Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 5/10 [Achievement Difficulty Rating]
- Offline: 34 [680]
- Online: 17 [320]
- Approximate amount of time to 1000: 250+ Hours [Estimated Time to 100%]
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1
- Missable achievements: 4 - "Lending a Hand," "Friends with Benefits," "Give to the Poor," and "Errand Boy"
- Does difficulty affect achievements: No
- Unobtainable/glitched achievements: None
- Extra equipment needed: None

Special Thanks:
- Dirty130
- Maka
- PowerPyx

Introduction:
The American frontier, 1899. The tailend of the Wild West. Following a robbery gone wrong, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde Gang, a company of outlaws and renegades, are forced to flee the settlement of Blackwater. On the run from federal agents and bounty hunters, Arthur and the gang are forced to rob, steal, and fight their way across the heartland of America in order to survive. Tensions deep. Loyalties tested. Ideals compromised. Sacrifices made. Welcome to Red Dead Redemption II. This game is presented in an open world format, one that can be freely explored at your own pace after completing the opening Chapter. As such, you can choose to explore the world's riveting narrative, side missions, miscellaneous activities, and other hidden secrets however and whenever you'd like. With a narrative spanning upward to around sixty hours and an achievement list that encourages experimentation and exploration across the Single Player and Online portions of the game, be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time with Red Dead Redemption II.

Story Mode Playthrough:
Red Dead Redemption II is a massive open-world adventure and as such, there is no recommended strategy in how you should go about your playthrough. As you play through the story, you will unlock ten story-related achievements. There are also achievements for attaining 100% completion and earning 70 Gold Medals in Story missions. Please refer to the "Best in the West" and "Gold Rush" achievements in the guide below for further details. As you progress through the game, you may feel overwhelmed by the vast amount of activities and side missions spread across the American frontier. Unfortunately, there are four missable achievements tied to your camp(s) and optional side missions that you will want to make note of very early on in your playthrough; these missable achievements are: "Lending a Hand," "Friends with Benefits," "Give to the Poor," and "Errand Boy." Other than these pesky tasks, nothing else is missable; play at a comfortable pace and try to indulge in everything the world has to offer.

Miscellaneous Tasks:
There are around two dozen miscellaneous achievements that are not directly tied to story progression. Tasks such as playing all available mini-games, robbing and donating and spending money, and completing ten Stranger mission strands are just the premise of these achievements. Some of these tasks are fairly simple and progress will be made naturally without much thought. There are a few, however, that will require planning and patience, such as surviving three days while holding a bounty in all states, crafting thirty unique items, skinning and studying every animal, and reaching a max bonding level with a horse. Once again, none of these miscellaneous achievements are missable, allowing you the freedom to work on them at your own pace, even post-game.

Red Dead Online:
Red Dead Online offers an open world experience to be shared with other gamers. It extracts numerous elements from the Single Player—most notably the countless activities and missions to participate in—while blending online components such as matchmaking and shared free roam. There are a total of seventeen achievements tied to this portion of the game, with "Notorious" being the milestone grind for reaching Rank 50. While working on this achievement, you'll naturally earn progress toward some of the smaller milestone-based tasks, too: take part in a Series, accept ten Free Roam missions from NPCs, play five Free Roam Events, achieve five gold belt buckles from awards, and earn the MVP status three different times in a match. The rest of the achievements are simpler feats and you will also undoubtedly chip away during your time online. These smaller feats include owning five horses at once, purchasing five camp improvements, crafting and selling items, and picking herbs. Overall, there are no missable achievements in this portion of the game, so play as you wish and have fun in Read Dead Online.

Mop Up:
If you have missed any Story Mode or Online achievements during your time on Red Dead Redemption II, hop back into either portion of the game and finish up whatever it is you're missing. It's very likely that you will need to hunt down some more animals and collectibles, obtain a few dozen more Gold Medals in the Story Mode, or even continue your journey towards Rank 50 in Red Dead Online. At any rate, make sure you snag the remainder of these achievements and refer to the guide below for details on particular tasks that require assistance.

Conclusion:
Red Dead Redemption II is an immense, immersive, and all-around incredible gaming experience: a beautifully realized world; a compelling narrative; complex characters; enjoyable subplots; boundless activities; untamed creativity. The game's achievement list is also a treat, encouraging players to test out the varying gameplay features and then rewarding those who take the time to complete every last activity, collectible, and mission present in the American frontier. Thank you, Rockstar, for a wonderful, at-times-bizarre, and memorable action adventure.

[XBA would like to thank BiggD and Nozza for this Roadmap]

Red Dead Redemption II Achievement Guide

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There are 51 achievements with a total of 1000 points

  • Complete all optional Honor story missions.

    This achievement is highly missable.

    In Red Dead Redemption II, Honor story missions are optional missions that you can complete throughout specific Chapters of the narrative. These missions will be marked on the mini-map and world map with a traditional yellow mission icon; however, some of these missions are also marked with a white "Stranger mission" icon. Please take note that some of these missions are time sensitive and you will often need to meet specific requirements in order to unlock them.

    Please refer below for a checklist of all optional Honor story missions that must be completed during your playthrough in order to unlock this achievement.

