RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 - "Chronological" Mission Order

[Jisoo]

15 hours ago, luckycanadian95 said:

I think Hosea probably just views their time at Horseshoe Overlook as somewhat negative for most of the chapter and his dialogue could fit anywhere. The gang just barely survived the hardships of Blackwater and Colter, and now as he describes it they find themselves "stuck... east of the Grizzlies and out of money... and a long way from our dream of virgin land in the west." Sure the gang does manage a few good scores in this chapter but for the most part they still remain extremely poor compared to what they were before, everyone is still mourning the loss of Jenny and the Callander brothers, and certain members of the gang like John, Abigail, Swanson and especially Sadie are pretty depressed most of the time.

 

 

Thats how I interpret it too, as in the weeks have been rough relative to what they were prior to the Blackwater robbery. Even if nothing happened between Eastward Bound and when we control Arthur, its probably just a sh*tty couple weeks knowing theyre out of cash, coping with the loss of Jenny, Davey and Mac, and having to get used to an entierly new place etc. Seems like they have to leave behind a bunch of personal items at their camp in Blackwater aswell when they had to flee

 

I like to think the gang was quite flourishing in Blackwater and were having a decent time there and the years before. Then its just downhill from there even if chapter 2 in isolation isnt that bad

[luckycanadian95]

19 hours ago, propanecocaine71 said:

So I started a new playthrough and I think I found a good order for early chapter 2 that worked out pretty good for me. 

 

Day 1 - who is without sin (start test of faith on way/discover trading post/ explore until 5pm) 

 

Day 2 - Americans at Rest (before I get to Valentine i visited castor's ridge then talked to downes and calloway before bar fight, after bar fight hunt food for camp then rest for the evening) 

 

Day 3 - The First Shall Be last (head out early the following morning after recovering from the bar fight. Save saun return to camp but make a quick stop on the way starting the all that glitters, after that stay up all night partying) 

 

Day 4 - All that glitters/hunting for Pearson and collectibles (pretty self explanatory, Arthur being hungover would take it easy hunt/ look for treasure discover limpany 

 

Day 5 - polite Society Valentine Style (two days after party so girls are bored and two weeks and five days doesn't really stretch Mary-Beth's two weeks comment plus it's pretty obvious this was meant after Americans at Rest) 

 

Day 6 - paying a social call (hunt for camp/discover mail Wagon after mission) 

 

 

I really like how this has turned out so far, I plan on doing Money lending next followed by exit pursed by a bruised ego as I feel that mission is better suited on the middle of chapter 2.  Sorry for long post in advance. 

 

Looks pretty good to me. I think Social Call might take place after Money Lending though for a few reasons:

• ML is one of the three initial leads that Hosea gave us at the start of the chapter, and is the first lead centered around earning money for the gang, so it was probably meant to be done fairly early.
• From a game progression standpoint, I think it usually makes sense to play the mission with the smaller reward (ML) before other missions that give us a considerably larger payout (Social Call).
• We unlock Mary's letter by completing ML and Social Call in any order, but Grimshaw only tells Arthur about Mary sniffing about after Social Call regardless of your mission order, which I think is evidence that Social Call was meant to be the mission that directly unlocks the letter. 

Also, this is just personal preference but I like to get the first Castor Ridge encounter after PSVS, since the mission naturally ends at that location, and the second encounter involving the gunfight would feel out of place after dealing with Jimmy Brooks as you actually hear gunshots while he's still talking and then he rides away in their direction… clearly the guy has no spatial awareness 

 

@Dan_1983 mentioned before too that one of the coach robberies in chapter three takes place at the Appleseed Timber Co. and how that seems a bit odd when the camp has already been cleared out. So maybe we should space out the Castor Ridge stuff across a longer period of time, and only do the first couple of encounters in chapter two, since the third encounter will get skipped if we delay getting the wood shipment from the timber company.

