Red Dead Redemption 2
PC / PS4 / Xbox OneWhat this game actually is
An open-world Western action game set in 1899, following outlaw Arthur Morgan and the rest of Dutch van der Linde's gang as a robbery gone wrong forces them on the run across the American frontier.
Plot summary
After a heist in Blackwater goes badly wrong, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang flee into the wilderness with lawmen and bounty hunters closing in, and cracks start to show within the gang itself.
What you're aiming for
Progress the main story (yellow missions on the map, as opposed to white side/timed ones) at whatever pace suits you. This is a deliberately slow, detail-heavy game that withholds explanations on purpose rather than front-loading everything — not immediately understanding a system isn't a sign you're doing something wrong.
Glossary
- Cores
- Three bars — Health, Stamina, and Dead Eye — that drain with activity over about 90 minutes. Camping with the gang stops the drain, and sleeping restores them.
- Dead Eye
- A slow-motion precision-aiming mode that drains its own core — useful for tricky shots, not something to lean on constantly.
- Honor
- A moral meter that shifts with your choices and decides which of three story endings you get.
- Camp
- The gang's home base, where cores don't drain and you can craft and upgrade gear.
- Eagle Eye
- A tracking mode used for hunting animals and following NPCs — also masks your scent while hunting.
Difficulty settings, explained
There's no traditional difficulty setting — the closest equivalent is the Lock-On Mode / Aim Assist Strength combat option, ranging from full assist down to fully manual Free Aim. Worth knowing: several sources specifically recommend keeping aim assist on for horseback fights, since mounted combat throws groups of riders at you continuously and the controls get genuinely difficult without it. Safe to adjust anytime from the settings menu.
Early priorities
This is a cover shooter, not a run-and-gun game — you can't take much damage, so use cover rather than pushing in. Keep aim assist on for horseback fights especially until you're comfortable. It's also worth checking the controls menu — you can turn off the "tap to sprint" pattern common in Rockstar games and try alternate control schemes if the defaults feel awkward. And don't expect the game to explain everything upfront; it paces information over many hours on purpose.
Top sticking points
The slow pace feels confusing at first
This is intentional pacing, not a design flaw — the game deliberately withholds explanations rather than front-loading everything. Give it time before assuming you've missed something.
Playing it like a run-and-gun shooter
You can't absorb much damage here. Stay behind cover — this is built as a cover shooter, and pushing in gets you killed fast.
Mounted combat with Free Aim turned on
Fighting from horseback with full manual aim is genuinely hard thanks to the sluggish base controls. Keep aim assist on here even if you've turned it off elsewhere.
Not understanding the Cores system early
Health, Stamina, and Dead Eye all drain over time and need managing — camping and sleeping are how you top them back up.
Losing Honor without realising why
Some actions cost Honor passively — bringing enemies back to camp, for example — which catches players off guard since the meter isn't always front and centre.
General navigation tips
Yellow missions on the map are the main story; white ones are side or timed content — a quick way to tell what you're looking at. Eagle Eye does double duty for tracking animals while hunting and following NPCs during investigation-style missions, so it's worth getting comfortable with early.