    Chapter 2

    • Money Lending and Other Sins (I, II, III) / Quest Giver: LS (in camp)
    • Good, Honest, Snake Oil / Quest Giver: Sheriff’s Office in Valentine (skull icon)
    • We Loved Once and True (I, II, III) / Quest Giver: ML (read the letter in Arthur’s tent)

    Chapter 3

    • The Course of True Love (I, II, III) / Quest Givers: GR & BG (Caliga Hall near Rhodes)
    • Money Lending and Other Sins (IV) / Quest Giver: LS (in camp)

    Chapter 4

    • Help a Brother Out / Quest Giver: BD (in Saint Denis)
    • Brothers and Sisters, One and All / Quest Giver: BD (in Saint Denis, after “Help a Brother Out”)
    • Fatherhood and Other Dreams (I, II) / Quest Giver: ML (read the letter in Arthur’s room)
    • Money Lending and Other Sins (V) / Quest Giver: LS (in camp)

    Chapter 6

    • Of Men and Angels (I, II) / Quest Giver: SC (talk to Sister Calderon at the Church in St. Denis before completing the Chapter 6 mission “The Fine Art of Conversation;” only available if you completed "Brothers and Sisters, One and All")
    • The Course of True Love (IV, V) / Quest Giver: PB (read the letter in Arthur’s tent; this is time sensitive)
    • Archeology for Beginners / Quest Giver: RF (in Waipiti Indian Reservation; only available if you agreed to help Rains Fall at the end of the Chapter 6 mission "A Rage Unleashed")
    • Honor, Amongst Thieves / Quest Giver: CM (in Waipiti Reservation; only available if you agreed to help Monroe during the Chapter 6 mission "Archaeology for Beginners")
    • Money Lending and Other Sins (VI, VII) / Quest Giver: LS (in camp; these are time sensitive)
    • Do Not Seek Absolution (I, II) / Quest Giver: ED (requires Honor Rank 4 to start in Annesburg; this is time sensitive)
    • Mrs. Sadie Adler, Widow (I, II) / Quest Giver: SA (in camp)

    NOTE: You must play honorably from the start of the game in order to trigger the "Do Not Seek Absolution" mission during Chapter 6. This mission will only be available if you have an Honor Level 4 in Chapter 6. Please refer to the "Extreme Personality" achievement for more information on how to increase your Honor Level.

  • Attain 100% completion.

    In order to attain full 100% completion in Red Dead Redemption II and unlock this achievement, you will need to meet the following requirements:

    Missions And Events

    • Complete all 107 story missions required to finish the story
    • Complete 10 stranger mission strands
    • Complete 5 bounty hunter missions
    • Have 25 chance encounters
    • Survive a gang ambush
    • Clear all 6 gang hideouts

    Collectibles

    Compendium

    • Discover 50 animals by studying them
    • Discover 10 equipment items
    • Discover 10 fish species
    • Discover all Gangs
    • Discover 10 horse breeds
    • Discover 20 plant species
    • Discover 48 Weapons

    Player

    • Reach max health, stamina, and dead eye
    • Achieve level 4 Bonding with your Horse
    • Complete all 90 Challenges

    Miscellaneous

    • Discover 5 shacks [Text Guide]
    • Kill 5 Legendary Animals
    • Play each table game once
    • Interact with 5 special characters
    • Take a bath (available in hotels)
    • See a show
    • See a live Theater Show
    • Craft 1 recipe from six different category types
    • Complete a Home Robbery, a Shop Robbery, a Coach Robbery, and a Train Robbery

    If at any point you want to check on your progress for this achievement, pause your game and go to Progress > Total Completion.

  • Earn 70 Gold Medals in Story missions.

    In Red Dead Redemption II, all of the story missions have, on average, three or four specific requirements that will net you an overall Gold Medal once they have been completed. These requirements range from completing a mission under a certain amount of time to getting a specific number of headshots and other unique tasks.

    There are a total of about 117 missions to work with for this achievement. As such, there are plenty of missions to pick and choose from here. Once you complete a mission, you can replay it by pausing your game and going to the “Story” tab in the Pause Menu. Here, you can view a mission's requirements before replaying it.

    Please keep in mind that each of the mission's requirements must be completed in one single run in order to achieve a Gold Medal. In other words, if you complete two of three mission requirements and then go to replay the mission later on via your Story Log, you must complete all three requirements on that replay; you cannot just complete the one requirement you originally missed.

    NOTE: When replaying missions, the game will temporarily take away your items and weapons and give you a default set. This can, at times, lead to certain missions becoming more difficult to earn a Gold Medal on during its replay. If you prefer to work towards Gold Medals on your initial playthrough of each mission, you can utilize THIS CHECKLIST at your own discretion.

  • Complete a Companion Activity in each camp.

    This achievement is highly missable.

    In each Chapter, the Van der Linde Gang will set up camp in the wilderness. In each of these campsites, you will be able to engage in one of many random Companion Activities with other members of the gang. These activities will appear on the world map and mini-map; the icon is small and white and has the companion's initials on it. There are several activities you can complete per camp, but for the purpose of this achievement you will only need to complete one activity per camp.

    Please refer below for a checklist of all optional Companion Activities broken down by Chapter/camp.

