Hey all, on my first playthrough and I got completely and utterly side-tracked from the story to pursue the LOTE outfit because I enjoy side quests and challenges and doing things you’re not supposed to do (despite Rockstar’s best efforts) a little too much. I’ve been helped so much by the RDR2 Reddit and YouTube communities that I wanted to give back a little and also help those who have just started playing this amazing game a couple years late like me.
Note: There may be minor spoilers for Chs.2 & 3 below!
There are so many great resources out there, that I don’t intend for this to be a detailed comprehensive guide, but mostly a compilation of helpful tips & resources I’ve picked up along the way on this long adventure. I completed the challenges as early as possible in Ch.3 as Arthur as of 2/7/2021 in version 1.26 on a PS4 Pro, so it’s still possible!
Arthur, you deserve this.
I completed all of the challenges after the Fisher of Men mission in Ch.2 except for those locked behind other missions. Sharpshooter challenges 6-10 are locked behind The Sheep and the Goats, since you acquire a long-scoped rifle in that mission (though there are tricks to get a Rolling Block Rifle even earlier). Bandit challenges 6-10 are locked behind Horse Flesh for Dinner, since that’s where you unlock the horse fence.
I’ll note some ways you can be efficient and you may notice that I tried to frequent the same areas for a lot of the challenges: Little Creek Valley/Hanging Dog Ranch, Emerald Ranch, the big island across from Clemens Point

Bandit Tips
I’m doing a high honor playthrough, so this guide was my main starting point.
Here are my additional tips:
Bandit 1 - Hold up 5 townsfolk
Do this in Van Horn (no law around), note that some citizens are armed and will shoot at you, but you can just run away and come back.
Bandit 3 - Rob the cash register in any 4 shops in one day
I followed this guide to avoid a bounty. You won’t get any money though.
Bandit 5 - Amass $250 bounty in one state
If you start the challenges as early as possible as I did, save the Blessed are the Meek? mission for this challenge. You should get the $250 bounty easy.
Bandit 7 - Rob $50 worth of cash and valuables from townsfolk and travelers
Unfortunately I had already been pickpocketed in St. Denis twice (tailor and gunsmith) and I couldn’t get the Van Horn pickpocket to trigger (saloon), so I did the Annesburg station to the long tunnel trick for an easy no bounty robbery.
Bandit 8 - Steal 7 wagons and sell them to the Fence at Emerald Ranch
I used this tip from the comments in the main guide I used to make it go faster:

The Emerald Ranch stagecoach loop doesn't even require a camp where you "don't" sleep. I leave the fence and sprint full speed via the railroad tracks. You will not see the stagecoach respawned yet, but when I am close to the train station, at about the lone tree on the right hand side, I turn my back on where the stagecoach should be and when I turn around it has materialized.

It didn’t always work, so I did have to use the no sleep trick from the guide for some of the coaches.
Bandit 9 - Hogtie someone and leave them on the railroad 3 times
You can actually just use the same person three times. Cut them free, let them run around a little bit, tackle and hogtie them and drop them on the track again. I just used an O’Driscoll.
Bandit 10 - Rob 5 trains
I used this tip from the comments in the linked guide. I didn’t lose honor at all and there was no bounty:

I have found that all you have to do for a train robbery to count is to just take anything at all. You don't have to rob any people at all! I just went to the second-to-last car and took a can of fruit or pack of cigarettes, rinsed and repeated.

Explorer Tips
This one is super easy. I used the PowerPyx guide though most online guides should be fine.
The only potentially tricky part is getting the High Stakes Treasure Map guy to spawn. You can see potential spawn points in the PowerPyx guide. I actually ran into him twice and let him ride off before getting the map from him the third time, so it is possible to run into him at least three times. Each time was around Strawberry and Wallace Station. To get the map, I ran full speed at him and bumped him and the map went into my inventory (no honor loss).

Gambler Tips
This guide was my main starting point.
Gambler 4 - Bust one poker location out in each location
My only tip to make this faster is to sit at a table with a lot of players. You can always ride away and come back and the table will reset. Target those with less money.
Gambler 5 - Win 3 rounds of dominoes without drawing any tiles against 2 or fewer opponents
I recommend Emerald Ranch for all Domino challenges as Draw is the easiest to learn and play.
Gambler 8 - Win three hands of Blackjack with three hits or more
I got super lucky on this one (15 minutes), so good luck! I don’t know if the game rewarded me for this, but I didn’t just hit if it didn’t make sense (like if I started with two face cards). Definitely hit with aces as they can count for either 1 or 11. I think my three wins came when I started with an ace and a low number card.
Gambler 9 - Win three games of dominoes in a row
I recommend Emerald Ranch, but especially when there is only one opponent (ride away and come back if there are two). Try and keep track of the numbers and if you can, play the same numbers at the end of the snake that have mostly been used up. This can cause your opponent to draw nearly all of the remaining tiles and get you a lot of points and an easy win. I think one time I got 60+ points in one round. Definitely stand up and leave if you are about to lose, but on your turn, not your opponent’s turn or else it’ll be too late.
Gambler 10 - Win three hands of Poker in a row
Several people suggested Flatneck Station for this one or your camp, but Flatneck Station was what worked for me. Every time I went all-in at camp, someone else did too instead of folding.

Herbalist Tips
Fairly easy challenges that really don’t require much guidance, except for the infamous Herbalist 9, see below.
Herbalist 9 - Pick one of each species of herb
Ah yes, the four herbs (Wild Feverfew, Blackcurrant, Red Sage, Desert Sage) that are the only things standing between Arthur and the LOTE outfit.
The two main methods to get the four herbs in New Austin are with a covered wagon or a St. Denis buggy. I believe Unlockable Eden Gaming pioneered the method, but these are the guides I found most helpful.

Petko’s Getting Into and Driving Around New Austin (Buggy Method)
Petko's Picking Plants in New Austin (Buggy Method)
Dmitry Shepel’s Plant Locations (Wagon Method)
Jimbotron’s Detailed and Comprehensive Guide (Wagon Method)

Though it sounds like many have been successful with the wagon (and the Jimbotron video makes some good arguments for the wagon), I opted for the buggy for several reasons.

Availability – I tried some of the tricks to spawn the covered wagon consistently and it was never that consistent. It never took me more than a minute to get a buggy from St. Denis. I figured even though the distance from St. Denis to New Austin was much farther, there was less frustration and the amount of time between runs was probably about the same as I was not spending time saving and reloading or sleeping or running around Strawberry to get the wagon to spawn. Unfortunately, I had completed the Appleseed Timber Co. sidequests so their wagon was unavailable. Maybe I would have felt differently if I could have used their wagon.
Speed & Maneuverability – The buggy is faster and much easier to maneuver than the wagon. It makes getting in New Austin much easier and also avoiding the law easier.
Camera Control – This may be a personal preference, but I never had a problem with the camera zooming in on Arthur with the buggy, while with the wagon it seemed to zoom in on him much more frequently.

My personal experience with Herbalist 9:
After a couple of unsuccessful runs with both the buggy and the wagon (either getting randomly sniped or shot up by lawmen in New Austin), I decided to just stick with the buggy. My first successful run I picked 3 out of the 4 plants, which was exciting. I died when I went over a small drop, ejecting me from the buggy which resulted in getting sniped in the head. My second run I picked the last plant (Desert Sage—it spawns the furthest in) and went for the Prairie Poppy instead of doing the Blackwater campfire method, so I can’t comment on how effective that method is.
My personal tips for Herbalist 9:
Crossing the Blackwater region into New Austin

Definitely go through Beecher’s Hope and if you’re using the buggy, you probably don’t even need to take health potions. I never had trouble escaping the Pinkertons with my health intact.
A major tip noted in some videos is to time it somewhat so your Wanted status wears off just as your cross into Thieves’ Landing. The major benefit to doing this is that you won’t run into any lawmen with this method in New Austin. On my first successful run, for some reason I became wanted again (I think the game does it somewhat randomly at times as there was no one near me) just as I crossed the bridge into New Austin. I had to avoid the law while driving and picking plants which was much more stressful. On my second successful run, I had no status when I crossed over and it was a much more peaceful run.

Driving in New Austin

Per Petko’s video, the key is to be in first-person view (i.e., the most zoomed in view, but with first-person turned off) and aim down at the ground. This will keep the sniper from shooting through the wood of your buggy. Try avoid going down steep declines as this will expose the wood part of the buggy and the sniper will get you.
Once you have the driving down, go slow. You won’t get sniped as long as you’re driving correctly, so just try to ignore the sniper and don’t make mistakes like driving too fast and falling off a cliff.
I turned off the vibration on my controller so I wouldn’t be distracted by the sniper shots.

Picking Plants

Line up the plant with your front wheel and use photo mode to confirm that it’s in the right spot.
Use R1 to backup and try again if you overshoot.
Zoom out to the furthest 3rd-person view and turn your angles to block Arthur (see the many YouTube videos on how to do this). I personally found this part to be fairly forgiving and never got shot while doing this. I did time my dismount right after a shot and that seemed to always work. I got sniped way more while driving badly.

