Whether you’re tackling the intimidating lawlessness of the Old West by yourself or teaming up with a posse, money is absolutely essential to surviving in Red Dead Redemption 2’s online mode. With a vast array of activities at your disposal, it can be difficult to know where to focus your efforts to earn cash quickly. Luckily, we’ve got you covered, partner.
Looting
Looting still remains one of the quickest and easiest ways to make money in Red Dead Online, especially if you’re looking to make some extra cash without putting in too much effort. While the cash you get from looting enemies might be modest, you’ll often come across valuable items such as pocket watches, platinum bands, necklaces, and antique jewellery that can be sold to Fences for a nice payout. After taking down a few enemies, a trip to a fence is always recommended to sell off your haul and top up your reserves.
Looting remains highly effective, especially in missions, Free Roam events, and camp raids, where enemies can drop valuable collectables that boost your earnings. Though the general loot payout from enemies hasn’t changed much, the opportunity to loot rare items has increased, especially with updates introducing more collectable items across the world.
Story Missions
One of the most reliable ways to make money in Red Dead Online is by completing Story Missions. These missions are scattered around the map, typically indicated by a yellow icon or fog cloud on the map. Completing these missions can yield substantial rewards, often scaling into the hundreds of dollars, and occasionally even more depending on your performance.
Story missions are still one of the best ways to earn cash quickly, and in addition to the payout, you’ll often get a chunk of gold and a pile of corpses to loot for extra cash. As the game has progressed, more multi-part story missions have been added, increasing the potential for larger rewards. Plus, these missions are an excellent way to earn experience points (XP), boosting your progression and unlocking additional content.
Become A Collector
Becoming a Collector in Red Dead Online is still one of the most lucrative ways to make money, though it requires patience and dedication. You’ll need to reach level 5 in the Collector role to unlock the Metal Detector upgrade, which is essential for finding valuable buried items.
Additionally, the Diamond Bag upgrade remains key to maximizing your earnings. Once you’ve unlocked it, you’ll be able to store more rare collectables, allowing you to find higher-value items during your hunts. The Collector role has evolved with the addition of rare seasonal items, giving players even more opportunities to collect and sell high-value artefacts.
The Metal Detector still proves useful for finding valuable items buried underground, and with maps purchased from the Collector Vendor, you can uncover hidden treasures all over the map. This is a particularly passive way to earn money, as you can search for collectables while you travel between other missions or events, making it easy to earn cash while going about your business.
Treasure Hunting
Treasure hunting remains an excellent method for earning significant amounts of cash in Red Dead Online. Treasure maps, awarded to players every five levels starting from level 10, will lead you to hidden caches of money and gold. These maps can also be found in the hideouts of bandit leaders, and players who take part in bounty hunting and raid missions are likely to come across treasure maps as well.
The treasure-hunting system has evolved with additional treasure locations and increased rewards, ensuring that players can still find treasure even after completing the initial map sets. It’s an enjoyable pursuit because you’ll not only find gold and cash but also special resources like health tonics, ammunition, and rare collectables, making treasure hunting a rewarding and fun activity for those looking to make a decent amount of money.
Additional Tips and Activities
Aside from the methods above, there are a few additional ways to make money in Red Dead Online:
- Bounty Hunting: As a Bounty Hunter, you can track down targets for significant payouts. Taking on bounties offers a solid stream of income and an exciting, action-packed experience.
- Moonshining: The Moonshiner role remains one of the most profitable, especially if you can keep your distillery running smoothly and upgrade your business. You can sell your moonshine to buyers for substantial sums, especially if you take advantage of special orders.
- Trader Role: As a Trader, you can collect resources, craft valuable goods, and sell them for a profit. This role, although more passive, remains a steady source of income over time.
- Fishing: With the right bait and patience, fishing can yield a good profit, especially when targeting Legendary Fish, which can be sold for high prices at certain locations.
Final Thoughts
Making money in Red Dead Online can feel like a daunting task with the vast number of activities available to players. However, with a clear strategy, you can maximize your earnings and make your way to riches. Whether you’re looting bodies, hunting treasure, or participating in story missions, there’s no shortage of ways to earn a decent living in the Wild West. Keep your wits about you, partner, and you’ll be rolling in cash before you know it.