    Chapter 2

    • Lenny, Five Finger Fillet
    • Javier, Home Robbery
    • Charles, Hunting

    Chapter 3

    • Sean and/or Bill, Robbery
    • Tilly, Dominoes
    • Javier and/or Kieran, Fishing
    • Micah, Five Finger Fillet

    Chapter 4

    • Lenny and/or Micah, Robbery
    • Pearson, Hunting
    • Uncle, Robbery

    The achievement will unlock once you have completed at least one Companion Activity in each of the camps.

  • Play all mini games.

    There are four different mini games that you can play around the world. These are:

    • Blackjack (can be played in the main saloon of Rhodes)
    • Dominoes (can be played at Emerald Station)
    • Five Finger Fillet (can be played in the smaller saloon in Valentine)
    • Poker (can be played in the main saloon in Valentine)

    Fortunately, you don't even need to win each of these four mini games. All you need to do for this achievement is sit down at the game table and complete a single round/match.

  • Recover the stash from 4 homesteads.

    Across the frontier, there are seven homesteads. These homesteads can be looted for generous rewards such as collectibles, money, and weapons. You can begin raiding and looting homesteads once you start Chapter 2 (the last of the homesteads listed below only becomes available in Chapter 6).

    It's highly recommended to work on this achievement as early in your playthrough as possible to avoid any complications (late-game, homestead inhabitants may disappear, which may prevent you from interrogating them for clues on the homestead's hidden stash).

    Please refer below for a list and reference map of all seven homesteads in the game.

    • Chez Porter (Ambarino, North of Valentine)
    • Aberdeen Pig Farm (New Hanover)
    • Lonnie's Shack (Lemoyne)
    • Van Horn Mansion (New Hanover, South of Van Horn Trading Post)
    • Catfish Jacksons (Lemoyne, South of Rhodes)
    • Watson’s Cabin (West Elizabeth, Northwest of Wallace Station)
    • Willard’s Rest (Ambarino, Northest of Brandywine Drop)


    (right click and 'View Image' for a larger view)

  • Discover the fate of Marko Dragic.

    This achievement will require you to complete the Stranger mission strand entitled “A Bright Bouncing Boy.” This stranger mission becomes available during Chapter 4. To start it, simply speak with Marko Dragic by the small pond just southwest of Saint Denis.

    This Stranger mission strand is made up of two individual missions. The first of these is quite simple and self-explanatory: help Dragic impress a potential investor by piloting his remote-controlled boat within the pond. Once you complete this mission, you must wait 24 in-game hours and then meet Dragic at his lab in Dover Hill (top right corner of the map) between 9PM-5AM. This second mission tasks you with planting three electric conductors around the woods of Dover Hill to help Dragic with his latest experiment.

    After completing the second mission, wait 48 in-game hours (you can use a campfire and sleep nearby to skip time) before returning to Dragic's lab to discover the man's fate.

  • Rob or loot $250.

    This achievement will most likely come naturally over the course of your playthrough. As you are taking on Story missions and Stranger missions, just make sure to loot dead bodies frequently. Most of the enemies in the game only have a few cents on them, but, naturally, over time it adds up. On the other hand, some of the rewards you obtain during Story missions will yield hundreds of dollars. You should have no issue unlocking this achievement a dozen hours or so into your playthrough.

  • Donate $250 to the gang tithing box.

    This achievement is missable.

    At camp, there is a tithing box that, when first introduced, Dutch suggests all members of the Gang make a small donation toward whenever possible. For the purpose of this achievement, you must donate a cumulative total of $250 to the tithing box; it does not have to be a lump sum of $250.

    This achievement is considered missable because once you complete Chapter 4, the tithing box is removed. Thus, make sure to loot enemy bodies frequently for money and donate some cash and/or valuables to the tithing box during Chapters 2, 3, and/or 4.

    NOTE: If you'd like to save your money, you can create a manual save before donating $250 at once to the tithing box and then reload your save once you unlock the achievement.

  • Spend $5000 across all shops.

    This achievement is extremely straightforward. All you need to do is purchase clothes, food, horses, provisions, weapons, etc. from the shops in town to gain progress toward the $5,000 mark. This will most likely come naturally over the course of your playthrough as you purchase new clothes, provisions, and upgrades for your weapons, so there is no need to worry about grinding this out.

    NOTE: If you'd like to save your money, you can create a manual save before buying $5,000 worth of items at once and then reload your save once you unlock the achievement.

  • Reach maximum or minimum Honor level.

    The earliest you can unlock this achievement is after completing the main story mission "Paradise Mercifully Escaped!" in Chapter 5.

    The Honor system in this game works as such: dishonorable actions involve killing innocent NPCs, looting their bodies, and disrespecting the law; honorable actions involve sparing enemies and/or targets, completing optional Honor story missions, and respecting the law. Your Honor level directly effects how the world reacts to Arthur Morgan; the more Honor you have, the better prices will be in stores.

    At any point in the game, you can view your current Honor level by tapping on the d-pad. This will bring up the Honor level bar. Dishonorable actions will cause the slider to crawl its way left, while honorable actions will move the slider to the right. Naturally, reaching the minimum Honor level is much easier since all you need to do is kill and loot the many NPCs you encounter over the course of the game.

    That being said, because you need to reach Honor level 4 in order to trigger the "Do Not Seek Absolution" Honor Story mission in Chapter 6 for the "Lending a Hand" achievement, it is highly recommended to play honorably during your playthrough, even though it will take longer to obtain this achievement.

