gang arrives in the bustling city of Saint Denis for an ambitious bank robbery.
Chapter 5: Guarma – After the Saint Denis job goes wrong, the gang finds themselves stranded on a tropical island.
Chapter 6: Beaver Hollow – Returning to America, Dutch’s leadership crumbles as the gang fractures.
Epilogue Part 1 & 2 – Play as John Marston in the years following the main story.
For a complete chronological list of all 110 missions, see our RDR2 Missions List in Order. For detailed chapter-by-chapter breakdowns with tips, collectibles, and missable content, check our RDR2 Chapter Walkthrough. For mission-by-mission walkthroughs, see our RDR2 All Story Missions Guide.
Beginner Tips: Essential Things to Know
Starting RDR2 can feel overwhelming. Here are the most important tips for new players:
Take Your Time
RDR2 is designed to be slow and deliberate. Don’t rush through the story. Explore, hunt, talk to strangers, and immerse yourself in the world.
Save Often
The game autosaves frequently, but manual saves are your friend, especially before risky decisions or difficult missions.
Study Everything
Use your binoculars to study animals, plants, and people. This fills out your compendium and helps with hunting perfect pelts.
Maintain Your Cores
Arthur has Health, Stamina, and Dead Eye cores that drain over time. Eat regularly, sleep at camp, and craft tonics to keep them full.
Honor Matters
Your honor level affects story outcomes, prices in stores, and how NPCs react to you. Be mindful of your actions.
Explore Before Progressing
Many areas become temporarily inaccessible during certain story chapters. Explore thoroughly before advancing the main plot. Our RDR2 Chapter Walkthrough details what to complete in each chapter before moving on.
Upgrade Your Camp Early
Donating money and materials to camp unlocks fast travel, better supplies, and camp morale improvements.
For more in-depth beginner strategies, check our RDR2 Beginner’s Guide.
Understanding RDR2’s core systems is essential for success. This Red Dead Redemption 2 guide explains every gameplay mechanic in detail.
Combat & Gameplay Systems
Dead Eye System
Dead Eye is RDR2’s signature combat mechanic that slows time and lets you mark targets for precise shooting.
Dead Eye Levels:
- Level 1 – Slows time while aiming
- Level 2 – Mark targets manually
- Level 3 – See fatal hit zones on enemies
- Level 4 – Mark targets while in Dead Eye
- Level 5 – See fatal hit zones on animals
Level up Dead Eye by landing headshots, killing enemies, and completing challenges. See our Dead Eye Complete Guide for leveling strategies.
Honor System Explained
Honor ranges from -8 (dishonorable) to +8 (honorable). Your honor affects:
- Story dialogue and cutscenes
- Available missions and side content
- Store prices and discounts
- Your ending (4 different endings based on honor + final mission choices)
Increase Honor: Help strangers, donate to camp, greet NPCs, catch and release fish, spare enemies
Decrease Honor: Murder innocents, rob people, steal, be rude, kill lawmen
Learn more in our Honor System Complete Guide.
Camp Management
Your gang’s camp is a living hub that requires maintenance:
- Donate money ($20+ recommended per visit)
- Donate food and supplies
- Upgrade camp facilities through the ledger
- Complete camp requests from gang members
- Fast travel becomes available after upgrading Dutch’s lodging and Arthur’s tent
Weapons & Equipment
Best Weapons in RDR2
The game features 59 weapons across multiple categories:
Best Revolvers:
- Schofield Revolver – Best all-around stats
- Mauser Pistol – Highest fire rate
Best Rifles:
- Bolt Action Rifle – Best for hunting large game
- Lancaster Repeater – Great balance of power and speed
- Rolling Block Rifle – Best long-range sniper
Best Shotguns:
- Pump Action Shotgun – Devastating close-range power
Best Melee:
- Rare Knife (Mississippi side quest)
- Viking Hatchet (Grizzlies East)
Most weapons are purchased from gunsmiths, but many unique weapons are hidden throughout the world. Check our All Weapons Locations Guide for every findable weapon.
Weapon Customization
Visit any gunsmith to customize your weapons:
- Upgrade barrels, stocks, and scopes
- Engrave designs on metal
- Wrap handles in leather
- Apply finishes and metals
Customized weapons perform better and look unique.
Satchel Upgrades
Satchels increase your carrying capacity. The ultimate goal is the Legend of the East Satchel, which gives you 99 capacity for every item type.
Craft satchels at camp using perfect pelts from specific animals. Our Satchel Crafting Guide has all animal requirements and hunting tips.
Horses: Your Most Important Companion
Horse Bonding
Your horse has four bonding levels. Higher bonding increases health, stamina, and responsiveness.
Max Bonding Fast:
- Pat your horse constantly while riding
- Feed your horse regularly
- Brush your horse after rides
- Calm your horse during danger
- Lead your horse by hand
Full bonding tips in our Horse Bonding Guide.