Edited April 18 by luckycanadian95

[propanecocaine71]

4 hours ago, luckycanadian95 said:

Looks pretty good to me. I think Social Call might take place after Money Lending though for a few reasons:

• ML is one of the three initial leads that Hosea gave us at the start of the chapter, and is the first lead centered around earning money for the gang, so it was probably meant to be done fairly early.
• From a game progression standpoint, I think it usually makes sense to play the mission with the smaller reward (ML) before other missions that give us a considerably larger payout (Social Call).
• We unlock Mary's letter by completing ML and Social Call in any order, but Grimshaw only tells Arthur about Mary sniffing about after Social Call regardless of your mission order, which I think is evidence that Social Call was meant to be the mission that directly unlocks the letter. 

Also, this is just personal preference but I like to get the first Castor Ridge encounter after PSVS, since the mission naturally ends at that location, and the second encounter involving the gunfight would feel out of place after dealing with Jimmy Brooks as you actually hear gunshots while he's still talking and then he rides away in their direction… clearly the guy has no spatial awareness 

 

@Dan_1983 mentioned before too that one of the coach robberies in chapter three takes place at the Appleseed Timber Co. and how that seems a bit odd when the camp has already been cleared out. So maybe we should space out the Castor Ridge stuff across a longer period of time, and only do the first couple of encounters in chapter two, since the third encounter will get skipped if we delay getting the wood shipment from the timber company.

All very valid points, I only put social call first because almost three weeks is really stretching it for Kieran being tied to a tree.

 

Also good point about Castor's ridge after polite Society because that gunfight just happened to me with Jimmy Brooks lol

 

 

Edited April 18 by propanecocaine71

[Dan_1983]

7 hours ago, luckycanadian95 said:

@Dan_1983 mentioned before too that one of the coach robberies in chapter three takes place at the Appleseed Timber Co. and how that seems a bit odd when the camp has already been cleared out. So maybe we should space out the Castor Ridge stuff across a longer period of time, and only do the first couple of encounters in chapter two, since the third encounter will get skipped if we delay getting the wood shipment from the timber company.

Yes the second stage coach robbery for Hector is carrying payroll for the Appleseed Timber Company, which is why I like to start the timber company quest at the end of Chapter 2 and finish it off in Chapter 3. It would make no sense robbing payroll for the timber company if they have finished work at the site, upped sticks and moved on.

 

 

 

[BleddynRPG]

5 hours ago, propanecocaine71 said:

All very valid points, I only put social call first because almost three weeks is really stretching it for Kieran being tied to a tree.

This isn't a problem, because during the conversation it turns out that about a month has passed.

 

8 hours ago, luckycanadian95 said:

From a game progression standpoint, I think it usually makes sense to play the mission with the smaller reward (ML) before other missions that give us a considerably larger payout (Social Call).

I agree. That's why, for example, bounty missions are profitable at the beginning when we don't have money.

On the other hand, maybe ML is supposed to show that loan sharks not only give little cash but are also problematic and irritating.

 

8 hours ago, luckycanadian95 said:

We unlock Mary's letter by completing ML and Social Call in any order, but Grimshaw only tells Arthur about Mary sniffing about after Social Call regardless of your mission order, which I think is evidence that Social Call was meant to be the mission that directly unlocks the letter. 

Therefore, there should have been a break of a few days between PSVS and Mary's letter, because one of the girls saw her, so in my opinion, and we know this from conversations in the camp, the girls were in Valentine after PSVS and then the meeting with Mary could have taken place.

In the same way, Exit and Spines should be distant and events should occur between them that would make Hosea think that the gang is slowly getting back on track.

[propanecocaine71]

7 hours ago, BleddynRPG said:

This isn't a problem, because during the conversation it turns out that about a month has passed.

 

 

Where is there dialogue supporting this? The only one I know is Kieran saying he's been watching them all these weeks on the way to six point cabin. 

