Red Dead Online Player Guide - Ranking

[u/SmurfinGTA]

If you see misinformation please leave a comment, directly PM me, or my Discord is SmurfInn#4360. Even though changing Third Person Controls and other Settings is suggested, these tips are written as if default controls are used.

Settings

Resources

New Players

Player Attributes

Weight

Horse

Camp

Posse

Clothing and Appearance

Daily Challenges

Hunting and Fishing

Ranking <-- You are here.

Money Making

Farming Methods and Circuits

Crafting

Bounty System

Weapons

PvP

Ability Cards

Roles

• Collector
• Bounty Hunter
• Trader
• Moonshiner
• Naturalist

Showdowns

One-shot Bodyshot Kills

Captain Balrick's Arsenal

Glitches and Exploits Awareness

XP Bonuses

Benefits and Outlaw Pass

Free Roam Event Map (Community contributions)

_____________________________________________________________

Ranking

Best XP: Trader Resupply and Delivery missions net huge XP for everyone in the Posse. Especially Resupply missions with bag drop-offs (500 XP per bag for everyone). Participating in all Roles will give you the most XP. Run Bounty Missions for steady payouts. Help with Trader Resupplies Deliveries and run your own for thousands of XP each mission. Find/loot Collectibles and Sample animals while you travel. Sell full Collectible sets to Madam Nazar and full animal Stamp categories to Harriet for huge XP payouts. Also, as always, do the Progress Awards and reset them. Equip low-level Ability Cards before huge XP payouts!

• Every action you do is most likely kept track under Pause Menu > Progress > Awards. These are the huge XP earners that add up as you simply play the game. Each Award has milestones that give you XP bonuses. Fully completing an Award gives you 500 XP and a Gold Belt Buckle. Some Awards can be Reset which means you can do them again for the same XP payout. Each time you reset an Award you receive .4 Gold, and Awards which reset can be reset up to 10 times.
• Here is a list of (hopefully) all XP bonuses. Each is important to use as they quickly add up. Ex) You get more XP if you clear a Bandit Hideout while on horseback and using Express Ammo with Slow and Stay active. Each kill now gives you 15 more XP (5 XP for Death Rider, Special Ammo, and Dead Eye, respectfully). Another 5 XP for each Headshot. Some XP bonus show as a generic "Kill Bonus". This is probably a placeholder for future Bonus names.
• Killing other players in free roam with special ammo while on horseback can give you 40 XP per kill. This is big payouts but PvP tends to drain your resources and you don't get a kill as often if it were NPC Enemies.
• When you lock onto an enemy and flick the right joystick up for their head, let go of L2 just before you shoot. This will give you the Eyes Wide Shut bonus (10 XP) for a free aim kill.
• PvP modes are decent for XP and Money. Be sure to loot/craft your tonics and don't buy them. Otherwise, you will be at a very high rank with no money.
• Voting after game modes will give you 20 XP.
• Although not as lucrative as Roles, Stranger Missions with Hideouts/Ambushes/Random Enouncters between them is a fun grind. The best missions for XP are delivery missions. Each drop-off gives you XP in addition to the final payout. Have 4 or more Posse members for a better chance of getting 4 delivery items. You also get a 5% payout increase per Posse member. Read the Money Making section for more on Stranger payouts.
  • To further increase mission payouts, let the missions run at least 15 minutes before completing the mission. This chart show payouts based on completion times and works for all missions besides Trader and Moonshine missions. If a friend waits at the final drop-off (being near the yellow area will protect them from enemies but still watch out for dynamite), you can make way more XP and money by hunting or finding Collectibles during the wait. You and your friends should take turns waiting at the drop-offs of each mission.
• As an alternative to waiting out the timer for each mission, you can have your Posse leader wait at a new Stranger mission when the current mission is completed. They can start a new mission right away and keep everyone on a mission timer. Staying on a mission timer means you're being paid for your gameplay.
• If you are knocked down, it is possible to be healed by an NPC you are escorting.
• Replay story missions. You get bonuses for not having anybody die. If you have to retry a checkpoint, the XP gained before failing remains.
• If you tackle someone in water they instantly die/drown and you get the Execution XP bonus.
• Skinning / plucking animals give you as much XP as killing them did, even though it doesn’t pop up on the right of the screen. Catching or breaking down fish does not yield any XP.
• Putting small animals in your Satchel will give you 5 or 10 Skinning XP, depending on the small animal. It does not apply to fish. If you shoot a small bird worth 10 Kill XP and Satchel it, you will get a total of 20 XP per bird.
• Spending time doing PvP in Showdowns will net the good XP and Cash. Be sure not to spend it all on Tonics or you will be high level and broke. Craft or loot your Tonics.
• Wolves and other predators will attack NPCs. You can lead them to Gang Hideouts or other enemies.
• If you remain stealthy you can throw Predator Bait around enemies to attract predators.
• You can set wagons to autopilot to a waypoint by holding X/A while in Cinematic Mode. This is useful since you can tap the button to speed up then continue to Hold. Alternatively, you can do this without Cinematic Mode by constantly aiming your weapon with L2 but you can't speed up.
• If you are delivering a wagon filled with caged prisoners, transport them while still locked in the cage. This will protect the prisoners and keep them together. Drive in the yellow area and, when you want to end the mission, shoot the lock.
• Go AFK in races by rubberbanding your controller.
• Alternatively, farm kill the AFK players in races.
• When you do the grave robbing random event, hogtie the stranger as soon as you find the treasure and the cops won't come.

[u/Traveler_1898]

I think you get .4 gold for resetting a progress award.

[u/snake_78_ → u/Traveler_1898]

Yes

[u/thisisvegas]

The rubberbanding controllers doesn't work for me. I'm a pc player, but I tried connecting a controller but I keep getting "press any button to continue" and then the "you've been kicked for being idle." I thought that maybe the controller was dying or going to sleep, but plugging it in didn't fix it. It also doesn't cycle through the proceed menu. Is this PC related?

[u/Ojczul → u/thisisvegas]

There is a very advanced workaround for this. Step 1 find small but heavy object Step 2 put in on W button on keyboard Step 3 facepalm for not being to able to figure it out on your own.