The cutscenes in Red Dead Redemption 2 often go a long way to making the world and its characters feel alive, especially when it comes to the members of the Van Der Linde gang. However, one interaction in the mission Pouring Forth Oil has a missable opportunity to see one specific interaction between protagonist Arthur Morgan and one of the younger members of the gang, Sean MacGuire.
According to players sharing the two versions of the scene on the Red Dead Redemption 2 subreddit, the differences can occur depending on what time of day the mission is started. Considering that the setup for Pouring Forth Oil implies that players will be heading out at night, it is likely that the interation between Sean and Arthur will be missed.
The main difference between the two scenes in Red Dead Redemption 2 is that at night when Sean and Arthur are first loading up their horses, John Marston will quickly interrupt the two and insist that the younger member of the gang stays behind. However, if the player starts the Pouring Forth Oil mission during the day, then John takes more time to show up, giving Arthur and Sean the time to talk for a little longer before waiting for nightfall. After their little chat, the two are woken up again and the rest of the scene plays out the same way that it had during the nighttime version and then proceeding onto the mission.
If you activate "Pouring Forth Oil" at night, you'll miss a funny cutscene between Sean and Arthur. Here's the two versions: from reddeadredemption
For the interaction itself, it's a simple little talk where Sean confronts Arthur about why he's always so mean to him, passing over the fact that Red Dead Redemption 2's protagonist is just mean to everyone. Regardless, the chat does go a little further to give the player an idea of who Sean is, and where he thinks he stands among the rest of the Van Der Linde gang. So, anyone looking to get the most out of a playthrough of Red Dead Redemption 2 might want to head out on the Pouring Forth Oil mission earlier in the day to get that extra part of the cutscene.
The narrative design in Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the strongest aspects of the game, with these cutscenes and character interactions often standing out as the driving force pushing players through the game. Between Red Dead Redemption 2's stunning visuals and cast of characters, Rockstar Games has often proved its skill in narratives as much as gameplay. This does make this single interaction strange, though, considering that the interaction can be missed by players who don't know about the extra content.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.