RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 - "Chronological" Mission Order

[Dan_1983]

8 hours ago, AudaxTenebra said:

Chat dead. We finally reached the end. No one ended up discovering the actual Ch 2 order. Everyone just burnt out from this wild goose chase

After 200+ pages and 6,000 replies is it surprising?

 

All good things die down eventually, especially after 5 years.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Dan_1983

[Agent Edward]

Just study all the information you people discussed throughout these almost 5 years and play it however you want to, the game cleary adapts itself to however you wanna play it.

[AudaxTenebra]

10 hours ago, Edward RDRIII said:

Just study all the information you people discussed throughout these almost 5 years and play it however you want to, the game cleary adapts itself to however you wanna play it.

That's what I've always said. Deep down, most active users in this thread had some severe case of OCD or something. It's clear Rockstar made the game the way it is on purpose

[Agent Edward]

8 hours ago, AudaxTenebra said:

That's what I've always said. Deep down, most active users in this thread had some severe case of OCD or something. It's clear Rockstar made the game the way it is on purpose

As they should've made it, it is a open world game, not a linear one.

Edited September 7, 2023 by Edward RDRIII

[Luketa]

On 9/2/2023 at 1:37 PM, xiter23 said:

No mission should be done during A Fork in the Road and Icarus and Friends, doesn't make sense do Do Not Seek Absolution before Money Lending either.

Hey Man, sorry Due to the delay, at the moment I'm focusing on the game's online mode (in which I am experiencing a lot of difficulties)  and I still don't know which order to follow, I redid the list based on the order of the @Psycho18 missions, so if there's something wrong, correct it and tell me where I can put the missions and let me know I'm sorry for the mistake! 

 

[xiter23]

On 12/6/2019 at 12:45 PM, Psycho18 said:

 Updated version. Still making changes

Chapter  1

Outlaws from the West- intro Odrisscolls

Enter, Pursued by a Memory

Bill-- Old Friends

Pearson—The After math of Genesis

Who The Hell Is Leviticus Cornwall

Eastward Bound

 

Chapter 2

Uncle- Polite Society, Valentine Style—Intro to Valentine

Stranger- Noblest of Men and a Woman

Swanson- Who is Without Sin

Bounty- Good Honest, Snake Oil  Benedict Allbright

Javier—American at Rest

Javier- The First shall be Last- Party and hunting

Strauss – Money Lending and Other Sins 1-3

Stranger-   A Test of Faith

Stranger- Smoking and other Hobbies

Stranger- All That Glitters

Kieran- Paying a Social Call

Dutch- A Quiet Time

Gunslinger- Emmit Granger

Hosea Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego

Mary- We Loved Once and True I—read letter

Hosea- Spines of America

Hunting- Charles

Mary- We Loved Once and True II

Mary- We Loved Once and True III

House Robbery- Javier

Stranger- Arcadia for Amateurs

Stranger- Geology for Beginners

Stranger- Arcadia for Amateurs II

House Robbery Watson Cabin I- take shotgun only

Micah- Blessed Are the Meek

John- Pouring forth Oil I

John- Pouring forth Oil II

Micah—American Pastoral Scene

John- Pouring Forth Oil III

Abigail- Fisher of Men

John- Pouring Forth Oil IV

House Robbery- Watson’s Cabin II

Gunslinger—Flaco Hernandez

Lake Isabella – White Arabian horse

John- The Sheep and the Goats

Stranger- Arcadia for Amateurs III

Dutch—Strange Kindness

 

Chapter 3

Dutch- A New South—intro to Rhodes, SW part of map, and Lemoyne Raiders

Pearson- Further Question of Female Suffrage

Dominos- Tilly

Five Finger Fillet- Micah

Dutch- American Distillation

Strauss- Money Lending and Other Sins IV

Money Lending and Other Sins IV- Gwyn Hughes

Gunslingers – Billy Midnight

Molly- An Honest Mistake

Fishing- Javier

Grays- The Course of True Love I

Beau Gray- The Course of True II

House Robbery- Sean

Fishing- Kieran

Stranger- A Fisher of Fish I

Stranger- The Iniquities of History I

Stranger- The Iniquities of History II

Beau Gray- The Course of True III

Stranger- No Good Deed

Abigail- Advertising the New American Art I

Lenny- Preaching Forgiveness as he Went

Hosea- Advertising the New American Art II

Hosea- The Joy of Tobacco

John- Horse Flesh for Dinner

Stranger- He’s British of Course I-V

Dutch- Magicians of Sport

Bill- Sodom? Back to Gomorrah

Josiah- Friends in very Low Places

Alden- Rhodes Coach Robbery I-III Rhodes

Coach Robbery- Sean

Coach Robbery- Bill

Micah- Blessed are the Peacemakers

Coach Robbery- Hector I-III Strawberry

Money Lending and Other Sins- Winton Holmes Strawberry

House Robbery 3 Watson's Cabin

House Robbery- Catfish Jacksons

Bill- A Short Walk in a Pretty Town

Dutch- Bloods, Feuds, Ancient and Modern

Dutch- The Battle of Shady Belle

 

Chapter 4

Stranger- Fundraiser- do not wait!! Go pass her many times, she disappears forever.

Bronte- Joys of Civilization- Intro of Saint Denis

Stranger- Artist Way I

Stranger- The Mercies of Knowledge I

Stranger- The Mercies of Knowledge II

Stranger- The Mercies of Knowledge III

Dutch- Anglo Bronte Man of Honor

Mary- Fatherhood and Other Dreams I- read the letter

Mary- Fatherhood and Other Dreams II

Coach Robbery- Lenny

Mary-Beth- No, No, No Thrice

Stranger- The Ties that Bind Us I

Stranger- The Ties that Bind Us II

Hunting- Pearson

Stranger- Artist Way II

Dorkins- Help a Brother Out

Stranger- A Artist Way III- IV

Dorkins- Brothers and Sisters, One and All

Stranger- The Mercies of Knowledge IV

Stranger- The Mercies of Knowledge V (bounty- Wilson J. McDaniels)

Bounty- Lindsey Wolford- talks about Shady Belle

Stranger- The Mercies of Knowledge VI

Stranger- A Bright Bouncing Boy

Stranger- The Mercies of Knowledge VII

Hosea-  Gilded Cage

Coach Robbery- Micah

Mayor- Idealism and Pragmatism for Beginners I

Stranger- American Fathers I

Josiah Fine Night of Debauchery

Rustling- Uncle

Eagle Flies- American Fathers II

Stranger- Oh Brother I

Stranger the ties that Binds US III-IV

Stranger Oh Brother II

Stranger American Dream

Stranger Oh Brother III

Stranger The Ties that Binds Us V

Mayor- Idealism and Pragmatism for Beginners II

Mayor- Idealism and Pragmatism for Beginners III

Sadie- Horseman Apocalypse

Dutch- Urban Pleasures

Dutch- Country Pursuits-  intro to Lagras, north swamp, and Night Folk

Strauss- Money Lending and Other Sins V

Money Lending and Other Sins V- Algie Davison

House Robbery- Alderdeen Pig Farm

Dutch- Revenge is a Dish Best Eaten

Stranger- Arcadia for Amateurs IV-V

Gunslingers- Black Belle

Stranger- Duchesse and Other Animals  I-II- Exotic List I

Stranger- Noblest of Men and Women II Valentine

Stranger- Noblest of Men and Women III- Saint Denis

Stranger- A Fine Night For It

Dutch- Banking The Old American Art

 

Chapter 5

Welcome to the New World

Stranger- Savagery Unleashed and Hunting

Dutch- A Kind and Benevolent Despot

Hell Hath no Fury

Paradise Mercifully Departed

Dear Uncle Tacitus

Fleeting Joy

A Fork in the Road

Sadie- Icarus and Friends

Dutch- That’s Murfree Country- intro Murfrees, Butcher Creek, and NE part of the map

 

Chapter 6

Stranger- Duchesse and Other Animals III- Exotics list II

Stranger- Wisdom of the Elders I

Stranger- Of Men and Angels I-II

Sadie- Visiting Hours

Stranger- Wisdom of the Elders II-V

Noblest of Men and a Women IV- Slim Grant

Noblest of Men and a Women IV

Stranger- Widow at Willard’s Rest I

Stranger- A Bright Bouncing Boy II

Stranger- Widow at Willard’s Rest II

Strauss- Money Lending and Other Sins VI

Money Lending- J. John Weathers

Stranger- The Veteran I

Stranger- Geology for Beginners II

Money Lending- Arthur Londonderry

Money Lending and Other Sins VII

Stranger- The Veteran II

Downes- Do not Seek Absolution I

Penelope Braithwaite- Course of True Love IV- Read Letter

Downes- Do Not Seek Absolution II

Stranger- The Veteran III

Stranger- Widow at Willard Rest III

Micah- Just a Social Call

Stranger- The Smell of the Grease Paint I-II

Micah- The Delights of Van Horn

Stranger- Duchesses and Other Animals IV- exotic list III

Penelope Braithwaite- A Course of True Love V

Swanson- Rage Unleashed

Sadie- Goodbye Old Friend

Jack- A Bridge to Nowhere

Rain Falls- Archeology for Beginners

Monroe- Honor among Thieves

Josiah-  A Fine Art of Conversation

Eagle Flies- Favored Sons

Sadie- Mrs. Sadie Adler, Widow I-II

Monroe- King’s Son

Dutch- My Last Boy

Dutch- Our Best selves

Red Dead Redemption

 

