The holidays are upon us, which means that most of us are obligated to spend hours of time with our families. I kid, I kid. We all can enjoy the time we spend with our family. However, if you’re like me, you are going to find it pretty difficult to tear yourself away from your video game console. It is no ordinary game that is taking up my time though. It is a vast open-world game with countless activities to complete on a daily basis. It has an immersive story, hilarious horse physics on occasion, and a chaotic online feature. You know what game I’m talking about, right?
Red Dead Redemption 2 has been out for nearly two months, and it is still one of the most talked about games. (Unless you’re talking about Fallout 76 and complaining about how terrible it’s running.) The reason Red Dead Redemption 2 has been on our minds for so long is that it has so much to do. There are so many side missions and Easter Eggs for fans to find in the world. I have had the game for so long, and I still can’t seem to put it down.
As on any big game with an interconnected plot and multiple side missions, things can get pretty complicated. And just because I think Red Dead Redemption 2 is the best game to come out this year (take that God of War), does not mean I can’t recognize its flaws. Read on if you want to learn about the many plot holes and unanswered questions that RDR2 left hanging.
25 Where Is Princess Isabeau?
I’m telling you guys, Red Dead Redemption 2 has everything. It has cowboys, train heists, and even missing princesses.
The only problem with the missing princess is that she’s still missing.
Her missing poster says that she’s been gone for fifteen years and that she was last seen around the Van Horn Trading Post. I scoured that place for 45 real-time minutes looking for clues. I came up empty. So imagine my disappointment when I caved and looked online for answers and found out there were none.
24 Why Can’t A Bounty Payment Fix Blackwater?
When you’re playing as Arthur Morgan, you can bet that at some point, you are going to get into trouble. Whether you harm a person on purpose or accidentally run over them on your horse, eventually, a bounty will be placed on your head.
Never fear, for you can always pay the bounty at the post office and erase your problems. It’s a simple way to ease the pressure whenever you’re in the area again. But…if that’s the case, why can’t we do that for the town of Blackwater?
23 How Did We Reunite On Guarma?
Do you know how big the ocean is? You may not know how large the ocean is, but I’m sure at some point in your life you have heard that the Earth is comprised of more ocean than it is of land.
So when Arthur and his friends got thrown out of their boat on tempest-tossed waves and they all landed on Guarma together, I had to deal with a heavy dose of skepticism. There is no way that they should have been able to land together near the same spot, let alone survived their time spent nearly drowning.
22 Why Does Arthur Get TB?
It is understood that Arthur Morgan contracted his case of tuberculosis from Thomas Downes, a man that Arthur had to shake down so that he could repay a debt. This happens fairly early on in the game.
However, if your player decides not to beat Downes for the payment, the game kind of just implies that Arthur beat him anyway. It takes choice away from the player, and if you miss the implication, you’re left wondering why on Earth Morgan got himself TB.
21 Who Is The Strange Man?
The Strange Man first appeared in the original Red Dead Redemption game. He was this strange man (hence, his nickname) who appeared to John Marston and offered him tidbits of advice.
He is kind of back in the sequel. He appears in a painting that is only fully painted once you complete the game %100. However, the Strange Man’s identity is still a mystery. Red Dead Redemption 2 does not answer any questions about who the Strange Man is or why he appeared to John.
20 Is There A Vampire in Saint Denis?
There is indeed a blood-sucking vampire prowling the streets of Saint Denis. (Anyone else struggling with pronouncing “Saint Denis?”) If you track down some vampire etchings on the building walls of the city, you will eventually find this vampire.
You can fight this fanged creature, but I was actually curious as to why the vampire existed. We got no answers as to how it was created. But I suppose it’s not Arthur Morgan’s job to question why vampires exist. He just has to slay them.
19 Why Would They Willingly Walk Into A Trap?
Colm O’Driscoll offers to meet Dutch van der Linde for a peace treaty, and, right off the bat, Arthur Morgan senses a trap. To be honest, everyone involved knew it was a trap.
So then why did the trap work?
Arthur gets captured by the O’Driscolls and has to fight his way out. Was there any way they could have prepared better? Probably not. What they should have done was ignored Micah’s suggestion that they meet and just not fall for the trap in the first place.
18 How Is Strauss Getting Money For Loans?
Just because the Van der Linde Gang is a group of outlaws, doesn’t mean they’re averse to usury. Leopold Strauss is the member of the Gang who gives loans to people with extremely high interest rates. He then sends Arthur to collect the debts.
I thought the Gang was strapped for cash. (That’s why I spent so much of my money on donations to the camp.) Where is Strauss getting the money to loan if the entire Gang is not doing too well in terms of funding?
17 How Did Dutch Get Away With That?
Leviticus Cornwall is the man responsible for sending the Pinkertons after the Van der Linde Gang. The Gang stole some of Cornwall’s property, and that started this giant feud between them. The feud comes to an abrupt end when Dutch confronts Cornwall near Saint Denis.
After a short conversation, Dutch just shoots the man like it was nothing.
It was probably one of the more startling moments of the game. Did Cornwall not have any protection nearby? How was Dutch just able to do that?
