Red Dead Redemption 2 was a massive step forward for the series, and left a favorable impression with most gamers. The most ambitious Rockstar game to date, RDR 2 is full of things to see, things to do and places to explore. While players will find no shortage of things to entertain themselves with outside of the main story, one thing that always delivers are the various stranger missions scattered throughout the game.
These encounters serve as small side quests, and can actually be pretty memorable. There are a lot to be found – which is great, but it also makes finding the real quality ones difficult. If you’re looking to find the ones that stand out the most then be sure to read through this list. Here are 10 awesome secret missions in Red Dead Redemption 2 you need to try.
10 The Artist's Way
One of the quirkier quests you’ll come by, The Artist’s Way introduces you to Charles Chatenay – a funny character who really makes this whole mission memorable with his dialogue and demeanor. The mission is split into four parts, with things heating up gradually until the climax.
This mission has its fair share of memorable moments. From an art gallery brawl to an escort mission featuring Charles in drag. It’s not the best stranger mission in the game, but ends up being one of the funniest you’ll play.
9 Oh Brother
This is another memorable stranger mission, due in good part to its ridiculous premise and even more ridiculous characters. Given in Valentine, Oh Brother follows the exploits of two brothers vying for a young woman’s attention.
The mission is split up into three parts. In each part, the brothers enlist Arthur in some attempt at showing off – with the stakes being raised in every meeting and ending with a trip down a waterfall via a barrel. The brothers make it through the ordeal, swear off the poor girl who’s spent the entire mission trying to talk some sense into them, and disappear off into the distance.
8 The Smell of the Grease Paint
This next mission isn’t going to wow you with any crazy antics, but is well worth doing for the characters it introduces. The Smell of Grease Paint focuses on the members of a travelling sideshow who task Arthur with finding a magician by the name of Magnifico.
Once tracked down, Magnifico tries evading the player by constantly setting off clouds of smoke around him. It’s one of the more interesting chase sequences in the game. There’s nothing else quite like this stranger mission, so be sure to try it out.
7 The Saint-Denis Vampire
No, you’re not reading this wrong. You can actually find a vampire in Saint-Denis. While not technically a mission, there’s a bit of work that goes into making this happen, so if you’re interested in playing this encounter out then pay attention.
In order to kick things off you first need to find five messages scribbled on the walls of Saint-Denis. Doing so will prompt a corpse marker to appear on your map. If you go to this location between midnight and 1 AM you’ll find the vampire in a small alleyway. Deafeating the vampire will reward players with the Ornate Dagger.
6 The Widow Of Willard's Rest
This next stranger mission is one of the most rewarding in the game. You can complete it as both Arthur and John, but getting through it as the former results in more content so it’d be best to aim for that. As the name suggests, this mission focuses on Arthur’s interactions with a widow.
Throughout the mission, Arthur teaches her how to hunt, shoot and provide for herself. If all three parts of this mission are completed as Arthur, then some special dialogue is available during John’s epilogue.
5 The Aberdeen Pig Farm
This next one is pretty disturbing, but is notable due to how many little differences there are depending on how you let things play out. As the name suggests, this mission kicks off when the player visits the Aberdeen pig farm. Upon visiting they will be greeted by two welcoming siblings who invite them in for a meal. That’s when things start to get weird.
The player is poisoned and left for dead in a shallow pit near the farm. Prior to this, you can search the house and get some clues that indicate things aren’t what they seem. Upon returning and defeating the siblings, you’ll get whatever they took off you back and have the full picture of just what went down on the farm.
4 The Ties That Bind Us
The Ties That Bind us is an interesting mission made available starting from chapter 4 of the game. The mission involves two convicts found just outside of Rhodes, asking the player to take down their wanted posters. You can either help them or turn them in. Helping them will get you some more content later on, but what really makes this mission stand out is how it offers the player a tough choice.
3 A Bright Bouncing Boy
This stranger mission has it all; mad scientists, mystery and a killer robot. Seriously. A Bright Bouncing Boy kicks off in Saint-Dennis when you encounter inventor Marko Dragic.
The mission is split into three parts that starts off with remote-controlled miniature boat battles and culminates in an encounter with a retro sci-fi looking robot. It’s wild and totally worth trying out.
2 A Fine Night For It
This is one of the scaries stranger encounters you’ll deal with. In order for this mission to trigger, players must first have had a previous encounter with the mysterious Night Folk north of Saint Dennis in the Bayou.
After meeting a stranger on the road that tells you of the Night Folk, the player will aid the stranger in reclaiming his house from the murderous bunch. The player will then have to fight of a couple waves of these mysterious bandits, and afterwards earn a reward for a job well done.
1 American Dreams
This stranger mission appears early on in the game and certainly leaves a lasting impression. Things kick off after discovering some disturbing crime scenes, of which there are three. Clues found at all three murder location will prompt the player to find the serial killer behind these horrendous acts.
While it’s a short mission, American Dreams proves to be a lot of fun. Especially if you’re into murder mysteries and detective games.