Hidden RDR2 Stories Players Are Likely To Miss

Aside from the main storyline in Red Dead Redemption 2, there are plentiful side quests and subplots for players to encounter. While the main story of RDR2 is action-packed and engaging enough to keep players busy, if they find themselves in need of some levity and want to immerse themselves in the game they can explore the countryside of the Red Dead world. Along the way artifacts, NPCs, and hidden locations can be encountered, some of them providing exciting and intriguing errands and expeditions to embark on. But some side quests are harder to come by than others. 

There will be marked stranger missions on Red Dead Redemption 2’s map whenever a new territory is discovered or when players reach a certain milestone in the game. Some however, will remain unmarked, and players will need to discover them or happen upon them by accident to unlock the beginning of a mission. Certain interactions are even bound by time, with Arthur needing to arrive in a place at a specific time to trigger a chain of events. If players are determined enough though, stranger missions can shed new light on important parts of Arthur’s personality and the people of Red Dead Redemption 2’s world. 

The main storyline of Red Dead Redemption 2 will be wholly unaffected if players choose to embark upon these side quests. None of them have any pertinence to the ending of the game, so if mistakes are made along the way it largely will not change any important story beats. Most of them will simply yield some interesting dialogue between characters, and some will even go down as a note in Arthur Morgan’s journal for later recollection.

RDR2: The Tricky Hunt for a Serial Killer on the Loose

The ‘American Dreams’ quest may not be the most difficult to spot at first, but the series of three clues needed to start the mission proper are scattered all throughout New Hanover, Lemoyne, and West Elizabeth. Hidden in plain sight right off of roadsides are a series of three gruesome murders. If players approach the scenes, ominous music will play, and a flock of scavenger birds will scatter, revealing the eviscerated corpses.

Found at the scenes are cryptic messages written in blood and chalk on nearby rocks reading ‘Look on my works’, ‘Do you see?’, and ‘Behold’. Sections of a map can also be found at the crime scenes, with all of the evidence pointing to a serial killer loose in the Red Dead Redemption 2 world. Even once the map is pieced together, players will still need to follow the sparse clues left to find the killer’s lair. 

RDR2: Searching for the Elusive Saint Denis Vampire

In the sprawling city of Saint Denis, side quests and NPCs are easily lost in the bustle of day-to-day life there. In the southwest quarter of the city, five cryptic and poetic messages can be found scrawled on the walls. The messages, all fitting a vampiric theme, are tucked away in alleys, behind barrels, and rarely are directly in the players’ line of sight. After scouring the area, a point on the map marked ‘Corpse’ will appear, and players will need to head that way between the hours of midnight to one o’clock in the morning. Only then will Red Dead Redemption 2 players encounter the ‘vampire’ of Saint Denis feasting on a dead body. 

RDR2: Hunting for UFOs is All Up to Timing

UFO’s have made their fair share of appearances in Rockstar’s games, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is no exception to that. One of the easier RDR2 hidden quests to miss, located north of the Emerald Ranch is a small, unnamed lake with a rundown cabin on the north shore. Inside the building, a number of skeletons that were once cultists can be discovered. On the cult leader’s body a note can be found reading, “At the second hour under the half moon…” If players stick around in this cabin until 2:00 AM, a green light will shine down through the roof, disappearing as soon as they exit the cabin. Red Dead Redemption 2’s UFO easter egg can be found one more time by following a trail up to the peak of Mount Shan also at 2:00 AM, as per the note’s instruction. After finding the altar-like structure at the top, look out over the western forest, and the craft can be seen hovering in the air for a brief moment before disappearing into the sky. 

While obscure side quests are not essential to the Red Dead Redemption 2 main plot, they flesh the world out and help the immersive experience. Riding off of the main road and into the wilderness to see what can be found can enrich a playthrough, and unlock a host of new stories. While some quests may be more difficult to find than others, players just need to keep a sharp eye out for anomalies.

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