Are you enjoying your time in Red Dead Redemption 2? I know that I am. I've been chipping away at the game over the course of two weeks now, barely even playing the story. I know that I'm only about halfway through the story, if that, but that's fine. This is a game that's something of a miracle. Not only is it slow paced story-wise, but it's made almost every player take their time with it. There are so many stranger missions, animals to hunt, fish to catch, gang hideouts to wipe out, collectibles, and more, it's the closest that a game has ever come to making a real, living, breathing world.  I don't think that this game could ever have been made before this generation, and it's nice to see a game that truly takes advantage of this generation, not just in its graphics, but in its sheer scope.

It feels like GTA V was basically a dry run for this. You know when you're running around in the San Andreas desert, and just messing about? That has to have been something of a dress rehearsal for Red Dead.

With a game so big as Red Dead Redemption 2, there are so many systems for you to grasp. In this guide, we've pulled together 30 tips that will make you a better cowboy, a better man of the plains, and a better player. Learn these before Red Dead Online comes out, and you'll be able to massacre the competition!

30 Take Clean Shots

When you’re hunting animals, you want to get the best shots you can, as this will improve the quality of the pelts you get. The cleanest shots are straight to the head. Switch to dead eye, and aim for the head. Press square/X to call to the animal to get them to raise their head for a more direct line of fire. Make sure you use the right weapon for the job too. For animals the size of a rabbit, use the varmint rifle. For larger animals like deer, use a bow. There's a guide for the weapons to use in your compendium.

29 Improve The Controls

Bless Rockstar. They might be amazing at creating worlds, but on the controls front, they're kind of stuck in the last generation. Luckily, they also provide a solution! Go into the options and head to "third person controls." Change this to "standard FPS." Next go to  "accessibility", "running mode" and change it to "toggle to run," and you'll no longer have to tap X/A to sprint! Instead, you'll just have to click in the left stick, with crouch moved to X/A.

28 Clean Your Clothes And Yourself

All that shooting, running, and wrasslin' gets Arthur real dirty, real quick. If you're too covered in dirt or blood, people won't look upon you in a good light. To clean up, and also clean your clothes, go to a hotel. Get a bath, and wash yourself. If you're not fancying doing the whole cleaning minigame, you can pay extra for a deluxe service, and get someone else to wash you. The best part? Doing this will somehow magically clean your clothes too.

27 You Can Fast Travel Without Spending A Buck

Getting around the map the old-fashioned way (quite literally), AKA on horseback, is fantastic, and a superb opportunity to learn more about the world. That being said, sometimes you don't want to traipse all the way across the map, especially if you only want to go to another town just for an item or a haircut. While you can ride in a train or a wagon, there's an easier, and cheaper way. In the camp ledger, upgrade Dutch's lodging, and you'll be able to upgrade Arthur's. This gives him a map in his tent, allowing you to fast travel anywhere, for free.

26 Always Loot Downed Enemies

After a gunfight, there's always a lot of carnage. One part of this carnage are the bodies of your fallen foes. It may not be the best manners, but always loot them before you go on your merry way. You can often find useful items or valuables on them, that you can then sell at a fence. Just make sure to be quick: the law often make their way towards scenes of crimes, and you don't want to get caught red-handed.

25 Put Your Hat Back On

You know in the tutorial, where your hat gets knocked off by an O'Driscoll? That makes it seem as though it'll always be easy to find your hat. Not so. All too often I've ridden off into the sunset only to realize that Arthur now has a rapidly developing sunburn. You can always get it back though. Your horse doubles as a traveling haberdashery, and if you go into its L1/LB menu, you can find all your hats in the bottom right.

24 You Can Hitch Your Horse To A Tree

Hitching your horse is important! While pressing Y to hook your horse to a post may seem banal, it bonds you to your horse, and also allows their cores to regenerate! The only problem is that the game doesn't tell you that you can also hitch your horse to things that aren't exclusively hitching posts. If you're near a tree in the middle of nowhere, simply ride over towards it, and press Y/Triangle to hitch up Neddy to the tree.

23 Get More Gang Contributions

Paying into the gang is totally optional, but it's something I'd advise you do, if only to improve the mood at camp. However, sometimes it can feel like you're the only one who gives a modicum about the camp's welfare. You're donating $100 at a time, everyone else is putting in about 50 cents. To improve this situation, upgrade Dutch's lodging. This will (for one reason or another) inspire everybody else to put more into the collection tin. It's not a drastic improvement, but every little helps!

22 Fire Into the Air

I'm not the only one who's been binge-watching old westerns since starting Red Dead 2 am I? No? Good! Well, you know how the characters often shoot into the air, firing off warning shots or clearing space using their shooting irons? You can do this too! Red Dead  isn't very good at telling you this, but it's really easy. When you're aiming, simply tap up on the D-pad, and Arthur will aim his gun into the air. You can make wildlife scatter, fire warning shots, and scare witnesses into stopping by doing so.