[d.bcooper1971]

Chapter 2 - The Cinematic Version 

 

Day 1 - Dutch Pipe Request

             Man Kicked by Horse

             Test of Faith

             Oil Derrick Corpse

             O’Driscoll Robbery (Don’t Help)

 

Day 2 - Mary-Beth Conversation 

        Dutch tells Arthur to meet the boys 

           O’Driscoll Warning 

           Americans at Rest

           Homeless Mickey 

           Serial Killer Corpse

 

Day 3 - Exit, Pursued By a Bruised Ego   

 

Day 4 - Polite Society

             Jim Boy Calloway

             Gunsmith

             Homeless Mickey 2

             Speak to Strauss

Day 5 - Plant Collector 

             Mr. Wrobel’s Debt 

             Man with Snake Bite

             Who is Not Without Sin?

 

Day 6 - Mexican Gunslinger Challenge

             Home Building Father

             Keane’s Saloon 

             Bounty Hunting

             O’Driscolls at Keane’s

             Smithfield’s Saloon (Night)

 

Day 7 - Home Building Shootout

             Blind Cassidy

             Travel across Larned Sod            

             Chuck Matthew’s Debt 

             Hani’s Bethel (See UFO)

 

Day 8 - Emerald Train Station

             Spines of America (Day)

             Lilly Millet’s Debt

             Kill Bounty Hunters…

            Take Bounty to Valentine 

             Man Attacked by Cougar

  
Day 9 - Home Building Father 2

             O’Driscolls on Bridge

             Appleseed Timber Co.

             Man Looking for Strawberry

             Strawberry Hotel

 

Day 10 - Strawberry Shop

               The First Shall Be Last

               Man Looking for Gold

               Sean’s Party

 

Day 11 - Paying a Social Call

              Valentine Hotel

         
Day 12 - Snake Bite Reward

               Letter from Mary

               Thomas Downes

               A Quiet Time

 

Day 13 - Home Building Supplies

               O’ Driscoll Ambush

               Man in Bear Trap

               Appleseed Tree Fall

               Woman Being Kidnapped 

Day 14 - Smoking and Other Hobbies

               Woman Trapped by Horse

               Take Woman to Valentine

               O’Driscolls on Bridge

               Buy Appleseed Lumber

               

Day 15 - Arcadia For Amateurs

               Bear Trap Reward

               Blessed are the Meek

 

Day 16 - We Loved Once and True

               Smithfield’s Saloon

 

Day 17 - Pouring Fourth Oil

               Visit Seamus’ Fence

               Stagecoach Robber

 

Day 18 - All That Glitters 

               American Pastoral 

               Wallace Station (Pay Bounty)

               Arcadia for Amateurs 2

               Watson’s Cabin Robbery

               Vetter’s Cabin (Dutch Pipe)

 

Day 19 - Watson’s Cabin Shootout

               Appleseed Wolf

               A Fisher of Men

 

Day 20 - To The Ends of the Earth

                Train Robbery

 

Day 21 - Jack Hall Treasure

               Home Building Payment

               Have a Haircut

               The Sheep and the Goats

               Clawson’s Rest (Jack Book)

 

Day 22 - Writing inside Wallace Tunnel 

                A Strange Kindness

                 

 

 

           

                

 

                

                

               

               

           

          

                

               

                

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

                

        

 

 

 

               

 

               

               

 

               

      

              

 

 

             

             

  

   

             

             

 

           

 

[luckycanadian95]

On 4/18/2025 at 9:27 AM, propanecocaine71 said:

Where is there dialogue supporting this? The only one I know is Kieran saying he's been watching them all these weeks on the way to six point cabin. 

I'm guessing that's the dialogue bleddyn means, which isn't evidence of much I don't think because Kieran has already been a prisoner for almost 3 weeks by the time we unlock his mission.

[propanecocaine71]

1 minute ago, luckycanadian95 said:

I'm guessing that's the dialogue bleddyn means, which isn't evidence of much I don't think because Kieran has already been a prisoner for almost 3 weeks by the time we unlock his mission.

