As one of the biggest games available on any system, it’s only natural that there some components of Red Dead Redemption 2 which we forget about, or which are not adequately explained. With around a dozen or so hours in already, we’re still very much on board for what the rest of the game might bring, but there are some things which we wish we knew or paid more attention to going in.
With that in mind, here are a few helpful tips which you might not know or could have forgotten which end up being consistently useful. These will be updated the further we get into the game, but so far these all appear to be true.
Please let us know down below if we have anything wrong.
Hunting
One of the earliest introduced component of the game, and one which you will no doubt have engaged in once the world opens up to you. In order to get the most out of this, though, and collect those ever-elusive perfect skins, you need to plan your attacks and be careful with your shots.
When first you come across a new type of animal you will have the option of studying it. While this can be performed once you get close, a better idea is to study from a distance with the binoculars. Not only will this help reduce prey animals fleeing, but it will also lessen the odds of predators going to town on your face while you jot down a few notes.
Once you have studied the animal you can use the same method and button shortcut to examine any of those types of living animals in the wild. This will let you know which level of quality pelt you can collect from them, and the type of weapon and ammunition which could be required in order to attain a clean kill. Remember to shoot for the head for the best pelts, as body shots can ruin an otherwise perfect skin.
Another thing to keep in mind is that there is a limit on the number of animal carcasses which can be carried by your horse at one time. Generally speaking, you can stack a few smaller skins over the rear of your horse, though larger skins like those from a buffalo will need to be rolled up and placed behind the saddle. This is the spot normally reserved for medium-sized animal carcasses, of which you can only carry one on your horse at a time.
Smaller animal carcasses, like birds or rabbits, can usually be tied to the side of your horse, with spots for one on each side. Just beware that if you crash your horse into a tree or rock, or otherwise tip it over, you will need to put everything back on, so be careful when heading back to your base or a butcher.
Selling
Many regular items like consumables can be sold within a general store, whereas meat and hides are to be sold at a butcher. Just as with your base, you don’t actually need to deliver each pelt or carcass by hand, simply keep your horse nearby and the sold items will be available to be sold directly when you enter the shop menu.
For more precious items, these can either be gifted towards your camp or sold at a fence (as in a black market dealer). These can be located at a few of the larger towns and should be visited fairly often. Valuable items can only be stacked so high, after all, and once you reach the limit all other potential earnings from pick-ups will go to waste.
Look After Your Horse
The better your relationship with your horse the more reliable it will be and, more importantly, the further away it will be able to respond to your calls. In order to look after your horse you need to feed it, which can be done by targeting it with the left shoulder button while close, brushing it, which will unlock from an early camp mission, and pat it, which can also be done from horseback by clicking down the left stick.
You might also need to calm it down if it is pursued by predators or startled by a gunfight, which can be done by patting, or by hopping off, targeting it, and clicking the calm option.
They will also run into trees if you aren’t careful, so be careful about that.
Guns
You will come across other named guns from characters you shoot, stab, run over, burn, drown, explode, or whatever murder opportunity you prefer on your adventures. As you might have noticed, you can only carry a limited selection of firearms at once, so picking up a pistol while you already have one will replace the one you currently hold.
This does not, however, mean that your original pistol will disappear. Instead, it will go back to your horse loadout, meaning that all it takes to get it back is going back to old faithful and changing back to your original. This also appears to be the best way to easily compare the stats on different guns, to let you choose which ones you want to be equipped when going out on an expedition.
Also remember to keep a stock of gun oil, available from gunsmiths, as poor conditioning can make your best weapons near useless.
Base Ledger
Wondering about how you get the leatherworking tools for you camp upgrades? These become purchasable through the camp ledger which unlocks once you have gifted the camp donation box a minimum of $200. Unfortunately, most of these upgrades require a set base donation of various types of perfect skins, but this kept us wondering at the early stages, so it’s good to know.
Easy Long-Distance Travel
There appear to be a range of travel options for those who don’t wish to do everything the long way. Among these are trains, which unlock once you have visited a certain amount of stations, carriages, which operate in much the same way, and a general fast travel, which is locked behind one of Morgan’s ledger base upgrades.
For an easier time, there is another way which can take the pain out of long horse-back trips. Firstly, go into the controls menu and locate the option which allows turning of the run from a constant pressing into a toggle performed by a couple of presses. Following this, mark a point on the map with a custom waypoint, and get onto a road which the path indicates to follow.
From here move into a gallop in the guided direction, then enter the cinematic view (holding down the touchpad on the DS4). In while in this view mode, Morgan will automatically navigate to as close to the checkpoint as the road allows, while avoiding running over pedestrians and crashing into objects. This can also be performed by following a yellow marked road to a mission marker.
Just keep in mind that random events such as people requiring help and opposing gangs starting trouble can also pop up during these trips, so don’t tune out completely or you could end up with negative karma, or being shot to death.
Stay tuned for more, and be sure to tell them dogs what good boys they are.