I definitely recommend keeping track of the herbs you’ve picked somewhere (I used OneNote on my phone). For the rest of the plants I used PowerPyx again.
Herbalist 10 - Season and cook all 11 types of meat
Probably the only two meats I had to go out of my way a little bit to get were:

Exotic Bird Meat – I got mine from a pelican at the Annesburg docks
Crustacean Meat – Took a canoe to the island off of Clemens Point (where the iguanas are) and killed a crab there

Horseman Tips
Overall a fairly easy set of challenges. I did all of them with my white Arabian that I got very early on. I don’t have much to add to what’s out there except for the following tips:
Horseman 4 - While mounted, drag a victim for 3300 feet using your lasso
For high honor, just grab an O’Driscoll or Lemoyne Raider and they will definitely die, but just keep going until the challenge pops.
Horseman 7 - Kill 7 enemies from horseback without dismounting
Use a gang hideout. I used Six-Point Cabin.
Horseman 8 - Kill 9 predators from horseback
Gators in the bayou are the way to go.
Horseman 9 - Ride from Van Horn to Blackwater in less than 17 minutes without touching any water
I found this guide to be the most helpful.
You definitely need to stock up on Potent Health Tonics (though I probably used only around 3-5) and I would disagree with the guide in just taking a straight path through Tall Trees. Only go off the roads once you get to the plains of Blackwater as it’s easy to hit a rock or tree if you go off the road in the Tall Trees region (which is why I failed my first run). Honestly stick to the roads if it’s easier for you and don’t be afraid to take the Health Tonics liberally. In my experience it’s pretty hard for the Pinkertons to kill you if you’re taking the tonics and riding fast, even if you stick to the roads. It’s way better to waste some tonics than dying or going off road and falling and then having to restart the run. I was able to do this on my second run.
Horseman 10 - Break every wild horse breed
First off, I got every horse without having to go to Blackwater or go off map. Here’s where I got mine.

American Standardbred, Appaloosa, Kentucky Saddler, Morgan – Little Creek Valley, ride from the east to the west and back and different groups will spawn.
Tennessee Walker – I kind of forget where I got this one, I think either where I looked for Mustangs or Hungarian Half-breds, but it’s pretty common so you shouldn’t have trouble.
Nokota – I used Jimbotron’s guide.
American Paint – I used Jimbotron’s guide.
Mustang – I used Jimbotron’s guide, but they are actually pretty common. I’ve also seen them in Little Creek Valley as well after I finished this challenge.
Hungarian Half-bred – Supposedly the hardest to get, but I broke one really early on when I was hunting for bison near Heartland Overflow before I had Horseman 10 active, and before I knew it was hard to get. I went back to the location in the screenshot below and found two of them there, so I think it’s a pretty common spawn for this horse, though it’s not 100%. The spawn point should be in the middle of a cluster of trees.

https://preview.redd.it/b1xa2jqymeg61.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=660aab100e1546cea46f6866701cc82f88a10fb9
If you have any trouble breaking horses, I found that this tip has never failed me: Just hold the stick in the 5 o’clock position while spamming the calm button.

Master Hunter Tips
Hunting was my first love in RDR2, so I have a soft spot for these challenges. Also this was the first set I completed. Most are pretty straightforward.
Master Hunter 6 - Kill 5 cougars with your bow, then skin them
I used this guide for consistent cougar spawns. The only comment I have is that the cougar won’t always spawn by the rock, but will sometimes spawn further up.
If you’re trying to knock out the challenges as quickly as possible, be careful when using poison arrows. Incapacitating a cougar with a poison arrow and then killing it with your knife won’t count as an arrow kill. You can however walk up to the dying cougar and headshot it with an arrow (I recommend Improved Arrows) to have it count toward the challenge. A clean headshot with an Improved Arrow is my preference over shooting it with poison arrows as it’ll yield a perfect pelt more consistently in my experience.
Master Hunter 7 - Use bait to lure and kill both a herbivore and predator
The interesting note is that boars count as predators. I killed a deer and a boar for this challenge.
Master Hunter 8 - Catch 3 small fish without using a fishing rod
I used a bow and arrow as I think dynamite lowers your honor.

Sharpshooter Tips
Sharpshooter 3 - Kill 5 flying birds while on a moving train
The only important tip is to make sure the train is moving. If you are reported for disturbing the peace (which will often happen once you start shooting) the train will slow and stop and your kills won’t count. There’s no point is trying to shoot more birds once that happens, so just run away and try again.
Sharpshooter 4 - Kill someone at 80 feet away with a tomahawk
I used a random four-person O’Driscoll camp. The key tip in my experience is using an Improved or Homing Tomahawk. I used a Homing. When I used a regular, it would miss pass 80 ft. Here’s the Reddit tip I used:

The way I did it is to have a full deadeye meter. Go into it, tag the targets head at the furthest range you can, then just back up while staying in deadeye. As long as he's not charging at you, when the meter runs out, he'll throw it and still get the kill, well past 80ft away.

Sharpshooter 5 - Kill 6 animals without switching or reloading your weapon
I did this on a bunch of turkeys and random animals near Emerald Ranch. You can go into Deadeye once, but don’t go into it again or else you’ll reload. Also pairs wells with Survivalist 3.
Sharpshooter 6 - Kill someone at least 660 feet away with a long scoped rifle
Based on a tip I found elsewhere (can't remember the source), I went to this island in the middle of the Little Creek River and shot the guard on the windmill platform at Hanging Dog Ranch using a Rolling Block Rifle. Easy peasy.
https://preview.redd.it/s4ztr2veneg61.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4caf452066d9167d58b2d6e6cb4e1a3e636fdc84
Sharpshooter 7 - Get 7 headshots in a row
Right after Sharpshooter 6, I stayed in the area and killed 7 deer or pronghorns around Little Creek Valley. It’s easier than human enemies in my opinion and you can skin in between kills without resetting the counter (can’t pass up the extra vension).
Sharpshooter 8 - Disarm 3 enemies without reloading or switching your weapon
Based on other’s people’s advice, I went to Cornwall Kerosene & Tar and l and went up this hill near the guards. I pulled out my Lancaster repeater that I modified with a short scope and shot one of the guards in the elbow. Then I ran away up the hill until the red enemy indicator disappeared. Rinse and repeat.
https://preview.redd.it/fb60ybfaoeg61.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44d621eebcde95c954eef72eff114018d974d333
Probably could just as easily work on the front gate guards at Hanging Dog Ranch, but I had to go to Valentine anyways to get a scope from the gunsmith.
Sharpshooter 9 - Shoot 3 people’s hats off in the same Dead Eye use
Although I did have Level 3 Dead Eye at this point, this guide works great for those with Level 2 Dead Eye and there's no bounty!
Sharpshooter 10 - Kill 3 flying birds with 3 consecutive long scoped rifle shots
This does not have to be in the same Dead Eye, so it’s really not bad. I did this near Annesburg, since I had just finished Sharpshooter 9, but Emerald Ranch is probably a good location since it has lots of birds and other guides mentioned north of St. Denis, since herons are large and fly slower than other birds.

Survivalist Tips
Survivalist 3 - Kill 5 animals with a varmint rifle
Pairs well with Sharpshooter 5, see above.
Survivalist 4 - Craft a dynamite, fire, improved, poison, and small game arrow
See a pamphlet location guide for the pamphlets. Just remember to read them!
Survivalist 6 - Kill a scavenging animal while it is feeding a corpse 5 times
This is great to pair with Weapons Expert 3. Kill an animal and then tomahawk the ravens or birds of prey that come. I recommend Emerald Ranch area as it’s very open and there is plenty of wildlife near the Heartland Overflow.
Survivalist 7 - Kill 8 small game animals with consecutive shots, using small game arrows
By the way, you can’t save and reload if you miss, it’ll reset the counter. It has to all be done in one go. The location that seemed pretty easy for me was again the island west of Clemens Point where you find iguanas. When I went to the shipwreck location on that island, a group of crows kept on circling in the area and I was able to grab most of my kills there. Don’t shoot the iguanas as they often won’t die from one small game arrow. Go for birds and if you’re looking for perfect snake pelts you can risk some water snakes near the shipwreck.
Survivalist 8 - Craft a homing tomahawk, improved tomahawk, volatile dynamite, and volatile fire bottle
Again, refer to a pamphlet location guide. The only tricky material here is the owl feather for the Homing Tomahawk. I found mine at night near Emerald Ranch. They can circle overhead or one can be sitting in the loft window of the barn.
Survivalist 9 - Catch a fish that weighs at least 19 lbs
If you’re going for early completion, most likely you haven’t caught all the Legendary Fish at this point. Save one of the big ones to easily complete this challenge. But if you have caught all the Legendary Fish already, don’t despair, I actually caught a couple fish for Survivalist 10 that were over 19 lbs.
Three helpful fishing tips:

You can go into your accessibility options and change the reel button to be a simple button press (Square on the PS4) rather than rotating your stick.
When the fish is not fighting, flick your stick down to pull the fish toward you then release, pause, and then repeat. You’ll make big gains in distance each time.
This may seem obvious, but don’t cast the line too far out unless necessary. Don’t make the battle longer than needed.

My first legendary fish legit took like 10 minutes, but after reading about how to fish more efficiently and implementing the tips above, fishing even the largest fish took like a minute or two tops.
Survivalist 10 - Catch one of each type of fish throughout the world
You could knock out most of the Legendary Fish in pursuit of this goal, but if you’re going for a quicker completion (as I was), I just used these fishing maps and only picked up Legendary Fish if they were nearby or if I had trouble catching a particular species.

