Red Dead Redemption True 100% Hardcore "Immersive" Guide/Route

[Sugar Free Nos 7,246]

Recently, to prepare for a playthrough of Red Dead Redemption, I've been working on a route/guide/resource to make it as "immersive" as possible and figured I would share it so that other people may use it. 

 

Red Dead Redemption True 100% Hardcore "Immersive" Guide/Route

 

 

Who is this guide/route for?

 

This guide is not for those that are new to Red Dead Redemption, and I don't suggest using it on a first playthrough. It is meant for those already familiar with Red Dead Redemption, and those who don't mind a quick search of things such as mission titles that they do not recognize. This guide uses a lot of shorthand to refer to either challenges, missions, or items, and it is assumed that you have a basic enough knowledge of the game to understand this shorthand. In short, this is for someone who wants to revisit RDR and have the ultimate playthrough to catch up for Red Dead Redemption 2.

 

 

What is the purpose of this guide/route?

 

This guide's number one objective is to be "immersive". What is "immersive"? "Immersive" in this context means that the actions that you are taking in game make sense based on your location and what you are doing overall. Another goal of this route is to integrate all of the side activities such as challenges, bounties, outfit scraps, etc. into the game to where nothing gets repetitive or boring. A lot of playthroughs of RDR I have seen on YouTube, Twitch, and elsewhere have featured someone playing through the story, then having a several hour block of bounties, challenges, and collectibles. This route eliminates that and makes the game flow in a much more cohesive way. This route also attempts to keep missions where the goals, destinations, or both are similar, away from each other in the story line. For instance, "Hanging Bonnie MacFarlane" and "Let The Dead Bury Their Dead" are kept as far away from each other as possible because they both feature combat in Tumbleweed, and "Spare the Rod, Spoil the Bandit" and "You Shall Not Give False Testimony, Except for Profit" are kept away from each other because they both heavily feature Ridgewood Farm.

 

 

Why did you make this guide/route?

 

In October I am doing a playthrough on my Twitch channel during a RDR event month to prepare for the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, and I wanted to attempt to make the best piece of content for RDR that I can. This meant avoiding things such as big boring blocks of side activities, as well as making sure that I do everything available in game, even items not required for 100% completion. This playthrough will also feature me playing on the GOTY Edition exclusive Hardcore mode and not using fast travel. I spent about a week working on the route and testing, and I also played through the game 100% almost twice for good measure.

 

 

What is "True" 100%?

 

True 100% in this context means doing and experiencing all of the content available in game, even items not required by 100% in game. All of these items are listed in the guide/route, but in short this means all of the items required for 100% plus items like the DLC outfits, weapons, and challenges, the stranger missions "I Know You", and acquiring items such as newspapers and watching the movies in the cinema. 

 

 

Is this a speedrun route?

 

While many speedrun resources and strategies were used in the creation of this guide/route, "Immersion" and efficiency were the main goals, not speed. While I would assume this route is faster than a typical playthrough, speed is not the objective here, enjoyment is. 

 

 

In closing, I hope that someone finds this guide/route useful and enjoyable. If you happen to use it to create your own piece of content, giving me credit would be a nice gesture. If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions on this resource, you can either leave it here in this thread or reach me on Twitter. 

 

Thanks for viewing!

[Mach1bud 61,021]

Gonna start my play through right now with this guide.

[TheMadHammer 841]

For me, a true "hardcore" 100% playthrough is doing only the story missions with John, along with "I know you" (because it's exclusive to John) and "Jenny's Faith" (because you see her in the prologue cutscene, so it makes sense to help her as John). Then complete all other side content and challenges with Jack.

 

John was reformed and just wanted to return to his family without being distracted by picking flowers or helping complete strangers all along the road. Jack, on the other hand, had something to prove to himself, and a desire to surpass his father's infamy. HE wasnted to be the last Legend of the West, so he cleared out the gang hideouts, hunted the legendary animals, catalogued the Flora of Soutwest, took all the bounties, found the all the h8dden gold, and became an infamous challenge seeker.

Edited October 22, 2018 by MatthewIRL

[Sugar Free Nos 7,246]

3 hours ago, MatthewIRL said:

For me, a true "hardcore" 100% playthrough is doing only the story missions with John, along with "I know you" (because it's exclusive to John) and "Jenny's Faith" (because you see her in the prologue cutscene, so it makes sense to help her as John). Then complete all other side content and challenges with Jack.

 

John was reformed and just wanted to return to his family without being distracted by picking flowers or helping complete strangers all along the road. Jack, on the other hand, had something to prove to himself, and a desire to surpass his father's infamy. HE wasnted to be the last Legend of the West, so he cleared out the gang hideouts, hunted the legendary animals, catalogued the Flora of Soutwest, took all the bounties, found the all the h8dden gold, and became an infamous challenge seeker.

 

This is a fair point, although I'm not a big fan of willfully ignoring and avoiding content to do it later.

 

Also Jack is completely insufferable in my opinion and the less time I spend as him, the better.

 

I do however wish there were more things to do as Jack, and feel that the majority of the Strangers feel like they are meant to be done as John.

 

Another thing that would personally bother me about your approach is for you to see a stranger in a location as John, then return 4 years later to them in the exact same place.

 

If gameplay elements were different, I'd be on board with your approach. Waiting to do that content at the end results in large blocks of similar content and repetitive gameplay.