Right and that's what I was thinking or if there was a more closer time but three weeks sounds about right, poor Kieran lol. 

[luckycanadian95]

7 hours ago, d.bcooper1971 said:

 

Chapter 2 - The Cinematic Version 

 

Day 1 - Dutch Pipe Request

             Man Kicked by Horse

             Test of Faith

             Oil Derrick Corpse

             O’Driscoll Robbery (Don’t Help)

 

 

Day 2 - Mary-Beth Conversation 

        Dutch tells Arthur to meet the boys 

           O’Driscoll Warning 

           Americans at Rest

           Homeless Mickey 

           Serial Killer Corpse

 

Day 3 - Exit, Pursued By a Bruised Ego   

 

Day 4 - Polite Society

             Jim Boy Calloway

             Gunsmith

             Homeless Mickey 2

             Speak to Strauss

Day 5 - Plant Collector 

             Mr. Wrobel’s Debt 

             Man with Snake Bite

             Who is Not Without Sin?

 

Day 6 - Mexican Gunslinger Challenge

             Home Building Father

             Keane’s Saloon 

             Bounty Hunting

             O’Driscolls at Keane’s

             Smithfield’s Saloon (Night)

 

Day 7 - Home Building Shootout

             Blind Cassidy

             Travel across Larned Sod            

             Chuck Matthew’s Debt 

             Hani’s Bethel (See UFO)

 

Day 8 - Emerald Train Station

             Spines of America (Day)

             Lilly Millet’s Debt

             Kill Bounty Hunters…

            Take Bounty to Valentine 

             Man Attacked by Cougar

  
Day 9 - Home Building Father 2

             O’Driscolls on Bridge

             Appleseed Timber Co.

             Man Looking for Strawberry

             Strawberry Hotel

 

Day 10 - Strawberry Shop

               The First Shall Be Last

               Man Looking for Gold

               Sean’s Party

 

Day 11 - Paying a Social Call

              Valentine Hotel

         
Day 12 - Snake Bite Reward

               Letter from Mary

               Thomas Downes

               A Quiet Time

 

Day 13 - Home Building Supplies

               O’ Driscoll Ambush

               Man in Bear Trap

               Appleseed Tree Fall

               Woman Being Kidnapped 

Day 14 - Smoking and Other Hobbies

               Woman Trapped by Horse

               Take Woman to Valentine

               O’Driscolls on Bridge

               Buy Appleseed Lumber

               

Day 15 - Arcadia For Amateurs

               Bear Trap Reward

               Blessed are the Meek

 

Day 16 - We Loved Once and True

               Smithfield’s Saloon

 

Day 17 - Pouring Fourth Oil

               Visit Seamus’ Fence

               Stagecoach Robber

 

Day 18 - All That Glitters 

               American Pastoral 

               Wallace Station (Pay Bounty)

               Arcadia for Amateurs 2

               Watson’s Cabin Robbery

               Vetter’s Cabin (Dutch Pipe)

 

Day 19 - Watson’s Cabin Shootout

               Appleseed Wolf

               A Fisher of Men

 

Day 20 - To The Ends of the Earth

                Train Robbery

 

Day 21 - Jack Hall Treasure

               Home Building Payment

               Have a Haircut

               The Sheep and the Goats

               Clawson’s Rest (Jack Book)

 

Day 22 - Writing inside Wallace Tunnel 

                A Strange Kindness

                 

 

 

           

                

 

                

                

               

               

           

          

                

               

                

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

                

        

 

 

 

               

 

               

               

 

               

      

              

 

 

             

             

  

   

             

             

 

           

 

One issue here is that realistically Sean would be long gone by the time you get to Blackwater. Arthur probably wouldn't do a bunch of other missions after Americans at Rest when a gang member needs to be rescued. But I like some parts of your list for example the way AAR takes place before PSVS and how you read the letter from Mary before going to visit Thomas Downes.

