There's unarguably a good amount of content to get started with when you begin playing Red Dead Online - but if you've spent a fair amount of time playing through this content, especially with the lack of recent updates, and are starting to feel bored, here's some of our favorite things to do that'll keep you occupied:
1) 'Hardcore Mode'
This is a perfect way to refresh your play style - simply turn off auto aim (console players), hide the mini-map, and ban yourself from using tonics. It's incredible how different the game begins to feel; each gunfight feels far more dangerous and you'll quickly find yourself more grounded in the world of Red Dead Online.
Other than improving your aim, playing in free-aim also has the added benefit of awarding bonus XP - each kill in free-aim returns an extra 25XP, which definitely adds up when clearing moonshine roadblocks or fending off enemies in Call to Arms.
Fancy an extra layer of realism? Switch into first-person perspective to feel that one step closer to the action!
2) Start a new Character
It might seem difficult to temporarily hang up your boots with your original character, decked out with all weapons, the fastest horses, and endless cash and gold, but starting a new character can often be a refreshing way to enjoy Red Dead Online.
Rather than earning cash and gold for the sake of it, and with nothing to spend, having to complete missions to afford new weapons or roles as a new player gives far greater purpose to your playtime.
Started off with a male character? Make a female one! (Or vice versa) There are all sorts of different clothing for either character that you might want to try. Perhaps you played as a hunter, living out in the wild on your first character - or maybe your new character could be an affluent member of St Denis society.
It's undeniable that Red Dead Online gives you a lot of freedom with how your character can look, dress and live - tap into this variety with a second (or even third) character!
3) Play with others
Some of my greatest memories in Red Dead Online are when playing with friends - be it spending hours riding donkeys across the entire map or dancing around drunk in the moonshine bar. Playing solo is by no means the wrong way to enjoy Online - much of my playtime involves riding around like a lone wolf - but playing with friends or other players can certainly offer an often more enjoyable experience.
Gather new players amongst your friends or simply look to the many discords, subreddits, or Xbox/Playstation communities to find fellow folk across the frontier and enjoy working through Red Dead Online's content together.
Help out new players by advertising your trader deliveries or act as veteran gunslingers when assisting their bounty hunting efforts. New players are easy to find in lobbies and always eager for help! - We were all there at some point!
"Look to the many discords, subreddits or Xbox/PS communities to find fellow folk across the frontier"
4) Become a Completionist
The title says it all - set yourself the ultimate goal of completing everything in Red Dead Online. This one might not be for everyone, but in Red Dead Online where there officially is no end goal, this is certainly the closest you can get to being able to say you've completed it!
There's a lot of scope for this one though, you might just want to complete all missions, role content, and awards or go full out and own one of each item alongside finishing all playable content.
See if you can fill out Harriet's Guide Book, collect one of each set of collectibles, own all garment sets and even achieve all awards - on that topic, check our next best thing to do in Red Dead Online!
After hunting all 42 legendary animals you'll have to shell out over $23,000 to purchase every single garment set - happy saving!
5) Complete Awards
This one might seem obvious at first, simply because all players complete awards just by playing casually. However, even with 1000s of hours of playtime, you'll find that you likely haven't completed many awards - often because they aren't activities you tend to find yourself carrying out in your playtime.
Challenge yourself to complete some of the Red Dead Online Awards each time you log on...
... here are a few fun ones worth trying to complete:
- Kill enemies with mounted weaponry (1000)
- Kill 2 animals in a single explosion (20)
- Drag an enemy with a lasso from horseback (100 miles)
- Ride on horseback from Emerald Ranch to Braithwaite Manor in 3:45 mins
This is only a fraction of the awards in Red Dead Online - not only are they something to do, but they also reward bonus gold upon each reset!
(Honorable Mention) Transport an alligator to Mount Hagen
Yes.. you read that correctly. Accomplished by OnlyPvpCat, this is no easy feat - sedate an alligator in the swamps of Lemoyne and lasso it across the map to the top of Mount Hagen... make sure you don't let it wake up!
Don't let the fun stop there though, get creative and see what else you can manage. A mountain ram in New Austin? A sheep in Colter?
There is no limit to the variety of wacky activities you can get up to in Red Dead Online. Ride a donkey across the entire map... Commandeer a train and try to gather as many passengers as possible... See how far you can drive a boat up the Dakota River.
Waiting game
Obviously one of the best medicines to boredom in Red Dead Online would be Rockstar updating the game itself.
There's still no telling whether we will receive an update this summer or even this year - only time will tell. In the meantime, let us know how you get on with some of these new ways to enjoy Red Dead Online - which is your favorite?
What activities do you enjoy in Red Dead Online? What updates are you hoping Rockstar will add?