Weapons Expert Tips
Stocking up on Potent Health Cures is recommended as running into a gang hideout and hogtying everyone can make a lot of these challenges super easy. Hanging Dog Ranch and Six Point Cabin are great locations to get these done.
Weapons Expert 1 - Kill 3 enemies with a knife
I only had one knife kill from an earlier mission, so I went to Six Point Cabin, popped a Potent Health Cure and stabbed some fools.
Weapons Expert 2 - Kill 3 enemies in 10 seconds using only throwing knives
After Weapons Expert 1 popped in my assault on Six Point Cabin, I cleared out the camp except for four guys, hogtied them, and went for headshots for an easy completion.
Weapons Expert 3 - Kill 3 birds of prey using only a tomahawk
Pair this Survivalist 6 to be efficient since ravens count as birds of prey.
Weapons Expert 4 - Kill 10 enemies with a shotgun using crafted ammo
I returned to Six Point Cabin and used Incendiary Buckshot. You can get the pamphlet at Copperhead Landing.
Weapons Expert 5 - Kill 5 mounted enemies, using 1 throwing knife per kill
This is probably not so helpful, but I did this during a mission (Pouring Forth Oil IV) as I didn’t want to stir up trouble into order to get lawmen or bounty hunters coming after me. A lot of missions involve mounted enemies, so if you want to avoid unnecessary bounties and keep a high honor, I recommend doing this challenge through missions.
Weapons Expert 6 - Kill 4 enemies at the same time with a single stick of dynamite
I did another run at Six Point Cabin, and went crazy hogtying people to do this challenge and the next one. You can use a Volatile Dynamite if you’re worried about getting all four at once as it has a wider range. I stacked five guys just to be safe.
Weapons Expert 7 - Kill 4 consecutive enemies by throwing and retrieving the same tomahawk
I lined up five hogtied guys and used an Improved Tomahawk for an easier kill, though if you aim for the head it shouldn’t matter. Some people mentioned that it’s best only to have one in your inventory so the game doesn’t accidentally replace the one you’re picking up, but I had multiple Improved Tomahawks and it wasn’t really an issue.
Weapons Expert 8 - Kill 15 enemies using a long-barreled sidearm
Make sure to modify one of your pistols with a long barrel at the Gunsmith. I went to Hanging Dog Ranch to do this one as there are more enemies. I cleared out the place, but I would recommend against doing that as it’ll take a few days for the whole gang to come back. I recommend killing half of the required count, riding away and coming back, so that the whole gang respawns. Then complete rest of the challenge and ride away again. If you do this, it’ll flow right into the next challenge.
Weapons Expert 9 - Kill 9 unaware enemies from behind, using the bow
Approach Hanging Dog Ranch from the west and use Improved Arrows if you want to ensure your kills, though Regular Arrows should work fine. There are two easy kills. One is the O’Driscoll that wanders outside of the stables. Make sure his back is at least mostly turned to you (head-on kills won’t count). The other is the guard on the windmill platform who is always in the same stationary position. You should get at least two kills each time, though you can sometimes get more depending on the patrol patterns.
Weapons Expert 10 - Kill a grizzly bear without taking damage, using only throwing knives
There’s a consistent grizzly spawn point not too far east of Hanging Dog Ranch between Watson’s Cabin and Wallace Station, so you can flow right into this challenge after the last one. Here’s what I did. I let the grizzly charge me, went into Dead Eye and threw a Poison Throwing Knife to incapacitate him. Then I switched to an Improved Throwing Knife and did a headshot. Boom. Done.

Bonus: Silver Dapple Pinto MFT in Chapter 2
I don’t think the Moonstone Pond glitch works any more as of 1.26. I tried for about an hour and could never get it to work.
The Arcadia for Amateurs – III method does work though! I didn’t have any luck with the tracking method, though from YouTube comments, it looks like people aren’t having any trouble even as of last week. Here’s the method I used and it was pretty easy. I was able to do it on the first try.

Thanks for reading and now it's time to do other things in the wonderful world of RDR2!

Looking for RDR2 Domino Set - Anyone Selling?

RDR1 VS RDR2

This is my opinion on both RDR1 and RDR2. I'm going to be comparing things that I want to compare with both of them. I will exclude Undead Nightmare from this comparison between RDR1 and 2. This is my opinion so you can obviously disagree with anything I say about either of the games. Adding a Spoiler tag because I'm going to talk about a character death.
RDR1 as a whole was a masterpiece to me. The online mode with the boahs was amazing. We still even play it from time to time. The story was great. Sure it was basically "i WilL gIvE ThE InFo YoU nEeD BrUh DoNt WoRrY." while doing errands for people, but I didn't mind it. The Stranger missions were fun as well. The side activities that you can do in the open world is fun. If your not into gambling, you probably won't like either RDR2 or RDR1 when it comes to doing those activities. I don't hate Poker, but I don't like it either so I didn't play it much. I love Blackjack. I love Five Finger Fillet as well. Liars Dice is my a time favorite one. I'm really disappointed that Liars Dice was replaced by Dominos in RDR2. I know how to play Dominos, but I find it really boring. The Challenges in RDR1 were fun to do. They weren't bullshit like the Gambler Challenges in RDR2. I like how you have to do certain things to unlock Outfits that are either just for looks, or give you a special ability. Like the Deadly Assassin Outfit for example. The graphics are still nice by today's standards. The scenery in this game is lovely to see. And to me the Outfits in RDR1 looked way better than the Outfits in RDR2. I'm not talking about customized Outfits that you can make in RDR2, I'm talking about the Outfits that you have to buy from General Stores. They were really disappointing in comparison to RDR1. The gameplay was better to me in RDR1. The fact that I can carry every single weapon in the game while switching to them at anytime makes the game more fun to me. The flaming arrows and the flaming bullets and stuff were cool in RDR2, but if I'm being honest I didn't really care about that if I'm being honest. I didn't care about the gore in RDR2 either. It was cool, but didn't care for it. I liked John more than Arthur I'm being honest. Sure he didn't have much of a personality compared to Arthur, but his character arc was more interesting to me. He turned from a deadbeat asshole to a good father, or as good of a father as he could be at least. Arthur's character arc was good as well, he was a bad person no doubt about that. So was John. They were bad men, they did ALOT more bad than good but they had hearts at least. Especially Arthur. The soundtrack RDR1 was a masterpiece. Any track that's from Nuevo Paraiso was godly. The random encounters that you can have are better than RDR2s but they are repetitive. Like saving a man's wife from being hung, saving a girl thats about to be mauled by fucking bears and other dangerous animals and having a race between a herbalist to see who can get the most plants were fun to me. But they show up WAY too often. The map of RDR1 was great. Mexico was the best part of the map to me mainly because of the music and the scenery. The Gang Hideouts were fun to do. The duels that you can have with random strangers in towns were fun too. This game made me really feel like a gunslinger. I love this game so much.
RDR2 as a whole was a 9/10 to me. The cleaning your guns thing was abit much to me. It was kind of a turn off for me when it came to gameplay. I understand that Rockstar wanted to make RDR2 realistic, but c'mon really? Why add this? I don't mind realism, but if it interferes with my fun with the game then thats when I don't like it. The Online mode is trash in my opinion but I won't go any deeper into the subject other than I think it's boring garbage. The story of the gangs past didn't really intrest me at first. I was like "Well the gang obviously falls apart so either the new characters are either going to die or escape and are never talked about in RDR1." and I saw Arthur's death coming as soon as I heard that he was the protagonist in RDR2. But when I got the game I enjoyed these characters and some of the twists and turns weren't things that I was expecting. It was a really entertaining story to play through. The Challenges like the Bandit Challenges were better than the RDR1 Challenges. The Gambler Challenges are godawful though. Who the fuck made them? Why make them? Why? Fucking why? Why make them a pain in the ass? Fuck those Gambler Challenges and fuck whoever made them. When and if I go to hell I can imagine my punishment being to play Gambler 9 for the rest of my life. Dear god I will never touch a domino ever again. Anyways, back to the topic. The random encounters that you have in RDR2 are very boring. They are either Gangs saying they want to rob me or women getting stuck on their horses. At least for me that is. Chapter 1 was really boring to me. It was really slow paced and it felt like a one hour tutorial. It's cool that you are telling me how to play the game, but can I please not die from boredom? The controls and things you have to maintain like your players cores and your horse cores are simple to understand. And I get that the snow is pretty, so can I move on now please??? And I'm not a very patient person so Chapter One was a pain to go through for me. Chapter 5 wasn't bad, but I didn't like it either. And I hate the fact that you can't explore Guarma after you beat the Chapter. All that hard work people put into making Guarma and it never gets seen again. Big disappointment. I like that the story of the gang was in a different persons perspective instead of John's. I probably wouldn't have liked the story the way I did if it was from John's perspective considering that he is an asshole to his family in early Chapters. And I liked that I was playing as a completely different character while meeting new characters in the process. Just felt like a right move to do in my opinion. I love that the game makes you care about your horse. Its not like RDR1 where your like "Eh whatever, i HaVe a DeEd tO ThAt TyPe Of HoRsE sO iTs FiNe." Absolutely love and care for my horses. The map and scenery in RDR2 was way better than RDR1. The scenery and map was good in 1,but 2 took that to another level. The Photo Mode is a great feature as an excuse to go explore more lol. The hunting in the game is amazing. I'm starting another playthrough of the game but this time I'm going to 100 percent the game and get all Trapper crafting clothes. The graphics were obviously better than 1. Half the time the game looked like a painting while the other half of the time it looked realistic. The customization in RDR2 was great. I've seen people make amazing clothing on reddeadfashion. Liked that you can customize your guns and horse as well. The soundtrack of RDR2 was great. But I personally enjoyed the RDR1 soundtrack more. The Stranger missions were much better in 2. Stranger missions like Hamish and that one Stranger that needs help making the electric chair were more entertaining than RDR1 Stranger missions. This game made me really feel like a sad cowboah 😔 💔.