Epilogue I

The Wheel intro to the Laramie gang

Dickens- Simple Pleasures

Dickens- Farming for Beginners

Geddes- Fatherhood for Beginners

Old Habits

Abigail- Fatherhood for Idiots

Geddes- Jim Milton, Rides Again

Motherhood

Sadie- Gainful Employment

Bounty- Joshua Brown – Strawberry

Atherton- Landowning Classes

Atherton- Home of the Gentry

 

Epilogue II

Uncle- Bare Knuckles Friendships

Sadie- An Honest Days Labor

Uncle- Home Improvement for Beginners

Cakes- The Tool Box intro to Skinners gang

Bounty- Elias Green- Blackwater

Bounty- Otis Skinner Blackwater

Uncle- The New Jerusalem

Uncle- A Quick Favor for Old Friend – intro to Del Lobo gang

Talk Mr. Pearson in Rhodes General Store 1-3 different times

Bounty Mark Johnson Rhodes

Bounty Robbie Laidlaw Rhodes

Talk Joe Butler Rhodes- About Arthur

Talk Tilly Jackson- Saint Denis near Tailor

Check the Quincey Harris Memorial Harris Hall plaque

Bounty Anthony Foreman Saint Denis- talk about Arthur and Tilly

Talk Rains Fall- Annesburg – about Eagle Flies/Arthur

Charlotte—Willard Rest talk about Arthur

Dover Hill- check on Dr. Dragic

Stranger- The Veteran IV – talk about Arthur and keep Buell

Talk to Homeless Mickey- about Arthur

Talk to Mary Beth- Valentine

Bounty- Ellie Anne Swann Valentine

Stranger- Duchesses and other Animals V- exotic list IV

Stranger- Duchesses and other Animals VI—exotic list V

Stranger- American Inferno, Burnt out I

Stranger- A Better World, New Friend

Stop at HorseShoe Overlook, Beaver Hollow, Clemson Point, and Shady Belle to hear the Gangs Voices.

The Vampire in Saint Denis Mystery

Stranger- American Inferno, Burnt out II

Uncle- Uncle’s Bad Day

The Best Women

John- Trying Again

Bounty- Jonquin Arroyo Tumbleweed

Bounty- Esteban Cortez- Tumbleweed

Stranger- American Inferno, Burnt out III-IV

Stranger- A Test of Faith II

Stranger- A Fisher of Fish II

Stranger- American Inferno, Burnt Out V

Abigail- Really Big Bastard

Abigail- A New Future Imagined

Grave sites:  Remember the Fallen

Talk Pearson one last time in Rhodes

Abigail- American Venom

Stranger- A Better World, A New Friend II—look out for this one. This mission Glitch on me. John was left at Arthur’s grave with no horse, weapons, warm clothes, and in combat. John  cannot set-up camp, get train tickets, get a room at hotel, or stagecoach ride. Only thing I did was save and reload game to get the John’s horse.

 

 

 

No mission should be done between Visiting Hours and Just a Social Call. Arthur leaves camp (after Visiting Hours) ONLY to go where Micah and Dutch are because he suspects they're there for revenge.

[jimmyoneshot]

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been too active here recently. Been busy with work a lot and developing side projects as well as playing other games ha.

 

I've actually just started a replay of RDR2 doing a 100% run while looking into what unlocks certain missions and stuff like that.

[Luketa]

On 9/9/2023 at 8:57 PM, jimmyoneshot said:

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been too active here recently. Been busy with work a lot and developing side projects as well as playing other games ha.

 

I've actually just started a replay of RDR2 doing a 100% run while looking into what unlocks certain missions and stuff like that.

Oh My God, The Legend Himself is Back!, Hey @jimmyoneshot, what's up man?, so Firstly, I wanted to thank you for your list, which is incredible and very good and it will be the one I will use after finishing the online trophies and i have one question, Do you intend to release a list of all the missions in the game?

[Agent Edward]

You people could discuss RDR2's chronological order as a whole now, instead of just focusing on Chapter 2, otherwise you people won't ever discuss anything else.

[Kevo923]

What I really want is a list that flows through the story but also completes EVERYTHING (Compendium, Equipment, Etc) to the point there's not much left to do besides terrorize NPCs lol

[Alexlecj]

On 8/15/2023 at 12:19 AM, xiter23 said:

A Fork in the Road until That’s Murfree Country can't be chronologically in chapter 5 for many reasons

But then why is Sadie witnessing Molly's death at the end of "That's Murfree Country"? She can't be at Doyle's Tavern and Beaver Hollow at the same time.

[AlgernonWasp]

EDIT: This took a little longer than anticipated, so I'll begin with Chapter II for now and do III and IV later.

 

Wow! I have recently begun a replay of RDR2 aiming for a 100% completion after all these years. I went back to this thread that guided me around 2019 and I'm both impressed and surprised that it's still active after all these years. I've done 2 replays of the game before, but most side content and challenges I did as John, and this time I want to be able to finish as much as possible when playing as Arthur. In this playthrough I'm currently at the end of chapter 4 (finishing business before the bank job), and I'm quite happy with my order this far. I have an idea about chapter 5 and 6 as well, but won't have as much time to play in the coming weeks. I haven't read every single post in this thread, but I have browsed through most pages just to get an understanding of different takes on order, what dialogue means and so on. As many people have said, there really is no 100% right or wrong but there are some instances where I disagree with some people's interpretation of dialogue even if some dialogue is really helpful. Let's not forget that the game was made over a very long time, and the actors themselves have said that even though the skeleton of the story was there from the start, a lot of missions where added and removed during the course of production. So I think there is a lot of room to be forgiving for eventual oversights. 

 

I thought I'd share my order up until this point for those still interested, if anyone is after hundreds of different takes on what the chronological order really is. Perhaps it will give some inspiration to future gamers, but at the very least it will serve as a reference for myself when I replay the game in the future, which I'm very sure I will. I recently finished a replay of GTAV after 10 years and really hope we'll one day get a remaster of RDR2 as well.

 

I will begin plainly with a simple list of story and stranger missions and put side missions between each of them where I thought it was fitting. I'll delve deeper into motivation as well as side content in hidden boxes, but I won't bore you with too much detail regarding all my grinding when hunting for perfect pelts and carcasses or exotics. I also won't go into every single completed challenge or random encounter or give a time table for each day (sounds exhausting), but I will mention a few times in the story where I think it makes sense. I should also mention that I took some inspiration from the great "RDR2 100% Completion Strategy Guide" that Jimbratron posted on this forum when the game was released.

 

So now, after an introduction that became much longer than I intended, here we go:

 

Chapter I

1: Outlaws from the West

2: Enter, Pursued by a Memory

3: Old Friends

4: The Aftermath of Genesis

5: Who the Hell is Leviticus Cornwall

6: Eastward Bound

 

Spoiler

Very linear mission order in this chapter. I know some people prefer to do Aftermath before Old Friends as Arthur would prioritize getting food for the camp before robbing the O'Driscolls. Here's the thing, and something to keep in mind during a lot of coming missions as well: Arthur rarely knows what he is walking into when starting "missions" at camp and I will give more examples in the upcoming chapters. When he goes to talk to Bill he is most probably just checking in with the rest of the gang after saving John the night before, but it is Dutch who is in a rush to find out more about the O'Driscolls. Same when he goes to talk to Pearson, here it is Charles who takes initiative to go hunting and Arthur more or less tags along to help him because of his injured hand. Of course, doing any of the two missions first works just as fine, but I personally lean a bit more to do Old Friends first so that I have Dead Eye unlocked which makes hunting the deer so much easier. Then there's the added dialogue between Arthur and Charles regarding Kieran, not to mention that you get to free roam the camp and get an extra few lines of dialogue from members of the camp. 

 

Chapter II

1: Polite Society, Valentine Style

Spoiler

Probably the most discussed question in this thread, so not sure if I'm bringing that much new to the table. This chapter consist of so many missions that in a way are tutorials so I partly try to motivate my order because of that. I know there is some extra dialogue to be had if you save this for later, but for me personally, Polite Society, Valentine Style is the intro mission of this chapter. We have two weeks where Arthur most probably has been recovering after Blackwater and the ensuing escape where he basically pulled the most weight during the days in Colter. He's probably been reading up on his biology if you judge by the books on his table, as well as doing a bit of hunting if you judge by his inventory. Hosea approaches Arthur in the morning and gives him a few directions at the very start of the chapter, and Arthur decides to head to town himself, taking Uncle and the girls with him to see what he can find out. In this mission you are introduced to basic gameplay such as random encounters (namely the man and his horse on the way to Valentine), as well as store shopping and last but not least choices and the honor system. Uncle gives Arthur directions as they enter the town, also pointing him to the Sheriff's office and suggesting bounty hunting as a means of income. Then you have the girls dialogue about finally being back in civilization, as well as them digging up leads that are picked up on in both this and upcoming chapters. So for me there's no doubt about putting this first. 