21 Craft Rare Talismans

Although normally it's best to sell valuables, if you come across anything particularly rare, hold onto it. You often need a particular valuable to craft trinkets that boost your stats. To make a talisman, you need to head to the fence, and go into the craft screen. Here, you'll be able to see exactly what you need to make the item. You'll need a couple of animal pelts or parts, and a particular, unique valuable. They are well worth the effort, trust me.

20 Dodge!

Another little tactic that the game is really, really bad at telling you about, you can dodge! Sure, bullets may be hard to dodge, but this move really can help you avoid them! It also works a treat for melee attacks. To do this Max Payne-esque, you need to be aiming and moving either left or right. Then simply hit X/square, and Arthur will suddenly become a very acrobatic gentleman. Since I learned to do this, it's saved my hide during a few hairy gunfights.

19 Don’t Approach Horses From Behind

Approaching a horse is a delicate business in Red Dead Redemption 2. These half-ton beasts, packed with muscle, can be dangerous to the not-so-savvy cowboys. If your horse doesn't trust you, i.e., if it's not your usual horse, approaching it from behind can scare it. The result? A swift kick, which can absolutely do you in, if you're not in great physical shape. Even if you're at full health, it can take about half of your health away. Instead, approach them from the front.

18 Hide From The Law

When you’re being hunted by lawmen, it's tempting to just try and outrun them. This, however, is not always the best strategy. If there are lots of lawmen about, they'll probably be able to track you down and fill you full of holes. Instead, get thee to a large rock or tree while you’re out of sight and duck down behind it. Make sure you're out of site of the nearest road, and you should be able to see them run past, looking for you.

17 Get A 10/10 Beard

The longest possible beard is the game is a thing of folicular beauty. It's a full-on Duck Dynasty style outdoorsman beard. If, however, you think you can just wait and allow this to develop, you're wrong. Your facial hair stops growing at 7/10, and if you want it to get longer, you'll need to start chugging hair tonics. These can be bought at general stores, or sometimes looted from bodies. Drink them by the fistful, and you'll soon be rocking the biggest beard this side of Moses.

16 Use Alligators To Dispose Of Evidence

In particular, human-shaped evidence. Leaving bodies about can be a way to make the law/witnesses unhappy with you. If you're in Lemoyne however, you're in luck, as the swamps contain nature's waste disposal units: the alligator. Simply throw your victim's body over the back of the horse, or if nearby, just lug it over yourself, and chuck it in the swamp. The alligators will take care of the rest.

15 Follow The Train Lines

Although it's helpful, the map marker's directions aren't always the most, well, direct. When navigating Red Dead's spiderweb of tracks, trails, roads, and paths, it can often feel like it takes an absolute age to get anywhere. If you want to take the most direct route, then you need to ride on the train tracks. Keep your eyes open for trains, but presuming you make it there in one piece, this provides the quickest route between cities you can get.

14 You Can Take Down Animals With Your Lasso

If you're looking for a slightly game-y way to take down animals, and get a very, very clean kill, put your gun away. Get your lasso out, and throw it around any medium-sized animal, such as wild boar, deer, etc. Hold down L2/LT while getting off the horse to keep the lasso attached, and hold down R2/RT to reel them in. When they're close enough, you'll get an option to take them down with your knife, which will give you a pristine pelt.

13 Break Into Homesteads

If you're not trying to mold Arthur into being an honorable sort, and let's face it, that's pretty hard, then make sure you break into homesteads. You'll get tips from people in the world about potential targets. The first one is located just north of Strawberry. In every house, you'll find a stash, which can keep you in chewing tobacco and gun oil for weeks. You can find rare guns too, such as semi-auto shotguns, and more. They don't take very long, and provide you with a great deal of cool stuff.

12 Take A Selfie

Did you think that Rockstar had left the selfie mode back in 2013? You'd be wrong! Arthur gets a portable camera fairly early into the game, and not only can you use it to take stunning landscape photographs to share with your friends, but it has a "self-portrait" mode too. You can equip the camera once you've got it by going into your items wheel. It's located on the right hand side. Once there, follow the prompts to take a selfie of Arthur's beautiful mug.

11 Read Arthur’s Journal

This game is rich with handwritten text, and everyone seems to have gone to the copperplate school of writing. While it can be hard to read, and sometimes you'll be tempted to press a button to receive it in typed text, don't. At least, don't with Arthur's journal. It's a long read whichever way you slice it, but if you take the time to read the handwritten version, you'll spot where Arthur has crossed out words, reconsidered, and more. It really gives an insight into his character.