Best Horses in RDR2
Top Tier Horses:
- Arabian (White) – Found wild near Lake Isabella (free, available Chapter 2+)
- Missouri Fox Trotter – Purchased in Blackwater stable (Epilogue) or found in Scarlett Meadows
- Turkoman – Purchased in Saint Denis stable (Chapter 4+)
- Arabian (Black/Rose Grey) – Purchased in Saint Denis stable
Best Horse by Category:
- Speed: Arabian
- Stamina: Mustang
- Health: Ardennes
- War: Hungarian Halfbred
- Work: Suffolk Punch
- Racing: Thoroughbred
See our Best Horses & Locations Guide for exact spawn points and early-game strategies.
Hunting & Survival
Perfect Pelts System
Animal pelts have three quality ratings: Poor (1-star), Good (2-star), and Perfect (3-star). Only perfect pelts count toward crafting legendary outfits and satchels.
How to Get Perfect Pelts:
- Study the animal to learn the required weapon
- Find a 3-star quality animal
- Use the correct weapon type
- Land a clean kill shot (headshot or heart shot)
- Skin the animal
Weapon Chart by Animal Size:
- Small animals (squirrels, rats): Varmint Rifle or Small Game Arrows
- Medium animals (rabbits, foxes): Varmint Rifle
- Medium-large (deer, coyotes): Poison Arrows or Rifle
- Large (bears, elk, alligators): Rifle with high-velocity ammo or Poison Arrows
Full hunting strategies in our Complete Hunting Guide.
Legendary Animals
There are 16 legendary animals scattered across the map. These unique beasts drop legendary pelts used to craft special outfits at the trapper.
Key Legendary Animals:
- Legendary Bear (early story mission)
- Legendary Buck (West Elizabeth)
- Legendary Bison (New Austin)
- Legendary Panther (one of the hardest to hunt)
Legendary animals appear as a “?” icon on your minimap when nearby. You must track clues to trigger the encounter.
See our All Legendary Animals Map for precise locations.
Fishing Guide
Fishing is required for 100% completion and provides excellent food sources.
Fishing Basics:
- Buy a fishing rod from Gill Landing (Chapter 3+)
- Use appropriate lures for different fish types
- Cast near legendary fish spawn points
- Complete Jeremy Gill’s stranger mission for the legendary fish challenge
There are 13 legendary fish to catch. Our Fishing & Legendary Fish Guide has all locations mapped.
Collectibles are a major part of achieving 100% completion. This Red Dead Redemption 2 guide maps every collectible location across the massive open world.
Collectibles & Exploration
Collecting everything is required for 100% completion. RDR2 has dozens of collectible sets scattered across its massive map.
Major Collectible Sets
Cigarette Cards (144 total). Find them in packs, on tables, or purchase entire sets from Pronghorn Ranch fence. Required for 100% completion. All Cigarette Cards Map
Dinosaur Bones (30 total) Collect all for paleontology stranger mission. Rewards rock statue and Gold Nugget. Dinosaur Bones Map
Dreamcatchers (20 total) Hidden in trees across the map. Collecting all unlocks the Ancient Arrowhead talisman. Dreamcatchers Map
Rock Carvings (10 total) Photograph carvings for Francis Sinclair stranger mission. Rewards Old Brass Compass. Rock Carvings Map
Treasure Maps (Multiple) Solve treasure maps to find hidden gold bars worth $500 each. All Treasure Map Solutions
Challenges
There are 90 challenges across 9 categories:
- Bandit (10)
- Gambler (10)
- Explorer (10)
- Herbalist (10)
- Horseman (10)
- Master Hunter (10)
- Sharpshooter (10)
- Survivalist (10)
- Weapons Expert (10)
Completing all 90 unlocks the Legend of the East outfit (the game’s ultimate achievement).
100% Completion Checklist
Achieving 100% completion requires completing most (but not all) content in the game.
Required for 100%:
✅ Complete all story missions (main + epilogue)
✅ Complete 10 Stranger Missions
✅ Complete 5 Bounty Hunter missions
✅ Survive 1 Gang Hideout encounter
✅ Complete 4 Camp Companion Activities
✅ Discover 9 Graves
✅ Collect 48 Cigarette Cards
✅ Complete 1 set from each Collectible category
✅ Collect 20 Dinosaur Bones
✅ Win 3 Gambler challenges
✅ Complete 1 Treasure Hunt
✅ Catch 10 Fish species
✅ Discover 50 Points of Interest
✅ Complete all Hunting Requests
✅ Study 50 animals
✅ Skin all Legendary Animals
✅ Reach Level 10 in 6 Health/Stamina attributes
✅ Perform 9 Robberies
✅ Craft 30 items
✅ Discover 5 Rare Horses
Not Required:
❌ All challenges (only some count)
❌ All side missions (only 10 needed)
❌ All collectibles (only 1 of each set needed)
❌ All weapons
❌ All horses
For a detailed progression tracker, see our 100% Completion Guide with Checklist.