2: Americans at Rest

The Noblest of Men, and a Woman

3: Good, Honest, Snake Oil

Spoiler

Alright, so after Polite Society I guess it would make the most sense for Arthur to return the horse he borrowed and then head to the saloon to see what the boys are up to. We know what happens next, and right after it makes sense for a muddy Arthur to head over to the hotel to bathe and rent a room. Seeing as he didn't get his drink at Smithfield's he instead heads to Keane's where he buys a whisky and meets Levin and Calloway. He then spends the night at the hotel which also gives you the extra luxury of transporting your horse to the hitching post outside. If you want an explanation for this you can pretend that Uncle told Dutch that Arthur stayed behind in town, so Dutch brings the horse with him when he goes there with Trelawny. Now, the next morning I feel is a good time for bounty hunting and bringing in a little extra cash which there is shortage of atm. So I go after Allbright and then head back to camp.

4: Who is Not without Sin

5: The First Shall be Last

Spoiler

Now, unfortunately there is some dialogue you'll miss if you do Americans right after Polite, but in my playthrough I don't really try to get every single little line of camp dialogue, so I just accept this. Back at camp Arthur realizes that Reverand hasn't returned, and seeing as he likely has good faith in both Charles and Javier he decides to leave them to scout a little more and goes for the reverend (hopefully running in to the first snake bite feller on the road: more on that later). Now, I can see past the fact that Arthur sits down to play poker instead of heading to Blackwater, but the gold objective only needs you two win two hands and not play a full game to completion. So right after that, back to camp with Swanson and the next morning off to Blackwater. This also gives Trelawny a full day to investigate about Sean, so it honestly makes sense. Save Sean and then head back to camp to have the party in the evening. 

Smoking and other Hobbies – All That Glitters – Emmet Granger – A Test of Faith

Spoiler

The next day I feel like a hungover Arthur is in the mood for some more poker, so I head back to Flatneck and run by the strangers on the way. After playing a few hands and completing gambler 1 I think it's a good time to visit Granger who lives close by (my poker game took a long time, so it was already morning by this time and a fine time for a visit to the good old Granger. I passed Deborah on the way back to camp.

6: Money Lending and Other Sins I-II (Mr Wrobel)

7: Paying a Social Call 

Money Lending and Other Sins II (Chuck Matthews)

Spoiler

Tbh I mostly did Money first because Dutch came up to me and asked for it. I prefer doing the loanshark missions separately and Wrobel is a given considering that he lives nearby. I don't want to do Lily Millet until after Spines, since I feel like that's the first time Arthur goes to Emerald Ranch. Now the ledger is unlocked, and I think you can donate some valuables you've gathered this far (maybe head down to Limpany for the gold bar?) in order to be able to afford upgrades for the camp. After this I don't really think Arthur sees the point of having Kieran tied up much longer, so him and Dutch heads over to question him. After Social Call, you're introduced to not only stealth and weapon maintenance but also looting from the chimney per Kieran's suggestion. This is why I want this one before Hosea's missions for this chapter where the second one basically has you looting from the chimney at Carmody Dell.

 

On the way back from Six Point Cabin you pass Valentine and should hopefully run in to the snake bite guy outside of the gunsmith so that you can pick up a free varmint rifle. Not sure how many days should pass between saving him and meeting him in Valentine, but I stayed the night at the hotel then went to the station the next morning to pick up the hunting request then went back to the gunsmith to buy one, only to meet him and get one for free. Might be worth considering this as you're just about to buy a horse and need some extra cash. I did Chuck Matthews right after because I want this one done before Hosea disappears from camp for a few days. The dialogue in Spines "you're the one who's been out gallivanting around here" is I perceive an ironic remark about Arthur chasing a debtor all over the Heartlands. 

8: Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego

Arcadia for Amateurs I

Spoiler

Now that Arthur has tended to most pressing issues at camp it's time to head out with Hosea and chase a bear. By this point he at least should have enough money to buy the American Standardbred which is a decent horse for early chapters. After killing the bear I have Arthur take the pelt to the trapper near Riggs station (it's not on the map by this point, but if you know you know). The way there is a great opportunity to do a lot of hunting, if you craft a few small game arrows and have the varmint rifle it should be easy to complete both horseman 1, master hunter 2 as well as the first hunting request. After the trapper I think Arthur gets a taste for hunting, so he camps for a while near Riggs station which is a great area for just that. This should also be a great time to visit Mason nearby.

9: The Spines of America

Money Lending and Other Sins II (Lily Millet) – Companion activity: Hunting with Charles

Spoiler

Probably quite self-explanatory. Arthur heads to Emerald Ranch with Hosea after learning he has gone there. They rob Seamus second cousin by marriage in whatever way you like, and Arthur stays behind to collect the debt from Lily as well as exploring the ranch. A quick btw, but I hate that you can't get pelts from farm animals in any other way than killing them on the farm. Still, if you want your camp upgrades this is probably a decent place to do it, but I still feel terrible for killing virtual animals at the farm. I spent the next day or so doing some hunting and gathering in the wild, and then went on another hunting trip with Charles (improved arrows is the way to go here for a perfect bison pelt). 

10: A Quiet Time

11: Blessed are the Meek?

Spoiler

Again very straightforward. Dutch opens with "I feel like we're finally back on our feet" as Arthur approaches him which makes me think that they have been at Horshoe for a while now, taking a few scores as well as settling in. The first time I played the game I thought it was so weird that Dutch would ask Arthur to get Micah and then immediately telling him to go drinking with Lenny, even though he probably didn't expect them to drink that much. So anyway, Arthur now heads to Strawberry to get Micah. I didn't do too much here now since I'll be back later, but I did visit the timber company in order to start those encounters so I can get wood for the house building dad in Valentine.  

12: We Loved Once and True I, which immediately segues into Money Lending and Other Sins III

13: We Loved Once and True II & III

Companion activity: Home Robbery with Javier – Flaco Hernández – Arcadia for Amateurs II

Spoiler

After coming back to Strawberry I head to Arthur's tent to read the letter. I'm not sure when this unlocks, but I basically ignored it on the table for a while and pretended that it arrived around the time Arthur was out saving Micah. I honestly didn't know that reading the letter leads to Money Lending III if you haven't done it already but this was a nice touch I think and I'm glad it happened. So collecting money and the next day heading to Mary to complete that string of missions. After this I go back to camp and go robbing with Javier, and as this activity leaves us in Ambarino I think this is a great time to go back to the mountains for some hunting and exploring as well as gunslinger visits.

 

I feel that Arthur would want to spend a little time on his own in the wilderness after meeting Mary again, and right now there is really no pressing matters back at camp. I want a longer trip back to the mountains in this chapter and thought this was the best time. At first I was about to do it before going robbing with Micah, but it didn't really make sense for Arthur to take that much time away from camp after having met Milton so close to Horseshoe.

 

I make sure to get both the legendary ram and white bison here, then heading down from Grizzlies east to the trapper near Big Valley. If you've been hunting plenty this could be a nice place to finish master hunter 5 and beginning 6. I found myself grinding to no end in order to spawn cougars later in this playthrough and kinda wished I had finished more earlier. Head back to Valentine along Little Creek River and visit Mason on the way.

 

I was on bandit 3 at this time and robbed both the general store at Wallace station as well as the three stores in Valentine to complete this. It's a bit of a hustle but if you hogtie the shop owners and then head out and run north of town it should be quite easy to lose your wanted level, then head back and repeat. The gunsmith starts shooting, so I saved him for last. I guess you could do this earlier as well, before saving Micah. If so, I'd start in Valentine with the general store and the doctor, then Wallace station and finishing with the general store in Strawberry. Robbing his moonshine stash doesn't bring you a wanted level, so you're free to head right to the Sheriff right after.

14: Pouring Forth Oil I, II & III

15: A Fisher of Men

16: Pouring Forth Oil IV

Spoiler

Almost no comment needed, if you start early this can be finished in an in-game day.

17: An American Pastoral Scene

18: The Sheep and the Goats

19: A Strange Kindness

Spoiler

Yeah well, I guess I would've done American Pastoral earlier if it wasn't for the fact that it doesn't unlock until Pouring I is completed, so I head to Micah right after finishing the train job. The closing of this chapter is quite linear.

 

[Megatron84]

On 11/17/2018 at 12:35 AM, Spydr Webz said:

!!! SPOILER WARNING !!!

 

This thread contains spoilers pertaining to the story missions of Red Dead Redemption 2. Details on missions will be hidden, so only mission names will be visible unless you wish to view details and notes. Each chapter is labeled, so you can safely view up to the chapter you are in without any spoilers unless indicated in advance.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

In this thread I will be attempting to put the story missions of Red Dead Redemption 2 in a “chronological” order. Of course, RDR2 is an open, non-linear game at times, so any player is free to play how they choose and at their own pace. But man players such as I enjoy playing in a way that allows you to experience the story in the most logical and cinematic fashion possible. And that is what this proposed mission orders aims to accomplish.

 

I compiled this order as I played through the game for the first time, noting areas where the narrative didn’t make sense or had less of a cinematic impact, and then reconfigured the order to better achieve the goal. I’m now playing a second time through using this order, and so far it seems that for the most part, it accomplishes exactly what I had hoped and I encourage others to give it a try.

 

In the below list, I organized each mission into the official chapters and included notes with each chapter on my methods and reasons for the placement of certain missions. A space between missions indicates the passing of a day (or several, depending on the mission), meaning in my view they take place on different days. Some days will only have one story mission, and on those days I spend the extra time hunting, fishing, doing side missions (bounty hunting, strangers, companion activities, etc.) or exploring. But all of that is up to you of course.