Does Gambling feel broken to anyone else or am I just unlucky?

The NEET's Guide to 100% RDR2 Completion [Spoilers]

Preface:
Hello, fellow basement dwellers.
I have comprised something of an outline for Red Dead Redemption 2 Completion. Because many of the RDR2 guides published by the larger gaming companies are so huge, it's usually hard to find most of the information I want from one page. So because I'm a lazy NEET with nothing better to do, I decided to draft a single post of everything I'd need to know to fulfill each requirement.
Initially, I wanted to consolidate my completion checklist so that I could easily access my maps and keep track of my overall achievements. While I was working on my easy-access guide, I figured I may as well make this a masterpost for any other players aiming for completion. Of course that added maybe 5 hours to my initial task, but I can't complain seeing as I've spent the past 33 days in makeshift Westworld.
What I have here is a summary of the Total Progress requirements including specific details, necessary maps, some debatably helpful bonus information, and a few of my own tips. I've used many sources of gaming sites (IGN, PowerPyx, Eurogamer, etc.) - I chose what I thought were the best links and copied them onto here for sake of ease. I didn't notice any spam or ad problems, but I've only been operating off desktop, so I don't know if there will be any mobile site issues.
Let me know if there are any mistakes or discrepancies within the text. 1 semi-solid proof-reading assured me that I left no Pornhub links lying around. However, I may be mistaken and now 479k subscribers will be subjected to cowboy hentai.
And of course, let me know if there's anything I should add. This outline is a bit rough and I know it's lacking in details here and there.
Maybe some of you will find this to be of use. Maybe not. Yeehaw. ¯\(ツ)/¯
Table of Contents:

Maps
Completion Items in Each Region
Events
Collectibles
Compendium
Player
Challenges
Miscellaneous

MAPS

Here is an assortment of Web Articles that I found to include the best maps and information needed for completion quests. Also passed for minimal ads and interruptions.
ROCK CARVINGS
Eurogamer: All 10 Locations + Reference Images
DINOSAUR BONES
PowerPyx: All 30 Locations + Reference Images
LEGENDARY ANIMALS
Eurogamer: All 16 Locations
LEGENDARY FISH
IGN: All 13 Locations + Tips
EXOTICS
PowerPyx: Each Orchid Location, Bird Spawns, Tips, + Reference Images
GANG HIDEOUTS
VG24/7: All Locations
GANG MEMBER GRAVES
USgamer: All 9 Locations
DREAMCATCHERS
PowerPyx: All 20 Locations + Reference Images
TREASURE MAPS

Jack Hall Gang Maps
Eurogamer: Locations + Reference Images
High Stakes Treasure Maps
Eurogamer: Locations + Reference Images
Poisonous Trail Maps
Eurogamer: Locations + Reference Images
Torn Treasure Maps
IGN: Locations + Reference Images
Panoramic Map
IGN: Locations + Reference Images

COMPLETION BY REGION

AMBARINO

4 Gang Member Graves
3 Rock Carvings
4 Dinosaur Bones
4 Dreamcatchers
5 Legendary Animals: Bear, Elk, Ram, White Bison, Wolf
1 Legendary Fish: Sockeye Salmon
7 Weapons: Ancient Tomahawk, Flaco's Revolver, Hewing Hatchet, Hunter Hatchet, Micah's Revolver, Pump Action Shotgun, Rusted Hunter Hatchet
Points of Interest / Easter Eggs: Mammoth Skeleton, Adler Ranch, Witch's Cauldron, Martha's Swain Cabin, Dodd's Bluff Cabin, Marko Dragic's Robot, Cave with Strange Statues, Frozen Settler, Hermit Woman, Friendly Giant
1 Stranger Missions: "The Veteran"

NEW HANOVER

1 Gang Member Grave
5 Rock Carvings
15 Dinosaur Bones
14 Dreamcatchers
2 Legendary Animals: Beaver, Moose
4 Legendary Fish: Steelhead Trout, Perch, Muskie, Chain Pickerel,
7 Weapons: Calloway's Revolver, Civil War Knife, Granger's Revolver, Rare Shotgun, Rusted Double Bit Hatchet, Schofield Revolver, Viking Hatchet
Points of Interest / Easter Eggs: UFO sighting, Meteor House, Marko Dragic's Laboratory, Trail Trees, Black Sheep, Viking Tomb, Old World Scripts, Oil Derrick, Brush Fire, Serpent Mound, Mossy Flatts, Manbearpig
11 Stranger Missions: "The Smell of the Grease Paint," "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman," "Smoking and Other Hobbies," "A Test of Faith," "All That Glitters," "He's British, of Course," "A Fisher of Fish," "Oh, Brother," "The Widow of Willard's Rest," "The Wisdom of the Elders," "American Dreams"

WEST ELIZABETH

2 Rock Carvings
3 Dinosaur Bones
1 Legendary Animal: Buck
2 Legendary Fish: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass
5 Weapons: Antler Knife, Double Bit Hatchet, Semi-Automatic Shotgun, Stone Hatchet, Wide-Blade Knife
Points of Interest / Easter Eggs: Stuffed Gorilla, Crashed Airship, Obelisk, Native Burial Site, Giant's Skeleton, Whale Bones, Face in Trees,Circus Wagons
3 Stranger Missions: "Arcadia for Amateurs," "Geology for Beginners," "The American Inferno, Burnt Out"

LEMOYNE

4 Gang Member Graves
2 Dreamcatchers
5 Legendary Animals: Alligator, Coyote, Fox, Boar, Panther
4 Legendary Fish: Bluegill, Lake Sturgeon, Longnose Gar, Bullhead Catfish
4 Weapons: Broken Pirate Sword, Gatling Gun, Midnight's Pistol, Rare Rolling Block Rifle
Points of Interest / Easter Eggs: Ghost Train, Ghost Girl of Lemoyne, Giant Anaconda, Bolger Glade, Phonograph, Mysterious Well, Pleasance, Tiny Church, Withered Arm, Braithwaite's Secret, Gray's Secret
10 Stranger Missions: "Fundraiser," "No Good Deed," The Iniquities of History," "The Ties that Bind Us," "The Artist's Way," "A Bright Bouncing Boy," "The Mercies of Knowledge," "Idealism and Pragmatism for Beginners," "Duchesses and Other Animals," "A Fine Night For It"

NEW AUSTIN

8 Dinosaur Bones
3 Legendary Animals: Tatanka Bison, Pronghorn, Cougar
2 Legendary Fish: Redfin Pickerel, Largemouth Bass
1 Weapon: Otis Miller's Revolver
Points of Interest / Easter Eggs: Donkey Lady, Flying Machine, Jesuit Missionary, Sperm Whale Bones

EVENTS

1. BOUNTIES
Completion requires 5.
There are a total of 10/11 bounties available.
Bounty Hunting is unlocked by the quest, "Good, Honest, Snake Oil", made available in Chapter 2 in Valentine.
Chapter 2 Access:

Benedict Allbright: Valentine (1st Bounty Hunt)
Ellie Anne Swan: Valentine
Joshua Brown: Strawberry
Lindsay Woffard: Saint Denis

Chapter 5 Access:

Mark Johnson: Rhodes
Robbie Laldlaw: Rhodes

Epilogue Access:

Elias Green: Blackwater
Esteban Cortez: Tumbleweed
Joaquin Arroyo: Tumbleweed
Otis Skinner: Blackwater
Anthony Foreman (if spared in Ch. 4): Saint Denis

2. STRANGERS
10 Stranger Mission Strands must be completed.
These missions will be indicated by White Question Mark Icons across the map throughout the chapters.
Completion-Required Stranger Missions

"A Fisher of Fish"
"Smoking and Other Hobbies"
"A Test of Faith"

Chapter 2 Unlocked Stranger Missions

"The Noblest of Men, and a Woman" (Valentine):
Find out why early-retirement kills
"All That Glitters" (West of Flatneck Station):
A 3-part treasure hunt
"Arcadia for Amateurs" (West of Riggs Station):
Assist a NEET in abandoning the comforts of the indoors
"Oh, Brother" (Valentine):
Witness the lengths that man will go to before post-nut clarity hits
"American Dreams" (Railroad Tracks East of Valentine):

Chapter 3 Unlocked Stranger Missions

"No Good Deed" (Rhodes):
Take on some racists for the greater good
"The Iniquities of History" (Rhodes):
Help trigger an old man's memories.

Chapter 4 Unlocked Stranger Missions

"A Bright Bouncing Boy" (Saint Denis):
Experiment with futuristic technologies with dime-store Tesla. More robots, less pigeons.
"Help a Brother Out" (Saint Denis):
Discover that the Catholic Church does more than just young boys.
"The Artist's Way" (Saint Denis):
Realize that you're both thankful and regretful that you didn't major in Art.
"The Mercies of Knowledge" (Saint Denis):
Find love at the bottom of a hundred bottles of Moonshine

3. CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
25 are needed for completion.
These spawn infinitely throughout the game.

In cities, they can be found as beggars, people handing out pamphlets, drunk interventions, robbery interventions.
In the wilds, they can be found as snake-bite victims, hogtied women on horseback, hunters stuck in their own traps, innocents facing armed robbery. The list doesn't end.

