When there was no release for Undead Nightmare 2 following Red Dead Redemption 2, it signaled a big mistake on Rockstar’s part. Many players were expecting a DLC; some even found Easter eggs in the game that they believed were hinting at an Undead Nightmare 2 scenario for John or Arthur. However, nothing has been released, and no further information ever materialized.
The original Undead Nightmare is a DLC for the first Red Dead Redemption game. The popular DLC featured zombies and other supernatural creatures that John Marston had to defeat while trying to uncover what caused the dead to come back. Not only was this DLC fun and a little creepy, but it gave players the chance to play as John Marston again, in a different context that played around with the fiction of the original property.
Based on RDR and Undead Nightmare, players were anticipating something similar for the RDR2. There are many supernatural Easter eggs in RDR2, so a DLC featuring Arthur Morgan fighting against zombies or other supernatural creatures was the expectation. Sadly, Rockstar released the disappointing Red Dead Online and never capitalized on those supernatural events in the game.
RDR2 Had Creepy Aztec Writing In Blackwater
One of the Easter eggs that had people hoping for an Undead Nightmare 2 are the Aztec symbols that can be found throughout the city of Blackwater in West Elizabeth. The symbols have been translated to “Blessed are the Peacemakers Ayauhtéotl.” Now, this may have been intended only as a fun Easter egg reference to the first Undead Nightmare and nothing more. This area of the game is only accessible when playing John Marston, and the Ayauhtéotl is the Aztec goddess from Undead Nightmare causing the dead to rise. So it could simply exist as a hint about what the future holds for John.
In Tall Trees, one of the areas where John can encounter RDR2’s creepy Skinner Brothers gang, is a well that when entered, changes John’s face to look similar to a zombie. His face visibly pales, his cheeks are sunken, and his eyes go white. This could again be a reference to John’s future in the first Red Dead Redemption. But with two Easter eggs to the zombies in Undead Nightmare, it is a shame that Rockstar never capitalized on the opportunity to bring back the beloved feature.
Since these Easter eggs take place in areas only John can access, it would have been interesting for a potential Undead Nightmare 2 to feature Arthur. Perhaps the DLC takes place before the base game when Arthur and the gang are in Blackwater before the infamous RDR2 Blackwater Mission happened. Not only would this give players a chance to play as Arthur Morgan again, but this would help confirm the connection between John and Arthur.
RDR2's Saint Denis Vampire Could Have Set Up Undead Nightmare 2
The vampire in Saint Denis is another supernatural element the player character can encounter in RDR2. The vampire, who resembles Count Orlok from the film Nosferatu, is a minor threat in the game and easy to miss. At various points in the game, it is possible to hear NPCs whispering about a vampire. But the interesting part of this vampire is that after killing his victims, he leaves notes that can lead the player to him, making it possible to summon the vampire in RDR2.
If Rockstar so desired, it could have made an Undead Nightmare 2 that features vampires instead of zombies. The Saint Denis Vampire could have been a fun hint to the DLC’s story or even mentioned in the potential DLC’s story. But the vampire in Saint Denis is another example of Rockstar missed an opportunity to make Undead Nightmare 2 a compelling reality.
RDR2 Had Witches That Could Have Led To Undead Nightmare 2
There are two witch locations in RDR2. The first occurs in the top corner of West Elizabeth, left of Grizzlies West at a shack where a woman and her dogs live. When approaching the shack, the woman’s dogs will attack, then she will come after the player character. Once the woman and dogs are dealt with, an entry in the journal will mention encountering a witch. The second witch Easter egg encounter is RDR2’s witch cauldron and what it does. Located in Ambarino in an empty shack, it is possible to drink from the cauldron, but the player character will pass out and wake up in a different location. Other than that, there are no known effects of drinking out of the cauldron.
Two witch encounters and no Undead Nightmare 2 DLC featuring them is disappointing. This would have been a chance for Rockstar to explain what drinking from the witch’s cauldron does and the reason it is there. The DLC could have brought in new characters, maybe a witch or two but Rockstar decided to have no Undead Nightmare 2.
RDR2's Strange Man Cameo Was An Undead Nightmare 2 Opportunity
The Strange Man is featured in the first RDR as an ominous quest giver for John. But the Strange Man also has a small cameo in RDR2. The first is a shack in Lemoyne that can be found by both Arthur and John. But most unsettling is the Strange Man cursed Armadillo in RDR2. When John visits Armadillo, he sees a painting of the Strange Man in the shopkeeper’s store. And when he explores, John will find evidence that the shopkeeper made a deal with the Strange Man, which caused the curse on Armadillo.
It is not clear if the Strange Man is Death, God, the Devil, or something else, but he is an unsettling character. It would have been interesting to see him in Undead Nightmare 2, either as an ominous side character or the main character. But whatever he is will continue to remain a mystery.
RDR2's Ghost Girl & Ghost Train Are Perfect Undead Nightmare Fuel
There are two ghost encounters in RDR2 that could have been part of a potential Undead Nightmare 2 DLC. The first is RDR2 secret ghost train that appears on the train tracks that run between Lemoyne and New Hanover around 3 am. The second ghost is the apparition of Agnes Dowd, who appears in the Bayou late at night. She can spawn while leaving camp the player character made, which is utterly terrifying.
The two ghost encounters could have been long and detailed DLCs where the player character, or perhaps Arthur, has to help solve the ghostly mystery, whether that would mean having him boarding the train to help solve what happened to it, or assisting Agnes Dowd with going to the afterlife. It is easy to imagine what could have been when Rockstar never delivered the Red Dead Redemption 2 DLC many players wanted.