10 Cool Things You Can Do in Red Dead Redemption 2

10 Cool Things You Can Do in Red Dead Redemption 2

The world of Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 is teeming with life. Whether you’re out in the wilderness on your own, or embarking on a mission with your gang, there’s something new around every corner, or just some small detail that’ll blow you away. During our time with the game, we found a number of cool things you can do, and of course, we just had to share them all with you. This list includes both random, small things that took us by surprise, as well as the bad-ass stuff you may have already heard about from reviews, hands-on footage, and more. So, without further ado, let’s dive into 10 cool things you can do in Red Dead Redemption 2.

1. Make Doggo Friends

We hadn’t been expecting this one, honestly, but as dog lovers over here at Twinfinite, how could we not praise a good doggo walking around town when we saw one. After giving one of the dogs wandering around Valentine a bit of affection, praising him and petting him for being such a friendly fella we were pleasantly surprised to see the exact same dog run on over to us, wagging its tail when we next showed up in town. And yes, that was certainly worth some more praise. Did it make any massive difference to the actual gameplay? No. But it’s still a cool thing you can do all the same.

We’d like to think if we got in trouble in Valentine, the good boy would come to our rescue… we’re not convinced, though.

2. Give Your Horse a Dreadlock Tail

Your horse will play an integral part in Red Dead Redemption 2, offering you a means of getting around quickly, keeping valuable items nearby that you simply can’t carry, and some other badass stuff we’ll get to a little later. So, when we headed to the stables and we were offered a number of different customization options for its mane and tail, you bet your ass we gave it a sweet, dreadlock tail to make it the baddest looking horse in the whole wild west. Even if it is a tiny little pony, basically.

3. I’m on a Boat / Ride a Boat

It’s not something you can do right away in Red Dead Redemption 2, but after Arthur and the camp have settled at their second site, you’ll be given a number of new upgrades you can purchase. One such upgrade is the ability to purchase a damn boat! Kinda makes that dreadlock tailed-horse we were just talking about a little less cool, doesn’t it?

We’re not talking some speedboat or anything. This is the Wild West, after all. But Arthur can shell out the dollars on this camp upgrade, get himself a rowboat, and row around the water at his leisure. It’s not quite as fast as using a horse to get around, but it makes fishing for larger fish and finding some sweet fishing spots that little bit easier.

4. Holster Your Weapon in Style

This is a bit of a neat hidden feature that Red Dead Redemption 2 does a good job of not telling you about whatsoever. While you can holster any weapon you have out with L1 or LB, if you double tap this button, Arthur will holster with a little bit of finesse.

You know, the whole spinning his revolver around his finger before slickly sliding it into his holster on his waist without even looking. It’s classy and is the perfect way to finish up a shootout after picking your enemies apart with Dead Eye.

5. Hunt Down Legendary Animals

Hunting, for the most part, is used for getting your hands on some pelts for crafting, or some meat to simply cook and keep yourself and the camp well-fed. Then you’ve got legendary animals, that really put your hunting skills to the test.

You don’t always need bait to lure these big beasties out into the open, but it’ll certainly help. Hunting down these legendary animals is a true test of your skills out in the wilderness, and you’ll be rewarded for your efforts with an awesome pelt that can be turned into unique pieces of clothing for Arthur to wear. I mean, who doesn’t want to be draped in the pelt of an enormous, scar-faced bear?

6. Be Rewarded for Being a Good Samaritan

While Red Dead Redemption 2 certainly focuses on the whole criminal side of the wild west, Arthur doesn’t always have to be a bad guy. When you’re out exploring the vast world, you’ll come across strangers that quickly need your help with something. It’s not always something even that difficult. For example, we spotted someone who was bitten by a rattlesnake and needed medical supplies. We handed them over, because we’re good like that, and lo and behold the guy survived to see another day.

The next time we were in Valentine, the guy spotted us, and called us over. He told us to head on inside the gun store, and purchase any weapon we wanted on his tab. It pays to be a good Samaritan in Red Dead Redemption 2, so don’t turn your back on your fellow humans. At least, not all the time.

7. Drift Your Horse & Rear it

Aside from the sound of drifting your horse sounding incredible awesome, these are the epitome of looking like a badass on your horse. You can have it rear onto its hind legs, to give you that seriously cool look – often done best with a sunset behind you – or drift it which essentially sees your horse sidestepping, which can be useful for gunning down enemies and avoiding incoming fire.

If you’re looking for those classic western moments in Red Dead Redemption 2, doing cool shit on your horse like this is definitely one way to make yourself feel like the baddest gang member in the west.

8. Steal a Train and Sound the Horn

Because apparently pulling off heists on static establishments like banks and stores simply isn’t enough for Arthur. That’s right, you can ride alongside a train on your horse, leap onto the moving metal colossus, and then go about sticking up everyone on said train. Make it to the front and you can even sound the horn. Just in case anyone in the surrounding area wasn’t skeptical enough of the bandit leaping onto said train.

9. Find Dinosaur Bones

When you’re looking for something a little more slow-paced to do to fill your time in the west, you can always help out an amateur paleontologist seek out the 30 missing dinosaur bones littered across the map. Send them over to her, and she’ll reward you handsomely for your efforts, too.

They’re a real tricky thing to find, but when it comes to collectibles in games, it doesn’t get much cooler than dinosaur bones.

10. Interact with NPCs in Different Ways

While this one might not sound quite as exciting as some of the other entries on this list, there’s a bit of hidden depth to the way you can interact with the many different NPCs in the world of Red Dead Redemption 2. For example, you’ll often have the option to Greet or Antagonize strangers, and doing so will give you different dialogue options. Sometimes, they’ll even give you different mini quest outcomes depending on how you want to be perceived by these NPCs.

Similarly, interacting with your gang members in different ways can provoke different reactions out of them. The seemingly-always drunken member, for example, came over to the camp singing to us and we dismissed him as he stood rocking around. Had we accepted to listen to his drunken ramblings you won’t be given the abuse we did, and a mini quest could have begun. Interact with NPCs depending on the circumstances, rather than simply selecting the same thing every time. It’ll make things play out in a far more interesting and varied way.