Red Dead Redemption 2: Fastest Ways to Make Money

Red Dead Redemption 2 captures the unforgiving landscape of its old west era, but luckily there are a lot of ways to make quick cash in the game that can make the harsh lifestyle of your Arthur Morgan character a little more bearable.

Simply put, Rockstar’s latest game is their most ambitious yet, and Red Dead Redemption 2 offers a plethora of content contained in its massive and highly detailed world. To survive, players will need money not only for personal use, but to contribute to their gang for camp upgrades and supplies that will raise overall morale.

Related: Red Dead Redemption 2 Review: A True Achievement In Gaming

Luckily, with Red Dead Redemption 2’s abundance of content comes many methods for making quick cash, both honorable and otherwise. This guide will aim to help make players wealth-building aspirations a reality with the best tips for utilizing strategies that will make them the most cash in the smallest amount of time.

Trading, Hunting & Fishing

These three methods may not be as effective as, say, robbing a bank or sticking up random passersby on the road, but relatively speaking, they carry little risk of being shot and killed by law enforcement or getting an expensive bounty placed on your head. These are also perfect methods for the player looking to keep their honor high in Red Dead Redemption 2, as robbing always comes with the risk of accidentally shooting and killing innocents, which lowers overall honor.

Fishing is probably the quicker overall method for making quick cash as, depending on lures or baits used, rarer fish can be consistently caught and sold for a pretty penny. Hunting, on the other hand, can also be quite effective, though players will want to both use a bow and aim to kill the animal with one well-placed head shot as to not damage the animal carcass too much and maximize their profits from selling to butchers. Also, don’t waste too much time getting the carcass to a butcher as dead bodies do tend to decompose.

Trading is probably the simplest of these methods, however, as all it requires Arthur to do is loot both the corpses and houses he comes across during main campaign missions and while invading bandit camps. Players will find watches and jewelry that serve no other purpose other than to be sold to fences and shops for cash. Combining all three of these methods in strategic ways can award players with a lot of useful money at once for buying useful new weapons, ammo and other useful items.

Missions

Probably the most straightforward method and one that doesn’t require any extra work is both missions and side missions. Early on in Red Dead Redemption 2, the story missions especially will reward players with a nice pile of cash to either buy more powerful weapons and ammo or put back into the gang’s tithe box. It’s recommended that you utilize the former strategy at first, as combat can be unforgiving in Rockstar’s western, just like it no doubt was in real life.

Side missions, like helping strangers, may not immediately pay out a reward, but randomly finding that person later in towns can reap very positive rewards like a free gun from the weapons shop or other prizes. All-in-all, it’s definitely worth a player’s time to help out those they come across in the old west as they never know what that stranger will do for them down the road. This may not be cash rewards, necessarily, but it could very well save you cash down the road.

Bounties are another side activity that can garner Arthur quick cash and, unlike the first Red Dead Redemption, bounties are varied, fun, and can offer just as much of a unique challenge as some of the main missions. If working with the law instead of against them is your Arthur’s calling, this is the perfect method for making cash. However, keep in mind that bounties are not limitless and eventually a town will run out of them so this method isn’t exactly ideal for repeat business.

Gambling

Perhaps the most laid back method to making money in Red Dead Redemption 2 involves sitting at a table in a local saloon and simply playing some poker with the town’s inhabitants. Depending on player’s luck and ability to bluff, this could be a very lucrative option that requires neither violence against fellow humans nor tracking down animals. If poker isn’t your cup of tea, there’s also Five Finger Filet, which is more skill based and, if utilized correctly, can be used to make a ton of fast cash.

Crime

Perhaps the most obvious method considering Arthur’s profession as an outlaw, criminal activities can easily reward a player with the most amount of money over any other method. Robbing homesteads, trains, random coaches and even various stores in towns can reap all kinds of instantaneous cash rewards. However, this is also the riskiest method in the game as it can lead to bounties against Arthur that must be paid off or else risk being hunted by the law until the end of Arthur’s days. This may be fun for the player looking to really embrace the chaos of a lawless rogue, but for everyone else, criminal activities should be a last resort.

Gold Bars

Arguably the most efficient method for gaining quick cash is by finding gold bars throughout the world of Red Dead Redemption 2. Some of these can be found easily in main story missions, but most must be found using maps to locate buried treasure. Though, if players are impatient and don’t mind using questionable glitches, there is currently a gold exploit that can be utilized.

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Like everything else in the game, there are a ton of varied methods for making cash that should work for every type of player. Using more than one method should help break up the monotony and also lead to your character getting wealthy quickly on Red Dead Redemption 2.

More: The Problem With Red Dead Redemption 2

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