4. BUSHWHACKED
1 Ambush by a rival gang is required for completion.
This is accomplished automatically within the main story missions.
5. GANG HIDEOUTS
Discover and Dispose of all the members of 6 gang hideouts.
4 are found automatically within the main story missions:

Six Point Cabin: Ch. 2
Shady Belle: Ch. 3
Beaver Hollow: Ch. 5
Hanging Dog Ranch: Ch. 6

The other 2 hideouts can be found after the Epilogue in New Austin:

Thieves Landing
Fort Mercer

VG24/7 Gang Locations Map

COLLECTIBLES

1. POINTS OF INTEREST
Perhaps this is Rockstar's easiest giveaway. According to IGN, there approximately 59 points of interest throughout the world, and you only need 1 for 100% completion.
You'll notice a Point of Interest as a site that you can "Inspect". Once the site has been inspected, you'll find the location as a sketch in your journal.
2. GRAVES
You'll need to discover and inspect all 9 graves of your fallen comrades.
USgamer Map: Grave Locations
3. CIGARETTE CARDS
Quest: "Smoking and Other Hobbies"
Prompted by Phineas T. Ramsbottom outside Flatneck Station, this quest requires you to spend your hard-earned cash on picture cards and early-onset lung cancer.
Only 1 Card Set is required for 100% completion.
The reward for completing any 1 set includes Vintage Civil War Handcuffs which is an item required to craft the Alligator Tooth Talisman at a Fence. Crafting this item will install a perk that decreases the Dead Eye core drain speed by 10%.
Aside from finding the various cards throughout the map, the easy way to collect the cards is to simply buy as many as needed from a General Store.

According to PowerPyx, approximately $2000 were needed to attain all 144 cards
When you buy the cards from the General Store, you may collect more than 1 of the same card
In my own experience, I had left this quest for after the Epilogue completion - which had saved me a good amount of money

*Note that there's no need to replenish your stamina bar when it goes into the Red.
*Note to save time, there's no need to inspect each card you get.
Simply Smoke, Buy, Repeat.
4. DINOSAUR BONES
Quest: "A Test of Faith"
This mission can be given by paleontologist, Deborah MacGuiness, in the center of the Heartlands as early as Chapter 2.
The quest is simple: find and inspect 30 total dinosaur bones, and mail their locations to our newfound friend.

Each bone found will earn a +5 Dead Eye EXP bonus

Mailing 1 bone location will earn you a Quartz Chunk which can be used to craft the Bear Claw Talisman at a Fence. Crafting this item will install a perk that decreases the Health core drain speed by 10%.
22 bones can be found before the Epilogue. - There are 4 in Ambarino, 15 in New Hanover, 3 in West Elizabeth, and 8 in New Austin
PowerPyx Map: Dinosaur Bones
5. LEGENDARY FISH
The quest, "A Fisher of Fish," prompted by Jeremy Gill at Gill Point in Chapter 2, challenges you to live your virtual life to its fullest.
In order to successfully catch all 13 fish, you'll need to first head out to The Bait Shop in Lagras, Lemoyne. You'll need to purchase the Special River Lure, Special Lake Lure, and Special Swamp Lure for $20 each.

Because I was not particularly satisfied with the fishing map given as well as the ones I Googled, I scribbled on a blank map to give a little more detail for the virtual outdoorsman.
In my own map, I've marked exactly where I stood when each fish was caught, as well as the directions I cast my lures.

MAP: Legendary Fish Locations
River Lure Fish:

Legendary Chain Pickerel
Legendary Muskie
Legendary Largemouth Bass
Legendary Sturgeon
Legendary Trout

Lake Lure Fish:

Legendary Perch
Legendary Sock-Eyed Salmon
Legendary Smallmouth Bass
Legendary Bluegill
Legendary Redfin Pickerel
Legendary Rock Bass

Swamp Lure Fish:

Legendary Longnose Gar
Legendary Catfish

6. EXOTICS
Quest: "Dutchesses and Other Animals"
In Chapter 4, we meet the eccentric Algernon Wasp. If you did not encounter him at the Mayor's Garden Party in the quest, "The Gilded Cage," you can find him in his studio, on the northeastern end of Saint Denis.
The quest consists of 5 parts in which you gather feathers, flowers, and alligator eggs. All 5 Requests are required for completion.

For me, this was one of the more daunting tasks in the game. When this quest starts, I recommend shooting as many swamp birds as you can since you'll need to harvest Egrets, Herons, and Spoonbills.
Adding to that, also collect all species of Orchids you stumble across. Though you may not need them for your current request, you can assure yourself that they'll definitely be required somewhere within the next few.
To get a head start for Request No. 3, try seizing as many gator eggs as you can when you find yourself out in the swamps, searching for your particular exotics.*

PowerPyx's General Exotics Guide: Images and Locations
Request No.1

5x Snowy Egret Plumes
5x Little Egret Plumes
5x Reddish Egret Plumes
15x Lady of the Night Orchids

Egrets, Herons, and Spoonbills spawn around the train tracks in the Kansas River area from around 12 PM till 6PM. The optimal time is around noon.
Reddish Egret Plumes were harder to find. Though they still spawn around the train track areas, I found that they were most prominent in the Southeastern Islands near Shady Bell. Again, the best times to search are during the afternoons.
PowerPyx gives the best map for the Orchid search. Stick to it and it should be fairly easy. Use Eagle Eye to assist your search.

Request No.2

20x Heron Plumes
7x Lady's Slipper Orchids
10x Moccasin Flower Orchids

Unlike the previous Orchid species, the Lady's Slipper Orchids grow from the ground. These can be found in West Elizabeth.
The Moccasin Flower Orchids are also flowers that grow from the ground. The majority can be found just southeast of Elysian Pool.

Request No.3

25x Gator Eggs
3x Acuna's Star Orchids
7x Cigar Orchids
5x Ghost Orchids

The best location for Gator Eggs is Southeast of Shady Belle, in the islands.
All 3 of the Orchids in this quest grow on trees and are found in the State of Lemoyne.

Request No.4

30x Spoonbill Plumes
5x Night Scented Orchids
10x Rat Tail Orchids
5x Spider's Orchids

All 3 Orchids grow on trees, and can all be found in Lemoyne.

Request No.5

5x Clamshell Orchids
5x Dragon's Mouth Orchids
5x Queen's Orchids
10x Sparrow's Egg Orchids

The Clamshell Orchids are the only species to grow on trees in this quest.
Both the Clamshell and Queen's Orchids grow in Lemoyne.
The Dragon's Mouth Orchids are scattered across Ambarino
The Sparrow's Egg Orchids dot the area around Annesburg

7. ROCK CARVINGS
Upon meeting Francis Sinclaire in a cabin northwest of Strawberry, you will begin the mission, "Geology for Beginners," where you will be required to discover 10 rock carvings.

These will be found in the bluffs of mountain ranges and rock formations

There are 3 in Ambarino, 5 in New Hanover, and 2 in West Elizabeth.
Eurogamer Map: Rock Carvings
8. HUNTING REQUESTS
The player must collect perfect carcasses of the animals listed in the following 5 requests.
Optimal Weapons: Varmint Rifle, Bow and Small Game Arrows
Poster #1: Inside Valentine Post Office

1 Squirrel / 1 Rabbit

Poster #2: Outside Strawberry Post Office

1 Cardinal / 1 Rat / 1 Woodpecker

Poster #3: Inside Rhodes Post Office

1 Chipmunk / 1 Oriole / 1 Robin / 1 Possum

Poster #4: Outside Saint Denis Post Office

1 Songbird / 1 Sparrow / 1 Toad / 1 Bullfrog / 1 Skunk

Poster #5: Outside Van Horn Post Office

1 Cedar Waxwing / 1 Bat / 1 Blue Jay / 1 Crow / 1 Beaver

9. TREASURE HUNTER
Complete 1 Treasure Map Chain
Jack Hall Gang Treasure, High Stakes Treasure, or Poisonous Trail Treasure
10. DREAMCATCHERS
Find and all 20 dreamcatchers
There are 4 in Ambarino, 14 in New Hanover, and 2 in Lemoyne

You will know that the dreamcatcher has been inspected once it has been scribbled in your journal

PowerPyx Map: Dreamcatchers

COMPENDIUM

1. ANIMALS
Requires the discovery of 50 animals
2. EQUIPMENT
Requires the obtainment of 10 pieces of equipment

Purchase upgrades gun holsters and bandoliers from any gunsmith
Craft and purchase special gun holsters and bandoliers from The Trapper
Craft special satchel upgrades from Pearson during the storyline
Craft trinkets and talismans from Legendary Animals at any Fence

3. FISH
Requires the catching of 10 species of fish
There are 15 common types of fish to be caught:
Bluegill, Bullhead Catfish, Chain Pickerel, Channel Catfish, Lake Sturgeon, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Muskie, Northern Pike, Perch, Redfin Pickerel, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sockeye Salmon, and Steehead Trout
4. GANGS
Requires the discovery of 6 gang hideouts

O'Driscoll Gang: Six Point Cabin, New Hanover (completed in Chapter 2)
Lemoyne Raiders: Shady Bell, Lemoyne (completed in Chapter 3)
Murfree Brood: Beaver Hollow, Roanoke Ridge (completed in Chapter 5)
Laramie Gang: Hanging Dog Ranch (completed in Chapter 6)
Skinner Brothers: Bear Claw, Tall Trees
Del Lobos: Thieves Landing, New Austin; Fort Mercer, New Austin; Twin Rocks, New Austin

5. HORSES
Requires the discovery of 10 breeds
There are 19 different breeds of horses:
Tennessee Walker, American Standardbred, Hungarian Halfbred, Kentucky Saddler, Dutch Warmblood, Shire, Morgan, Ardennes, Andalusian, Missouri Fox Trotter, Nokota, Arabian, Thoroughbred, Turkoman, Appaloosa, American Paint, Belgian, Suffolk Punch, Mustang
6. PLANTS
Requires the collection of 20 plant species.
There are a total of 43 different plants.
7. WEAPONS
Requires the usage of 48 different types of weapons.

