RDR2 100% Completion Strategy Guide

[Jimbatron]

21 hours ago, cj09pen said:

does this guide include all optional honor missions?

thanks in advance!

Yes

[cj09pen]

35 minutes ago, Jimbatron said:

Yes

ok thank you!

[Jimbatron]

8 minutes ago, cj09pen said:

ok thank you!

Remember some of them may disappear if your honour level drops too low - so don’t go on robbing or killing sprees off-guide. When you have a choice, always pick the honourable option.

[Ka-Wouter]

Thank you for this fantastic guide! This was a massive help!
And i finally completed all achievements with a fitting ending. (video has spoilers)
https://x.com/ka_wouter/status/1810323276461216103

 

Edited July 9, 2024 by Ka-Wouter

[Jimbatron]

10 hours ago, Ka-Wouter said:

Thank you for this fantastic guide! This was a massive help!
And i finally completed all achievements with a fitting ending. (video has spoilers)
https://x.com/ka_wouter/status/1810323276461216103

 

Glad you liked the guide, thanks for leaving a comment.

[PuerAzaelis]

Hi great guide can't believe I found this again last time I played was 3 years ago - 

 

This playthrough i am going for 100% COMPENDIUM as well as 100 completion - does your guide include the optional missions and objects which are miss-able in order to get 100% COMPENDIUM?

CHEERS

[Jimbatron]

On 10/23/2024 at 11:13 PM, PuerAzaelis said:

Hi great guide can't believe I found this again last time I played was 3 years ago - 

 

This playthrough i am going for 100% COMPENDIUM as well as 100 completion - does your guide include the optional missions and objects which are miss-able in order to get 100% COMPENDIUM?

CHEERS

If you check on YouTube I have an expanded playlist in the intro video that has a bunch of optional content. However, even the “shortened” version here has all the missable compendium entries, which is basically the Guarma animals, the rare shotgun, rare rolling block rifle, and gunslinger unique side arms.

Edited October 27, 2024 by Jimbatron

[Pengilton]

After 189 hours, I can finally say that I am the best penguin in the West!

 

I just wanted to thank you for creating this extensive guide! Like you cannot believe how helpful it is!

 

I've finished story once on my xbox back in 2019/2020 but somehow missed one of the optional missions despite doing every stranger mission I could find... Last Christmas, I've decide to get this game on steam so I can replay it and do 100% run. I already knew that it won't be that easy but man... It wouldn't say it is very difficult to finish but it definitely takes a lot of effort. Like a lot it! Some tasks are just painful to finish. Spent like 8 hours on Gambler 8 haha And I swear that this game changes the spawn rate of some animals when doing the exotics... Oh you need plumes? Well good luck -.- There were so many birds in Lemoyne afterwards.

 

All those missable things kinda stressed me out a lot. I had another Reddit post open, while doing the run and keeping track of all the missable stuff. You mentioned some of which is okay because it is not needed for 100%. Gonna link the post here if someone wants to check it out. And shout-out to that one RDR2 map.

 

Thank you again and hopefully more people find this guide so they can also get 100% more easily. Now I am gonna finish my compendium and craft all clothes from the trapper. And getting all the achievements for the story mode. (I am kinda annoyed that it has so many online achievements because I am not sure if I can get all of them. Need other people for some of them but I am worried about the state of the game on pc. It is probably filled with modders ._.)

[Jimbatron]

9 hours ago, Pengilton said:

After 189 hours, I can finally say that I am the best penguin in the West!

 

I just wanted to thank you for creating this extensive guide! Like you cannot believe how helpful it is!

 

I've finished story once on my xbox back in 2019/2020 but somehow missed one of the optional missions despite doing every stranger mission I could find... Last Christmas, I've decide to get this game on steam so I can replay it and do 100% run. I already knew that it won't be that easy but man... It wouldn't say it is very difficult to finish but it definitely takes a lot of effort. Like a lot it! Some tasks are just painful to finish. Spent like 8 hours on Gambler 8 haha And I swear that this game changes the spawn rate of some animals when doing the exotics... Oh you need plumes? Well good luck -.- There were so many birds in Lemoyne afterwards.

