Red Dead Redemption 2 is an enormous game. Simply completing the story should take you well over 50 hours, and that doesn't even include the countless side quests! Needless to say, there is a lot of content in this game, and it's easy to miss some incredible stories and gameplay moments.
RELATED: Praise The Sun: 10 Dark Souls Memes That Are Too True
Whether they're hard to find or hard to unlock, these side quests are well hidden and not often enjoyed. But that's not to say that they aren't worth playing, because they absolutely are. Luckily, we're here to tell you all about them!
These are 10 secret side quests everyone missed in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Updated on April 10th, 2021 by Adriano Valente: Gamers can get absolutely lost in the world of Red Dead Redemption 2, as it’s filled with various events, interactions and activities that always leave you with something to explore. As there’s so much content for players to sift through, it’s not uncommon for some things to get lost in the shuffle. In a way, RDR2’s abundance of content can be something of a double-edged sword. While it guarantees that no two playthroughs will likely be exactly the same, it also comes at the cost of players missing out on some amazing missions. These secret missions aren’t the easiest to discover, but they’re bound to leave an impression on you after you’ve completed them.
15 Of Men and Angels
Of Men and Angels is a quick little interaction, and that’s probably what makes it so easy for players to miss out on. The stranger mission becomes available sometime during chapter 6, and is located within the streets of Saint Denis.
Players will encounter a familiar face in the form of Sister Calderón while walking around the city. The Sister will ask Arthur to donate to the poor during a cutscene, and the player will have to option to oblige or walk away afterwards. Donating either food or money will net Arthur some positive honor.
14 The Mercies of Knowledge
Available during chapter 4 onward, The Mercies of Knowledge is a seven-part stranger mission that can be activated by travelling to Northern Saint Denis. The initial; quest is given by Andrew Bell III, and is one of the most entertaining and terrifying sequences in the game.
RELATED: Red Dead Redemption 2: 10 Ways Honor Actually Affects The Story
The mission consists of Arthur helping Bell by capturing criminal Wilson J. McDaniels in order to test out the latter’s electric chair invention. The mission culminates in some poetic irony and will likely stick with you as one of the most memorable quests in the game.
13 He's British, of Course
Stranger missions can range from the absolutely absurd to the morbid and terrifying. The He's British, of Course encounter falls under the former category, as it has Arthur corralling various Zoo animals for an eccentric animal-wrangler.
The missions don’t make for the most interesting shows of RDR2’s mechanics, but the narrative is enjoyable enough, with the characters involved being good for more than a few laughs. Players can activate this quest by talking to Margret West of Bluewater Marsh.
12 The Wisdom of the Elders
Given to the player by Obediah Hinton in Butcher Creek, The Wisdom of the Elders becomes available to the player sometime during chapter 5. The quest involves Arthur trying to help a small community deal with what they perceive as a curse.
The bulk of the mission deals with destroying talismans around the area, and culminates in the exploration of a mine where Arthur discovers the true source of the people’s problems; poisoned water. Completing the quest will give you honor, but if it’s monetary compoensa5tion you’re after, that’s not part of the deal.
11 The Veteran
Given to players by the titular Veteran, Hamish Sinclair, this stranger mission is located around the Grizzlies East and can be activated from chapter 6 onwards. The mission sees Arthur aid the veteran in reclaiming his horse, with the two striking a friendship and taking parts in various hunts together afterwards.
The Veteran might not be the most action packed mission in the game, but what it lacks in excitement it makes up for with its excellent interactions between Arthur and Hamish. The mission allows players to see more of Arthur’s gentle nature which he typically suppresses with most of his exchanges.
10 A Better World, A New Friend
If you're not really one for exploring, you've probably missed A Better World, A New Friend. These are hunting requests given by a Ms. L Hobbs, who lists various animal carcasses that she needs for...some reason. These include squirrels, rabbits, rats, and various birds. As if finding these animals wasn't hard enough, Hobbs also requests that each carcass be in perfect condition, so it's not as if you can just toss a stick of dynamite into the woods and hope for the best.
The first hunting request can be found on a bulletin board in Valentine Station, and the rest are found in Rhodes, Strawberry, Saint Denis, Van Horn, and Armadillo.
9 American Dreams
American Dreams really drives home the fact that the Wild West could be a scary, horrible place to live. In order to trigger this mission, you need to come across one of three grisly murder scenes. These aren't particularly hard to miss, but they can be if you're more prone to veering off road or letting the cinematic camera do the riding for you. Once you come across one of the crime scenes, you need to explore and inspect the area for clues.
RELATED: 10 Hilarious Siege Memes Only True Rainbow Six Fans Will Understand
Once you've done that, you'll realize that a serial killer is on the loose and hiding in Lucky's Cabin outside Valentine. It's one of the game's most horrifying and disgusting missions, and you absolutely need to play it!
8 Charlotte The Widow
Late in the game you meet Charlotte Balfour, a widow who moved from Chicago with her late husband. She can be found north of Annesburg, where she will admit her fear of dying of starvation. You then take Charlotte hunting and catch a rabbit for her. You can visit two other times, both of which can be triggered by visiting her cabin in Annesburg.