  • Complete 10 Stranger mission strands.

    In Red Dead Redemption II, Stranger missions are optional side missions that appear on the world map and mini map with a clouded white question mark icon. As you enter the clouded area, the question mark icon will be revealed more clearly.

    There are more than two dozen Stranger missions in the game, but you will only need to complete ten of them for this achievement. That being said, you will need to complete an entire Stranger mission strand in order to make progress towards this achievement. Stranger missions are typically made up of three to four (sometimes even five, six, or seven) individual missions; subsequent missions within a strand will sometimes not become available until some Story progress has been made.

    Fortunately, none of these Stranger missions are missable and you can still find and complete them after completing the main narrative. If you need to keep track of your progress at any time, pause your game, and then check your stats under Progress > Total Completion > Strangers.

  • Complete one of the Collectable strands.

    There are four different sets of Collectible strands that will count towards this achievement: 144 Cigarette Cards, 30 Dinosaur Bones, 10 Rock Carvings, and Exotic Objects.

    Since the Rock Carvings have the least amount of collectibles for its strand, this solution will focus on Rock Carvings.

    First, you will need to initiate the "Geology for Beginners" Stranger mission, which can be triggered by visiting Francis Sinclair's hut northwest of Strawberry. Second, you'll then have to find all 10 Rock Carvings around the frontier. Once that is done, visit any post office, send all 10 coordinates to Francis Sinclair via mail, and then wait 24 in-game hours. Now you can return to the post office, retrieve your letter from Sinclair, and return to his hut in order to complete the mission and unlock the achievement.

    If you need some help finding Sinclair's hut and the 10 Rock Carvings, feel free to refer to THIS VIDEO GUIDE, courtesy of Maka.

  • Survive 3 days holding a bounty of $250 in all states.

    This achievement can be done at any point during your playthrough, but it's suggested to attempt this late-game. Once you are ready to do this, create one or two manual backup saves and turn off the autosave feature.

    There are five states you must receive a bounty in for this achievement:

    • Ambarino
    • Lemoyne
    • New Austin
    • New Hanover
    • West Elizabeth

    In order to receive a bounty in any state, you will need to head to a populated town and start causing trouble (killing innocent civilians, robbing shops, etc.). When your crimes are witnessed and reported to the law, you will receive a bounty; the more trouble you cause, the higher the bounty. You can check your bounties in each state by opening the world map; when hovering over a state, you will be notified with the bounty amount and there will be a faint red outline around that state.

    Because there are no major towns in Ambarino, it may be difficult to receive a bounty in that state. That being said, all you need to do is kill any civilian, stow them on your horse, and ride into Ambarino. Eventually, a passerby will see the dead body on your horse and contact the law. Then, three waves of authorities will show up. Kill them and repeat this process until you have the required bounty for Ambarino.

    Once you have a bounty of $250 in all five states, simply set up camp anywhere in the wilderness where it's safe and sleep for three days. Once the third day passes, the achievement will finally unlock. You can then reload your backup save (and turn on autosave) so that you don't have to waste any money paying off these bounties.

  • Deliver 5 camp companion item requests.

    This achievement is highly missable.

    While hanging around the camp, certain members will, at random, approach you and request specific items. These requests are then moved to your mission log. If you need to view an item request at any time, press on the d-pad. As mentioned, these requests are somewhat random, so you'll just need to make trips back to the camp frequently during your playthrough and speak to your companions. Fortunately, there are almost two dozen item requests available in the game.

    Please refer below for a checklist of most of the item requests broken down by Chapter/camp.

    Chapter 2 (8AM-8PM):

    • Abigail: She requests $5; just give her some money
    • Javier: He wants oleander, which is a plant found in the wilderness
    • Mary Beth: She wants a fountain pen; you can find one in Osman Grove, on a table in a house east of Emerald Ranch
    • Pearson (only while playing poker with him): He wants a naval compass; you can find one in Braithwaites Estate, in the boathouse
    • Sean: He wants Kentucky Bourbon, which can be purchased at any General Store
    • Tilly (only while playing Dominoes with her): She wants a necklace; these can be found anywhere in the wilderness while looting houses and enemy corpses

    Chapter 3 (8AM-8PM):

    • Hosea: He wants American Ginseng, which is a plant found in the wilderness
    • Molly: She wants a pocket mirror; you can find one in the hut of Martha’s Swain, east of Three Sisters
    • Sadie: She wants a harmonica; you can fine one on the shelf of a hut at Flatneck Station.

    Chapters 2, 3, or 4 (8AM-8PM):

    • Bill: He wants pomade, which can be purchased from any General Store
    • Charles: He wants oleander, which is a plant found in the wilderness
    • Dutch: He wants a pipe; you can find one inside a hut east of Pronghorn Ranch
    • Susan: She wants oregano, which is a plant found in the wilderness

    Chapter 2, 3, or 4 (8PM–3AM):

    • Lenny: He wants a pocket watch; you can find one inside a hut near Pronghorn Ranch

    Chapters 2, 3, or 4 (8AM-12PM):

    • Pearson: He wants rabbit, which can be found almost anywhere in the wilderness

    The achievement will unlock once you have completed a total of five item requests during your playthrough.