 

I’m sure there are probably things that I missed, so any input is welcome and encouraged! Let me know if you think I got something wrong here.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

CHAPTER I -- COLTER

 

[X] - Outlaws from the West

 

[X] - Enter, Pursued By A Memory

 

[P] - The Aftermath of Genesis

[X] - Old Friends

 

[X] - Who the Hell is Leviticus Cornwall?

 

[X] - Eastward Bound

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Chapter I - NOTES

 

-Chapter I was easy. It's the shortest chapter, and it's almost completely linear, save for one instance where you can go hunting with Charles [P], or raid the O'Driscoll camp . In this instance, I chose to do "The Aftermath of Genesis" first. The reason for this is because the other mission is more intense and story-driven; doing the hunting mission after the camp raid awkwardly breaks the action and story momentum that was established in "Old Friends."

 

-Additionally, I feel that Arthur's first priority in Colter is keeping his fellow gang members fed, rather than going after O'Driscoll's, so hunting first makes more sense.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER II -- HORSESHOE OVERLOOK

 

[R] - Who is Not Without Sin?

 

[U] - Polite Society, Valentine Style

 

[H] - Exit, Pursued by a Bruised Ego

 

[?] -  Good, Honest Snake Oil

[JE] - Americans at Rest

 

[JE] - The First Shall Be Last

 

[LS] - Money Lending and Other Sins [I]

[$] - Money Lending and Other Sins [II] - (Chic Matthews)

 

[H] - The Spines of America

[$] - Money Lending and Other Sins [II] - (Lily Millet)

 

[$] - Money Lending and Other Sins [II] - (Wrobel)

 

[$] - Money Lending and Other Sins [III]

 

[K] - Paying a Social Call

 

[ML] - We Loved Once and True [I-III]

[D] - A Quiet Time

 

[M] - Blessed are the Meek?

 

[J] - Pouring Forth Oil

 

[J] - Pouring Forth Oil [II-III]

[A] - A Fisher of Men

 

[J] - Pouring Forth Oil [IV]

 

[M] - An American Pastoral Scene

 

[J] - The Sheep and the Goats

[D] - A Strange Kindness

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Chapter II - NOTES

 

-Chapter Two is the second biggest chapter, and because of that it starts to get a bit convoluted here. This order may still be a work in progress as the placement of certain missions can be endlessly debated and a satisfying answer is not always clear. 

 

-At the very beginning of this chapter, Hosea will tell Arthur about two potential leads: one involves the boys who have gone into town, and the other involves the Reverend, who has "found something at the train station." Because Hosea is not specific about who went into town and what they are doing, we can justify leaving "Americans at Rest" for another time. Hosea is more specific about Reverend Swanson at the train station, however, and there is no reason to leave him sitting around there for several days waiting for you to arrive. You'll find that I use this as a general rule for mission priority: if a character tells you to meet a specific person somewhere and maybe even notes a specific time, its best to follow up on that as soon as possible. If they are more vague about it, you can leave it up to interpretation.

 

-Originally I had "Exit, Pursued by a Bruised Ego" after "The First Shall be Last," because after the latter mission, there is a break in the narrative where Arthur has no other obligations to anyone or anything. However, after several playthroughs doing it this way, I found that it always felt a bit off... "Exit, Pursued" does not really add anything or have any impact to the story and almost feels like a tutorial mission, while "The First Shall be Last" kind of gets the ball rolling narratively. It just feels awkward to leave it sitting for so long. It's also worth mentioning that this mission unlocks "Spines of America," but it can sometimes take several days for this mission to open up. So playing it too late may risk messing up the order entirely while waiting for "Spines of America." Plus, walking around camp getting shouted at by Hosea for days on end can get quite annoying. "Hey Arthur!" "Hey Arthur!" "HeY aRtHuR!"

 

-"Good, Honest Snake Oil" is not a required mission to progress the story. However, it is necessary to complete in this chapter if one wants a good introduction into bounty hunting side missions. The best time to do it is early, preferably before "Americans at Rest," because at this point the gang has not caused any trouble in the area and thus, are not sought after by the law.

 

-"The Spines of America" and the Lily Millet's Money lending mission are done on the same day because both are in Emerald Ranch. This will limit the amount of backtracking you have to do. Note that the order of these two depends on whether you prefer to take the daytime option or nighttime option in "Spines." If you prefer the night option, do the money lending mission first as by the time the mission is over it is already very late at night.

 

-Interesting note: I originally had "Money Lending and Other Sins [III]" occur after "We Loved Once and True," but it turns out that the game will not allow this to happen. If you try to do it in the opposite order, Strauss will confront you after reading Mary's letter and the money lending mission will trigger automatically. Therefore this needs to be done the day following the other Chapter Two money lending missions.

 

-I like to play "A Quiet Time" after "We Loved Once and True" because of one line: while drunk in Valentine, Lenny asks Arthur why he never married, to which Arthur sadly replies, "no one would have me." Having played Mary Linton's mission previously, it creates a poignant moment that contrasts well with this otherwise hilarious mission.

 

-"Blessed are the Meek?" comes the very next day after "A Quiet Time." As much as Arthur dislikes Micah, at this point saving him before he swings is pretty much a priority. 

 

-"The Sheep and the Goats" and "A Strange Kindness" occur on the same day, because after Cornwall and the Pinkertons corner the gang in Valentine, the pressure is on to leave the area immediately.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER III -- CLEMENS POINT

 

[D] - The New South

 

[P] - Further Questions of Female Suffrage

 

[D] - American Distillation

 

[GR] - The Course of True Love [I-II]

[MO] - An Honest Mistake

 

[BG] - The Course of True Love [III]

[A] - Advertising, the New American Art [I-II]

 

[H] - The Fine Joys of Tobacco

 

[D] - Magicians for Sport

 

[$] - Money Lending and Other Sins [IV] - (Gwyn Hughes)

[J] - Horse Flesh for Dinner

 

[T] - Friends in Very Low Places

[L] - Preaching Forgiveness as He Went

 

[B] - Sodom? Back to Gomorrah

 

[M] - Blessed are the Peacemakers

 

[$] - Money Lending and Other Sins [IV] - (Winton Holmes)

 

[B] - A Short Walk in a Pretty Town

[D] - Blood Feuds, Ancient and Modern

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Chapter III - NOTES

 

-Chapter III is shorter than the previous chapter, but it putting it in a logical and cinematic order was MUCH trickier. I think what makes it so difficult is the fact that Dutch and other gang members are constantly telling you to go meet someone, making you feel obligated to do certain missions in a certain order, even if it is to the detriment of the narrative. Other times, the game seems to prompt you towards doing certain missions before others when said missions might be confusing if others have not been completed beforehand. I think the order above is probably the best solution to all of this, though it is not perfect. Let's dig deeper into the specifics.

 

-Immediately as the chapter opens up, you will hear Pearson and Sadie in the midst of a heated argument in camp. Naturally, you might want to go investigate. However, getting too close to the pair will trigger "Further Questions of Female Suffrage," which isn't a terrible opening mission, but Dutch's "The New South" works vastly better as an opening mission. You meet the Gray family who provide some exposition revealing their feud with the Braithwaite family, which ends up being the focal point of the chapter. They show you around area, pointing out key locations such as Rhodes and Caliga Hall, and even warn the player about the Lemoyne raiders. The mission concludes with a relaxing fishing trip alongside Dutch and Hosea. This mission has everything going for it in regards to being the perfect "opening" mission for the chapter. It's just odd that the game will naturally draw you toward Pearson and Sadie instead. My best advice would be to ignore the original bickering... chalk it up as background noise, and go straight to Dutch. After the mission, you will end up back in camp. Rather than going straight to Sadie an Pearson, take off to the left, call your horse, maybe do some hunting, then camp overnight in the woods and return the next day to begin "Further Questions of Female Suffrage."

 

-American Distillation needs to take place in the morning. No matter what time you start this mission, the game will automatically revert the clock to the morning after the mission.

 

-I originally had "An Honest Mistake" placed way later in the chapter. My reasoning was that, during the course of the mission, the law becomes aware of crime in the area, and may connect it to Dutch's gang, especially since it's another robbery on Cornwall's assets. But doing it early solves two problems: one, it prevents Molly O'Shea from sitting around under a tree calling Arthur for a week, and two, it clears some space up in the last half of the chapter to allow more focus on the Gray vs. Braithwaite Feud.

 

-After "The Course of True Love [III]," Abigail will more than likely approach Arthur as soon as he heads into camp to inform him that John and Hosea are currently waiting for him by the moonshine stash. At this point you're pretty much obligated to immediately start "Advertising, the New American Art." And that's okay, because it fits well here. Just make sure its sometime in the late afternoon/evening, as this mission will always end later in the night.

 

-After "Advertising," Dutch will instruct Arthur to meet Hosea at the Braithwaite's, and will also say that he has sent Sean McGuire as well. Therefore, "The Fine Joys of Tobacco" mission should be done next day. Feel free to spend the earlier parts of the day hunting/fishing/doing side missions, because like "Advertising," this mission will always end at night. It's worth mentioning that Dutch will also instruct Arthur to meet John and Javier at the Gray's, but that mission, "Horse Flesh for Dinner," isn't even available until after "The Fine Joys of Tobacco" is completed. I consider Dutch's instructions on this to be more of a "do it when you can," thing rather than an immediate obligation.

