Few games offer as detailed characters and nuanced storytelling as Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2. On the surface, the two games are packed with multi-generational drama, large ensemble casts, and thousands of subtle details. But beneath the surface, the games’ semi-fictional Wild West history stretches back hundreds of years, with some towns, like Saint-Denis, having visible histories spanning centuries. Overall, the work weaves an epic tale of honor, dreams, and yes, redemption, across 15 years.

The events of the story unfold through cutscenes, mission events, or in the pages of Arthur’s diary. For years, RDR2 and Red Dead Redemption have told the tragic tale of justice’s last days on the frontier through the eyes of outlaws clinging to a lifestyle of the past. This story is seen through the eyes of three characters, not all of whom are probably even the protagonists of RDR, but in reality it is the story of many outlaws who always seek salvation in a vague American dream, and for better or worse, their loyalties are tied to the Van der Linde gang.

RDR2 Chapter One: Colter, 1899

The Prequel Begins

The main storyline of RDR2 takes place entirely in 1899. Members of the Van der Linde gang roam the snow-capped mountains of Colter in search of a hiding place after a failed ferry robbery. The police, working with the Pinkerton Private Investigation Agency, raid the ferry, resulting in a devastating shootout known as the Blackwater Massacre in RDR2. Dutch Van der Linde and his right-hand man, Hosea Matthews, desperately try to keep the gang free and morale high while grieving their losses.

Playable character Arthur Morgan progresses through the storyline by helping his leader, Dutch, who he sees as the boy with the feather who will get him off the streets. While searching for shelter and supplies, Arthur, Micah Bell and Dutch find a farm inhabited by members of a rival gang, the O’Driscoll family. This triggers the game’s first major conflict, leading to a feud between the Van der Linde gang and the O’Driscoll family, creating tensions between Micah, Arthur and Dutch that play a key role in the plot. The three characters often disagree, starting with the O’Driscoll family’s presence in Colter.

After fighting off the O’Driscolls, Arthur discovers the mansion’s real owner, Sadie Adler, hiding in the basement. As her husband was killed by the O’Driscolls, she agrees to take refuge with the Van der Lindes. Sadie is shy and cold at first, but she eventually grows into one of the most important characters in RDR2. Before that happens, however, Arthur and Javier Escuella must find John Marston, the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption, who has gone missing. After a harrowing climb into the mountains, Arthur and Javier find John in the snow, wounded after being attacked by wolves.

After safely returning him to their camp and chastising him for his irresponsibility, the story’s attention shifts to the O’Driscoll family, who have a camp nearby. Arthur leaves there with Javier, Micah, Dutch, Lenny Summers and Bill Williamson to look after Colm O’Driscoll, the gang’s leader. It is the first time the players have seen the Dutchman break his own code of honour in a bid to seek revenge. He justifies this by saying he wants to stop the O’Driscolls from attacking him. But he also admits he is interested in extracting any contracts the O’Driscolls are working on.

However, Dutch quickly reveals that this is a lie when he sees Colm escape, and Dutch does nothing about it. He says that it would be no fun to steal Colm’s sheet music if he was still alive and didn’t know about it. After a shootout with the remaining O’Driscoll family, Arthur captures Kieran Duffy, one of the members of a rival gang. One of the most surprising moments in RDR2 is how Dutch actually helps Kieran, despite Arthur’s protests and his hesitation to join the gang.

With information from the O’Driscoll camp, Dutch leads his gang in a train robbery. The train belongs to Leviticus Cornwall, a fictional oil tycoon from early American history who combines elements of robber barons like Vanderbilt and Rockefeller. This robbery becomes the catalyst for Cornwall’s revenge against the gang. He sends Pinkerton agents Andrew Milton and Edgar Ross to pursue the Van der Lindes case, and also to deal with the Blackwater Massacre and his feud with the O’Driscoll family. At this point, Dutch realizes that the gang’s outlaw life is nearing its end, as America is rapidly establishing law and order on its western border.

RDR2 Chapter Two: Horseshoe Overlook, 1899

Out Of The Mountains, Into The Heartland

Once things have calmed down, the gang moves to New Hanover, following Dutch’s new plan. The whole gang searches for work that is lucrative enough to give up their life of crime. Arthur and a few others gather supplies for their new camp at Horseshoe Lookout and head to Valentine to look for work. During a mission, a man notices Arthur from Blackwater, giving a foreboding of how tight the gang’s circle has become.