  • Craft 30 unique items in Story Mode.

    After completing the "Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego" Story mission in Chapter 2, you will be able to set up a makeshift camp in the wilderness at any time. To do this, hold to open the radial menu, tap to open the Items tab, and then select the "Crafting Camp" option. Alternatively, holding while standing almost anywhere in the wilderness will allow Arthur to kneel and rest. While resting, you can open the item crafting menu by holding .

    Once camp has been set up (or the crafting menu is opened while resting), you can craft a variety of unique items (consumables, food items, special ammunition, etc.). Naturally, you will need specific materials to make these items (meat, pelts, plants, etc.), but so long as you are hunting often and looting whenever possible, you should have enough materials over the course of your playthrough to get this done without too much trouble.

    NOTE: It's worth noting that Trinkets and Talismans that can be crafted from the Fence will count towards this achievement.

  • Skin every species of animal in Story Mode.

    Please refer below to "Zoologist" for more information.

  • Study every animal across all states in Story Mode.

    There are a total of 160 animals that you will need to skin in order to unlock "Skin Deep." On the other hand, there are 162 animals that you must study in order to unlock "Zoologist." These two achievements are mutually exclusive, meaning that some of the animals that you need to study are animals that do not need to be skinned.

    To study any animal in the game, you need to hold while facing the animal. This can be done on horseback or on foot, with or without the binoculars. After holding down for about 3-5 seconds, the animal will be fully studied and a new entry log will be added to the in-game Compendium.

    To skin an animal, you will need to kill it, approach its carcass, and then hold . This will trigger a short animation and yield certain animal parts (depending on the animal) and its pelt. For the purpose of "Skin Deep," the quality of the pelt is not important, and, if you want, you can discard it immediately.

    You can track your progress towards these two achievements by referring to the in-game Compendium at any time. It's found within the "Progress" tab of the Pause Menu. In this Compendium, there are entry logs for every single animal you have come across. If you open any specific animal's entry, you can then see if you have studied it, killed it, and skinned it.

    It's highly recommended to study, kill, and skin any and all animals you come across over the course of your playthrough (don't kill domestic animals, such as cats and dogs, though). This will allow you to make a significant amount of progress towards these two achievements naturally, which lessens the post-game grind for locating specific animals across the entire map.

    Once you are ready to fully commit towards these two achievements, THIS VIDEO, courtesy of Gaming With Abyss, will prove to be an invaluable resource. This video guide contains the locations of every single animal in the game. By following along as needed, you should be able to find the animal in the same exact location as shown in the video. If, for whatever reason, the animal does not spawn, however, you can save your game in the general area, exit to the Main Menu, and then reload your save file. This will cause the game to "force respawn" all wildlife in the area.

    If you prefer a text-based guide with detailed pictures, however, PowerPyx has created THIS GUIDE, which is just as useful.

    NOTE #1: In the video's text description, there is a list of every animal needed for these two achievements.

    NOTE #2: The animals exclusive to the island in Chapter 5 are not needed for either of these achievements.

    Finally, there are a few additional tips and strategies, courtesy of crewdy4923, worth highlighting for these two achievements. Please refer below for these notes.

    • Use Eagle Vision frequently to highlight animals and their tracks in the wild
    • Use Cover Scent as needed in order to mask your scent and avoid animals fleeing
    • Predators, such as panthers, cougars, and wolves, attack on sight, so be careful when studying them; Cover Scent, Predator Bait, and/or Poison Arrows are useful in dealing with such beasts
    • Most of the small birds in the game can be found along the river in the Raonoke Valley; you can use your binoculars to scan the rocks along the river to spot some of the rarer birds
    • The Siberian Husky seems to have one fixed location in the entire game: Manzanita Post, which is southwest of Blackwater
    • The Western Bull Moose can be found in the Grizzlies (as shown in the video), but it can also be found in Owanjila Lake

    Again, it's worth reiterating that while there are a total of 178 animals in the entire game, there are 160 animals that you will need to skin in order to unlock "Skin Deep" and 162 animals that you must study in order to unlock "Zoologist."

  • Catch a fish weighing at least 16 lbs (7.3 kg).

    During the "A Fisher of Men" Story mission in Chapter 2, you will learn how fishing works in the game. After completing this mission, head to Gill Landing (a small fishing hut near the shore of Flat Iron Lake) in New Hanover and speak to the fisherman on the dock. He will give you a map of all thirteen Legendary Fish around the frontier (this solution does not focus on catching a Legendary Fish, however).

    Now make your way toward the Bait Shop in Lagras, a small lake in the bayou just northwest of Saint Denis. Speak with the merchant at the Bait Shop and buy the Special Swamp Lure ($20). Next, run down toward the dock of the Bait Shop, equip the fishing rod with the Special Swamp Lure, and get fishing. Most of the fish in this lake are very large in size so you should have no trouble catching a 16lb+ fish within a few minutes.

    If you prefer a visual guide for this solution, please refer to THIS VIDEO, courtesy of Maka.

  • Upgrade each available component for a single sidearm or longarm weapon.