 

All those missable things kinda stressed me out a lot. I had another Reddit post open, while doing the run and keeping track of all the missable stuff. You mentioned some of which is okay because it is not needed for 100%. Gonna link the post here if someone wants to check it out. And shout-out to that one RDR2 map.

 

Thank you again and hopefully more people find this guide so they can also get 100% more easily. Now I am gonna finish my compendium and craft all clothes from the trapper. And getting all the achievements for the story mode. (I am kinda annoyed that it has so many online achievements because I am not sure if I can get all of them. Need other people for some of them but I am worried about the state of the game on pc. It is probably filled with modders ._.)

Congrats on reaching 100%, glad you liked the guide.

[Jisoo]

12 hours ago, Pengilton said:

(I am kinda annoyed that it has so many online achievements because I am not sure if I can get all of them. Need other people for some of them but I am worried about the state of the game on pc. It is probably filled with modders ._.)

I did the online achievement on PS4 earlier this year, and the only one I needed help with was "Posse Up". The rest is doable solo, although Im not familiar with how the lobbies are on PC. "Posse Up" is possible to do normally, but I played maybe 60 hours or so and I never saw a random doing that event. 

 

Just make sure you take advantage of x2 exp events for the level 50 achievement.

Edited October 29, 2024 by Jisoo

[Xtreme_Battle]

Already followed your guides for RDR2 and GTA V! Congrats men they are very well made! Do you have one for RDR 1?

 

RDR 2 was one of my favorite games of all times 

[Jimbatron]

On 10/31/2024 at 7:04 PM, Xtreme_Battle said:

Already followed your guides for RDR2 and GTA V! Congrats men they are very well made! Do you have one for RDR 1?

 

RDR 2 was one of my favorite games of all times 

Glad you liked them. I’m having a go at RDR 1 right now! The difference is I am now a dad so have a bit less free time. So it might take a while. To give you an idea of where I am, political realities in armadillo and 5 challenges are done since launch!

Edited December 12, 2024 by Jimbatron

[Jimbatron]

A guide in the same style for the original Red Dead Redemption is out now!

 

Edited December 23, 2024 by Jimbatron

[rlpoloitalia]

AWESOME GUIDE! Maybe I missed it, but is there a copy of this RDR2 guide in PDF/Excel/Word? 

[Jimbatron]

4 hours ago, rlpoloitalia said:

AWESOME GUIDE! Maybe I missed it, but is there a copy of this RDR2 guide in PDF/Excel/Word? 

Glad you like the guide. There’s no pdf version. Just the write up here and the associated YouTube playlist.

[Robertoto10mwl]

You probably have been asked a ton this question but I couldn’t find it, does this guide get you all the story trophies required for the platinum or just the 100% achievement.

[Jimbatron]

4 hours ago, Robertoto10mwl said:

You probably have been asked a ton this question but I couldn’t find it, does this guide get you all the story trophies required for the platinum or just the 100% achievement.

The longer playlist has everything except Zoologist, Grin and Bear it and Skin deep. But if you study and skin all animals you encounter as you go you’ll only have a few left to find at the end.

[Green_Cone]

Just thought id say AMAZING guide, but i am currently replaying for 100% and was reading through guide when i saw you said get machete off Murphree broad guy in chapter 5 BUT you can get it in chapter 2 when saving Sean, the way you do, is the guy in all white fighting Charles on top of cliff has one if you shoot him and go to body you can grab it

[Jimbatron]

Glad you like the guide. Yes nice tip If you want the machete early

[Aristocles Platon]

This is really an excellent guide. It must have taken many hundreds of hours to make. I am surprised that so few people seem to use the videos on YouTube, but perhaps they are following the documentary version here. Thank you Jimbatron for this work.  I have completed to 100% on story line, compendium and challenges. In addition, I have made an effort to cover all bases, even those not needed by the game. I have not been able to get Platinum. My reflexes are not fast enough, alas. 

I am preparing documentation to use this game, and the transcript of a play-through, to teach certain aspects of English Literature. 

 

The main narrative of Read Dead Redemption 2, written by Dan Houser, is Shakespearean in literary stature. The characters are deeply developed, which you will discover especially if you take the time to listen to the conversations at camp and learn the gang members backstories. And the ending is modeled on the classical tragedies of Ancient Greece.

