There are many ways to earn money in Red Dead Online, but when it comes to being efficient while also getting real world work done for school, nothing beats the Moonshiner role.
Let us be clear here, there are faster ways to make money in Red Dead Online, but only if you are actively playing. The pre-nerf collector was ridiculous in this regard, and even now is still a great way to fill your wallet, but you need to be actively playing and searching for those collectable items to sell back to Madam Nazar in full sets.
The reason we say that the Moonshiner is the “best” is because it lets you set up your business and then idle in the background of your computer or console, giving you time to get some schoolwork done.
A Recipe For Success
The most efficient way to make money requires only a little but of preparation on your end. First, make sure you max out the ingredients to make most of the two-star flavors in demand from the constantly shifting list of buyers. Some of these need to be found and harvested in the wild, but most can simply be purchased from the catalogue, and Rockstar often gives players big discounts on these items, so buy them in bulk to avoid disruptions.
With a full stock of ingredients, you are set for days of idle play. The next step is simple – visit Marcel, our favorite Frenchman in RDO, and have him start working on the strongest Moonshine available. At higher levels, this will take 48 minutes to complete with all upgrades. Even if you spend the full $50 for the mash (or $60 if you have not unlocked the price reduction), you will still be pulling in $226 every hour, leaving you with around $176 when accounting for the price of ingredients. You could always run bootleg missions to get costs down, but that defeats the purpose of this mostly idle style of play.
With Marcel hard at work, you get to work in the real world. Set a timer for 48 minutes on your phone, and then get to studying and doing homework, working out, cleaning, or whatever else you need to do. You do not need to worry about the idle timer kicking you from the game, because your Moonshine shack is, for whatever reason, the only place in RDO that pauses the idle timer. Whether you have the bar expansion installed or not, you can simply leave your character standing awkwardly in front of Marcel and not worry about a disconnect.
Once the Moonshine is ready to go, the delivery mission should take you no more than a few minutes, even if you must fight the Revenue agents at the roadblock. Once sold, head back to the Moonshine shack, repeat the steps above, and you be rolling in cash in no time.
Best Moonshine Shack Location
Moonshine shack location is largely a matter of preference, but there is no denying that some are more efficient than others when it comes to delivery and access. Put simply, one of best places to put your Moonshine shack is Bayou Nwa, with sales destinations that are relatively near your base of operations, well-made roads and zero incline to avoid spillage, and a fast-travel post nearby, in case you do not have the Naturalist Fast-Travel unlocked. Tall Trees and Hennigan's Stead feature similar topography, so it is largely a matter of preference.
What About The Trader?
We should mention the Trader briefly, because while it is a great role, it requires far more work than the Moonshiner role even though it has similar elements of waiting. The Trader role might seem like one that you can idle, but there is a lot more to keep tabs on.
First, there is no shortcut for getting the raw material JB Cripps needs, and you need to actively go hunt for animals and bring them back to camp. While hunting can be fun, it takes time, as filling your hunting wagon with three-star animals, even big ones, will only provide 50-60 units, and you would need to make another trip.
From there, even if you were to begin with a fully stocked quantity of animal carcasses for Cripps, he still runs out of processing supplies every fifty minutes, and you need to head back to camp and either run a mission or pay cash to buy more. Unlike the Moonshine shack, you cannot idle in camp, so you also waste time traveling just to keep Cripps going.
In the end, it is far more efficient to simply place an order with Marcel and make a delivery once an hour or so, with no other maintenance required. Keep this up, and you'll be raking in the dough without sacrificing your grades!