19 Guns can be accessed from a gunsmith
Bow accessed in Ch. 1
Hunting Knife accessed in Ch. 1
5 Throwable Weapons acquired while completing main storyline missions

PowerPyx Weapon Guide

PLAYER

MAX HEALTH
3,150 XP required to Max Out Health
Ways to increase health:

Fishing (10-30 XP per fish)
Row a Boat Over 100 Meters (20 XP)
Thowing Weapon Kills: Bow/Knives/Hatchet (20 XP per kill)
Fist Fights / Stealth Knockouts (10 XP)
Herbalist Challenges (25-150 XP)
Master Hunter Challenges (25-150 XP)
Weapons Expert Challenges (25-150 XP)
Ginseng Elixer (found hidden across map) - contributes a 25% XP boost to the next level

MAX STAMINA
3,150 XP required to Max Out Stamina
Ways to increase stamina:

Sprinting 100 Meters (20 XP)
Swim for 15 Seconds (20 XP)
Survive a Fight with Less Than 25 HP (20 XP)
Explorer Challenges (25-150 XP)
Horseman Challenges (25-150 XP)
Survivalist Challenges (25-150 XP)

MAX DEAD EYE
3,150 XP required to Max Out Dead Eye
Ways to increase dead eye:

Skin Animal (1-10 XP depending on animal size)
Headshot from 50 Meters or More (1-5 XP depending on distance)
Craft an Item (1 XP)
Cook a Meal (1 XP)
Bandit Challenges (25-150 XP)
Gambler Challenges (25-150 XP)
Sharpshooter Challenges (25-150 XP)
Valerian Root (found hidden across map) - contributes a 25% XP boost to the next level

HORSE BONDING
Regularly hitch, brush, feed, pat, and calm your horse

CHALLENGES

1. BANDIT
1.) Hold up 5 Townsfolk
2.) Rob 2 Coaches or return 2 Stolen Coaches to a Fence
3.) Rob the Cash Register in any 4 shops in a single day
4.) Rob 3 Coaches or return 3 Stolen Coaches to a Fence, in a single day
5.) Earn a $250 Bounty in 1 state
6.) Steal 5 Horses, and sell them to the Horse Fence at Clemens Cove in Lemoyne
7.) Rob $50 of Cash and Valuables from either townsfolk or travelers
8.) Steal 7 Wagons, and sell them to the Fence at Emerald Ranch
9.) Hogtie someone and leave them on the railway tracks, 3 times
10.) Complete 5 Train Robberies without dying or being caught
2. GAMBLER
1.) Win 5 hands of Poker
2.) In Blackjack, double down and win the hand 5 times
3.) Win 3 games of Five Finger Fillet
4.) Bust 1 Poker table out in each location
5.) Win 3 rounds of Dominoes without drawing any tiles against 2 or fewer opponents
6.) Beat the Blackjack dealer in 2 locations
7.) Beat the 5 Finger Fillet opponent in each location
8.) Win 3 hands of Blackjack, with 3 hits or more
9.) Win 3 games of Dominoes in a row
10.) Win 3 hands of Poker in a row
3. EXPLORER
1.) Find a treasure map
2.) Find a treasure, 9 times
4. HERBALIST
1.) Pick 6 Yarrow
2.) Pick and eat 4 types of berries
3.) Craft 7 items using Sage as an ingredient
4.) Pick 5 mushrooms, and feed them to your horse
5.) Craft 9 items using Indian Tobacco as an ingredient
6.) Pick 15 different species of herb
7.) Craft 5 Special Miracle Tonics, and use them

Recipe can be bought from a Fence in Ch. 4
Requires: 6 currant, 6 yarrow, 6 burdock root

8.) Use Oleander to craft 6 poison weapons
9.) Pick 1 of each type of herb
10.) Season and cook all 11 types of meat

Any type of Fish, Gamey Bird Meat, Stringy Meat, Herptile Meat, Plump Bird Meat, Crustacean Meat, Gristly Mutton, Mature Venison, Game Meat, Prime Beef, Tender Pork, and Big Game Meat

5. HORSEMAN
1.) Kill 5 Rabbits while on horseback
2.) Jump over 3 obstacles in 15 seconds
3.) Ride from Valentine to Rhodes in less than 5 minutes
4.) While mounted, drag a person for 3300 feet using a lasso
5.) Trample 5 animals while on horseback
6.) Ride from Strawberry to Saint Denis is less than 9 minutes without touching water
7.) Kill 7 enemies from horseback without dismounting
8.) Kill 9 predators from horseback
9.) Ride from Van Horn to Blackwater in less than 17 minutes without touching water
10.) Break every breed of wild horse

There are 9 wild breeds: Morgan, American Standardbred, Hungarian Halfbred, Kentucky Saddler, Nokota, American Paint, Appaloosa, Tennessee Walker, Mustang
Again, because I wasn't satisfied with the maps I was finding through search engines, I drew in my own "Horse Spawn Locations" onto a blank.
MAP: Wild Horse Spawn Locations

6. MASTER HUNTER
1.) Skin 3 Deer
2.) Collect 3 perfect quality rabbit pelts
3.) Track 10 different animal species using your binoculars
4.) Get a clean kill 5 times
5.) Skin 3 bears
6.) Kill 5 cougars with a bow and skin them
7.) Use bait to lure and kill an herbivore, and a predator
8.) Catch 3 fish without using the fishing rod
9.) Catch an opossum playing possum
10.) Kill the Legendary Panther
7. SHARPSHOOTER
1) Kill 3 Flying Birds
2.) Kill 2 different animal species in 1 use of Dead Eye
3.) Kill 5 Flying Birds while on a moving train
4.) Kill someone from at least 80 feet away with a tomahawk
5.) Kill 6 animals without switching or reloading a weapon

Recommendation: Repeater with Express Rounds and stalking an area with a lot of animal activity (Lemoyne Bayous are good since there is an abundance of bird flocks paired with 'normally' unmoving alligators)

6.) Kill someone at least 660 feet away with a scoped rifle

Equip a rifle with high "Range" and "Accuracy" attributes, and use Express Rounds
You can modify your rifle's Barrel to improve range, Iron Sights to improve accuracy. Ensure the distance parameters are fulfilled by buying and equipping a Long Scope.

7.) Get 7 headshots in a row

This can be achieved easily by going to a respawning Gang Hideout - I recommend Hanging Dog Ranch since it can be accessed by Arthur and John, and is consistently occupied by a gang
Save before attempting!

8.) Disarm 3 opponents without switching or reloading a weapon
9.) Shoot hats off people in the same Dead Eye
10.) Kill 3 flying birds with 3 consecutive scoped rifle shots
8. SURVIVALIST
1.) Catch 3 Bluegill Fish

Bluegill can be found at Clemen's Point
Attracted to cheese bait, regular lake lure

2.) Hand 5 animals into Pearson, or a Trapper
3.) Kill 5 animals with a Varmint Rifle
4.) Craft Dynamite, Fire, Improved, Poison, and Small Game Arrows
5.) Catch a fish in the bayou from a boat, and while standing on train tracks
6.) Kill an animal while it's feeding on a corpse, 5 times
7.) Kill 8 small game animals with consecutive small game arrows
8.) Craft a Homing Tomahawk, Improved Tomahawk, Improved Dynamite, and Volatile Fire Bottle
9.) Catch a fish that weighs at least 19 lb.

This can be accomplished by catching either the Legendary Lake Sturgeon or Legendary Muskie.

10.) Catch one of every species of fish

There are 12 types of fish, and 13 Legendary Fish
I recommend following the Legendary Fish locations to attract fish of the same species - but for these, use the normal lures instead of the special ones.

9. WEAPONS EXPERT
1.) Kill 3 enemies with a knife
2.) Kill 3 enemies in 10 seconds using Throwing Knives
3.) Kill 3 birds of prey using Tomahawks

Eagles, Hawks, and Owls

4.) Kill 10 enemies with a Shotgun, using crafted ammo

Shells or Slugs can be combined with Moonshine to create Incendiary Ammo, and can be combined with Animal Fat to create Explosive Ammo
Recipes can be found at any Fence

5.) Kill 5 mounted enemies with 1 Throwing Knife per enemy
6.) Kill 4 enemies with 1 stick of Dynamite
7.) Kill 4 enemies in a row with the same Tomahawk
8.) Kill 15 enemies using a Long-Barreled Shotgun
9.) Kill 9 unaware enemies from behind, using the Bow
10.) Kill a Grizzly Bear only using Throwing Knives, without taking damage

For bonus damage, craft either Poison Throwing Knives (requires Oleander Sage) or Improved Throwing Knives (requires Flight Feathers from Eagles or Hawks)
The Improved Throwing Knives Recipe is given at the beginning of Chapter 2
Poison Knives are available for purchase at Fences after the mission "Pouring Forth Oil" in Chapter 2

MISCELLANEOUS

Shacks
The discovery of 5 shacks is required. There are 19 in total.
USgamer Shack Locations Map
Legendary Animals
Completion requires only 5 Legendary Animals.
So unlike "A Fisher of Fish" and other Collectible Strands, there is no necessity to hunt and kill all 16 on the map.
Note that killing the Legendary Panther is a requirement for completing the Master Hunter Challenge. This can be found in the Bolger Blade area after completing the previous 9 Master Hunter Challenges.