 

We are witness to crossing character arcs, of the kind we find in Shakespeare. For example, Macbeth - an heroic and loyal servant of the King - becomes corrupted by ambition. His fatal character flaw leads to his inevitable downfall. At the same time, Lady Macbeth - a gold digger - comes to regret her actions and finally dies a repentant sinner, tragically unable to undo the ill she had wrought.

 

In RDR2 we see the same pattern of crossing character arcs: Dutch at the outset is portrayed as the idealist - rescuer of lost souls, including three orphaned youngsters: Arthur Morgan, John Marston and Tilly Jackson, to say nothing of the other lost souls who gathered about him. He becomes by degree a demagogic tyrant, manipulative and self-serving. His actions reveal an underlying authoritarian character. His fatal flaws, which we discover were always visible beneath the veneer of pseudo-intellectual gentility, finally destroy him. In contrast, Arthur as a youngster is an opportunistic bandit and ruthless killer. As time passes he questions his behavior, becomes a reluctant bandit, and before the end learns the value of human life. On close reading, we find that he was always the troubled and reluctant killer. In the final chapters, tuberculosis reminds Arthur of his mortality, forcing him to rethink his values and atone for his actions. His death is the climactic moment of redemption. 

 

Sub-plots draw our attention to the values of family and commitment, protection of the weak - especially children - the purpose and price of loyalty to colleagues - not all of whom may be deserving - unfolding against the contrasting backdrop of cynicism and the harshness of reality in the dog-eat-dog world of 19th Century USA. Arthur's dry sense of humor and characteristic humility bordering on self-deprecation, show us that he posses a deeper understanding than his ostensibly simple mind would give the player to believe at a casual glance. There are no simple heroes and villains in this drama, which highlights the complexity of character in flesh and blood humans. The minor characters also show developmental character arcs, making this narrative quite exceptional literature in both it breadth and depth.
 
A trope in Classical Greek tragedy follows a set pattern. Ancient Greek concepts of morality, developed in a warrior culture, were quite different from those of the fundamentally Judaeo-Christian modern age. The greatest moral crime was hubris in the face of the gods, arrogance is the closest English word, especially if the arrogant individual presumes to have more control over the fates of men than do the gods. In Classical Greek tragedies the qualities that make great heroes of men impel them to hubris. This leads to the tragic hero's inevitable downfall when the offended gods turn fate against the hero. There is inevitability in the arc of Greek tragedy. The notion that man is in control, according to Ancient Greek thinking, is an illusion. Humility and subservience before the gods was thought necessary to win their favor. However, it is the qualities of greatness in the protagonist - his heroic predilections that wins battles and defeats mortal enemies - that engender his hubris. Pride, as we call it today, comes before the fall. We can see this trope in RDR2. Dutch's qualities of leadership morphed into self-serving arrogance, which in turn led to poor decisions and inevitable ruin. In contrast, Arthur's quiet wisdom, uncompromising honesty and evident humility matured into stoic heroism, evident even as he was dying. 

 

Catharsis is a Greek word. Aristotle defined it as the cleansing of the psyche by the experience of tragedy that leaves the viewer purified and enlightened. Weeping releases the pain. Contemplation restores us through the sobering lessons we take with us as we leave the theater. Of course, after playing RDR2, we attend to the obvious moral lessons focused on compassion, atonement and sacrifice, which are modern concepts. The Greeks focused on humility and surrender to fate, fate being a somewhat mystical notion embodying the will of the gods. Arthur Morgan possesses humility in spades. He accepts his approaching death with stoic resignation, but not with a surrender of his deeply held sense of responsibility towards his fellow gang members, with the exception of his nemesis, Micah Bell. Arthur, even though he saw through Dutch's facade, never lost his loyalty to his mentor and father figure. That too, is part of the tragedy. Arthur might have killed Micah, but would never have raised so much as a finger against Dutch.  

 

There is a missing scene that was cut from the final release of the game, in which Dutch is seen weeping as he struggles to find a way off the mountain. I am sorry that this scene was cut. It would have rounded Dutch's complex character and revealed his internal torment. Like Oedipus tearing out his eyes, Dutch tore out his heart and with it the ideals that had once made him a leader of his people. He is the tragic hero in the Grecian mold. 

