There is so much to experience as you go back in time to 1889 America in the Wild West with lead character Arthur Morgan. He grew up as part of the rough and tough outlaw Van der Linde gang.
As federal agents and bounty hunters pursue them, the gang makes their way across the country on a crime spree that would make the devil blush. Arthur has to decide if he’s going to be loyal to his own conscience or to the gang that has been his makeshift family for so long.
RDR2 allows for plenty of exploration, including side missions. According to Tech Crunch, the game does not follow a linear storyline. This allows players to basically do what they want. You’ll get to experience the Wild West in all its outlaw glory.
Check out some of the weirdest side missions in Red Dead Redemption 2.
WARNING: Spoilers Ahead!
The Noblest Of Men, And A Woman
Early on in Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan meets up with a writer named Theodore Levin who is looking to write a book about a legendary shootist named Jim “Boy” Calloway who has become a drunken lush that Levin can barely get a word out of. This prompts Levin to urge Arthur to talk to other legendary duelists of the era about Calloway and get a picture with them, but he knows that they probably won’t be willing participants.
Arthur ends up killing the other four shootists, then is asked to get Calloway a duel with the gunman named Slim Grant. Grant refuses, Calloway shoots him in the back, feels guilty, and then asks Arthur to duel him to regain his honor. It’s all fairly depressing and bloody and shows how being a legendary gunslinger can only really end one way.
A Fine Night For It
This one brings Arthur Morgan into conflict with the Night Folk, a faction of serial killers with voodoo influence. They set traps in the swamps, often stringing up other dead bodies to use as bait. “A Fine Night for It” teams Arthur with a Cajun man looking to hunt the Night Folk and retake his homestead. This one is particularly strange due to how unnerving the Night Folk and their macabre practices are.
The Wisdom Of The Elders
This mission starts with Arthur Morgan returning a delusional man named Lemuel to Butcher’s Creek, a small village on hard times. A man named Obediah Hinton thanks Arthur. Later, Arthur saves the village from wild dogs, and a self-proclaimed shaman claims that Butcher’s Creek has been cursed by evil talismans in the nearby forest. Arthur destroys the talismans, but the shaman claims that only made things worse.
Arthur is then sent into a mine full of poisonous gas, and someone tries to kill him. It’s revealed that the shaman was actually working for a fuel company who’s been poisoning the land to get the people of Butcher’s Creek to sell their land, and Arthur has to force the man to admit what he’s done. Obediah and the others still believe it all to be a curse though, but they thank Arthur for his help.
A Bright Bouncing Boy
This mission finds Arthur Morgan helping a Dr. Frankenstein-like mad scientist build a robot. It starts with Arthur helping a man named Marko Dragic show off his remote-controlled boat by using it to destroy targets on a pond. Arthur later finds Dragic’s laboratory and helps him use lightning rods to inject life into a robotic automaton he’s built. Ultimately, Dragic’s experiments succeed, but the robot kills Dragic and escapes to the Grizzlies mountain range.
Return Of The Strange Man
This one isn’t really a side mission but more of an easter egg. However, it provides a prequel to the “I Know You” side mission from the original Red Dead Redemption. In Lemoyne, Arthur Morgan can find a cabin with an unfinished painting of “the Strange Man” from the “I Know You” quest, and there are notes referring to Herbert Moon (the shop owner from Armadillo) and the cholera outbreak that has wracked Armadillo and all of New Austin.
If the player returns as John Marston, he can find the painting of the Strange Man fill out over a course of days, ultimately resulting in the Strange Man appearing in the mirror behind John but disappearing before John can turn around. Later, you can also find a painting of the Strange Man at Herbert Moon’s shop in Armadillo. You can also see how terrible a toll that the cholera outbreak has taken on Armadillo, as a mass pyre of bodies is burning in the town’s main street.
All That Glitters
This side quest in Red Dead Redemption 2 includes a treasure. According to Prodigy Gamers, this is one of the Stranger missions that will result in two bars of gold that put $1000 in your pocket. Follow RDR2’s map to the southern corner, pass by the Flatneck Station, and head toward the Dakota River. You should come across a man named Máximo Cristóbal Valdespino, who will sell his treasure map to you for only $10. It’s not such a steep price when you can end up with $1000 from the gold bars that you can find using the map. The gold bars can give you enough funds to upgrade your camp.
Duchesses And Other Animals
If you’ve made it to chapter four, you will be able to find this Stranger side mission. According to PowerPYX, you should look for a man by the name of Algernon Wasp. He likes to collect all kinds of exotic items. What will you be looking for? Well, Mr. Wasp likes Orchid flowers and Exotic Bird feathers.