Edited April 22 by luckycanadian95

[luckycanadian95]

20 minutes ago, propanecocaine71 said:

Right and that's what I was thinking or if there was a more closer time but three weeks sounds about right, poor Kieran lol. 

Aha yeah I mean given that he survived almost a month tied to the tree I don't feel like it's unrealistic either to postpone his mission. Obviously they're feeding the guy enough to keep him alive. Personally I like to wrap up most other gang business before talking with him, except for Thomas Downes and sometimes Spines as well. The main reason is that like I said ML2 is arguably supposed to take place first, and once you unlock Mary's letter you're effectively blocked from sleeping at your tent until you've completed both WLOAT1 and ML3.

[propanecocaine71]

20 minutes ago, luckycanadian95 said:

Aha yeah I mean given that he survived almost a month tied to the tree I don't feel like it's unrealistic either to postpone his mission. Obviously they're feeding the guy enough to keep him alive. Personally I like to wrap up most other gang business before talking with him, except for Thomas Downes and sometimes Spines as well. 

I definitely feel Hosea's two missions come after Social Call, I firmly believe Rockstar made Hosea's hunting trip available wayyyy too early, like I get it's mostly a tutorial mission for stables/camp/legendary animals, but from a narrative perspective it should come later then it's available. 

[luckycanadian95]

15 minutes ago, propanecocaine71 said:

I definitely feel Hosea's two missions come after Social Call, I firmly believe Rockstar made Hosea's hunting trip available wayyyy too early, like I get it's mostly a tutorial mission for stables/camp/legendary animals, but from a narrative perspective it should come later then it's available. 

Agreed they unlock too early but I think Exit at least should happen before Social Call, because that mission is one of the best scores for the gang in this chapter, and yet during the hunting trip Hosea talks about how they still need money to get back on their feet. By the time of Spines he says they're finally starting to get back on their feet, implying the gang has earned some money since Exit. So I feel like there should be a few good payouts in between Hosea's missions, for example maybe Snake Oil, Social Call, and Javier's home robbery. Not sure about Javier though I really struggle to find a place for that one

[d.bcooper1971]

2 hours ago, luckycanadian95 said:

One issue here is that realistically Sean would be long gone by the time you get to Blackwater. Arthur probably wouldn't do a bunch of other missions after Americans at Rest when a gang member needs to be rescued. But I like some parts of your list for example the way AAR takes place before PSVS and how you read the letter from Mary before going to visit Thomas Downes.

Sean didn’t need to be rescued, at least not imminently. All Trelawny said was that he was “being held by bounty hunters”, to which Dutch told Charles and Javier to scout ahead - this would take some time.

 

Having played the game before, you know that Sean’s time was running out and also that he could be rescued immediately. Arthur hasn’t played the game before, for all he knows, Sean could be dead and it’s another trap.
 

I think it makes sense to wait a week, but it also perfectly fits my narrative. Which is rather intertwined and complicated with various random event triggers already planned and factored in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[luckycanadian95]

On 4/22/2025 at 3:50 PM, d.bcooper1971 said:

Sean didn’t need to be rescued, at least not imminently. All Trelawny said was that he was “being held by bounty hunters”, to which Dutch told Charles and Javier to scout ahead - this would take some time.

I completely disagree here.

 

The whole point of a bounty hunter is to hand criminals over to government agencies for payment, so the gang would feel extreme pressure to rescue Sean before that happens. Additionally, Trelawny said "there's talk of them moving" which adds another level of urgency.

• Dutch - Sean? You've found him?
• Trelawny - Yes, I have. He's being held by some bounty hunters... trying to see how much money the government will pay them. I know he's in Blackwater... but there's talk of them moving.

I doubt the scouting would take much time honestly, and there's some dialogue in TFSBL suggesting the boys were only camping outside of Blackwater for a night or two.

