Hunting is a big part of cowboy life in Red Dead Redemption 2, as players will need to kill and skin animals for food, to obtain crafting materials for camp upgrades and gear, and to make money. Red Dead Redemption 2 is an incredibly detailed Wild West simulation RPG in which players can experience the life and general lawlessness of the American West as people began to settle it. To stay alive and create better equipment for the harsh frontier life, players will need to learn how to hunt and kill the various birds, mammals, and fish that call the area home. If players can perfect the art of making a precise kill on a pristine animal, they can obtain perfect pelts. Traders will pay the highest possible prices for pelts in perfect condition, which can maximize the profit players earn. Hunting Requests can only be fulfilled using perfect pelts as well. In addition, they will be able to craft some of the best and rarest gear available in the game, much of which requires perfect pelts as one of the materials.
Animal pelt quality will depend on a few factors. First, the environment in which it lived will have an effect. In addition, the manner in which Arthur kills the creature makes a difference. This includes both the weapon and the technique he uses. Players can also track down one of the many Legendary Animals available and use part of the creature to craft an item that can immediately improve the quality of every pelt Arthur collects. Here's how to get perfect pelts in Red Dead Redemption 2.
How to Get Perfect Pelts in Red Dead Redemption 2
There are three specific things players will need to do to get perfect pelts in Red Dead Redemption 2. These are:
- Select a Pristine animal to hunt
- Use appropriate weapons and ammunition for the size and type of creature
- Hit a vital organ for a perfect kill
Prior to working toward earning perfect pelts, players may want to max out their Dead Eye ability, which can be done by completing the Goodbye, Old Friend quest in Chapter 6 of the main story. This will allow them to see vital organs on animals they hunt, which will allow them to land perfect critical hits on larger critters. They may also want to go after the Legendary Buck in the western part of Mount Shan. This creature's antler can be used to craft the Buck Antler Trinket, which will automatically improve the quality of all pelts collected while hunting.
Animals in Red Dead Redemption 2 will have three possible rankings based on their health and environment: Poor, Good, and Pristine. To determine the condition of an animal Arthur is tracking, players can open the weapon wheel and select binoculars. When they zoom in on the creature and press R1/RB, they should see a dialog box appear in the bottom left that will offer the creature's species and condition. Alternatively, they can check the condition of the animal while riding their horse by aiming a gun at it and pressing R1/R2.
It is possible to get a perfect kill with any weapon. However, this is difficult to do without Dead Eye, and this ability also doesn't work as well on small animals. In addition, there is more of a chance to ruin a perfect pelt when hunting with a gun. In general, it is best to avoid Explosive ammo, and it is easiest to keep pelts perfect when using a bow and arrows for hunting rather than a gun. For small game, players should only use a bow and Small Game Arrows. For all other creatures, players can use regular, Poison, or Improved arrows, a regular or Poison throwing knife, or Slug or other non-explosive ammo.
Getting perfect pelts also requires players to land Critical or Fatal hits. Anything else can ruin that pelt, even on a Pristine animal. To get Critical Damage, the player needs to hit a creature's critical organ, including the lungs and stomach. For a Fatal hit, players need to hit the heart or brain, which will usually result in a one-shot kill. The closer Arthur can get to the prey, the easier it will be for him to land an appropriate shot and do the necessary amount of damage for a perfect pelt. In addition, players should aim to avoid larger bones to ensure they reach the vital organ directly.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.