    To upgrade each available component for a gun, you'll first need to find a Gunsmith. Gunsmiths can be located within most towns, but the first opportunity you'll have to visit one is in Valentine during Chapter 2. Once you arrive in the town and can free roam, head to the Gunsmith and chose to customize your Cattleman Revolver (it's the cheapest gun you'll currently own with the least amount of components to purchase). First you'll want to make sure the gun is clean and then you can buy whichever upgrades you’d like for the following components:

    • Grip
    • Barrel Length
    • Barrel Rifling
    • Iron Sight

    The achievement will unlock once all four components have been upgrades.

    NOTE: If you'd like to save your money, you can create a manual save before buying the upgrades and then reload your save once you unlock the achievement.

  • Survive 18 bear attacks and kill the bear each time in Story Mode.

    As you explore the wilderness, you will often encounter bears. Once you are in a bear's line of sight, you'll want to allow the beast to attack you. During the animation, press quickly to escape its insta-kill attack. You will roll around, remain on the ground, and then have a short window to shoot the bear before you stand up. You will need to kill the bear during this short post-attack window (again, before standing up) in order for it to count towards this achievement. Naturally, you will most likely not be able to kill the bear during this time unless you have a powerful weapon (like a semi-automatic shotgun), so it would be wise to weaken the bear a bit before allowing it to attack.

    Bears can be found in a variety of regions around the game world, but the Grizzlies East region in Ambarino is probably your best bet in finding these beasts. If you want to grind this out on a single bear as to avoid finding eighteen different bears over the course of your playthrough, you can make a manual save once you spot a bear (as backup in case you die), proceed with killing it as detailed above, make another manual save, and exit the game. Then you can reload your most recent save file and, because the game will respawn wildlife in the area, you should be able to find another bear relatively quickly.

  • Reach max bonding level with a horse.

    During Chapter 1, you will learn about bonding levels with horses once you take the Tennessee Walker from the barn in the O'Driscoll's hideout. In order to unlock this achievement, you need to reach bonding level 4. You can check your current bonding level at anytime in the Pause Menu by going to Player > Horse > Bonding.

    There are four main actions you can perform to your horse in order to raise its bonding level. The first three require you to stand next to the steed and hold . This will open up the "NPC interaction" menu on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. You can then choose to brush, feed, or pet the horse (you will receive a brush during the "Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego" Story mission in Chapter 2). Lastly, the simple act of riding the horse without depleting the stamina core will also contribute to raising the bonding level.

    All in all, this achievement will most likely come naturally over time—and relatively early on in your playthrough—so long as you stick to the same horse during your travels. It's highly recommended to always have at least one or two Horse Revival Tonics on hand just in case your horse dies (this ensures you do not lose a horse with a near maxed out bonding level).

  • Red Dead Online: Complete the Intro.

    When you launch Red Dead Online for the first time, you will be required to create your own character. Following this, there will be a lengthy cinematic before you're introduced to Cripps, who tasks you with visiting Clay Davies. After completing the “Honor Among Horse Thieves” mission for Davies, return to your camp, speak to Cripps, and the achievement will finally unlock.

  • Red Dead Online: Take part in a Series.

    Once you have completed the first online story mission, "Honor Among Horse Thieves," you can begin partaking in several activities around the game world, such as Series, Free Roam missions, and Free Roam Events.

    In order to manually join a Series, pause your game and go to Online. Here, you can join a Showdown Series, Showdown Series Large, or Race Series. Regardless of the match type, the achievement will unlock once you have completed the match.

  • Red Dead Online: Accept 10 Free Roam missions from characters around the world.

    Once you have completed the first online story mission, "Honor Among Horse Thieves," you can begin partaking in several activities around the game world, such as Series, Free Roam missions, and Free Roam Events.

    Free Roam missions will appear on the world map and mini map with an orange stick figure icon; they are usually found near major towns, such as Valentine, Rhodes, and Saint Denis. All you need to do is complete ten of these missions in order to unlock this achievement.

  • Red Dead Online: Play 5 Free Roam Events.

    During your time free roaming online, you will often receive random invites (in the top left cover of your HUD) for Free Roam Events. These invites will disappear after a few minutes, so you will need to accept them quickly if you want to participate.

    These Events typically last no longer than ten to fifteen minutes; they consist of various open world objectives against other players within the server. All you need to do is complete five of these Events in order to unlock this achievement.

  • Red Dead Online: Achieve 5 gold belt buckles from awards.

    In Red Dead Online, there are a total of 425 awards that you can complete for generous amounts of XP. These awards are similar to the Challenges found in Story Mode; they task players with a variety of feats that involve exploration and hunting, as well as smaller, more miscellaneous requests.

    You can view these awards at any time in the Pause Menu by going to Progress > Awards > [Category]. To earn a gold buckle in any given award, you will need to max out its progression tracker. For the purpose of this achievement, you can pick and choose whichever five awards you want to complete, though some of the easiest that can completed without much trouble are:

    • Sharpshooter: Get 1000 kills with one weapon type
    • Combat: 1000 Enemies killed
    • Travel: Rode on horseback from Valentine to Strawberry in 3:30
    • Trade: Spend $1,000 in Shops
    • Trade: Sell an item to 3 shop types
    • Horse: Achieved Maximum Bond Level with your Horse
    • Horse: Purchase 5 unique Horse Breeds (needed for the "Horses for Courses" achievement)
    • Free Roam: Complete Free Roam missions from 10 characters (needed for the "Gun for Hire" achievement)
  • Red Dead Online: Achieve MVP 3 times (in a round with at least 4 players).

