As rumors continue to swirl about the potential for Rockstar Games to develop and release Red Dead Redemption 3 sooner than later, the all-time beloved action-adventure game has shot back into the collective consciousness of gamers across the globe. With three entries to date that increase various in-game challenges - Red Dead Redemption (2010), Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018), and Red Dead Online - it's nearly impossible to experience a perfect playthrough on the first go around.
For beginners looking to avoid some of the most common mistakes that gamers make when first attempting to conquer the Red Dead Redemption outings, be wise and follow the proper guidelines as accurately as possible.
Failing To Summon The Horse & Pace Its Stamina
For such a vast, sprawling open-world map, traveling across the expansive western frontiers in Red Dead Redemption is absolutely paramount to navigating the various locations, completing missions, and the like. However, during the first playthrough, most tyros fail entirely to properly summon their horses and pace them in a way that keeps their stamina up.
To summon one's horse, a player just needs to press up on the directional pad, which will make the character whistle. Most players make the mistake of thinking their horse cannot be retrieved after they leave their sight, but whistling will always result in their horse returning, regardless of where they are located. Moreover, once mounted, most beginners fail to properly calibrate the horse's stamina. Repeatedly pressing the A-button down will increase the horse's speed but deplete its stamina. If the horse's stamina gets too low, it will buck the player off. The player should instead ride at an even pace whenever possible, without utilizing the A-button. Get up to the speed that is required and then simply hold down the X-button and the horse will keep pace, without depleting stamina.
Avoiding Campsite Waypoints For Travel
Another time-wasting mistake most beginners make in the beloved Rockstar game is overlooking the fast-travel option via campsite waypoints. The cheapest and most efficient way to navigate the humongous map begins by riding out of town or any known location and finding flat land. Players can then access the Basic Campsite option, press A, and their map will appear.
In addition to accessing all of the locations previously traveled in the game, players can use the latitude-longitude Waypoints to literally transport to any place on the entire map in seconds flat, saving hours of gameplay in the process. Many in the past have beaten the game before even discovering such an awesome hack.
Using Default Chest-Aiming
In Red Dead Redemption, most first-time players mistake how to operate their firearms due to the default chest-aiming in the casual and normal targeting mode. When facing throngs of enemies, the gun will automatically aim at a bad guy and zoom in when a player senses their presence. However, the gun is always trained on the enemy's chest, which will require at least two shots to kill them.
The first time novices play the game, they invariably fail or forget to manually aim upward at the enemies head, which will take them out in one shot. When enemies hide behind barricades, the auto-aim will still lock onto their chests but the bullets won't necessarily hit the target. To avoid this mistake, players need to get in the habit of raising the aim, zooming in, and shooting slightly higher once the automatic aim occurs, especially when enemies poke their heads out while shrouding their torsos behind blockades.
Reading Dialogue Text During Duels
Another extremely easy mistake to make when playing the all-time great action RPG for the first time is paying too much attention to the distracting dialogue boxes and in-game text. By taking one's focus and concentration off their targets for a split second, especially during the intense dueling shootouts, reading the text will inevitably lead to a novice being shot to death without knowing what hit them.
Moreover, during the harrowing duel sequence, the in-game directions race across the screen so fast that players often make the mistake of speed-reading when they should simply ignore the prompts and fire as fast and accurately as humanly possible. Also during duels, many beginners fail to realize that waiting until the reticle turns from red to white will result in the most accurate shot.
Ignoring Side Missions & NPCs
In what can also be applied to the mega-popular sequel Red Dead Redemption 2, as well, ignoring side missions and non-playable characters is one of the most glaring faux pas new players make. Rockstar Games has become known for its excellent story quests, side missions, and memorable character interactions, and failing to exhaust all of them in the games robs players of the most fulfilling gameplay experience possible.
Between Dutch's awesome poker game full of vivid NPCs and the various unique, creepy, and profitable side quests that include the Time Traveler, a lost princess, a frightening serial killer, and more, most players fail to get the most out of the immersive open-world experience by mainlining their objectives and avoiding all of the bells and whistles that make the game so vivid.
Prematurely Paying Bounties
One of the first things new players will notice about the stellar open-world PS3 game is how hard it is to obtain money in the early stages. At the same time, players will be charged with various bounty payments that need to be met at the post office. While counterintuitive, it's a mistake to pay the bounties upfront, which most beginners tend to do in order to avoid penalties.
Instead, players should simply forgo paying the bounties in the beginning, earn more money for increasingly lucrative missions, and use the till to retroactively pay the bounties later. Without a late fee or interest rate to discourage players from doing so, prematurely paying the bounties is a big no-no.
Disregarding Arthur's Journal
By also completing various side missions, quests, and games within games in RDR2, the more Arthur's personal journey will begin to fill up. For such a viscerally engaging game, reading is the last thing anyone wants to do, especially excitable beginners looking to shoot things up. As such, they often make the mistake of not reading Arthur's journal.
This is a real shame because Arthur's journal is loaded with key story details that will pay dividends for players down the line. Accentuated by breathtaking sketches and illustrations that offer trenchant insight into Arthur's mental state, failing to read Arthur's journal adds insult to injury for beginners.
Failing To Read Newspapers Cheat Codes
In Red Dead Redemption 2, most neophytes totally miss the wealth of hidden details such as cheat codes found in various newspapers located throughout the west. Rockstar Games had a field day implanting such cheat codes in GTA, including the unlock all guns cheat code, so it makes sense that they took the trend up a notch with RDR2.
One of the reasons most beginners miss the cheat codes is the fact that not every newspaper contains them. Moreover, only the newspapers read by Arthur will obtain the cheat codes, meaning beginners must choose the right character from the jump in order to find the helpful shortcuts.
Underutilize Dead Eye
Since it takes a while to master, most beginners fail to even attempt much less succeed at using the slow-mo Dead Eye shooting option that Red Dead Redemption and its sequels offer. Akin to The Matrix's bullet-time, the time-slowing function allows players to tag their targets before unloading lethal rounds.
Tagging the targets requires pressing RB (for Xbox), which will mark a host of enemies before allowing the player to automatically fire at all of them consecutively. It's a really helpful tool when trading fire with a large group of enemies in tight proximity at one location. Alas, most beginners do not even know how to access Dead Eye, much less utilize it with optimal results.
Never Dressing To Kill
Rockstar gamers know full well how important character customization is for the brand, including wardrobe options that fully immerse them into the world. Yet, most Red Dead Redemption beginners fail to exhaust all of the various sartorial choices at their disposal and thereby robbing John, Arthur, Dutch, and the others of the opportunity to dress to kill.
While it costs money to upgrade their appearances, new players inevitably fail to realize they can update and alter the characters' clothing, hairstyles, and facial grooming options, making them presentable for whatever scenario the next mission may call for. Whether accidental or deliberate, ignoring the customizations in the game will rob gamers of the full experience.