The madness for Red Dead Redemption 2 mixed with the incredibly engrossing, unending world of the game makes for a few results - for one thing, some players might be too excited and ambitious to race ahead of other players that they miss some details. And for another, well… just take good care of the horse. That’ll catch up in a big way if you try any shortcuts there.
Related: 10 Games To Play If You Liked Red Dead Redemption 2
Anyway, the world has extremely grounded details like the competition between gunslingers. And then some pretty out-there detours get thrown in because... why not? Just go with it if you can be one of the lucky ones to uncover all these secrets!
10. There's A Meteorite If You Look For It
It’s not exactly unbelievable or bizarre, even if it is literally out of this world. This odd natural occurrence is a part of the world if you head to the most northern point in Roanoke Valley. It’s a point of interest in New Hanover, and discovering it takes you along a path to encounter other ancient remnants of a bygone world. You’re not just sightseeing - players can collect the meteorites and there’s definitely more than just one waiting to be snatched up. It’s debated whether there’s a mystery third meteorite out there, or just a glitch that happens to piquing everyone’s interest.
9. Stay Up Late To Meet A Ghost
Red Dead Redemption has its fair share of grounded details, like how Arthur’s interactions with people are negatively affected if he doesn’t mind his hygiene, and then there are unique details like an after-hours ghost. Who wouldn’t stay up late and wander darkened streets if it means running into a ghost? Fine, these ghosts play it even scarier by hanging out in alligator-infested swamps… but isn’t the danger worth meeting the spirit of Agnes Dowd? Well, run into her on a foggy night at the Bluewater Marsh between 9 PM and 3 AM. Don’t worry about the foggy weather making it difficult to spot her - reportedly, she’s shouting.
8. Get Really Weird With A Cult
Almost every random interaction in RDR2 spirals off into some incredible mini-task or goes on to reveal a bit of valuable information. That’s because after all the years put into this game, nothing is truly random. That said, these interactions are worth the time, no matter who it’s with… even a wild cult nestled near Valentine in the Cumberland Forest area. At the very least, it’ll definitely be an interesting time with the turtle-worshipping Cult of Chelonia (Chelonia is actually the name of the genus turtles fit in). Plus, some might think they’re bonkers for their claims about aliens but we know better.
7. Look Hard For Flaco's Revolver
This palm-sized killer is a rare Cattleman’s revolver that’s perfect for hunting small and medium sized animals. It’s the prized gun of Flaco Hernandez, a gunslinger defeated in a duel at Cairn Lake with a capacity of six rounds. The gun can only be obtained through a successful completion of the Gunslinger Mission and if you don’t pick it up next to your rival’s body, the gun will later not be unlockable. It’s a delicate little silver gun and you’ll only have one chance to get it, but it’s worth dueling Flaco until you can get the better of him.
6. Billy Midnight Keeps A Unique Pistol
All downed rivals are worth looting (sure, it’s not ideal behavior but this is the company that brought you Grand Theft Auto - this isn’t about being a total angel) but few are as worth it as raiding Billy Midnight’s defenseless body. It’s a flashy, showy pistol with gold-plated engravings and a black wooden grip with an ammo capacity of ten rounds, and can use Regular, High Velocity, Split Point, Express and Explosive pistol ammo. After successfully dueling Midnight in the mission “The Noblest of Men, And A Woman” this beauty can be all yours - although it can’t be customized.
5. The Wright Brothers' Failure Is Immortalized
The Wright Brothers wouldn’t complete a successful flight until 1903 and as the first Red Dead Redemption is set at the turn of the century, that makes Arthur and the Wrights contemporaries. So while the sequel takes place in 1911, nearly a decade after Orville and Wilbur proved the world wrong, there’s plenty of fresh wreckage here commemorating their past failures. In a stranger side mission with Charles Kinnear, Arthur is introduced to the world of amateur aviation and all the associated risks. Charles won’t be as lucky as the Wright Brothers - you can see the crashed flying machine on your map before even starting this ill-fated mission.
4. Made Up Cities Correlate With Real Places
It’s no new trick on Rockstar’s end to tweak city names for legal purposes and otherwise take a whole lot of inspiration for their surroundings from real-life places, but it’s still uncanny and exciting to unexpectedly step into a long-ago vacation. This goes for St. Denis, a period recreation of one of the most fun cities - New Orleans. This may be more difficult to spot for players who haven’t visited the Louisiana party town, but for those who have, St. Denis has a wistful beauty. Sure, you can’t pick up any beignets but it’s definitely worth a visit for Southern enthusiasts.
3. You Can Create A Buggy From Thin Air
The codes in Red Dead Redemption and its sequel are infamous for not being aids to get ahead- when enacted, goals and missions disappear. So while they’re no good for getting ahead or completing side missions, they can be a whole lot of fun. Whether its a code to create a circus tent in place of your caravan or something as pragmatic and sensible as creating a buggy out of thin air- there’s an entire directory of every one discovered thus far. And as for that buggy, the code is Create A Buggy. If only finding housing was that easy in real life.
2. Cooking Can Be Very, Very Easy
On the topic of cheat codes, players in Red Dead Redemption 2 may find they’ve learned more recipes in the game then they actually know in real life. By entering the cheat code “Eat of knowledge”, you’ll miraculously learn every recipe the game has to offer. Sure, you still have to gather those ingredients and cook them, but you’ll be transformed into a cowboy equivalent of Julia Childs. Truly the best of both worlds, if we’re combining cuisine and the wild plains. Also, Red Dead might exist solely to teach the people playing it domestic skills like pet ownership and cooking - just saying.
1. There's A Bittersweet Closure For Bigfoot
There are plenty of portrayals of Big Foot out there, but the wild giant of Red Dead Redemption 2 is a dour guy. The lonely giant can be befriended only after studying at least thirty species of animals. Once you’ve proven your appreciation for wilderness, you can follow a flock of birds to Big Foot’s cave where he’ll begin to hold conversations with you. It’s a lucky stroke the guy can even talk, since he clearly doesn’t have a great social life outside of hanging out with Arthur. Rockstar definitely didn’t let the giant off the hook as far as being a sad story.