This chapter introduces the player to the various members of the Van der Linde gang through side quests. In these missions, Arthur helps his ex-fiancée Mary Linton find her brother Jamie. He breaks Micah out of prison, leading to another brutal shootout that reveals Micah Bell’s true nature in RDR2. And he takes John’s son Jack Marston fishing with Hosea and Dutch. The gang is unlucky, their orders keep failing and the Pinkertons are always on their tail.

RDR2 Chapter Three: Clemens Point, 1899

Feuding Families

After a simple sheep theft in Valentine that seems to be successful, Cornwall appears with the Pinkertons and confronts the gang directly. A bloody shootout forces Van der Lindes to flee. The gang manages to find another hideout just outside of Rhodes, where they are presented with their golden opportunity: a feud between two wealthy RDR2 families, the Braithwaites and the Grays.

To add fuel to the fire, the gang does a lot of work for both families. However, both have their own evil cruelty and soon find themselves deceived. Together with Sheriff Grey of Rhodes, they ambush the gang, with the Greys killing gang member Sean McGuire and the Braithwaites kidnapping Jack. The gang then confront the Braithwaite family and massacre all but one of the family members. They burn down the mansion in search of Jack.

Before rushing back to the burning mansion to die, Katherine Braithwaite informs the gang that Jack has been sold to Angelo Bronte, the notorious mafia boss of Saint Denis. Before they can give chase, however, the Van der Lindes are confronted again by agents Milton and Ross in the camp. They offer Dutch the chance to turn himself in and pardon the rest of the gang, but he again shows his selfishness and refuses. Milton promises to return with a few dozen more men to arrest the Van der Linde gang, forcing them to move camp again.

RDR2 Chapter Four: Shady Belle, 1899

The Van Der Linde Gang Descends On Saint Denis

They don’t get far, settling in the Shady Bell region of RDR2. Arthur and Lenny eliminate the Le Moyne Raiders as they come near Saint-Denis to rescue Jack. After some preparatory work, Arthur finds out where Bronte’s fortune is and goes to meet him. Things nearly went wrong. However, cooler heads prevail for a moment and a deal is made with Bronte. The gang agrees to take down some grave robbers for Bronte in exchange for Jack’s return. With the mission completed, Bronte invites the gang to her party, where they explore the rooms for clues, with a further promise that they will “succeed once more”.

Following Hosea’s clues, Josiah Trelawney manages to lure several gang members to a riverboat casino where they plan a robbery, and even organizes a poker tournament for Arthur to befriend the dealer. At first, everything goes smoothly, with Arthur cleaning up at the card table. But as is the case with any destined outlaw, everything spins out of control when the gang arrives at the vault. All secrets are lost and a shootout ensues as the gang tries to escape, eventually forcing them to jump off a boat to safety.

Before RDR2’s main plot progresses further, Arthur navigates several subplots. He helps Rains Fall, chief of the local Wapiti Indian tribe, and his son Eagle Flies to stop the U.S. Army from stealing the tribe’s land, a mission that sees Arthur’s path cross again with that of Leviticus Cornwall. Returning to camp, they are informed that another gang, the Foreman Brothers, have kidnapped Tilly Pierre. Arthur quickly goes to her rescue, preventing Tilly from being harassed by the foremen in RDR2.

The feud with the O’Driscoll family catches up with the gang again. Sadie tells Arthur that Kieran is missing, but the mystery is solved swiftly and brutally when Kieran’s decapitated body comes riding along holding his own head in his hands. The O’Driscoll family ambush the gang, but are eventually forced back. Dutch then delivers one of his most powerful monologues, revealing just how delusional he is. He berates Arthur for not recognizing the extent of their problems but also the opportunities, and for refusing to put the gang’s lives on the happiness of its members.

Dutch’s desire for lawlessness leads him to lead the gang in another assignment for Angelo Bronte. A robbery at a tram stop in the center of Saint-Denis turns out to have been staged by Bronte trying to catch the police. Loose ends are tied up: Arthur, Dutch and Lenny must hijack a tram and flee the city. If it wasn’t already obvious to the gang, it’s now clear they’re on thin ice.

Nevertheless, the story takes a momentary unexpected turn when Arthur is contacted again by his ex-fiancé. He struggles to stop Mary from destroying her father, a scene that serves as a metaphor for Arthur and the other gang members moving towards their own demise. After saving her, Arthur is offered another chance to turn his back on his life as an outlaw, but he refuses, in part because he does not want Mary to be punished for his misdeeds, but also because of his family ties to the doomed Van der Linde gang.