 

Playing Red Dead Redemption teaches us that tragedy is not a property of events or plot-twists, but arises from the interaction between character and circumstance. This game presents us with a synthesis of the Greek and Shakespearean themes into something new, a psychological analysis, a uniquely 21st Century form. Playing RDR2 will do you more good than any number of sessions with a life coach. Playing Arthur in this visually masterful and unusually immersive game intensifies our identification with this protagonist. We are no longer observers: We become the protagonist. So, at the end of the game, it is a part of ourselves that dies on the mountain, and it is a part of our spirit that triumphs. 

 

We learn that people can change to become the manifestation of their better angels. They can also deteriorate to become the embodiment of their worst demons. This game forces us to look at ourselves differently. This is what makes the game truly a great work of literature. 

 

There is a thin line between tragedy and comedy. It is this: Tragedy occurs when the audience identifies with the protagonist. It is comedy when the audience does not. Were Micah to have fallen off the cliff during that terminal struggle, we would have cheered, and might have laughed. Play the low honor Arthur - which you can - and you will get a different ending: Micah kills Arthur outright. In this ending there are no tears. Disappointment and a sense of anti-climax are the results. We might, if we take the game seriously enough to consider the matter, we ask what the point of it all was. Perhaps that is another kind of lesson: The hollowness of greed. 

 

The original RDR narrative, for which RDR2 is the prequel, does not have the same literary quality. John is a betrayer of his former fellow gang members throughout the game. His motivation is self-preservation, for which he is willing to sacrifice his former partners in crime, until he too is destroyed by the Pinkertons' betrayal. Betrayal is not a redemption. Jack gets revenge. But revenge too is not redemption. There is no lesson here to strike our souls deeply. 

Will we ever see another story like Red Dead Redemption 2 from Rockstar Games? ... Not likely. 

 

The main writer of Red Dead Redemption 2 is Dan Houser, a co-founder of Rockstar Games. He shaped the RDR2's main narrative. Houser began outlining the story in 2011. The final script for the main story-line spanned approximately 2,000 pages. The total script, including side content and additional dialogue, was estimated to be about eight feet high if stacked (~ two meters). Dan Houser collaborated with Michael Unsworth, Rupert Humphries, and Lazlow Jones on the game's writing, during which time - it is said - the team worked 100 hour weeks. The extraordinary creative effort, it seems, broke the team. 

 

Unsworth, who served as Rockstar's Vice President of Writing, departed the company in 2023 after 16 years. Dan Houser had already left Rockstar Games in March 2020 after more than two decades with the company. His departure marked the end of a significant era for Rockstar's storytelling. We cannot expect much other than first person shooters and car chases from now on. GTA aims to generate deep story lines, but none of the releases of this franchise have matched the literary quality of RDR2. 

Genius is not mass produced.

 

[Mixonne]

Can i use this sections by chapters for getting all achievements without missing any or do i need to have youtube open to watch the expanded playlist because i find sections to be more convenient and pleasing to the eye? (Does it cover all achievements for platinum like RDR1 and Undead Nightmare guide did)?

 

[Jimbatron]

On 6/25/2025 at 8:52 PM, Mixonne said:

Can i use this sections by chapters for getting all achievements without missing any or do i need to have youtube open to watch the expanded playlist because i find sections to be more convenient and pleasing to the eye? (Does it cover all achievements for platinum like RDR1 and Undead Nightmare guide did)?

 

The longer playlist has everything except Zoologist, Grin and Bear it and Skin deep. But if you study and skin all animals you encounter as you go you’ll only have a few left to find at the end. You can do the shorter playlist and most of the stuff isn’t missable. Main one to watch out for is errand boy - make sure you give 5 camp companion requests. The longer version has where to find the unique items but a lot of them are actually generally available.

[2pies]

I know this has probably been asked before but I'd just like confirmation for my own sanity. If I follow the extended youtube playlist (the one with 650(?) videos), will I get everything to 100% the game and also get all trophies/achievements to platinum the game? From what I understand it there are a few missable achievements in the game, does the longer youtube playlist include those?

 

Thanks for your work on this, it's incredible by the way.

