[Warning: This article contains major spoilers for RDR2.]

Summary

• There's no cure for Arthur in RDR2; his tuberculosis is terminal.
• It's believed that Arthur contracts tuberculosis from Thomas Downes early in RDR2.
• One way to keep Arthur alive is to halt game progress, refusing to play the mission where Arthur dies.

Arthur's death in Red Dead Redemption 2 shouldn't come as much of a surprise, even before players learn he contracted active tuberculosis. The character isn't mentioned at all in the first Red Dead Redemption, so it makes sense the prequel-sequel would follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, and finish the story with the protagonist's tragic, untimely death. And indeed, death comes for Arthur Morgan before RDR2 is through.

There are actually two ways Arthur can die, depending on a variety of player choices. In a good Honor playthrough of RDR2, he dies of tuberculosis, a rapidly worsening illness that plagues him throughout the game. In a bad Honor playthrough, however, Arthur is shot by former van der Linde gang member Micah Bell. There's no cure for a bullet, but the nature of the game's branching endings and binary Honor system begs the question: Can Arthur be cured of tuberculosis in RDR2?

There's No Way To Cure Arthur In RDR2

Arthur's Tuberculosis Is Terminal

The short answer is no, there's no cure for tuberculosis in RDR2. Both in RDR2 and in the nonfictional 1890s, the chances of Arthur Morgan overcoming such a severe case of TB would be slim to none. There's a reason why the scene in which Arthur receives his diagnosis (along with a healthy dose of stimulants) is awkward and somber. The doctor can't even bear to say the word "die," but even Arthur probably knew before he walked in that whatever he had would kill him - and for good reason.

Even in the real world, tuberculosis has long remained one of the most common deadly diseases. In 2018, the year Red Dead Redemption 2 was released, it's estimated that over a million people died from TB, according to a World Health Organization report. Even with the benefits of modern medicine like antibiotics and vaccines, if someone's inactive, "latent" TB develops into the active kind, it's still a serious issue.

Both in RDR2 and in the nonfictional 1890s, the chances of Arthur Morgan overcoming such a severe case of TB would be slim to none.

Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place in 1899, well before treatments like those available today were commonplace. No matter which way it's cut, the second Arthur Morgan extorts the Downes family in Red Dead Redemption 2's second chapter, he is as good as dead, and there's no way for players to cure his tuberculosis in RDR2.

But Red Dead Redemption 2 is a video game. Maybe Arthur can beat the odds and overcome the disease with his inexhaustible reservoir of grit and rough-cut masculinity. Or perhaps the player can find some hidden, long-forgotten, natural treatment in the wilds of the open world.

Again, this is impossible. There's nothing in RDR2 that even hints at the idea that Arthur can muscle through his condition, or that some hermit is hanging out in the trees, ready to cure Arthur's tuberculosis with a mystical mixture of natural herbs. The player has no option but to progress RDR2's story until Arthur's tuberculosis gets so severe that he can barely walk.

The One Way to Keep Arthur Morgan Alive

There is, however, a loophole involved that allows players to prevent Arthur's succumbing to tuberculosis, even if it's not exactly a cure. Currently, the only known way for a player to even come close to saving Arthur from TB in RDR2 is by not progressing in the game at all. If players stop participating in story missions before Arthur dies, he'll technically keep on living for as long as the player desires. This requires all story content to grind to a complete halt after finishing "My Last Boy."

However, that doesn't mean Arthur will be cured; it just prevents him from dying. If the game's story progresses past a certain point, the effects of Arthur's TB will still start to set in. He'll lose weight, become pale, and cough much more often. After receiving his diagnosis in "A Fork in the Road," Arthur's health, stamina, and Deadeye cores begin to deplete 20% faster, and he won't be able to restore any of them fully without sleeping. There's no way to reverse this change.

Plus, taking this route means the player will inevitably miss out on RDR2's excellent final chapters and ending. Losing Arthur is painful, but John makes for an excellent protagonist in his own right. His part of the story is vitally important to the plot, not to mention the overall mythos of the Red Dead universe. Still, it couldn't hurt to maintain a save file from right before that fateful mission, so players can return to Arthur whenever they like.

When & Why Arthur Gets Tuberculosis In RDR2

Arthur Morgan appears to contract TB from Thomas Downes during "Money Lending and Other Sins," a string of missions he performs for Leopold Strauss. It's easy to miss on the first playthrough, but most players will likely notice the exact moment Arthur comes into contact with the disease the second time through. Check out the video below for a replay of when Arthur gets sick from GrandTheftDiamonds on YouTube:

Thomas Downes, one of Strauss' debtors, can be heard coughing throughout the scene. When Arthur pulls him close by way of intimidation, Downes coughs a few times directly in Arthur's face. Tuberculosis is known to spread via airborne droplets, much like other respiratory diseases. While it's not confirmed (Arthur never sees the debtor again after this scene), Downes seems the most likely candidate for infecting Arthur with TB.

It seems Arthur was fated to contract TB. Crucially, unlike other debt collection quests in RDR2, "Money Lending and Other Sins" is mandatory for story progress. Arthur can't wear a mask during the confrontation with Downes; if the player tries to put one on, he'll take it off before the cutscene.

From a narrative perspective, Arthur's illness is thematically appropriate. The fall of the van der Linde gang comes as a result of each member of their core leadership either dying or decaying in some way. The most prominent example of this is the gang's leader, Dutch, whose moral and mental decay over time causes him to lead the gang toward danger and even betray some of his closest supporters. Later, Hosea Matthews, a thoughtful and calculating counterbalance to Dutch's zeal and passion, is shot during a failed bank robbery in Saint Denis.

In the same way, Arthur's physical decay can be seen as a microcosm of the gang's strength degrading. Arthur is characterized as the gang's muscle, not lacking brains, but more of a doer than a thinker. When he contracts tuberculosis, Arthur begins to struggle with the physical demands of gang life, and his impending mortality causes him to question the value of its more violent doings.

Likewise, the gang loses its sense of strength. More of its ranks die, its enemies come closer to finding it, and it's forced to live in increasingly desolate conditions. Without Arthur Morgan acting as the glue, the van der Linde gang can't hold itself together.

So, it's clear that Arthur Morgan's death is an important part of the story. Curing him would make for a happy ending, but ultimately, that'd contrast with the gritty, tragic portrait of America's past that RDR2 paints. It's not easy to say goodbye to Arthur at the end of Red Dead Redemption 2, but it is necessary.

Sources: World Health Organization, GrandTheftDiamonds/YouTube