The world of Red Dead Redemption 2 and its online portion, Red Dead Online, is perhaps the most detailed world in a video game to date. The people at Rockstar really made sure to make the world as alive as possible, and part of that realism is the characters that inhabit it.
Red Dead Online is filled with many different personalities, much like the single player campaign. Some though are more important than others, whether that be in terms of gameplay, like with Madam Nazar, or from a plot standpoint. Madam Nazar as well as these nine other characters are among the most important in Red Dead Online.
10 Madam Nazar
Addressing the elephant in the room, Madam Nazar is a collector that introduces the collector path for the player should they pay a certain amount of gold.
Doing so will unlock the ability to purchase a variety of unique items, such as unique horses and the ability to collect rare collectibles. Players receive experience for retrieving these items and can sell these items as a good way to earn cash. Collecting the whole collection will yield the most rewards though.
9 Horley
Though not too important from a gameplay standpoint, Horley is important from a plot standpoint though. He frees the player from a prison convoy in Online's intro under orders from Jessica LeClerk.
He is also the one who introduces the player to Tom Davies or Samson Finch, depending on the player's honor level. Horley is the guy that introduces them to a variety of different missions to tackle and to further progression in the game.
8 Jessica LeClerk
Horley's boss, a recently widowed woman and a person not afraid to get their hands dirty if need be. She orders Horley to free the player after she discovers that they were framed for the murder of her husband, Phillip. Seeing a common foe, she proposes an alliance with the player so they both can get revenge.
She pretty much is the person who saves the player from being executed for a crime they did not commit and lets them loose into the wild west. It is only right to help her exact revenge on her enemies.
7 The Strangers
Strangers in Red Dead Online are the characters that provide numerous side missions for the player to tackle. Some missions will provide positive honor while others will provide negative honor, depending on the character.
A few of the characters are original to the mode; such as the young gun The Boy, some are from Red Dead Redemption 2's story, such as the ominous Aberdeens at Aberdeen Pig Farm, and even good old Bonnie MacFarlane from the first game. Helping them will provide experience and cash.
6 Old Man Jones
Jones is essentially the game's equivalent of the crazy old guy in movies that is right but everyone ignores. In terms of story he shows up sporadically helping out the player on occasion, like helping them rescue Tom Davies and Tumbleweed's sheriff from being lynched by a local gang.
He is also around certain camps on the map in which the player can pay him to flip the player's honor level. Expect to be judged rather bluntly by him though.
5 The Woman With No Name
Her name unknown, but her skill is known the world over. The Woman With No Name is a bounty hunter that introduces the player to the bounty hunter role when they encounter her in Rhodes.
The player can acquire a bounty hunter's license from her for a certain amount of gold. When going after legendary bounties, she will narrate what that bounty has done and will provide information as to what can be expected when taking them on.
4 Harriet Davenport
On one end of the naturalist route is Harriet Davenport, a hardcore naturalist that is against the poaching and imprisonment of animals. She introduces the player to the role at the hotel in Strawberry and suggests they buy a sample kit to effectively help her in her quest.
Players can get a variety of goodies from her by obtaining samples from animals through non-lethal means or by photographing them from a distance. They can also break into poacher camps to steal supplies and free the animals.
3 Gus MacMillan
On the opposite end of the naturalist route is Gus MacMillan, a retired hunter and current craftsman who hunts for the sake of making a quick buck. He is first seen arguing with Harriet Davenport at the hotel in Strawberry.
Players can make money quick should they hunt down animals and bring their pelts to him. They can also get some garments and trinkets with perks. Doing this is easier but will alienate Davenport so players will have to keep this in mind when hunting too many animals.
2 JB Cripps
Another old man but this time not as crazy as Jones. Cripps is the player's companion who takes care of their camp when they are away and helps relocate it for a small fee.
He is also the guy that introduces the player to the trader role in which the two start a business together. Cripps is loyal to the player and a pretty skilled harmonica player. A great companion that anyone should have in the wild west.
1 Maggie Fike
Introduced to the player by Cripps, Fike is a moonshiner who the player can partner up with to make moonshine of its own. This unlocks the moonshiner role which is perhaps the best role in the game.
She provides a story involving avenging the loss of her previous operation and setting up a new moonshine empire with the player as their partner. She also brings along the ability to buy a moonshine shack which is basically a house. It is pricey to start but the return in terms of both experience and money is well worth the effort it brings.