[Jimbatron]

7 hours ago, 2pies said:

I know this has probably been asked before but I'd just like confirmation for my own sanity. If I follow the extended youtube playlist (the one with 650(?) videos), will I get everything to 100% the game and also get all trophies/achievements to platinum the game? From what I understand it there are a few missable achievements in the game, does the longer youtube playlist include those?

 

Thanks for your work on this, it's incredible by the way.

Glad you like the guides. The longer one has everything except zoologist, skin deep and grin and bear it. But if you study and skin all animals you encounter as you go, you’ll be over 90% of the way there. It’s difficult to put so many animals into a schedule like this as the rng would be too disruptive.

[grillbognome]

As someone who played through this game on Xbox when it came out, I would highly recommend using this guide as more of a 'general guidelines' and less of a 'follow the exact order' kind of thing. The main thing this guide helped me with was missable things and skippable things. This game has a lot of missable content due to how the chapter system works, and it makes sense but can be very frustrating. Obviously, this guide is amazing and is definitely the best guide out there, and the challenge completion alongside the story missions is smooth. But if this is your first playthrough or your second playthrough after many years, I would recommend using this guide to make sure you don't miss any missable content BUT you can do the challenges and optional missions at your own pace and in your own order for the most part (if thats what you want to do). This game is much better in my opinion when YOU are taking the lead and choosing the order you do things, but with the amount of missable content is it crucial to make sure you follow the guide when it comes to main story missions and some side missions. I know this is probably a dead forum by now, but this game is fantastic and I highly recommend playing it, and this guide is great! Huge shoutout to the creator of this guide, it must have taken ages to perfect and make this but it is such a good resource for the community!

 

TLDR: If you want a more natural and immersive experience, do things in your own order and at your own pace BUT use the guide to make sure you don't skip anything missable, as there is a lot of missable content in this game. The guide is not spoiler heavy and it is very important to follow along to make sure you don't miss anything.

Edited December 24, 2025 by grillbognome

[Zepheriel]

Hello !

 

First of all, thank you to Jimbatron for this fabulous guide.
I'm starting a new game of RDR2 and I'm following this guide to try not to miss anything.

 

Just a small typo I wanted to point out: in Chapter 2, Part 1, regarding the mission “All That Glitters,” the YouTube link redirects to the video for the mission “Smoking and Other Hobbies.”

 

Here is the correct link to the video

 

Thanks again for your work, Jimbatron!

 

Zepheriel

 

 

[Late4dinner]

I noticed that at least one of the stranger missions is missing from your guide. I did not see Arcadia for Amateurs in your list at all. It's available from chapter two right after doing the first shall be the last you can meet him. I always see him on my way back to camp at the end of that mission.

Edited January 6 by Late4dinner

[Jimbatron]

58 minutes ago, Late4dinner said:

I noticed that at least one of the stranger missions is missing from your guide. I did not see Arcadia for Amateurs in your list at all. It's available from chapter two right after doing the first shall be the last you can meet him. I always see him on my way back to camp at the end of that mission.

That's because it's not required you do all the stranger missions for 100%.

 

They are included in this longer version of the guide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqmucMWTJAs&list=PLpphot7CPMOYRvoxWOoFoDMGJx2I_Liqw

 

[wqx]

I am trying to complete the Zoologist achievement and I am missing just 1%.

 

These are the animals missing in my compendium according to a complete list which I have found online:

 

- Great Green Macaw

- Red Boa Snake

- Rainbow Boa Snake

- Sunglow Boa Snake

- Fer-de-Lance Snake

 

These are apparently all native to Guarma and as far as I know, they aren't required for the completion of this achievement. So what am I missing? I have a save which starts in Guarma just in case.

 

[Jimbatron]

3 hours ago, wqx said:

I am trying to complete the Zoologist achievement and I am missing just 1%.

 

These are the animals missing in my compendium according to a complete list which I have found online:

 

- Great Green Macaw

- Red Boa Snake

- Rainbow Boa Snake

- Sunglow Boa Snake

- Fer-de-Lance Snake

 

These are apparently all native to Guarma and as far as I know, they aren't required for the completion of this achievement. So what am I missing? I have a save which starts in Guarma just in case.

 

The Guarma unique animals are not required. However contrary to popular misconception, the fer der lance snake isn’t. You can find it by still water creek in new Austin.