In Red Dead Redemption 2, a player’s honor matters. Players are ranked on a scale from -8 to +8, with 0 being a neutral place in the middle. The game rewards players for good deeds and punishes them for bad ones, but in a way that’s so discreet it’s hard at first to realize the honor system has a bearing on the game.
In fact, the player’s honor meter while playing as Arthur Morgan or John Marston directly impacts how other characters interact with them. If RDR2's honor rating is low, then strangers are more likely to either run away or attack. But if it’s high, then townsfolk will be more friendly and helpful, offering discounts, advice, and even gifts. It also impacts whether players can earn certain discounts or rewards. For instance, when honor is -1, players will collect less of certain items when looting, including dead-eye tonic and tobacco. But when honor is +1, players will find more items when looting. By +3, players will unlock a new round of outfits, while +6 gives players access to even more stores. +7 gives players half-price discounts on all shops across the map.
The problem with the honor system in Red Dead Redemption 2 is that it forces players to play the game a certain way — without causing too much mischief or mayhem. For players that like to take advantage of RDR2’s open-world and wreak havoc, or simply push the limits to see what bizarre things the game allows players to do, their honor will continue decreasing until it reaches its lowest point. But, as it turns out, there’s actually an easy way to improve a player’s honor meter.
How To Easily Improve Honor In Red Dead Redemption 2
Given how significant the discounts can be the higher a player’s honor is, they’ll want to get their honor meter as high as possible before making a big purchase, like a new weapon or outfit. But trying to increase the rating can feel pointless, especially for players in the negative numbers.
However, there is a simple solution — be nice to people. Simply walking around town and greeting people can bump up a player’s honor meter. When approaching a person to speak with them, players should select "greet" versus "antagonize." Every few people that the player greets will offer a slight boost to honor meter. There’s no need to greet the same person more than once, in fact, this won’t result in higher honor marks. So, in order to boost honor as quickly as possible, players should try to greet as many people as they can.
There are a few other easy ways to regain karma in Red Dead Redemption 2. If players have not yet completed the main story of the game, donating to the Van der Linde's camp fund can raise Arthur's honor level. Another easy thing players can do to quickly raise their karma in RDR2 is to go fishing. Catching a fish and then releasing it offers a slight boost to the player's honor rating, but depending on how big of a fish hooked this can take some time and isn't nearly as fast as just walking around and talking to people.
Of course, players will still have a long way to go if their honor meter is in the negatives, but at least Red Dead Redemption 2 provides an easy way to slowly but surely regain some of the lost honor.