How to Make Money Fast on Red Dead Redemption 2

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How to Make Money Fast on Red Dead Redemption 2

Photo by Kerry R Mcdonaugh // CC BY-SA 4.0 

When Red Dead Redemption 2 first starts, Morgan and the gang are pretty much down and out. There isn’t much cash to spare. That said, the game doesn’t actually demand that you make loads of money, as long as you are happy to go with the weapons, ammo and essentials that you find along your journey.

 

If you do want to make a bit of cash in RDR2, then there are several ways to go about it. Doing so will allow you to buy upgrades and outfits and, well, some of us just like to farm. Here’s how to get cash relatively quickly.

 

Complete Missions and Side Quests

It can be tempting to go off and pelt animals all day in preparation for the main storyline, but, actually, the story itself is one of the quickest ways to earn money, as well as being one of the best single-player campaigns ever made.

 

The missions vary in earnings, but the ‘An American Pastoral Scene’, which is quite early on, pays $300. If you play through the story first, you will rarely be short of cash. If you get the opportunity to pilfer homesteads or hunt legendary animals with your gang members, then these also pay nicely.

 

Gaming

Many of the side games from the original Red Dead Redemption are back in RDR2, such as poker, blackjack, dominoes and five-finger fillet. Of these, poker can be particularly lucrative, if you know how to play. This is unlocked after the Chapter 2 mission ‘Who Is Not Without Sin’.

 

You may have to read up on poker to get good enough. Alternatively (although this is technically unsportsmanlike in my book), you can save beforehand to make sure you don’t go bust. The stakes start small, but as you progress through the game they increase to multi-hundred dollar wins.

 

Go Hunting

Animal pelts and meat are valuable commodities in RDR. You can sell them at the general stores in towns or the trapper. Not all pelts are equal. Hunting is actually a fine art in the game. Scope several animals in a species and find the ‘pristine’ ones; also note that each category of animal requires a different weapon to subdue it.

 

You can also go bounty hunting. Look out for ‘Wanted’ posters at the sheriffs’ offices in towns. Just like you when you have broken the law, there are criminals with bounties on their head. You can earn $100 or more for capturing them, depending on how badly they need to be brought in. Remember—bringing them in alive is always better.

 

Sell Horses, Trinkets and Carriages

You can sell trinkets that you find throughout the game. Gold bars are worth the most money at $500, so check out the gold bar locations and aim to find them as soon as possible.

 

You can sell horses to the stables. Keep in mind that a stolen horse won’t fetch a high price and neither will a standard breed. You have to find the finest race horses or beefcake shires to make the big bucks. You can also steal carriages from towns and roads. Raiding bandit camps is another way to go. Sneak up, vanquish them and take what they had.

 

 Photo by Instacodez, CC0 1.0

 

Dishonourable?

It’s highly dishonourable to loot corpses or rob the general public, so this next tip really depends how you want to play the game. If you’re not too bothered, then loot away at every given opportunity and sell what you find at a fence. It will soon add up. Robbing trains is an excellent way to get people to literally throw money at you.

 

But actually, it pays to be a good citizen in Red Dead Redemption 2. With the maximum honour level of 7, you can get 50% of shop goods. This cuts all your shopping bills in half, meaning you technically don’t have to make as much money.

 

Thankfully, you can do both. Dishonourable acts are soon masked by walking into the next town and greeting absolutely everyone, or by catching fish and putting them back again. However you decide to play it, always be kind to strangers in random encounters, as your kindness may be repaid later on.

 

Article written by Florence Marceau