     

    At the end of every match, one player will be awarded the MVP depending on how well they performed for that specific match/game mode (ie, in Capture Mode, the player with the most kills may not get awarded MVP; rather, the player who captured the mode territories may be awarded MVP, regardless of whether they are on the winning team or losing team). As such, it's important to tweak your playstyle to whichever mode you are playing.

    All in all, this achievement will mostly come down to pure skill. That being said, it should not be terribly difficult, especially if the lobby size is small (ie, 16 players total in a Showdown Series vs 32 players in a Large Showdown Series).

  • Red Dead Online: Concurrently own 5 horses.

    Once you have completed the first online story mission, "Honor Among Horse Thieves," you can begin purchasing stalls and horses at any of the Stables around the game world. The first stall will be free, naturally; however, the remaining four stalls will cost $100, $150, $500, and $750, respectively.

    In addition to purchasing/unlocking these stalls, you will also have to purchase four horses (you receive a free horse upon completing "Honor Among Horse Thieves"). You can purchase whichever available breed of horse you'd like at the Stables, but if you want to save your money and go for the cheapest breed, Kentucky Saddlers only cost $50 each.

  • Red Dead Online: Reach Rank 10.

    Please see "Notorious" for more information.

  • Red Dead Online: Reach Rank 50.

    Every mission, Series, Free Roam Event, and Award you complete in Read Dead Online will net you Experience Points (XP). In order to reach Rank 50, you will need to gain a total of 337,100 XP.

    It's highly recommended to prioritize the main story missions and any invites for Free Roam Events that you receive (since these are time sensitive). It's also recommended to complete any and all activities/missions whenever you are playing online in order to net a good amount of XP during your session.

    Fortunately, there is currently a decent XP exploit/grinding method that can be utilized via Mission Replay of the final story mission, “Kill Them, Each and Every One." This method involves two players (in the same Posse) repeatedly playing this mission over and over again, netting upwards to about 7,000 XP per hour. Please refer to THIS GUIDE for more information, courtesy of PowerPyx and Waraneasy.

    As mentioned, this achievement will require plenty of dedicated hours of playtime. Some of the missions may get extremely tedious if you decide to perform the same one over and over again (such as the method mentioned above), so try varying your activities to help unload the stress involved with this achievement.

  • Red Dead Online: Successfully counter a rival Posse's Free Roam mission.

    While playing Red Dead Online, you will receive notifications when another Posse in the server has started a Free Roam mission in your general vicinity.

    Because most Free Roam missions that can be countered are initiated in major cities/towns—mainly Blackwater, Rhodes, Saint Denis, and Valentine—it's highly recommended to hang around such areas, often peeking at the world map and mini map to see if a rival Posse is near that town's/city's Free Roam mission icon. Once the rival Posse has started their mission, you will receive the aforementioned on-screen notification to intervene; your main goal should then become to prevent the Posse from completing their objective (typically by completing the objective yourself or causing the Posse to run out of time). If you're successful in your efforts, the achievement will then unlock.

  • Red Dead Online: Purchase 5 camp improvements.

    Once you have completed the first online story mission, "Honor Among Horse Thieves," you can begin purchasing camp improvements from Cripps. To do this, approach Cripps in your camp, hold , and then to open the camp improvements menu. If you'd like to spend as little money as possible for this achievement, simply buy five different flag colors for a total of $250.

  • Red Dead Online: Craft 25 pieces of ammunition.

    Before you begin crafting ammunition, you will first need to buy ammunition recipes, such as the Split Point recipe, which is available at Rank 28, from a Fence. This specific recipe, as well as others, cost a significant amount of money, so make sure you save up accordingly. Once you have any recipe for ammunition, you can then craft it similarly to how it's done in Story Mode: hold when standing still to rest, click to open the crafting menu, and then scroll over to the ammunition tab to begin crafting. The achievement will unlock once you have crafted any 25 pieces of ammunition, even if it's the same type.

  • Red Dead Online: Form a Persistent Posse.

    (2)  

    Once you have completed the first online story mission, "Honor Among Horse Thieves," you can then create your own Persistent Posse for $200. To do this, open the Online Menu by clicking . Now scroll down to "Posse," select "Persistent Posse," and then "Form a Posse." The achievement will unlock as soon as the Posse is created.

  • Red Dead Online: Craft 20 items (excluding ammo).

    Similar to the "Self Sufficient" achievement in Story Mode, this achievement is fairly straightforward so long as you have the ingredients and/or materials necessary to craft even the most basic items. In fact, the easiest way to earn this achievement is to cook 20 pieces of animal meat at your camp fire. You will likely be hunting very frequently during your time on Red Dead Online as a means of completing awards and earning money, so you should have a fair amount of animal meat to use at a camp fire at any given time.

    NOTE: Once you cook animal meat over a camp fire, make sure to eat it as the act of consuming the food counts as another crafted item.

  • Red Dead Online: Sell 20 items to the Butcher.

    Butchers can be found in the towns of Blackwater, Rhodes, Strawberry, Tumbleweed, and Valentine, as well as the city of Saint Denis. Similar to Story Mode, Butchers are marked on the world map and mini map with a white meat cleaver icon inside of a small black circle.