After Arthur returns to the gang, Dutch again betrays his own moral code. Hosea has a great new job lined up, but Dutch wants revenge on Bronte for setting them up. Arthur, always flaunting his false beliefs, sides with Dutch. The gang gets a local fisherman to take them to Bronte’s villa, where another skirmish breaks out. After eliminating many guards and lawmen, the gang finally gets Bronte onto a ferry. The gang are determined to ransom her, and Bronte tries to bribe Dutch to kill him, to no avail. In the ensuing exchange, Dutch drowns Bronte instead and feeds her to the crocodiles.

Despite the chaotic events, the RDR2 gang continues to plan their epic bank heist. The plan would seem sensible if it weren’t for the noose that constantly tightens around the gang’s necks. Soon after Arthur raids the vault, the Pinkertons arrive with the dozens of men Milton had promised. Hosea is taken hostage, leading Dutch to ask Milton to negotiate, in an ironic twist as Dutch could have already saved Hosea and everyone else. But it’s too little, too late. Milton refuses and has Hosea executed in front of the gang, John is arrested, and a gunfight kills Lenny before the rest escape.

RDR2 Chapter Five: Guarma, 1899

Fighting For Freedom

The gang manages to hide overnight in an abandoned building and secretly board a boat bound for Cuba. The boat is wrecked and Van der Linde’s gang washes up on the shores of Guarma. They are captured by local troops before they can find their way out, then quickly liberated by rebel forces fighting an oppressive government. Guarma is essentially a large hacienda, staffed by indentured servants and political prisoners, and ruled with the iron fist of Colonel Alberto Husser.

The gang joins rebel fighters to fight off a support force arriving from Cuba, but RDR2 doesn’t stay in Guarma for long. After killing Husser and destroying his fort, the Van der Linde gang secures a way back to the mainland and resumes their retreat.

RDR2 Chapter Six, Part One: Beaver Hollow, 1899

Getting The Gang Back Together In Lemoyne

After arriving at Van Horn Trading Post, Arthur goes straight to the last camp of the gang at Shady Bell, where the remaining members have moved to Lakai. He finds her and learns that John has been arrested, but the reunion does not last long as the Pinkertons invade the camp again. The gang manages to fight them off, but Dutch notices Milton’s apparent powers of foresight and begins to suspect that someone in the gang is betraying them.

Now that he no longer has a balancing influence like Hosea, Dutch rules the gang like a tyrant. He orders Arthur and Charles Smith to clear out their new location in Beaver Hollow, but Dutch’s partner Molly drunkenly announces that she has informed the Pinkertons of their location. Of course she is lying and is just trying to insult Dutch, who has been ignoring her in his quest for more power. Nevertheless, Susan murders Molly for a perceived betrayal.

Later, Arthur agrees to meet with Sadie in Saint Denis to discuss how to break into Sisika Prison to rescue John. While waiting to meet her, he is seized by a coughing fit. After being taken to a doctor by a stranger, Arthur learns that he has tuberculosis. This fatal diagnosis marks Arthur’s final turning point, as he struggles to provide a comfortable life for the remaining members of his adopted family after his death.

Arthur and Sadie quickly rescue John and bring him back to the Hollow, but Dutch warns them that they cannot afford to pursue John just yet. Dutch becomes paranoid and begins to doubt Arthur’s loyalties, despite Molly’s claims that she is an informant, and Micah gradually becomes Dutch’s right-hand man.

Nevertheless, Arthur goes to Annesburg with Dutch and Micah to look after Cornwall. When they manage to get into position, Dutch goes off script and confronts Cornwall while he is dealing with the Pinkertons. Dutch makes an absurd demand of Cornwall – to give him $10,000 and a boat so he can leave the country safely, which Cornwall naturally refuses. Dutch then shoots the bigwig, sending the gang into a gunfight with the rest of the Pinkertons. The three outlaws make a narrow escape, but Micah manages to steal some of Cornwall’s newspapers during his hasty escape.

Before these can be used, Colm O’Driscoll is sentenced to hang, and Arthur accompanies Dutch and Sadie to end a long-standing feud with the O’Driscoll family. The trio must maintain tight security, but ensure that Colm is not present. However, Sadie shoots the two remaining O’Driscolls in the crowd, as revenge for her husband killed at the start of RDR2, and a bloody gunfight ensues.

RDR2 Chapter Six, Part Two: Beaver Hollow, 1899

Sins Of The Father, Paid By The Sons

With the situation resolved, the gang steals a shipment of dynamite advertised in a Cornish newspaper and uses it to set up an ambush at Bacchus Bridge, cutting off government supplies and nearly killing Arthur and John. At this point, John and Arthur express concern about the kind of man Dutch is becoming. Arthur had his own issues with John, but now he is more concerned about John and his family than he is about loyalty to Dutch.