 

-Originally I had "Magicians for Sport" before "Fine Joys," but I discovered that after "Magicians," the game will automatically skip to the next morning and Arthur will be in Rhodes. I wonder why Arthur would go to Rhodes, and I figure a good reason would be to collect the debt from Gwyn Hughes. Make sure to speak with Strauss at a point prior so this money lending mission is available. Then, straight to "Horse Flesh for Dinner."

 

-The rest is pretty straight forward, but I would like to point out that immediately after "Blessed are the Peacemakers," is probably the best time (and last chance narratively) to explore/do tasks in Strawberry, Big Valley and the Grizzlies West. If you're trying to complete as much of the game as possible as Arthur, this is your chance. Typically, I do the money lending mission for Winton Holmes and the Joshua Brown bounty hunting mission and well as the general store side business. You also have the Legendary Buck and a nearby trapper to sell the pelt too. Then, I head up into Grizzlies West (make sure you pack some warm clothes!), complete some treasure hunts and tame the White Arabian Horse. Taming this horse is necessary if you want to get both the Legendary White Bison and the Legendary Sockeye Salmon. Load one onto your main horse and the other onto the White Arabian. Then I do the Flaco Hernandez gunslinger mission, and head back down the mountain and make my way back to camp. Hit up the trapper near Riggs Station, sell the bison pelt, then ship off the Sockeye Salmon. Take the White Arabian to the stable near Strawberry, keep it or sell it, then head back to camp and pick up the Legendary Chain Pickerel on your way back. For me, this all takes about a week in-game time. You may wonder why Arthur would return to Strawberry after shooting up the place with Micah, or even why he would go back into the mountains. I figure long enough time has passed since "Blessed are the Meek?" that its safe to return, and Arthur's appearance should be different anyway. Now that he's back on his feet after nearly dying at the hands of the O'Driscoll's, maybe Arthur wants to take a relaxing hunting/fishing trip in the mountains before returning to work. The guy deserves a vacation, right?

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER IV -- SAINT DENIS

 

[X] - The Battle of Shady Belle

[BR] - The Joys of  Civilization

 

[D] - Angelo Bronte, Man of Honor

 

[?] - Help a Brother Out

[ML] - Fatherhood and Other Dreams

 

[MB] - No, No and Thrice, No

[H] - The Gilded Cage

 

[?] - American Fathers

[BD] - Brothers and Sisters, One and All

[T] - A Fine Night of Debauchery

 

[EF] - American Fathers [II]

 

[SA] - Horseman, Apocalypses

 

[D] - Urban Pleasures

[D] - Country Pursuits

 

[LS] - Money Lending and Other Sins [V]

[D] - Revenge is a Dish Best Eaten

 

[D] - Banking, the Old American Art

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Chapter IV - NOTES

 

-"The Battle of Shady Belle" is technically the last mission of Chapter III, but since it occurs on the same day as the first Chapter IV mission, I included it in this section of the list instead. This mission and the two following it are basically all about finding and rescuing Jack, which occurs over the course of two days (not a single day as I had erroneously stated in the previous version of this list). With the urgency of the situation, it wouldn't make sense to do anything else until this story arc is complete.

 

-After "The Joys of Civilization," the in-game time will skip to the next day, with Arthur hanging around Saint Denis. I spend some time in the city until evening rolls around before starting the next mission, as "Angelo Bronte, Man of Honor" takes place at night.

 

-The next day after the party celebrating Jack's return, Arthur will receive a letter from Mary Linton stating that she is staying in town, asking for him to come visit. It makes sense to this this mission the same day, as realistically Arthur has no way of knowing how long Mary will be in town. Before this mission, I do "Help a Brother Out," which is technically a stranger side mission and therefore optional. However, it is the beginning of a longer mission strand that extends into Chapter VI and ends up being a deeply impactful part of Arthur's story, so I personally consider it canon and highly recommend playing it. Edith Downes also appears here, which relates to another strand of stranger side missions in Chapter VI, which I also consider canon. More on that later down the list. 

 

-The next three missions all take place in Saint Denis. Arthur should head there right after "The Gilded Cage" ends, as Dutch tells him to meet Trelawny at the tailor. He doesn't specify an exact time, but from the sounds of it Trelawny is already in Saint Denis. However, "A Fine Night of Debauchery" takes place at night, so an ideal time to start it would be late afternoon/early evening. First, I do "American Fathers," which is really just a cutscene where Eagle Flies will ask Arthur to meet him in the Heartlands. He specifically says "in a couple days," so after completing "A Fine Night," I do side activities the next day, then head up for "American Fathers [II]" the next. Make sure to start this mission in the afternoon/evening as well.

 

-Originally I had "Horseman, Apocalypses" and "Urban Pursuits" on the same day, with "Country Pursuits" the day after. I switched this around as I realized this gets a bit messy. "Horseman, Apocalypses" resets the game clock making me believe the game skips to the next day. Regarding "Urban Pleasures" and "Country Pursuits," after completing the former, Dutch will relentlessly shout at Arthur every time he enters camp until he triggers "Country Pursuits" by speaking to him. In order to avoid this, both missions need to be done pretty much back-to-back.

 

-I place "Money Lending and Other Sins [V]" after "Urban Pleasures" because when speaking to Strauss, Arthur will sarcastically ask, "Will you be joining us in Tahiti?" The first time Dutch ever mentions Tahiti to Arthur directly is in "Urban Pleasures." Prior to that, he will mention it during Jack's party earlier in the chapter, but it is easy to miss if you're not paying attention. Plus, this fills up the first half of the day before triggering "Revenge is a Dish Best Eaten," which occurs at night and should be triggered in the evening.

 

-Note that after "Revenge," the in-game clock will skip to the next morning with Arthur at camp. You can trigger "Banking, the Old American Art," at this time, but there is a bit of dialogue from Dutch that is confusing. He will say, "We ride out in the morning," despite it already being early morning, and the camera will show a wide shot of Shady Belle implying some time has passed. The whole thing feels a bit odd. If this doesn't bother you, great. But if you're a stickler for this kind of thing, spend the entire day doing something else, then trigger the mission that night.

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER V -- GUARMA

 

[X] - Welcome to the New World

 

[?] - Savagery Unleashed

 

[D] - A Kind and Benevolent Despot

[X] - Hell Hath No Fury

[X] - Paradise Mercifully Departed

 

[X] - Dear Uncle Tacitus

[X] - Fleeting Joy

 

[D] - That's Murfree Country

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Chapter V - NOTES

 

-Like the first chapter, Chapter V is very linear, with only one instance where you can choose between two missions. I prefer to do "Savagery Unleashed" before "A Kind and Benevolent Despot," because the latter mission has more impact on the overall story. Furthermore, it makes sense to do "A Kind and Benevolent Despot" and the following missions all on the same day, as the first always takes place in the morning, "Hell Hath No fury" takes place in the afternoon/evening, and "Paradise Mercifully Departed" always occurs at night, no matter which order "Savagery" and "despot" are played. If "Despot" is done first, the in-game clock will skip to the following day. Then after playing "Savagery," "Hell Hath No Fury," will start automatically in evening the next day. What would Arthur have been doing all day? Instead of trying to justify it, just play "Savagery" first.

 

-Both "A Fork in the Road" and "Icarus and Friends" can be completed in either Chapter V or VI. On my original list I had both of these set before "That's Murfree Country," but upon several playthroughs I have decided they just work better as an opening to Chapter VI. I understand this is a controversial topic, but I've come to terms with my own justifications. At the end of "Fleeting Joy," Sadie will tell Arthur that she's heading out to figure out how to rescue John. "Now?" he asks. "Yes, now!" she responds. She then tells him to meet her in Saint Denis. Some may look at this and think Sadie was also requesting Arthur to join her now. However, she only says that she is going now, and just asks Arthur to meet her. I take that as a "meet me when you can" kind of request. This is further evidenced by the fact that Arthur does not indeed follow her now, as the in-game clock will automatically skip the next day, and Arthur is still in camp. I figure Sadie is scoping the place, understands Arthur may need to assist in moving the camp, and just expects him in the next day or two. With the recent Pinkerton attack, moving the entire camp to safety is a bigger priority than saving John. If Arthur talks to people in camp, he even says "I'll speak with Dutch." Another thing... in "Icarus and Friends," Sadie can be seen riding south from Annesburg, but why would she be up in that area if the gang hadn't moved yet? A lot to think about here and I could end up changing my mind int eh future, but for now, I think this is the way to go.

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER VI -- BEAVER HOLLOW

 

[X] - A Fork in the Road

[SA] - Icarus and Friends

 

[SA] - Visiting Hours

[D] - Just a Social Call

[?] - The Veteran

 

[?] - The Widow of Willard's Rest

[RS] - A Rage Unleashed

 

[?] - Of Men and Angels

[D] - Goodbye Dear Friend

 

[HS] - The Veteran [II]

 

[M] - The Delights of Van Horn

 

[CB] - The Widow of Willard's Rest [II]

[HS] - The Veteran [III]

 

[RF] - Archaeology for Beginners

 

[LS] - Money Lending and Other Sins [VI]

[EF] - Favored Sons

 

[J] - The Bridge to Nowhere

[CM] - Honor Amongst Thieves

 

[HS] - The Veteran [IV]

[$] - Money Lending and Other Sins [VII]

 

[T] - The Fine Art of Conversation

 

[CB] - The Widow of Willard's Rest [III]

[?] - Do Not Seek Absolution [I]

[C] - The King's Son

 

[SA] - Mrs. Sadie Adler, Widow [I-II]

 

[ED] - Do Not Seek Absolution [II]

[D] - My Last Boy

 

[D] - Our Best Selves

[D] - Red Dead Redemption

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Chapter VI - NOTES

 

-Oh boy, here we go...