Stranger Missions & Side Content
Stranger missions are multi-part side quests with unique stories and characters. Some are missable depending on story progress or honor level.
Must-Do Stranger Missions:
- The Veteran (Hamish Sinclair) – Emotional, multi-chapter questline
- The Noblest of Men, and a Woman – Gunslinger duels
- Oh, Brother – Two-part mission chain
- Arcadia for Amateurs – Plant Collecting
- Duchesses and Other Animals – Exotic animal requests
Many stranger missions have time-sensitive availability. Our All Stranger Missions Guide includes unlock conditions and optimal timing.
Money Making Guide
Money is always tight in RDR2’s realistic economy. Here are the fastest ways to earn cash:
Best Money-Making Methods:
- Treasure Hunting – Each treasure pays $500+ in gold bars
- Looting Bodies – Always loot after combat
- Robbery – Rob stores, stagecoaches, and trains (affects honor)
- Selling Valuables – Sell jewelry and pocket watches to fences
- Hunting – Perfect pelts and legendary animals fetch high prices
- Completing Challenges – Some challenges award gold bars
- Story Missions – Some missions pay thousands
Complete Money Making Guide has detailed strategies for each method.
Honor System & Multiple Endings
RDR2 has four possible endings determined by:
- Your honor level (high or low)
- Your final mission choice (help John or go back for money)
Four Endings:
- High Honor + Help John
- High Honor + Go Back for Money
- Low Honor + Help John
- Low Honor + Go Back for Money
Your ending dramatically changes Arthur’s final moments. Most players consider the high honor endings more emotionally satisfying.
All Endings Explained (Spoiler Warning)
Post-Game & Epilogue Content
After completing the main story, you continue playing as John Marston in the epilogue. The epilogue has its own story missions that bridge the gap to Red Dead Redemption 1.
What Carries Over:
✅ All collectibles and challenges
✅ All crafted items and valuables
✅ Compendium progress
✅ Most side missions
What Doesn’t Carry Over:
❌ Arthur’s custom outfits
❌ Some unique weapons
❌ Horse bonding (but you can retrieve Arthur’s horses later)
❌ Some stranger missions tied to Arthur
Complete Post-Game Guide covers everything available after the story.
Advanced Tips & Tricks
Camp Fast Travel
Unlock fast travel by:
- Donating $220 to the camp ledger for the First Things First upgrade
- Upgrading Dutch’s lodging
- Upgrading Arthur’s tent
Fast travel is available from your tent and some towns.
Infinite Money Exploits
Several methods exist for infinite money (though they may reduce immersion):
- Gold bar glitches in Limpany
- Saint Denis alley vendor exploit
- Aberdeen Pig Farm money stash trick
Rare Encounters
The world is filled with rare random encounters:
- Meteor impact site (Easter egg)
- UFOs (multiple locations)
- Ghost trains
- Time traveler Easter egg
- Serial killer map pieces
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does 100% completion take? Expect 150-200 hours for true 100% completion, depending on your playstyle.
Can I replay missions? Yes, but replaying doesn’t affect your current save. It’s a separate mode.
What’s the best way to increase Dead Eye? Complete Bandit and Sharpshooter challenges, land headshots, and use Dead Eye tonics.
Are any missions missable? Yes. Some stranger missions and camp events are chapter-specific. Check guides before progressing.
Should I kill the legendary animals before the epilogue? It’s recommended. Some areas are easier to access as Arthur.
What’s the point of honor? Honor affects your ending, store discounts, and dialogue options. High honor gives better rewards.
Complete Red Dead Redemption 2 Guide Index
Story & Walkthrough
- RDR2 Missions List in Order – Complete mission chronology
- All Story Missions Walkthrough – Detailed walkthroughs
- All Chapter Guides – Chapter-by-chapter guides
- All Stranger Missions – Side missions
- Choices & Consequences – Decision guide
Gameplay & Systems
Weapons & Equipment
Horses
Hunting & Survival
Collectibles
Completion
Money & Extras
Final Tips for Success
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game meant to be savored. Don’t rush toward 100% completion on your first playthrough. Experience the story, bond with your horse, help strangers, and let the world surprise you.
Save frequently, especially before major story missions or when venturing into dangerous territory. Use this guide as a reference, but don’t be afraid to explore and discover things on your own.
The Wild West is brutal, beautiful, and unforgettable. Bookmark this Red Dead Redemption 2 guide as your go-to resource throughout your journey. Take your time and enjoy the ride.
Good luck, partner.