• Arthur - You alright, Javier? You're quiet…
• Javier - [Trelawny] hasn't stopped talking since we left you in Valentine. It's the longest ride of my life.

The fact that Javier says "longest ride of my life" rather than "longest week of my life" implies most of their time since Valentine was spent on the road to Blackwater, so they must not have been scouting very long.

 

On 4/22/2025 at 3:50 PM, d.bcooper1971 said:

Having played the game before, you know that Sean’s time was running out and also that he could be rescued immediately. Arthur hasn’t played the game before, for all he knows, Sean could be dead and it’s another trap.

Maybe, but that doesn't mean Arthur would delay trying to rescue him on the off chance the whole thing is a trap. Keep in mind, Trelawny is the source of information, it's not like they received a sketchy anonymous ransom notice or something like that. By all indications the gang truly believes that Sean has been captured.

• Dutch - There'll be Pinkertons all over the place, but... if he's alive we gotta try.
• Arthur - Yeah, of course.

In my opinion, delaying the rescue mission fundamentally goes against Arthur as a character, not only because he'd knowingly be putting Sean in danger, but also because he'd be ignoring a direct order from Dutch, who he still admires and respects at this point in the story.

 

When Dutch sends the boys to scout ahead, he instructs you to "get yourself cleaned up" and to "join them when you're ready", which means wash the mud off your face and join the boys once you recover from your fight… he doesn't mean join them whenever you feel like it.

 

We know this because if you speak to him after Americans at Rest he questions why you haven't left yet:

• Dutch - When are you going to meet Trelawny and the others? If there's a chance to get to Sean…
• Arthur - I know… I'm on it, I promise.

Even if you think Arthur might not care about losing Sean, or might disobey an order from Dutch, there's no way that Hosea of all people would bring Arthur on a vacation to find a legendary bear when a gang member is actively in danger… there's really no way to justify that 

Edited April 24 by luckycanadian95

[BleddynRPG]

On 4/18/2025 at 5:27 PM, propanecocaine71 said:

Where is there dialogue supporting this? The only one I know is Kieran saying he's been watching them all these weeks on the way to six point cabin. 

 

I can't remember now whether it was during the ride to Six Points Cabin or in another conversation that it comes up that Kieran had been in custody for a month, which meant that the few days after his arrival at the new camp could wait, especially with Tilly and Mary-Beth taking care of him.

 

On 4/22/2025 at 9:02 PM, luckycanadian95 said:

So I feel like there should be a few good payouts in between Hosea's missions, for example maybe Snake Oil, Social Call, and Javier's home robbery. Not sure about Javier though I really struggle to find a place for that one

In my opinion the first bounty hunter and debt collection mission should occur at the beginning of the chapter, before other missions that actually give big cash.

 

Javier's mission looks like an invitation to explore the north. for example, if we have jack hall's treasure maps, we can go east, collect treasure along the way, and even hunt the legendary bear.

If PSVS is after AAR then naturally you can do Snake Oil right after returning the horse.

 

 

 

Edited May 9 by BleddynRPG

[Fortdicer]

Can anybody link me Psycho18's full 100% walkthrough guide for me please. If not his, the best one out there. I want to play for 100%, but make it realistic and all the tasks making sense in order. Thanks!!!

Edited May 13 by Fortdicer

[luckycanadian95]

On 5/12/2025 at 6:05 PM, Fortdicer said:

Can anybody link me Psycho18's full 100% walkthrough guide for me please. If not his, the best one out there. I want to play for 100%, but make it realistic and all the tasks making sense in order. Thanks!!!

His last playthrough starts on page 204. I don't think anyone has made a full 100% chronological order though

[Fortdicer]

3 hours ago, luckycanadian95 said:

His last playthrough starts on page 204. I don't think anyone has made a full 100% chronological order though

Thanks. It would be really cool if someone did, I think the best one I found was Sutliffs.