Chapter VI is longest and easily the most convoluted section of the game. There a couple glaring issues making the placement of missions in this chapter quite difficult. First of all, as many have noted, story missions' starting points in this chapter are often extremely far from camp and each other, and as a result, it suffers from the somewhat tedious and annoying problem of travelling the same long distance multiple times (usually along the same path, too). Second, You have multiple characters constantly requesting that you meet them or someone else for another strand of missions. When you have two or three of these obligations going at once, it's hard to figure out who is a priority and who can wait for another time. Unfortunately, it isn't perfect... you're going to have to leave some missions sitting awhile. I've worked it so many ways, and there's no way around it. But we can use headcanon to justify it. After many hours on this, I think I've cracked the code to this chaos. See below.

 

 

Just a Social Call / The Delights of Van Horn / The Bridge to Nowhere - WHY these need to be spread out and NOT one after the other:

 

-The mission strand containing "Just a Social Call," "The Delights of Van Horn," and "The Bridge to Nowhere" are a bit tricky, because this is one of those instances where at the end of mission, people will tell you to meet someone somewhere, making you feel obligated to continue. The game seems to want you to do them back-to-back-to-back. Do not fall into this mindset.

 

The only case where this is true is just after "Visiting Hours," Mary-Beth will tell Arthur that Dutch and Micah are currently in Annesburg, apparently waiting for him. In this case, you want to go immediately. As for "The Delights of Van Horn," at the end of "Just a Social Call" Micah will tell Arthur about an old house near Van Horn and say "Meet me there when you can." It seems he's using the old house as a safehouse away from camp where he scouts Van Horn for the next step in the plan, so the meeting is not urgent. I'll discuss "The Bridge to Nowhere" further down the notes.

 

 

Stranger Side Missions that are ESSENTIAL to the Arthur's character:

 

-As you can see on the list, there are several stranger side mission strands included in blue. Normally, I have not been adding stranger side missions due to their optional nature and the fact that most have little to do with the story, but in this chapter, there are several that I find to be important and actually have some relevance to Arthur's character, and therefore consider canon.

 

1. At this point in the game, most of Arthur's close friends are either gone crazy, turned against him, or dead. The Veteran is a character that Arthur admires, as evidenced by his journal, and represents his longing for friendship and something normal amidst the chaos. Its a nice distraction and keeps him sane while he is dying and his family is falling apart.
2. The Widow of Willard's Rest represents Arthur's newfound desire to try to do some good and help people before he dies. He does his best to help his gang, but Dutch and Micah continue to tear it apart, despite his best efforts. Helping the widow survive is one thing Arthur can do to fulfill his need to help innocent people rather than hurt them like he once did. 
3. Arthur meets Edith Downes in Annesburg, and upon seeing her and her son's current situation, he is stricken with guilt. The missions in which you help Edith and Archie represent Arthur's desire for redemption for himself. He isn't just helping an innocent person, he's helping someone that he hurt personally. Even more poignant is that it's the wife and son of the man who gave him the disease that is slowly killing him. It's like poetry, and I think it's an important part of Arthur's story.

 

-"Of Men and Angels" comes right before "Goodbye Dear Friend" because these are the only two missions in the chapter to take place in Saint Denis. It will save you a trip to do both on the same day. Just make sure you do "Of Men and Angels" first. I should note that this mission is optional, but it has a purpose. At the end of "The Fine Art of Conversation," Arthur will meet someone at the train station. If you have not completed this mission or have low honor, it will be Reverend Swanson. If this mission is complete and you have high honor, it will be Sister Calderon. The scene where Sister Calderon comforts Arthur is one of my favorite scenes... so poignant yet hopeful. I consider Sister Calderon canon rather than the Reverend.

 

 

The BEST mission order to minimize backtracking:

 

-At the end of "A Rage Unleashed," Charles will ask Arthur to speak with Rains Fall ("Archaeology for Beginners"). Technically, this is optional, but I consider it to be canon. Arthur agrees, but this is not an urgent mission, and likely low priority on Arthur's own to-do list. 

 

-"Archaeology for Beginners," "Favored Sons," "A Bridge to Nowhere," and "Honor Amongst Thieves"... all of these missions take place a significant distance from camp, and it can be a slog to ride back and forth from camp to these locations. I've placed them in a way that minimizes the backtracking, and fortunately it works perfectly with the narrative. You're going to be away from camp for a few days, so before heading to "Archaeology for Beginners," make sure you have everything you need and pack a somewhat warm set of clothes.

 

1. "Archaeology for Beginners" comes before "Favored Sons" for a couple reasons. In "Favored Sons," Arthur disagrees with Dutch's plan to stir up conflict between the Wapiti Tribe and the Army, stating that the Wapiti are good people and are already in a complex situation. This makes more sense if "Archaeology for Beginners" comes first, as Arthur speaks with Rains Fall during this mission and learns more about the tribe and their situation. He also shows great concern for Eagle Flies during "Favored Sons"... concern he hasn't previously shown. I believe that spending time with Rains Fall in "Archaeology" causes this, as he sees and feels the chief's own concern for Eagle Flies. Additionally, after "Archaeology," Arthur states that he wishes to try and stop Dutch from doing any further harm to the tribe, which is why he pleads so much for Dutch to stop in "Favored Sons." 
2. After "Archaeology," the game clock will skip to the next morning and Arthur will be at O'Creagh's Run. This is a good time to head over to the nearby "Money Lending and Other Sins [VI]," which also deals with issues relating to the Army's treatment of the natives... convenient to the current story. Then, head over to start "Favored Sons."
3. "Favored Sons" will end near Window Rock the next day, as Arthur makes camp overnight and the game skips to the next day. Conveniently, this is not too far from the starting location of "The Bridge to Nowhere." Complete that mission, and then you're not too far from the reservation where you can start "Honor Amongst Thieves." As you can see, putting these missions together in this order not only aids the narrative, but SIGNIFICANTLY reduces the amount of backtracking you would have to do otherwise.

 

 

WHY the Bridge to Nowhere takes place near the END of the Chapter:

 

-Alright, now here's the deal with "The Bridge to Nowhere." It's an important mission and reveals a lot about Arthur and John's thoughts on Dutch and the whole gang's situation. It can be done relatively early in the chapter, before several other major events. However, if done too early, Arthur's sudden flip on Dutch can be a bit jarring. In his conversation with John, Arthur openly explains his distrust of Dutch, and even implies his plans to betray him. It's a bit sudden of a transformation, even considering the news regarding his health.

 

Therefore, I find it best to complete "Favored Sons" before a "Bridge to Nowhere." At the end of "Favored," Arthur makes camp and the camera focuses on him as he makes some unusual facial expressions, clearly showing disgust and resentment. I find it significant that rockstar chose to emphasize this right after this mission, like its an important moment, a turning point. I believe this is the moment Arthur becomes completely disillusioned with Dutch, and his concern now lies in the safety of the gang members he considers friends. Thus, he embarks toward Bacchus Bridge to meet John, and opens up about his revelations and his desire for John to run.

 

 

Arthur's very bad day:

 

-I put "The Veteran [IV]" on the same day as "Money Lending and Other Sins [VII]" because I think it sets up an interesting arc in Arthur's story. In this chapter so far, Arthur finds out he is going to die, watches men he once considered brothers turn against him, and sees his best friend and mentor turn insane. One of the few things keeping him sane is Hamish Sinclair. My belief is that Arthur values this brief friendship because it is the only aspect of his life where he doesn't feel a responsibility for other people' lives. He can visit the veteran and decompress with some fishing or hunting or deep conversation. In "The Veteran [IV]", this comes to an end, as Hamish is killed by a giant wild boar. Obviously, Arthur is heartbroken over this.

 

-With Hamish gone, Arthur is has no other choice but to snap back to reality and try to help his gang any way he can. He heads to collect on Arthur Londonderry's debt in "Money Lending and Other sins [VII]," only to find out the debtor is dead, and his wife has become widowed with a young child. You can see in Arthur's eyes that he is deeply ashamed and guilty. The loss of a friend makes this more impactful. After absolving the debt Arthur angrily throws Strauss out of camp. I think the emotional impact of his anger is heightened when complemented by the veteran's death that same day. I feel this is Arthur's lowest point emotionally in the entire game.

 

-The following day, during the "Fine Art of Conversation," Arthur has another angry outburst where he takes Captain Monroe and holds Colonel Favours at gunpoint before escaping. Upon escaping, he will meet sister Calderon at Emerald Station, who comforts him while Arthur reveals his fear. She says to him, "Take a gamble that love exists, and do a loving act." You can see on Arthur's face that he is really thinking about what the Sister is saying, and takes these words to heart. Afterwards, Arthur writes in his journal that he feels a lot better after talking to Sister Calderon. He's out of his slump and has a renewed determination to do good by his friends and family and those he has hurt. This inspires him to help Edith and Archie Downes in "Do Not Seek Absolution" next.

 

 

WHY Sadie's mission should take place AFTER The Bridge to Nowhere:

 

-The placement of this mission might be controversial as it is unlocked much earlier (after "Goodbye Dear Friend"), but I feel it is right. In return for helping Sadie kill the O'Driscoll's, Arthur asks that she help John, Abigail and Jack when he is no longer around. Therefore, her mission must take place at some point after "The Bridge to Nowhere." Always choose to ride with Sadie.