16 Who Made The Man-made Mutant?
Obviously, a man made the Man-made Mutant as seen by its label, but we still don’t know exactly who created this monstrosity. Sure, we can go to its location and marvel at its grotesqueness, but I want to know the story behind it.
Who made it? Why did they make it? Is it supposed to come to life one day? Is it meant to be art? The origin of the Man-made Mutant is one of the game’s biggest unresolved mysteries. It looks like the world of Red Dead Redemption will never know.
15 Why Would Molly Say That?
Molly O’Shea is clearly snubbed by Dutch for much of the time in Red Dead Redemption 2. To be fair, Dutch was under a lot of pressure from outside forces. Still, Molly has enough one day, so she gets herself a bottle, drowns herself in it, and starts blathering about how she was the mole in the Gang who told the Pinkertons everything about their plan.
It ends up being Micah who told the Pinkertons about the planned robbery.
So why would Molly say that it was her? Did she not understand the gravity of consequences for betrayal?
14 Did John Forget About Arthur?
Toward the end of the game, Arthur begins to reflect on his life choices. His final objective before he passes from the tuberculosis is to get John and his family away from the Gang so that they can start their own lives.
Arthur basically sacrifices himself for John Marston.
However, when you look at John’s attitude regarding the Van der Linde Gang in the first game, he doesn’t seem to remember Arthur at all. Is this a case of amnesia or a post-game plot hole?
13 Did The Gang Really Need Money?
Dutch keeps the Gang going with constant words of encouragement. He also keeps telling the members that they should contribute to the Gang’s cause. By this, he means that they should donate money to the camp funds.
We find out at the end of the game that Dutch had a huge stash of money saved away. This paints Dutch in a negative light. We don’t know why Dutch did not share the money with the Gang. Perhaps if he had, things would not have fallen apart the way they did.
12 Was That A UFO?
Rockstar Games populated their Grand Theft Auto series with Easter Eggs. One of these secrets was the inclusion of a UFO. The UFO is back in Red Dead Redemption 2. You can go on an alien hunt just like in Grand Theft Auto V.
However, despite these tantalizing clues to extraterrestrial life, these alien sightings are nothing more than sightings. It looks like we will have to wait for yet another game before we get any answers as to what this alien race is and why they are on Earth.
11 Why Are The Horses Burning?
There is an infamous spot in Red Dead Redemption 2 that is the bane of a horse’s existence. There is a crossroads near Rhodes that automatically sets your horse on fire. It may be fixed by the time of this writing, but it seemed like such an egregious mistake at the time, it almost seemed like it was done on purpose.
Is there some secret behind the horse-burning glitch?
Is it indicative of a larger mystery? Or was it merely a glitch that we are placing too much importance on?
10 What Is Going On At Emerald Ranch?
Several hints are dropped that things are not as they seem at Emerald Ranch. The daughter of a ranching family can be seen standing at the window of the house, but she is never seen outside.
As far as we can tell, she is being kept there against her will.
We don’t know exactly why she is being kept there or how to bust her out (or even if we should), but I’m sure answers will be forthcoming. Red Dead Redemption fans are persistent. They will figure it out. Someday.
9 How Did Milton Get Out Of There?
At one point, Agent Milton of the Pinkertons decides to pay a visit to the Van der Linde Gang’s camp. While there, he offers every member of the Gang a chance to get out of this situation alive. All they have to do is turn on Dutch.
Since the Gang’s culture is steeped in loyalty (or at least it is supposed to be), none of the members take Milton up on his offer. Afterward, Milton leaves them with a warning. Why would Milton be allowed to leave the camp alive? Why did none of the members take the opportunity to shoot him?
8 Why Didn’t They Trust Hosea?
Hosea is the reputed brains of the operation. Dutch may be the charismatic leader of the Van der Linde Gang, but Hosea is the trusted intelligence behind it. If that’s the case and everybody knows it, why didn’t the Gang choose to run with Hosea’s idea back in Blackwater?
Hosea and Arthur had been working on a heist that was separate from Micah’s ferry idea. But instead of trusting them, Dutch went with Micah’s plan and got the whole Gang in trouble.
7 Why Didn’t Abigail Stick With John?
Spoiler warning! (Though it has been more than a month since the game came out.) Once you start playing the game as John Marston, you have to play the game on the straight and narrow. John’s wife, Abigail, does not want John to take up outlaw ways.
When some men attack John when he is out with his son, Abigail takes that as the last straw and leaves him, taking their boy with her. It makes no logical sense. Granted, she wants to keep her son safe, but those men attacked John, not the other way around.
6 Where Did That Cauldron Come From?
There is a cauldron in the woods that you can interact with. It’s this random cauldron that is brewing some strange liquid. Ritualistic symbols and items are strewn around the pot. It is located northeast of Fort Wallace.
No one knows why the cauldron is there?
If you are feeling especially bold, you can even take a drink from the cauldron. Just be prepared for the consequences that come with drinking an unknown liquid from a strange place. And bear in mind that something a lot worse might happen if you tried that in real life.