Once Arthur dies, you can again visit her as John, and John will both tell her of Arthur's passing and inform her that Arthur thought highly of her. It's not really a FUN mission per se (at least, not as fun as American Dreams), but it's a touching little vignette that showcases Arthur's willingness to do good.
7 Fundraiser
This is a very small and rather insignificant side mission, but a beautiful one all the same. A woman can be found in Saint Denis collecting donations for the Quincy Harris Memorial Hall. While she requests a rather large donation of $20, Arthur has two options - donate the $20 or rob the woman of the donations and become a wanted criminal. Should you honor the woman and her plight and gift her the $20 donation, you will receive a small amount of honor and some thanks.
However, that's not all! After taking control of John in 1907, you can visit the completed Memorial Hall and see Arthur's name on a plaque outside the building, commemorating his generous donation. It's another beautiful mission that once again proves Arthur's morality and the quality of his character.
6 A Bright Bouncing Boy
Beginning in chapter four, Arthur can find a man named Marko Dragic in Saint Denis. He asks Arthur to help him with a remote controlled boat, and you must control the boat to destroy submarines and avoid mines. Most people will likely end the mission here, thinking it but a mere but interesting diversion. However, the story continues in various complex and relatively hidden ways.
You can subsequently visit Dragic in his workshop in the northernmost region of the map, where he will introduce you to his robot. Following Dragic's death, you can actually find Dragic's robot atop the mountains in the Grizzlies, muttering "Papa" to itself. It's a very well hidden part of the mission, and it serves as a fascinating ending to an already weird story.
5 The Vampire
If you want to get even weirder, let us introduce you to the vampire! Throughout Saint Denis, you can find strange writings scrawled on various walls throughout the city. After finding all five and working out the clues, you are directed to a creepy alley near the city's cathedral. If you visit the alley between midnight and 1:00 AM, you will a creepy vampire feasting on a victim.
RELATED: The Sims 4: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Stuff Packs, Ranked
The vampire will show surprise that you have discovered its location and will turn hostile, attacking you with a knife. Should you dispose of the vampire, you will obtain its Ornate Dagger. And, fun fact of the day - if you take the vampire to the Tiny Church and place it near the crucifix, it will immediately die. The detail in this game is simply impeccable.
4 The UFO Hunt
This simple Easter egg turns into a country-trotting adventure filled with UFOs. What more could you ask for? A UFO can be triggered by visiting a creepy, abandoned shack in New Hanover. After reading the note and visiting the shack at 2:00 AM, you will see a mysterious green light in the sky, presumably that of a UFO. If you follow the directions of the note to the peak of Mount Shann, you will once again encounter a mysterious UFO.
We don't know what this means or if there are other UFOs scattered throughout the game, but what we do know is that this little mission is a lot of fun, and it suggests that the world of Red Dead Redemption is much larger and more expansive than we may think. Cue The X-Files theme.
3 The American Inferno, Burnt Out
This mission requires you to not only beat the game and continue as Arthur, but to travel west of Blackwater and meet a writer named Evelyn Miller. Arthur recognizes the man's name, as Dutch was a fan of Miller's work. Miller then tells John to meet him at his cabin, and you must travel to Tanner's Reach to continue the rest of the mission. You subsequently go on various errands for Miller and leave food at his door after he bars himself in to focus on his writing.
RELATED: Dutch's 10 Best Quotes In Red Dead Redemption 2
If you happen to leave two pieces of food by his doorstep and return to his cabin for a third time, you will find Miller dead, presumably of either starvation or dehydration. The mission reaches a fiery crescendo, as John burns the cabin with Miller's body inside, as per his request.
2 The Mercies Of Knowledge
The Mercies of Knowledge is quite a dense stranger mission, and it is undoubtedly miss-able. The quest doesn't become available until chapter four of the game, and it is then that Professor Andrew Bell can be found in the northeast corner of Saint Denis. He requests that Arthur find him a whole heap of moonshine which he will use for an unspecified machine. After this, you must rob a cart full of moonshine, obtain a permit from the Saint Denis Police Station, and find and capture an outlaw named Wilson J. McDaniels.
After doing so, you can deliver him to Bell, who uses McDaniels as a guinea pig for his new electric chair. Naturally, the whole experiment goes wrong, as Bell dies in considerable pain and Bell is killed by his own malfunctioning machine. Just another day in the Wild West!
1 The Smell Of The Grease Paint
The Smell of the Grease Paint is a fun and fantastical adventure that can be found way out in Van Horn. It requires Arthur to venture into the Van Horn saloon, where he will meet the weird members of a traveling sideshow. One of the members, a woman named Miss Marjorie, will ask Arthur to find her co-worker, a rambunctious circus performer named Magnifico.
You must then chase Magnifico through the woods as he continuously disperses a cloud of colored smoke and disappears. It's certainly a wacky side mission, and it makes for a lighthearted good time in the midst of disease, electric chairs, and serial killers.
RELATED: Red Dead Redemption 2: 10 Things To Do After You Beat The Game