As you go about the world of Red Dead Redemption 2, you’re going to come across a whole bunch of different things to see and do. You’ll have animals to hunt, fishing to take part in, bounties to go after, and of course, taking care of the criminal side of things. Talismans are a type of item in Red Dead Redemption 2 that can be very handy on your adventure. These items don’t need to be equipped, but once you’ve got them, they’ll grant you permanent buffs to Arthur throughout the rest of your adventure. Here’s how to get Talismans, what they do, and how to get all the items required to craft them in Red Dead Redemption 2.
How to Get Talismans in Red Dead Redemption 2
Unlike most other items in the world of Red Dead Redemption 2, Talismans can’t just be bought from a store. You’ll have to craft them at a Fence. They often require a number of hard-to-get valuables, rare pelts, and other such items. Once you’ve got all the required items in order to craft a Talisman, you can then head to a Fence in the game and have them crafted into one.
There’s a total of six Talismans you can get in total in Red Dead Redemption 2. However, it’s worth noting that one of them, the Eagle Talon Talisman, can only be got by picking up the Special or Ultimate edition of Red Dead Redemption 2. For the others we’ve listed down all the different crafting materials you’ll need for each one below.
- Alligator Tooth Talisman – Vintage Civil War Handcuffs, Gold Jointed Bracelet, Legendary Alligator Tooth
- Bear Claw Talisman – Silver Chain Bracelet, Quartz Chunk, Legendary Bear Claw
- Boar Tusk Talisman – Cobalt Petrified Wood, Gold Earring, Legendary Boar Tusk
- Bison Horn Talisman – Abalone Shell Fragment, Silver Earring, Legendary Bison Horn
- Raven Claw Talisman – Old Brass Compass
You’ll notice that some of the items above required to craft these Talisman we’ve put in italics. This is because these are special crafting materials that’ll require you to put some real hard work into tracking them down. Sure, the others, such as the legendary animal parts are no walk in the park to get, either. However, we’ve got a legendary animals locations guide to help you track down each and every one of these.
As for the items in italics, keep reading a little further down for more information on how to get each of those. Before we do, however, it’s probably worth telling you exactly what each of these Talismans do in Red Dead Redemption 2.
What Talismans Do
Talismans essentially grant Arthur permanent buffs on his adventure. They don’t need to be equipped for their effects to be active, but you can choose to have them visible or not visible on Arthur’s body within the Wardrobe menu in the game.
Each of the Talismans in Red Dead Redemption 2 brings with it its own unique effect that’ll greatly help with your exploration of the Wild West. We’ve listed each one down below, so you can quickly figure out which is best for you.
- Alligator Tooth Talisman – Decreases Dead Eye core draining speed by 10%.
- Bear Claw Talisman – Decreases Health core draining speed by 10%.
- Boar Tusk Talisman – Decreases your Horse’s health and stamina core draining speed by 10%.
- Bison Horn Talisman – Decreases Stamina core draining speed by 10%.
- Raven Claw Talisman – Slows down how fast your weapons degrade over time by 20%.
- Eagle Talon Talisman – Increases Eagle Eye duration by five seconds.
Now that you know what each of these Talisman do in Red Dead Redemption 2, you’ll now have an idea of which one you want to focus on getting first. If you were to ask us, the Alligator Tooth, and Boar Tusk Talisman would be our top picks, but it’ll ultimately come down to personal preference.
All Items Required to Craft Red Dead Redemption 2 Talismans
As we previously mentioned, those items in italics up above are a little trickier to get hold of than most. As such, we’ve broken down below how to get each of them, so you can get yourself these permanent buff items a little earlier in your adventure in Red Dead Redemption 2.
- Vintage Civil War Handcuffs – You’ll need to mail in one set of the Cigarette Cards as part of the ‘Smoking and Other Hobbies’ quest in Red Dead Redemption 2. There are 144 cards in total, broken down into 12 sets of 12. Cigarette cards can be found in specific places around the world, as well as part of a little RNG game when you find or buy packs of cigarettes. You’ll need a set of 12 unique cards, send them to the collector, and he’ll send you these back in return.
- Quartz Chunk – The Quartz Chunk is awarded to you for sending the coordinates of the first dinosaur bone you find to Deborah for the ‘A Test of Faith’ quest. We’ve got a complete guide to all dinosaur bones locations, should you need a hand in tracking them down.
- Cobalt Petrified Wood – The Cobalt Petrified wood is a little easier to get in the sense that you don’t have to do any collectible hunting or anything to get it. You will have to travel to the northwest region of Ambarino in the north of Red Dead Redemption 2’s map to get it, however. Specifically, you’re heading northwest of Lake Isabella, and looking for an overhanging cliff. Just below this, you’ll find a cart which not only contains a bit of money, but this petrified wood, too.
- Abalone Shell Fragment – The Abalone Shell fragment is another that’s a little easier to get and simply requires you know where to look. Specifically, you need to head to the Sheriff’s station in Rhodes. Head north a tiny, tiny bit, and you’ll find an old house. Head inside to find the Abalone Shell Fragment.
- Old Brass Compass – Last, but certainly not least is the Old Brass Compass. You’ll need to mail all 10 rock carving locations to Francis Sinclair for the ‘Geology for Beginners’ quest. Upon doing so, you’ll receive an invitation to his cabin. Head here, and you’ll be able to find the Old Brass Compass inside. We’ve got a guide to track down all rock carvings locations, too, should you need a hand.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Trinkets Explained
Trinkets are another kind of craftable item that can grant Arthur some additional bonuses. These are crafted with parts from the various Legendary Animals in the game which have to then be taken to a Trapper. Players must then hand over the animal part, as well as some hard-earned cash to make a Trinket. The following Trinkets are available to be crafted:
- Beaver Tooth Trinket: Slows down weapon degradation by 10%
- Buck Antler Trinket: Grants higher quality animal parts from skinning
- Cougar Fang Trinket: Increases Stamina XP yield by 10%
- Coyote Fang Trinket: Increases Dead Eye XP yield by 10%
- Elk Antler Trinket: Increases money yield from looting
- Fox Claw Trinket: Increases length of Eagle Eye meter
- Moose Antler Trinket: Increases Health XP yield by 10%
- Panther’s Eye Trinket: Increases overall Dead Eye duration
- Pronghorn Horn Trinket: Stops animal carcasses from rotting on the back of your horse
- Ram Horn Trinket: Increases herb yield of oregano, thyme, and mint
- Tatanka Bison Horn Trinket: Decreases incoming melee damage by 10%
- Wolf Heart Trinket: Increases alcohol resistance
In addition to these, those playing Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC can also get the following Trinkets from the game’s release on the platform on Nov. 5:
- Hawk Talon: Decreases Stamina bar drain speed by 30% when drawing a bow
- Cat Eye: Increases duration of Fortifying tonic effects by 20%
- Shark Tooth: Increases horse bonding XP bonus by 10%
- Turtle Shell: Increases health bar refill speed by 10%
- Crow Beak: Increases looted ammo by 10%
And there you have absolutely everything you need to know about Talismans in Red Dead Redemption 2. Still got some questions? Let us know down in the comments below and we’ll do what we can to get you an answer.
For more tips, tricks, and information on Rockstar’s latest game, be sure to check out our Red Dead Redemption 2 guide wiki.