    This achievement is fairly straightforward, but it's worth nothing that any animal-related items sold to Butchers count towards this achievement; this includes animal carcasses that are stowed in your satchel or on the back of your horse, as well as animal-specific items you gather from skinning the animal, such as antlers, feathers, meat, teeth, etc.

  • Red Dead Online: Pick 25 Herbs.

    This achievement is very straightforward. All you need to do is pick (not eat) a total of 25 plants around the entirety of the game world. It's highly recommended to use Eagle Vision frequently while exploring (tap both analog sticks in to activate Eagle Vision); this will highlight plants and herbs very clearly, even from afar.

  • Red Dead Online: Complete a Free Roam mission as part of a Posse with at least 2 members.

    Once you have completed the first online story mission, "Honor Among Horse Thieves," you can then choose to create or join a Posse at any time. For the purpose of this achievement, it's best to take initiative and create your own Posse rather than wait until you are invited to join another player's Posse.

    As such, open the Online Menu by clicking . Now scroll down to "Posse," select "Temporary Posse," and then "Form a Posse." Now you can invite anyone in your server (including friends if they are in your game) to your Posse. Once you have at least two members in your Posse, head to any of the Free Roam Missions around the game world and complete it. Naturally, this will be much easier to do with friends, but sending a mass Posse invite to your server should work just as well in most cases.

 

Secret achievements

  • Complete Chapter 1.

    This achievement is story-related and cannot be missed.

  • Complete 'Enter, Pursued by a Memory'.

    This achievement is story-related and cannot be missed.

  • Complete Chapter 2.

    This achievement is story-related and cannot be missed.

  • Complete Chapter 3.

    This achievement is story-related and cannot be missed.

  • Complete Chapter 4.

    This achievement is story-related and cannot be missed.

  • Complete Chapter 5.

    This achievement is story-related and cannot be missed.

  • Complete 'Goodbye, Dear Friend'.

    This achievement is story-related and cannot be missed.

  • Complete 'Red Dead Redemption'.

    This achievement is story-related and cannot be missed.

  • Complete 'A New Jerusalem'.

    This achievement is story-related and cannot be missed.

  • Complete the Epilogue.

    This achievement is story-related and cannot be missed.

  • Find the graves of each of your fallen companions.

    Once you have completed the main storyline, you will be able to find the graves of your fallen companions spread out across the American frontier.

    There are nine graves you must interact with in order to obtain this achievement. Please refer to THIS GUIDE, courtesy of PowerPyx, for assistance in tracking down all of the graves in the game.

    NOTE: Because this achievement takes place post-game, many online resources (text-based guides and video walkthroughs) contain significant spoilers. As such, it's recommended to utilize the linked guide (or any other supplemental guides) at your own discretion.

  • Find a permanent home for the squirrel statue.

    In order to obtain this achievement, you will first need to complete all five Hunting Requests for Ms. Hobbs. Please note that the fifth of these Hunting Requests will only be available in the Epilogue, after you have completed the main storyline.

    The first four Hunting Requests are available right at the start of Chapter 2. They can be initiated at any time by reading any of the Hunting Request posters inside the Post Offices of Valentine, Strawberry, Rhodes, or Saint Denis. Each individual request will task you with hunting two to five animals and collecting their perfect carcass (as a reminder, only 3-star animals will yield a perfect carcass). Once you have the necessary carcasses, you will need to head back to a Post Office and mail them to Ms. Hobbs. Then, you will automatically receive the next Hunting Request. Keep in mind that some carcasses decay over time.

    Please see below for a short checklist of the animals needed for each request.

    Hunting Request 1

    • Rabbit
    • Squirrel

    Hunting Request 2

    • Cardinal
    • Rat
    • Woodpecker

    Hunting Request 3

    • Chipmunk
    • Opposum
    • Oriole
    • Robin

    Hunting Request 4

    • Bullfrog
    • Skunk
    • Songbird
    • Sparrow
    • Toad

    Hunting Request 5

    • Bat
    • Beaver
    • Blue Jay
    • Cedar Waxwing
    • Crow

    For a more detailed guide on where to find the animals needed for the all of the Hunting Requests, please refer to THIS GUIDE, courtesy of PowerPyx.

    Once you have completed all five Hunting Requests, you will then receive a letter at the Post Office from Ms. Hobbs. She asks you to visit her hut (it's located just east of Strawberry). You will be awarded with the Squirrel Statue upon visiting Ms. Hobbs.

    Now visit your farm, Beecher's Hope, near Blackwater (this is only available after the main storyline has been completed) and place the Squirrel Statue above the fireplace. Next, sleep for a full in-game day and, when you awake, you will find that the Squirrel Stature has disappeared. You will need to find the Statue, replace it on the fireplace, sleep for another day, and then repeat this process a few times.

    Luckily, the Squirrel Statue has fixed locations and they are all around the homestead. Just search in all of these places until you find the Statue.

    • In the chest in the main bedroom
    • In the chimney in the main bedroom
    • In the chest in the loft above the kitchen
    • In the wheelbarrow next to the barn
    • In the chest on the upper floor of the barn
    • North of Strawberry, on Mount Shann [Location Screenshot]

    The achievement will finally unlock once you pick up the Squirrel Statue from Mount Shann.

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