Personally, I find that cover-scent was a good tool to use, just so that you can more stealthily track the animal. I found that with cover-scent, I was able to elude animals up to approximately 15 feet from the player.

It takes approximately 3-4 clues to reach the animal (in my experience), so feel free to crouch and dash from clue to clue.
Legendary Animal pelts do not damage, so when shooting you don't have to get 1 clean shot. Activate Dead Eye and take as many shots as you think you need.

Since I approached these Legendary Animals quests fairly quickly, I found no need for using bait and camping around. I had initially tried with the Legendary Buck, but I was waiting around until my cover-scent wore off, and found it quite time-consuming without reward.
I recommend forgetting about baiting for the most part since it takes a lot less time to simply track and follow clues to the animal.

Once the first clue is found, it's relatively easy to get to the next.
Simply lock onto the trail and follow. It helps to enter eagle eye to spot the next gold flicker in order to save time. As stated earlier, there should be about 4 clues for each animal.
USgamer Legendary Animals Map
Table Games
Required to participate in a single game of:

Poker: Valentine, Flatneck Station, Saint Denis, Blackwater, Tumbleweed
Five Finger Fillet: Valentine, Strawberry, Van Horn
Dominoes: Saint Denis, Emerald Ranch, Blackwater
Blackjack: Rhodes, Van Horn, Blackwater

All 4 Table Games can be accessed in major towns and in camp.
Ranters, Ravers, and Campaigners
The game requires the player to interact with 5 of these strangers. There are a total of 28.

Saint Denis: Eugenics Promoter, Book Salesman, Chelonian Priest, Women's Rights Activist
Annesburg: Environmentalist
Valentine: Mickey, Thomas Downes
Rhodes: Civil War Veteran
West Elizabeth: Awkward Preacher, Mayor of Strawberry

Bath
Only 1 bath is required.
Please scrub your cowboy.
Show
1 show required.
Locations: The Imperial Theater in Blackwater, The Fontana Theater in Saint Denis, and J.J. Riggins' Travelling Magic Lantern Show in Valentine.
Theater
1 live theater show required.
The only location for live theatre is the Theatre Raleur in Saint Denis.
Recipes
Must craft 1 of each 6 types of recipes.
Recipes can be given by camp members or purchased from Fences.

Cooking
Tonic
Type of Ammunition
Hunting Item
Horse Care Item
Weapon

Robberies
4 types of robberies are required.
Coach Robbery: Can be accomplished in Ch. 3 with the mission, "Friends in Very Low Places"
Home Robbery: Can be accomplished in Ch. 3 with a sidequest given by Sean at the Clemen's Point Camp
Shop Robbery: Can get a tip from Tilly in Ch. 2 about the Valentine Doctor's Secret Backroom
Train Robbery: Can be accomplished in the main storyline

Guides/Reddit Misinformation Abound (A Rant, Nothing More)

For a game that has been out for so long it is absolutely incredible to me the overwhelming amount of misinformation that is floating around regarding just about every single topic. This in nearly all the online guides, and in practically all the discussions and topics in almost every single category I've explored. A few major examples come to mind (Most of this regarding the Story Mode not Online).
One example I've heard is The Panther Saddles and Trapper Saddles in general do not benefit from the speed and acceleration benefits one gets with hooded stirrups and a customized saddle package from the stables. FALSE.
All you need to do in order to prove this idiotic rumor false is equip the lowest quality saddle, say the 'Kneller Mother Hubbard Saddle' with 'Slim-line Iron Stirrups' and go to your Horse Statistics menu and look at speed and acceleration. You will see that two bars are grayed out for each (Three for speed if you haven't won two race random encounters with the given horse). Equipping the 'Gerden Vaquero Saddle (Improved)' and the 'Hooded Stirrups' will fill these two bars, and will also show under 'Stirrups' in the menu that you're getting +2 to acceleration and +2 to speed. The thing is if you equip the 'Panther Trail Saddle' you'll also notice that the bars will be filled, however, because it comes with it's own stirrups, you'll see nothing under the the 'Stirrups' section for increasing acceleration and speed. Ignore this, the bars show the increase, and the increase is there, the Panther Trail Saddle is the superior saddle (As are all Trapper saddles) compared to any combination of purchases saddle components in the game in Story Mode. This is NOT the case in Online, where there is ONE set of stirrups that can be purchases to give a +3 increase, but this is a recent addon and the only exception to the rule, and doesn't apply to story mode.
Another huge example is the number of people providing completely unreliable information about spawn points in the game. There are countless unidentified spawn points all over RDR2, most notably the guides don't elude to a Mustang spawn point near Owanjila, or Apaloosa's found in the far northeast of the map. Not to mention the weird superstitious way people identify key locations when spawn points have been demonstrated by numerous gamers to be at PINPOINT locations for nearly every single animal in this game. Granted, if you sleep past their spawn time, or are in the area inhibiting them from spawning (Since the game won't spawn a critter directly in front of you in view), then they will move to a new area, but they spawn in exactly the same spot and 'move' and don't have natural fenced in locations, but will reset approximately every 72 hours, whether from being killed, or just because you haven't been in the area so the game re-generates it when you re-enter it rather then storing and processing the foraging of every single critter in the game in areas where you currently aren't traveling and wasting your PC's resources.
Going even further, the remarkable number of people who proclaim hard limits to countless activities including challenges and quests based on misinformation. For example the Horseman Challenges are said to be impossible to complete until late game because of Blackwater being on lockdown. This is entirely untrue, you can absorb a fair number of bullets, as can your horse, and really only need 1 health tonic for your horse, and 2 for Arthur to run into Blackwater for the challenge, and run back North again. Some of the information 'is' relatively accurate, for example claims that you can't complete the robbery of the Valentine Doctor without getting a bounty, but the estimates are grossly over-exaggerated for what the cost has to be, I got away from that robbery with a bounty of $1.50, run in kill the three guards, rob the hogtie the woman, grab the gun and money, run out the front door to your horse, and hightail it for the river, jump off the horse and wash yourself downstream to lose the law. I did it repeatedly to make sure I didn't just get lucky, it's easy, the guides are foolish and wrong, and the community is complicit in supporting guide-makers who make false statements like "getting away with a bounty of less than $50.00 is nearly impossible," which is plain stupid and untrue.
Nearly all the weapons can be unlocked in chapter 2, almost all the challenges can be completed in chapter 2, a ton of missions people say are locked can be completed in chapter 2, all the treasures can be uncovered and finished in chapter 2 except one it seems so far. You can definitely easily finish the Herbalist challenge in chapter 2, it's not THAT hard to wait for a lull in law enforcement chasing you while avoiding them while in the south in Blackwater and other regions, it will cost more than just the three tonics mentioned above, maybe 10 or so total if you mark out the locations of the herbs you're going for in advance, but it's definitely not impossible.
Beyond this the specific instructions for challenges are absolutely false in a million different ways, but most notably the Gambler information is WAY off on a dozen or more guides. Fastest way to get three people to fold? Jump on a table, go all in before the flop, and your odds no matter what your cards are aren't much worse than everyone elses, barring the few who are lucky enough to have drawn a pair. Most of the opponents will fold, but at least one will usually go all in, and if no one does, and they all fold, you just keep going all in until one does, and you get lucky, reload if you lose. Ironically it's the EXACT same strategy for winning three games in a row, you basically get the ONE guy who is ballsy enough to go all in on a flop against you to lose, and the rest will keep folding rather then betting before the flop, you win three hands because everyone folds. All the people saying Dominoes is just luck are idiots, you can consistently win 3-4/5 games of dominoes against the relatively poor AI in this game, so it's definitely better than luck, the fact that you can jump off the table before losing makes it a million times easier, and winning without drawing doesn't take that long at all. Finally the hardest challenge arguably is just a matter of luck, which is hitting three times successfully in blackjack, but even this isn't hard. Get more than 10 on your draw, get up from the table and rejoin, keep going until you get less than 10, hit repeatedly, if you get three hits, stop no matter what number you land on, hope the dealer busts, they bust about a third of the time (Just raw numbers of blackjack since dealers have set rules), and you'll get lucky very quickly if you do this without wasting the hours others have wasted sitting through useless hands waiting for other players to diddle themselves.
While the Gamblers challenges are the worst, they aren't a HUGE exception, most of the guides for nearly ALL the challenges on just about every site and every reddit post are just as poorly done.
Now I know, the 'real' solution here is make my own guide, and I was tempted, but then I realized I really don't have the time, as much as I wish I did, but I do have the time to rant, so here's my rant, maybe I'll become a productive member of the community eventually, but I feel by the time I have the time to do more than rant this game won't have much of a community anymore. So alas, sorry for being a jerk, but my frustration is palpable, and I feel like venting it on some people, thanks for being my audience I look forward to your bashing of my lack of tact :).

Stuck at Gambler 5

The Dominoes games are so rigged it's laughable sometimes

Stats after four hours of going for Gambler 8 challenge

Why do you guys think Rockstar kinda skimped on the minigames?

