Like most Rockstar video games, Red Dead Redemption II is a pretty easy game. You can easily breeze through the campaign without much trouble, and you can easily cause trouble in the open world if you know what you're doing. But therein lies the problem. The game doesn't adequately explain its inner workings very well to the player, and as such, a lot of people have problems with the mechanics. There's a lot to learn starting out, and even after that, there's still a lot to master.

Luckily, we're here to straighten everything out and make the game an easier, and much more pleasurable, experience. These are ten ways you're unintentionally making Red Dead Redemption II harder on yourself than is necessary.

Updated on December 19, 2021 by Ritwik Mitra: Red Dead Redemption 2is a great video game, with a bunch of complex mechanics driving the heart of its design. In fact, the game is so vast and jam-packed with detail that some players might overlook some small but crucial details that can help them out during their journey. Thankfully, with the following tips, players who might be struggling with some small aspects of the game can figure out a solution to let them enjoy the game more.

15 Failing To Upgrade Horse Equipment

Traveling By Horse In Red Dead Redemption 2

Taking care of one's horse is one of the most important things players should do to make their traversal through Red Dead Redemption 2's world easier. However, the horse itself isn't the only thing that players should keep in mind at all times.

Players can also get new and improved equipment for their horse to alter their stats as well. Doing so is of prime importance so that players find it easier to gallop across the world without any worries. Horse gear isn't just for aesthetic purposes in this game.

14 Barely Using Dead Eye

Arthur aiming at an enemy with dead eye

Dead Eye is one of the most iconic and useful techniques that players can utilize in Red Dead Redemption 2. Aiming and shooting down waves of enemies with this technique almost always feels satisfying.

However, given how solid the usual shooting mechanics of RDR2 really are, most people might overlook this mechanic altogether. This is a surefire way to make the game harder, and should be avoided by players who want to pursue a healthy challenge.

13 Not Taking Good Care Of Your Horse

Turkoman Horse From Red Dead Redemption 2

A player's horse is one of their biggest allies in Red Dead Redemption 2. A cowboy who maintains a good bond with their steed will ensure that few to no problems come their way as they explore this game's open world.

Given how engaging the world of RDR2 is, it's not even all that boring or difficult to keep a horse happy. Players just need to keep certain items handy and raise their horse's happiness whenever possible, to craft a proper and long-lasting bond.

12 Ignoring The Effects Of Warm And Cold Weather

moose in snow in red dead 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 has a slight aspect of survival gameplay as well, in addition to its RPG elements. This can be seen in the weather mechanics and how they can affect a player throughout the game.

Both warm and cold weather play a huge role in maintaining the main character's Health Core. Failing to wear outfits that combat extreme weather can be extremely problematic for players further down the line. It may not seem like a huge deal — until the player is dying of exposure.

11 Not Keeping A Track Of The Honor System

red dead redemption 2 epilogue honor blue jay

The Honor System is one of the more important mechanics in Red Dead Redemption 2, especially for players who want a happy ending. Arthur's morals are up to the player to decide, with the character capable of being either a saint or a sinner.

It's up to the player to decide how the main character evolves over the course of the playthrough. Gamers who want the story to evolve as they see fit should play around with the honor system accordingly.

10 Not Paying Bounties

Seriously, just pay your bounties. Some players will play the game like Grand Theft Auto and cause a whole host of troubles. However, unlike GTA, that will result in a pretty massive bounty bill. If you don't fork over the cash, you'll be relentlessly hounded by bounty hunters, and this can make the game a frustrating experience.

Luckily, the bounties don't cost that much, provided you limit your violence to reasonable levels. Just suck it up and fork over a couple hundred bucks. It's worth it for the peace of mind alone.

9 Not Carrying Horse Reviver

Horse reviver is like juice from the Gods. Before you realize it, you'll be in love with your fictional horse. However, chances are that that horse will become critically injured throughout the course of the game. If this occurs, you need to put it out of its misery, and then you're stuck in the middle of nowhere without a mode of transport.