 

 

-Everything else is pretty straightforward I think, as from this point on the missions are linear.

 

 

 

!!! SPOILER !!! DO NOT REVEAL BELOW IF YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED CHAPTER VI !!!

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I did not include the Epilogue in this list because it's too straightforward and simple to have any specific order. I might add it to the list at a later date just for the sake of completion.

 

 

---

 

 

And there you have it! I'm sure this is far from accurate, especially Chapter VI, and I realize that I may have missed a lot of things. For example, I did not include most of the Money Lending Missions simply because I did not play them my first time around. I did not include "The Course of True Love [IV-V]" because I could not find any good spot to place it. If you have any suggestions about stranger missions or side activities that would fit neatly in here, let me know!

 

If you like this list, give it a try during your next play through and let me know how it goes. Additionally, if you have your own take on the "chronological" order, I encourage you to share in this thread. I'm still not 100% sure on this so I'd like to hear other people takes on it!

 

Is this list made only of main missions or are there the side missions too?

[cp1dell]

On 9/6/2023 at 11:40 PM, AudaxTenebra said:

That's what I've always said. Deep down, most active users in this thread had some severe case of OCD or something. It's clear Rockstar made the game the way it is on purpose

Yeah, RDR2 does a better job than RDR1 where you had some missions that actually had dialogue implying another already occurred.

 

There is a post by @jimmyoneshot where he lays out the small handful of missions that should be done before some others. Not a strict order or anything, but missions that make a little more sense to do before others based on some dialogue. These days that’s all I really go by. The game does a well enough job at sort of suggesting where to go next with mission and cutscene dialogue, and I just follow that.

[AudaxTenebra]

56 minutes ago, cp1dell said:

Yeah, RDR2 does a better job than RDR1 where you had some missions that actually had dialogue implying another already occurred.

 

There is a post by @jimmyoneshot where he lays out the small handful of missions that should be done before some others. Not a strict order or anything, but missions that make a little more sense to do before others based on some dialogue. These days that’s all I really go by. The game does a well enough job at sort of suggesting where to go next with mission and cutscene dialogue, and I just follow that.

Could you link me this post pls, I've scrolled a bunch of pages and havent found it lol

[Agent Edward]

4 hours ago, cp1dell said:

Yeah, RDR2 does a better job than RDR1 where you had some missions that actually had dialogue implying another already occurred.

 

There is a post by @jimmyoneshot where he lays out the small handful of missions that should be done before some others. Not a strict order or anything, but missions that make a little more sense to do before others based on some dialogue. These days that’s all I really go by. The game does a well enough job at sort of suggesting where to go next with mission and cutscene dialogue, and I just follow that.

Share his post bro.

[cp1dell]

On 10/4/2021 at 2:02 PM, jimmyoneshot said:

True it really does at times. Those are the only absolute concrete ones I can think of off the top of my head because a lot of them are 50/50 meaning they could go either way. For example:-

• Hosea asking Arthur "how are things between you and John?" and saying "Ain't it about time you let it go now?" during Exit Pursued could be Hosea referring to Arthur doing Paying A Social Call with John meaning Social Call > Exit Pursued OR it could be Hosea talking about their relationship in general and nudging Arthur to get John involved more which he then does during Social Call i.e. Exit Pursued > Social Call
• Arthur asking Dutch about the bonds during Quiet Time and Dutch saying "Hosea's working on it" and Arthur also asking Hosea about the bonds during Exit Pursued could mean that Arthur is following up with Hosea about the bonds because Dutch told him he's working on it meaning Quiet Time > Exit Pursued OR it could mean that Hosea has already told Arthur he is trying to sell the bonds and Dutch is simply reaffirming that Hosea is STILL working on it i.e. Exit Pursued > Quiet Time

However the ones that I'd class as semi concrete based on dialogue alone off the top of my head are:-

• When you play Polite Society Arthur's lips are synched with what he says when you do Americans At Rest before that mission meaning it is likely that Americans At Rest > Polite Society
• During Exit Pursued Arthur is surprised Hosea is taking them to the mountains and says "Back into the mountains? I sure didn't figure on that" and during Javier's Home Robbery Arthur and Javier go into the mountains (arguably) which suggests Exit Pursued > Javier Home Robbery
• During Spines Of America Hosea tells Arthur to lead the way and says "you're the one who's been gallivanting around here" when they are near Emerald Ranch. It is likely that Hosea is referring to Arthur collecting debts in this area when he says this meaning Money Lending I - II > Spines Of America
• Mary telling Arthur that Jamie is near Carmody Dell during We Loved Once And True II. Arthur knows exactly where this is straight away yet it is a very specific location. This coupled with the fact that he is actually directed there by Sheamus during Spines Of America strongly suggests that Spines Of America > We Loved Once And True II
• During the opening of Preaching Forgiveness Lenny asks Arthur what he's up to and Arthur says "Just searching for all this hillbilly gold that Dutch and Hosea seem to think is out there just waiting to be stolen" and he is visibly disappointed when he says it. The only mission that he really does this in is during Horse Flesh For Dinner where the gang expected to get a tonne of money for the horses but ended up with far less and Arthur was very disappointed meaning it's likely Horse Flesh > Preaching Forgiveness
• During Sodom Back To Gomorrah you can have a conversation with Bill during the ride out and Bill says that he has ben drinking with the Grays and that they are "looking for some extra security" to which Arthur knowingly replies "yeah I'm sure they are" and the way Arthur says this kind of suggests Arthur knows WHY they would b looking for extra security i.e. because him and Sean burned the fields which suggests Joys Of Tobacco > Sodom

Then there are the other ones where Arthur is tole "Person X is waiting at Place Z" for him right now.

This is the post, and this one. Only reason I can find it so easily is because it was in reply to myself haha 

 

I’m on mobile so I can’t copy and paste quotes properly. But the linked post goes into detail about how Fisher or Men needs to be done before Pouring Forth Oil IV, because of dialogue, as well as some missions later on in Chapter VI. The quoted post tackles some smaller stuff. Personally I still prefer to do Polite Society first, and overlook the sync issue, but to each their own. Like I’ve said before, the game does a good job at letting you do the missions in any order, but these two posts outline a couple instances of dialogue that tell me some should have been locked away until after completing certain missions.

Edited October 16, 2023 by cp1dell

[CymroMatt]

On 4/3/2023 at 1:29 AM, Dan_1983 said:

I do all stagecoach robberies as Arthur as it makes more sense seeing as John is trying to go straight in the epilogue.

 

The main problem for me used to be fitting in all 3 Strawberry stagecoach robberies, so I normally go and stay in and around Strawberry in Chapter 3 for 3-4 days, where I also collect Winton Holmes' debt, rob Watson's cabin and kill the wolves for the Appleseed Timber Co.

 

When I go back to camp, I usually I get an earful from Dutch and Susan about killing innocent people lol.

 

I started a new playthrough the other day and unfortunately for me the Appleseed Timer Co. skipped a stage. I went from the initial cutscene where you meet the foreman for the first time and offer to sell him some supplies, to the stage where you need to kill the wolves so the workers can return to their duties. I'm not sure why I wasn't able to help the worker who gets stuck under a tree, maybe I rode too close to the vicinity of the area whilst *sandbox exploring* and therefore triggered a stage unknowingly? I have no idea. It really bugged me though lol, as my whole reason for going there the second time was to purchase the lumber for the father at Castor's Ridge, but there was no lumber for sale due to the wolf attack. I needed to go back and lend the money instead, which I didn't think would be possible at that stage. But to be fair, I was able to say that I couldn't find any lumber but would be happy to lend the money. It's cool the game sort of gives you a second chance to help them. The attention to detail is nuts, even in the tiniest things.

 

But I digress.. is the Appleseed/Castor's Ridge stuff time sensitive? I've always done them in Chapter 2 to their completion, but I see you visited in Chapter 3 and the lumber workers hadn't packed up and deserted the site yet. Is this something you always do in each playthrough? I'd like to stretch the visits out myself if at all possible.

Edited November 2, 2023 by CymroMatt

[CymroMatt]

Just started chapter 3 and can't help but notice that not many orders in this thread include placing TCOTL I & II and TCOTL III back to back. Seems logical to return straight to Beau with the letter, especially whilst you still have the badge. Yet I see a lot of lists place the third part of the mission one perhaps even two days later. Is there a reason for this?

Edited November 2, 2023 by CymroMatt

[Dan_1983]

20 hours ago, CymroMatt said:

 

I started a new playthrough the other day and unfortunately for me the Appleseed Timer Co. skipped a stage. I went from the initial cutscene where you meet the foreman for the first time and offer to sell him some supplies, to the stage where you need to kill the wolves so the workers can return to their duties. I'm not sure why I wasn't able to help the worker who gets stuck under a tree, maybe I rode too close to the vicinity of the area whilst *sandbox exploring* and therefore triggered a stage unknowingly? I have no idea. It really bugged me though lol, as my whole reason for going there the second time was to purchase the lumber for the father at Castor's Ridge, but there was no lumber for sale due to the wolf attack. I needed to go back and lend the money instead, which I didn't think would be possible at that stage. But to be fair, I was able to say that I couldn't find any lumber but would be happy to lend the money. It's cool the game sort of gives you a second chance to help them. The attention to detail is nuts, even in the tiniest things.