Thoughts and tips about completing challenges in Chapter 2

I began playing RDR2 on a PS4 3 weeks ago, and I'm still in chapter 2, but I wanted to complete a maximum number of challenges as soon as possible (I want this Legend of the East outfit, preferably before the end of the game).
I was able to complete all challenges but 2 (83/90) : Bandit (i'm stuck at Bandit 5 - Bandit 6 needs the horse fence which is unlocked in Chapter 3) and Herbalist (Herbalist 9 requires herbs only found in New Austin which opens after the end, but can supposedly be visited earlier by taking advantage of a glitch, if it has not been patched)
So, here are some less obvious (I hope) tips to complete most challenges in Chapter 2

General tips

If you need enemies to kill/disarm/unhat/lasso, you can use any gang hideout (I mostly used Hanging Dog Ranch). If you kill some, then flee(always leave at least 1 or 2 living foes), when the red activity bar on your mini map disappears, everything resets, and the enemies you've killed are back at their initial position. Go back and enjoy the unlimited supply of poor sods to brutalize.
To trigger a respawn for animals you have killed, here is what worked every time for me : go a bit away from the spawn area, save your game, load your game, sleep twice the maximum time, go back to the area.

Horseman

Horseman 4: Take it slow; walking on a flat surface is best(trot, canter and gallop will probably cause the rope to snap). Try to avoid roads and witnesses. I did it by making loops with my horse on the plain SW of Heartland oil fields.
Horseman 9: The funniest, most exciting challenge. The way from Van Horn to Lake Owanjila is easy enough, save beforehand, reload if you get rain, avoid the rivers using railroad bridges. The interesting part comes after entering the "wanted dead or alive area". Stock up on horse stimulant and health cure. Riding a white arabian, I was able to outrun the law. 3 groups of tough lawmen spawned at the same places every time (I needed 4 tries to get it), one on the winding track in the begining, one at the transition to the great plains, around Beecher's hope, and the last and most dangerous one at the crossing just before Blackwater. Avoid them by going off road, and ride like lightning, healing yourself whenever needed.
Horseman 10: a bit boring/grindy, I found 8/9 breeds walking SE->NW then NW->SE along little creek river and around hanging dog ranch. Found the mustang in the Heartlands. Breaking a horse is easy: when you mount it, push on the left stick, then bring it down and up in rythm (1 second pulse) while tapping square.

Master Hunter

Master Hunter 6: a bit of a pain finding cougars. There is one spawning randomly near the main N->S road in Black Bones Forest, but it took me around 10 visits, on different days, to get 5 of them.
Master Hunter 8: use a bow from a lake or river bank (Lake Owanjila works well)

Sharpshooter

prerequisite: mission "Pouring Forth Oil - IV" for Dead Eye marking, and mission "The Sheep and the Goats" for the long scoped rifle

Sharpshooter 6: can be a bit difficult due to spawning distance not being far enough. I did it at Hanging Dog Ranch. If you face the main entrance of the ranch, the 2 gate guards spawn at the wrong distance, but the O'Driscoll patrolling the western side is far enough when he is at his westernmost position.
Sharpshooter 8: it's easier to disarm pistol/revolver using enemies, you aim at the hand. Unfortunately, many enemies use rifles, and you want to disarm 3 of them during the same dead eye, because if you use a second dead eye, you will automatically reload and fail the challenge. Rifle wielding enemies can however be disarmed by aiming at their right elbow when they are aiming. I did it in the main barn of Hanging Dog Ranch, entering from the western side.
Sharpshooter 9: obviously easier if you wait for Chapter 4 and the dead eye skill which allows to stay in dead eye after shooting, but you can still get it in Chapter 2. The trick is to mark the people you want to unhat, then shoot, without killing them. You can pull it off by using a pump shotgun from a distance, close enough to mark the head of enemies in dead eye, but far enough to not kill them when they are hit. Their hats will drop. I did it at hanging Dog Ranch, standing around 10m SE of the gate guards, which also gave me a line of fire on the easternmost O'Driscoll behind the shack.

Survivalist

prerequisite: mission "A Fisher Of Men"

Survivalist 10: combine with Legendary Fishes, you can find 10 of the 15 needed species by fishing legendary fishes outside the "wanted dead or alive" area

Weapons Expert

Weapons Expert 6: I did it with a volatile dynamite by sneaking on an O'Driscoll camp in the Heartlands
Weapons expert 9: You can probably do it at any gang hideout. I did it at Shady Belle.

Bandit

Bandit 2 & 4 : easiest way I found is to take a coach from Valentine to Emerald Ranch, then rob the coach as soon as you get out. I did not get any bounty and the coach fence is really close by.

Explorer

Easiest branch of all

Gambler

prerequisite: mission "Who Is Not Without Sin" to unlock poker
Home of some of the more boring challenges

Gambler 4: try to get a good hand when you first sit at a table (you can save beforehand and reload). It's usually enough to bust one of the players by betting a bit, then going all-in when 4 or 5 cards are revealed
Gambler 8: the most boring challenge of all, entirely luck based. Took me 3 full in-game days playing in St-Denis. I don't think there is any way to speed this
Gambler 9: Try to do this against only one player. I did it in Emerald Ranch, put on the bandana, killed 2 of 3 players, escaped, came back to find the remaining player unfazed, and began playing. I focused mostly on blocking my opponent, trying to always have a domino fitting for each side of the board, and getting rid of the dominoes with the pips I had most of. I was probably lucky, but I did it without having to leave the table, 3 wins in a row, 17/21 rounds won.
Gambler 10:Try to play against fewer player, use gambler 4 tip to bust one early and have more money than the others, you can usually get them to fold if you bet a lot. Luck still plays a big role

Herbalist

Herbalist 7: I found a lot of currant (around 20) in an area on the western bank of the Kamassa River, enclosed by roads, with Maclean's House on the south and Mossy Flats on the north. It's the area where you find Magnifico. You can then camp nearby and come back, the currant will respawn.

Update (2019/01/06) !

The glitch allowing early access to Blackwater area/ New Austin is still working. Here is Arthur at Shady Belle Camp (chapter 4) wearing the coveted outfit:
As a reminder, here is how the glitch works :

Replay the chapter 4 mission "Angelo Bronte, a Man of Honor" via the Progress > Story > Chapter 4 Menu
At the end of the mission, when you have to leave the cemetery, be sure to be spotted by the law (just before getting out is optimal, you can then quickly run to your horse)
Escape the law and finish the mission
When you get back to the world, you can visit the Blackwater / New Austin area, lawmen groups will not spawn (there are still lawmen in towns however, proceed carefully around them)

Don't die, reload, or even camp though, because if you do, you'll be transported back to the north and will have to begin the entire process anew.
Also: beware of cougars :)

The Challenges seem just... really poorly done. Even a simple reordering would help. Here's how I would fix them:

gambler challenge rdr2 dominoes video

Challenge 5: Win 3 rounds of dominoes without drawing any tiles against 2 or less opponents. This is alot easier than it seems. I recommend going to Saint Denis to complete this. All you have to do is win a round, not a game. Your goal is to put all your dominoes down and not have to draw 3 times. This doesn't have to be in a row. Dominoes is a minigame in Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2). It can be played in the town Saint Denis in a park, see the location below: During some story chapters you can also play it in your gang’s camp but this won’t always be available. Gambler challenge 9 is win 3 consecutive games of domino in a row(not rounds, GAMES). EXPLOIT(if this is even is one): At camp you are able to play dominoes. And I noticed that if you are losing a game there that you can back off the table and not get penalized for the lose. Gambler Challenge #8: Win 3 Hands of Blackjack With 3 Hits or More. When You Can Do It: When you find the will to want to. I seem to remember some article I came across, about three days after Red Dead Redemption 2 came out, where some guy ranted about how so painfully That is where our RDR2 Dominoes Guide comes in to help you with the rules, how to win. Moreover, we will also guide you about finding Dominoes Tables scattered through the game’s world. Red Dead Just like Gambler 9, this challenge requires three consecutive victories of a single game type but, unlike dominoes, Poker is a lot harder to win when luck is such a big factor. Dominoes Gambler Challenge 5. Question. Close. 10. Posted by 1 year ago. Archived. Dominoes Gambler Challenge 5. Question. Any of you guys a fan of playing Dominoes? Trying to do a challenge where it says “Win 3 rounds of Dominoes without drawing any tiles against 2 or fewer opponents Gambler Challenge Guide 9. WIN 3 GAMES OF DOMINOES IN A ROW. Note: You need to win the whole GAME, not just the round. The Dominoes at Emerald Station is probably the easiest to understand (first to 60 points). This challenge sounds difficult, but is actually very painless (if a little time consuming). The RDR2 gambler challenge reward for this challenge is the Gambler Off Hand Holster. Come prepared with enough time and money to play more than a few games, just in case you need it! Sponsored Post Gambler Challenges Overview. Gambler challenges are related to the mini-games included in the story mode - Blackjack, Dominoes, Five Finger Fillet and Poker.As money is needed to play all of them, you will need quite a bit of cash to complete these challenges: most of the story mode mini-games are luck based, so you will end up playing any of these games over and over trying to complete some

Red Dead Redemption 2 Where to Play Dominoes

gambler challenge rdr2 dominoes

gambler challenge rdr2 dominoes - win

Legend of the East Outfit/Challenges as ARTHUR Tips & Resources [2.7.2021 v.1.26]