You will have to go down his list and collect the things he wants, bring the items back to him and start on another quest. Algernon Wasp will give you five of these quests to complete. You get something out of it, though. A reward of $760, a hat and a revolver can do a whole lot of good for an outlaw in the Wild West.
Arcadia For Amateurs
According to Game Pressure, this side quest is also one of the most extensive side missions that you can do. You meet a man named Albert Mason who is taking pictures of the animals in the area. When a coyote steals his bag, it is your job to go rescue it for him and bring it back. This is on the first meeting, and you have the opportunity of meeting him another two times. Your main goal for this Red Dead Redemption 2 side mission is to protect him from getting knocked off by the animals that he is trying to photograph. What do you get for your troubles? Mason will give you a Wolf Photograph as your reward.
The Mercies Of Knowledge
To get to this Stranger Mission, you will need to pass Chapter 4’s “The Joys of Civilization,” according to the guide on Yekbot. There are a lot of moving parts in this quest, but Arthur is certainly up to the task. You will need to follow instructions on a letter to collect some moonshine, which is on a wagon. You have to take out all the guards then bring the wagon back to the professor. The next step of this mission is a bounty. The man’s name is McDaniels, and you have to take him and all of his friends out of commission. By the end of the mission, you should have obtained the professor’s blueprints for his invention of the electric chair.
The Smell Of Grease Paint
Now, this is one of the strangest Stranger Side Missions! According to Games Radar, the mission starts in the saloon at Van Horn Trading Post. Your quest is to help a group of circus performers. You will break up a fight between two sideshow performers in the first part of the quest. The second part of the quest includes a magician named Magnifico. He no longer wants to be part of the troupe. So, the magician uses colorful smoke to get away. But you’ll find him hiding in a tree and will be easily able to catch him and bring him back to the theater on the next train. As a reward, you get to see the troupe’s performance for free!
Smoking And Other Hobbies
Game Pressure has a good walkthrough of this side quest. The stranger that you meet is named Phineas T. Ramsbottom, and he has a thing for Cigarette Cards. You will meet Phineas for the first time at Flatneck Station. As soon as you get a full set of these cards, you can go to the postal office and send them to him. Phineas will then send you a reward. You should avoid selling single cards to traders. According to VG247, there are 144 single cards for you to find. The cards can be found in packs of smokes and in seemingly random places around the game world. They feature prominent Americans like Lillian Powell, Leviticus Cornwall, and several presidents.
He’s British, Of Course
In this weird side quest for Red Dead Redemption 2, you will have to find a zebra, tiger, and lion. According to PowerPyx, these animals should be easy enough to spot. A man named Margaret will give you this quest. The reward for this mission is a gem that is worth $250, so it is certainly worth it to complete it. Margaret performs as a female animal wrestler, and he can’t have a show without any of his animals. Capture the animals using your Lasso. It turns out the “zebra” is actually a mule with painted-on zebra stripes. The tiger turns out to be a cougar with painted-on tiger stripes, and the lion is an actual lion. Watch for the lion because it will attack!
The Artist’s Way
Yekbot once again delivers a good walkthrough of a Stranger Mission. The stranger that you need to meer is Charles Chatenay, and he can be found in Doyle’s Tavern. You will have to save Charles from a man who is threatening his life in the back alley in the center of the city after one day (inside of the game) has passed.
Then you will meet him again at an art gallery and protect him in another fight. Finally, you will be escorting him to the docks and have to fight even more men who want to harm Charles. As a reward, you receive a drawing that can be sold to give you some cash.
No Good Deed
According to NAGuide, the No Good Deed side mission involves meeting a traveling doctor named Alphonse Renaud. He wants you to retrieve his stolen medical wagon. To complete this mission, you will need to work for it during the game hours of 6am and 6pm. You will find the wagon near Macomb’s End by the river on the southwest side. But retrieving the wagon isn’t as easy as picking it up and driving it back to Alphonse. Thugs will try to steal it again. You’ll have to be watchful and defend the medical wagon against more attacks. This is one of those good deeds that Arthur will find himself involved in.
American Dreams
This might be the most exciting side mission yet. According to VGR, the American Dreams side mission is a murder mystery that you as Arthur will need to solve. There are three crime scenes that you will stumble upon and that include some clues as to the identity of the murderer. Each crime scene has a map piece somewhere near the body (or body parts) that you will need to collect. Once you have all of the map pieces, you assemble them to find out where the killer is located. You will go to a cabin and should follow the prompts once you also find the knife, which is one of the weapons that was used. In the end, you will need to save the sheriff who has also been tracking the killer. That is the final piece to the mission and provides some excellent rewards.
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