Luckily, you can revive your horse with the handy horse reviver, and it can be purchased from the convenience stores for like $10. It's ALWAYS worth carrying at least one bottle of the magic stuff.

8 Not Topping Your Cores

The cores can be a confusing aspect of the game. It works like this - the cores are like a backup for the rings. Once the rings deplete, your stamina/health will eat into your core. If your core is low, that just means less health and stamina, which means a quicker death.

Cores also correlate to how quickly the rings refill - a fuller core means a faster refill of the rings, which means a better performance in combat. You're doing yourself a disservice by not keeping your cores topped up, and all it takes is a little food and drink.

7 Not Taking Advantage Of Fast Travel

This game has often been criticized for being too slowly paced, and one of the biggest criticisms within that specific circle of criticism is the long travel times. Of course, there's nothing you can do in a mission. But in the open world, you have options.

Whether it be the fast travel map in camp, trains, or personal coaches, you can get to where you want to go in no time at all. Of course, this requires you to ride to the train station/coach/camp in question, but one is never very far away and it often takes all of two minutes. Save yourself the tedium - take the train.

6 Not Looting

A lot of people also complain that the game doesn't give out a lot of money, resulting in bounties not being paid and not being able to afford weapons, etc. A really easy way to obtain money is to loot your fallen enemies. Yeah, it can be tedious and eats up some time, but the results are worth it.

Not only will you find cold hard cash, but you'll often loot valuable items that you can sell at the fence for a cool profit. You'll also find a lot of tonics, which, you know, free tonics. Which means less money to spend. It's a win-win situation.

5 Not Hoarding Tonics

And while we're talking about tonics, we'll just say this - keep tonics in your satchel. There's a wide variety of tonics in the game, all of which will aid you in combat. You can chug some down to instantly refill your stamina, health, and dead eye rings, and high quality tonics will even keep the rings filled for a certain amount of time.

You can can find a lot of tonics for free by simply looting enemies, but you can also buy them at the general store. Simply set aside $50 or so and splurge on tonics. They're invaluable in combat, and it's always nice to know that you have a healthy inventory.

4 Not Using High Velocity Ammo

The game gives you different options for ammunition - regular, split point, high velocity, express, varmint, and explosive. All have their uses, but for a "jack of all trades" ammo, you can't go wrong with high velocity.

Not only does high velocity ammo give your weapon a slight damage boost, but it is also the only ammo type to increase the range. Increased damage AND range, and all for the relatively cheap price of $2 or $3. What more could you want?

3 Not Using Your Bandana

The bandana can save you a lot of trouble in this game. Yes, some of its mechanics are wonky, because law enforcement can somehow see through your disguises. But when it comes to regular civilian witnesses, you need to use your bandana.

Doing so will prevent civilians from reporting on your crime, so instead of "wanted - Arthur Morgan," it will just be a general "wanted - unknown criminal." As such, the law will simply investigate the specific area of the crime, and if you hightail it out of there in time, you won't receive a bounty.

2 Not Hunting

Hunting has a lot of uses, and offers challenges that are all its own. But it's especially helpful for obtaining meat. Killing deer is especially helpful in this regard. For one thing, deer are plentiful and can essentially be found everywhere. They're also very easy to kill. If you skin the deer, you will obtain numerous pieces of meat, and this meat is a fantastic way to quickly refill your cores.

It's easy, it's free, and it gives you a ton of benefits. Seriously, kill a deer every once in a while. You'll thank us later.

1 Not Utilizing Cinematic Mode

If you're feeling particularly lazy, you can utilize cinematic mode. It's not like riding your horse to a particular destination is difficult, but it can be tedious. Luckily, you can circumvent this tedium with cinematic mode.

Simply activate the mode, sit back, and watch while Arthur makes his way through the countryside without your input. It allows you to be lazy, you don't need to constantly press and hold the ride button, and it allows you to soak in the atmosphere and beautiful settings of the game. It's a wonder.

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