RDR2’s tale of beleaguered outlaws led by a Machiavellian anarchist continues as Dutch seizes the opportunity to strike another blow against the authorities. A Flying Eagle comes to the camp asking for help. A military dispatch at Fort Wallace has stolen the tribe’s horses. Tensions between the Wapiti tribe and the military continue to grow as more horrific military misconduct comes to light. Dutch further pushes the gang for his own gain, only taking action against those who oppress his utopia.

Dutch’s search for his personal idea of ​​freedom leads the gang to feign support for the Wapiti tribe, culminating in an attack on an oil refinery in Cornwall that nearly wipes out the tribe, resulting in Dutch leaving Arthur and another member dead. His narcissistic nature comes to the fore and he betrays his so-called family. However, Arthur and the gang survive the onslaught, leading to another “Final Task” situation in RDR2. Dutch describes the gang’s recent success, intercepting a government shipment to repair damage to the destroyed Bacchus Bridge.

During the heist, John is shot while trying to free a burning train car to allow the gang to escape. Dutch attempts to save John, but returns shortly after and claims that John is dead. Van der Linde’s gang manages to complete the job, but after returning to camp, Tilly informs Arthur that Abigail Marston has been kidnapped. Dutch decides he should split with the gang, largely due to Micah’s motives, but Arthur refuses to abandon Abigail and leave Jack an orphan.

Sadie reunites with Arthur and the two make their way to Van Horn. They continue to fight off several Pinkertons until Arthur is held at gunpoint by Agent Milton himself. Milton thinks he has won and reveals to them that Micah was the mole. Arthur tries to escape, but Abigail shoots Milton with Sadie’s gun and resolves the situation. When they return, Arthur gets Sadie to help Abigail, Jack and Tilly escape while he deals with Dutch and Micah.

Arthur declares Mika a traitor and a standoff ensues, but the gang isn’t sure what to do until a wounded John Marston stumbles in and tells them Dutch left Mika to die. Just as Susan starts to side with Arthur, the Pinkertons arrive and provide the distraction they need to kill Mika. Dutch eventually betrays his two most loyal “sons”, calling John and Arthur traitors and siding with Mika. Arthur tells John where his family is, gives him his belongings and goes off to find Mika. Depending on Arthur’s Honor level in RDR2, he is either killed or left injured.

RDR2 Epilogue Chapters One & Two: 1907

John Builds A New Life

The Epilogue of Red Dead Redemption 2 begins eight years after the death of Arthur Morgan and the dissolution of the Van der Linde Gang. Players take control of John Marston, who tries to find a stable life for his family. John gets a job with David Geddes at Pronghorn Ranch. Things remain tense for him and his family, making it harder for John to break away from his old life than he would have hoped. When the Laramie Gang raids the ranch and steals the livestock, John reverts to his old gunslinger style and Abigail disappears with Jack.

To prove to Abigail that he can change, John enlists Geddes’ help in purchasing the Beecher’s Hope property and turning it into his own ranch. John reunites with former gangsters Uncle and Charles, who help him with the construction. In Valentine, he reunites with Sadie, who helps him find work as a bounty hunter to fund the project. Things turn around for John as he becomes engaged to Abigail and is able to spend more time with his family, but through the bounty hunt he eventually learns details about Micah Bell’s location.

Refusing to break his promise to kill Micah for his betrayal, John, Sadie and Charles attempt to hunt down Micah despite Abigail’s pleas. To find Micah, they kidnap one of the gang members and execute him after he tells them where Micah is. The three fight their way through Micah’s minions, letting nothing stop them in their quest for justice, blurring the line between redemption and revenge.

John and Sadie finally seem to have the upper hand until Dutch appears with his gun drawn. Dutch tries to convince her that John has betrayed him and the gang, but he falls silent as the situation unfolds. John goes back and forth between himself and Micah, who saved Sadie, and eventually demands that Dutch say something. Dutch replies that he has nothing more to say and shoots Micah in the chest. He leaves the camp, leaving all of Blackwater’s money to John, Sadie, and Charles.

Sadie and Charles leave to build a life for themselves, while John returns to Beecher’s Hope with regret. RDR2 ends on a positive note. John finally marries Abigail and the two adjust to life on the ranch. However, during the credits, Pinkerton agent Edgar Ross begins an investigation into Mika’s murder, foreshadowing the beginning of Red Dead Redemption.

Red Dead Redemption Chapter One: New Austin, 1911

New Beginnings In New Austin