 

But I digress.. is the Appleseed/Castor's Ridge stuff time sensitive? I've always done them in Chapter 2 to their completion, but I see you visited in Chapter 3 and the lumber workers hadn't packed up and deserted the site yet. Is this something you always do in each playthrough? I'd like to stretch the visits out myself if at all possible.

The reason I leave the Appleseed Timber Company side missions until the end of Chapter 2 and into Chapter 3 is because Hector's second robbery involves Arthur robbing a stagecoach full of their payroll. If the camp is cleared, done and moved on, then it makes no sense that a stage would deliver pay roll to them, as they'd have already gone. Sounds crazy I know, but I like things to at least make sense haha.

 

Also the end of Chapter 2 is also the only time I actually pass through their work camp on my way to see the infamous rat in his camp outside Strawberry. 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Dan_1983

[CymroMatt]

7 hours ago, Dan_1983 said:

The reason I leave the Appleseed Timber Companu side missions until the end of Chapter 2 and into Chapter 3 is because Hector's second robbery involves Arthur robbing a stagecoach full of their payroll. If the camp is cleared, done and moved on, then it makes no sense that a stage would deliver pay roll to them, as they'd have already gone. Sounds crazy I know, but I like things to at least make sense haha.

 

Also the end of Chapter 2 is also the only time I actually pass through their work camp on my way to see the infamous rat in his camp outside Strawberry. 

 

I'll bear that in mind for a future playthrough! Do you also ignore Castor's Ridge in Chapter II or do you simply just lend the father the money instead which prevents you from needing to travel to Appleseed? I'll have to be careful not to travel too closely to the site next time as I must've triggered the second encounter unknowingly.. which really annoyed me lol

[Dan_1983]

3 hours ago, CymroMatt said:

 

I'll bear that in mind for a future playthrough! Do you also ignore Castor's Ridge in Chapter II or do you simply just lend the father the money instead which prevents you from needing to travel to Appleseed? I'll have to be careful not to travel too closely to the site next time as I must've triggered the second encounter unknowingly.. which really annoyed me lol

I always lend him the money. The only time I go through the Appleseed Timber camp early is when I am racing the old guy on his Nokota as the race takes you through there to Diablo Ridge.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Dan_1983

[CymroMatt]

2 hours ago, Dan_1983 said:

I always lend him the money. The only time I go through the Appleseed Timber camp early is when I am racing the old guy on his Nokota as the race takes you through there to Diablo Ridge.

Does that have any effect on the Appleseed encounters or is it ignored because you're technically in a "mini mission"?

[Dan_1983]

3 hours ago, CymroMatt said:

Does that have any effect on the Appleseed encounters or is it ignored because you're technically in a "mini mission"?

It's ignored.

[Buddy Hightower]

21 hours ago, CymroMatt said:

Just started chapter 3 and can't help but notice that not many orders in this thread include placing TCOTL I & II and TCOTL III back to back. Seems logical to return straight to Beau with the letter, especially whilst you still have the badge. Yet I see a lot of lists place the third part of the mission one perhaps even two days later. Is there a reason for this?

In my current play through I talked to Beau before I got the badge. 

I just happened to be behind GH and noticed I could just ride up tp the back and ask around.

11 hours ago, CymroMatt said:

 

I'll bear that in mind for a future playthrough! Do you also ignore Castor's Ridge in Chapter II or do you simply just lend the father the money instead which prevents you from needing to travel to Appleseed? I'll have to be careful not to travel too closely to the site next time as I must've triggered the second encounter unknowingly.. which really annoyed me lol

 

8 hours ago, Dan_1983 said:

I always lend him the money. The only time I go through the Appleseed Timber camp early is when I am racing the old guy on his Nokota as the race takes you through there to Diablo Ridge.

Lend the money? lol hell no. I steal the wood on the road and make $150 off the deal.

Just ride around the area till you see the wood wagon.

[jimmyoneshot]

On 11/2/2023 at 3:42 PM, CymroMatt said:

I started a new playthrough the other day and unfortunately for me the Appleseed Timer Co. skipped a stage. I went from the initial cutscene where you meet the foreman for the first time and offer to sell him some supplies, to the stage where you need to kill the wolves so the workers can return to their duties.

This can be really funny I find. Same for the railroad and the Castor's Ridge house. I've recently done a 100% playthrough and I was trying to do absolutely everything possible at the start of Chapter 2 before even doing any actual missions and was also avoiding these as they are kind of like mini side missions. I noticed when I came to start doing the Appleseed missions it was already cleared and I got the wolf encounter too. And when I went to the Castor's Ridge house he was already asking for more wood which entirely skipped the other parts like where he's getting shot at and because Castor's Ridge had already been cleared the only option I had was to give the father the money for wood.

 

Likewise with the Railroad camp. The first thief part skipped entirely and I started at the part where I had to clear off Cornwall's men.

On 5/24/2023 at 10:18 PM, Spydr Webz said:

Wow, I can't believe it's almost been five years since I posted this!! I am thrilled to see that it has continued to generate interesting discussion all these years.

 

I feel a bit guilty not coming back to this until now. Life gets busy, ya know? I've wanted to come back so many times just to fix the god-awful eyesore that is the formatting (no idea why everything was bolded, underlined and italicized when it was first posted). Over the last few years I have replayed the game 6 or 7 times and each time I revisit this list and end up making some changes in my notes. It has gone through quite a few revisions as I've noticed some glaring issues and missing bits, so I am in the process of updating the main post with my most current version (Chapter II is done, major changes noted in the notes). I'm currently wrapping up another playthrough, and so I am quite satisfied with the newest version, as it's fresh on the mind and aided by the fact that I've played it so much.

 

I wish I came back to do this sooner. My first list wasn't the greatest and I know some have used this as a guide over the years, so I should have updated it sooner. Thanks to you all for keeping this topic alive over the years while I was away farming mangoes in Tahiti! I've read some of the discussion and I love the insights people are bringing to it. Hope I can be a part of the conversation now.

I'm just looking back through some of the pages and just realized I missed this. Thanks so much for creating this topic in the first place. I've always loved deep discussions about game stories and things like mission orders in story-driven and rpg games so when I found this it was amazing.

 

Posting on here has given me so much enjoyment over the years discussing this amazing game and I've made some pals on here. I'm sure I'll still be dropping in here in another 5 years.

[AudaxTenebra]

11 minutes ago, jimmyoneshot said:

I'm just looking back through some of the pages and just realized I missed this. Thanks so much for creating this topic in the first place. I've always loved deep discussions about game stories and things like mission orders in story-driven and rpg games so when I found this it was amazing.

 

Posting on here has given me so much enjoyment over the years discussing this amazing game and I've made some pals on here. I'm sure I'll still be dropping in here in another 5 years.

Glad to see you're back, I just did a back to back RDR2-1 playthrough. RDR1 sure shows it's age and how it was made without 2 in mind (of course) but it was incredible ngl. Used your order and the canadian guy's for the first game. RDR1 rly felt like an epilogue to RDR2 (especially cuz it's way shorter than RDR2, took me 3 days to finish it while playing only during my free time lol)

[jimmyoneshot]

47 minutes ago, AudaxTenebra said:

Glad to see you're back, I just did a back to back RDR2-1 playthrough. RDR1 sure shows it's age and how it was made without 2 in mind (of course) but it was incredible ngl. Used your order and the canadian guy's for the first game. RDR1 rly felt like an epilogue to RDR2 (especially cuz it's way shorter than RDR2, took me 3 days to finish it while playing only during my free time lol)

Thanks bud. Good to see you. I bought the PS5 port a few weeks back but it was only 30 fps at the time which feels unplayable these days after playing stuff at 60+ for a while. It was great that they released the 60 fps update for it a few weeks later which I had a feeling they would.

 

I was going to start playing it but I was right in the middle of my RDR 2 100% playthrough at the time ha. I might start this weekend. Maybe even set up a new thread at some point for an RDR1 chronological order considering there will probably be a few people playing it again now ha.

Edited November 3, 2023 by jimmyoneshot

[AudaxTenebra]

15 hours ago, jimmyoneshot said:

Thanks bud. Good to see you. I bought the PS5 port a few weeks back but it was only 30 fps at the time which feels unplayable these days after playing stuff at 60+ for a while. It was great that they released the 60 fps update for it a few weeks later which I had a feeling they would.

 

I was going to start playing it but I was right in the middle of my RDR 2 100% playthrough at the time ha. I might start this weekend. Maybe even set up a new thread at some point for an RDR1 chronological order considering there will probably be a few people playing it again now ha.

We already have one for RDR1. the right order was 90% discovered already cuz that game rly shows it had a certain order during the make of the script. (stuff like a whole massacre happening in a farm and the next mission a character ignoring it completely like it never happened)

 

I gotta say, this is the first time a game made me feel empty after finishing it.

[CymroMatt]

Question regarding Duchesses and Other Animals. Is this best started as Arthur or John? Obviously Arthur is the one who meets Algernon originally during A Gilded Cage but running off and completing tasks for him when Chapter 4 seems a very rushed chapter feels wrong. I'm tempted to do the whole thing as John but most seem to think this side mission makes most sense as Arthur. I wish Chapter 4 didn't make you feel like you have to mainline all it's missions

Edited November 13, 2023 by CymroMatt