Red Dead Online Player Guide - Ability Cards

[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.

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Ability Cards <-- You are here.

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Ability Cards

Best Cards: The first chart below shows the most common Cards people level-up. The second chart shows specific load-outs. Support roles are good for PvP or PvE when you have 4-7 Posse members so you can spare Card slots. Your Card loadout should match your personal playstyle. Select your Dead Eye Card based on what you will be doing the most and/or what role you will be playing. Select your three Passive Cards based on how you want to maintain your Health, Stamina, Damage, and Dead Eye. Your Passive Cards can either buff these stats or recharge these stats, or a compromise of both. You can use Tonics and other items to maintain the stats your Ability Loadout misses, but items cost money or loot time. So design a Loadout which will benefit your stats based on your playstyle. These Ability Card tips are only the most common combinations. Mix it up if you play differently. All Ability Card Descriptions. All Weapon and Ability Card Stats.

Here is a chart of popular Ability Cards and their use. Picture version

here

.

	Active	Passive	Passive	Passive
	Dead Eye Cards	Combat Cards	Recovery Cards	Defense Cards
PvP	Paint It Black, Slow and Steady, Focus Fire, Slippery Bastard	Sharpshooter, Winning Streak	Eye for an Eye, Iron Lung (also a Defense perk)	Fool Me Once, Unblinking Eye
PvE	Paint It Black, Slow and Steady, Quite an Inspiration, Focus Fire	Sharpshooter	Eye for an Eye, Strange Medicine, Cold Blooded, Iron Lung (also a Defense perk)	Fool Me Once, Unblinking Eye
Health Support (Secondary roles for one or two players in Large Posses with slots to spare)	Quite an Inspiration		Eye for an Eye, Kick in the Butt	The Unblinking Eye, Strength in Numbers
Damage Support (Secondary roles for one or two players in Large Posses with slots to spare)	Focus Fire		Eye for an Eye	The Unblinking Eye

Here are examples of Ability Card builds. Picture version

here

.

	Dead Eye Card	Passive Card	Passive Card	Passive Card
Tank Build (Needs Tonics for PvP)	Slow and Steady	Fool Me Once	Iron Lung	Unblinking Eye/Kick in the Butt/Strange Medicine
Close Range Dual Wielding Tank Build (Needs Tonics for PvP)	Slow and Steady	Fool Me Once	Winning Streak	Gunslinger's Choice
Rapidfire Headshot Build	Paint It Black	Eye for an Eye	Strange Medicine/Cold Blooded	Unblinking Eye
Cover-to-Cover Headshot Build	Slippery Bastard	Unblinking Eye	Cold Blooded/Strange Medicine	Iron Lung
Cover-to-Cover Hipfire Build (High damage but use Tonics to Fortify Health)	Slippery Bastard	Unblinking Eye	The Short Game	Gunslinger's Choice
Damage Build (Use cover to take down a Tank Build)	Focus Fire	Unblinking Eye/Eye for an Eye	Strange Medicine/Cold Blooded	Iron Lung
Sniper Build (Use Tonics to Fortify Health)	Focus Fire	Unblinking Eye	Sharpshooter	Iron Lung
Health Support Build (PvE only)	Quite an Inspiration	Unblinking Eye	Iron Lung/Fool Me Once/Strength in Numbers	Eye for an Eye
Hunting Build (PvE only; Damage Cards are for Arrows)	Paint It Black	Unblinking Eye (Must-have for Eagle Eye use)	Landon's Patience/Horseman	Live for the Fight

​

• Your four Ability Cards can be equipped to your character to add special perks. Your first card is free and will affect your Dead Eye. The other three cards passively affect either your Combat, Recovery, or Defense abilities.
• The first passive card slot unlocks at Level 10, the second at Level 20, and the Third at Level 40.
• An Ability Card build will complement the gameplay you'll be doing. PvE builds should restore health and reduce the damage you take. PvP builds should reduce the damage you take and increase the damage you deal.
• Ability Cards accumulate XP while the cards are equipped. Unlock any cards you think you may potentially use one day as early as you can so that they can absorb XP while you level up. Try to keep at least one, if not four, unleveled cards equipped at all times to maximize XP absorption. Even if you don't need the benefits of the card(s) this strategy will speed up card leveling later.
• Each card can be upgraded twice. To upgrade, accrue 10,000 XP with the card equipped then the first upgrade can be bought for $350. For a second upgrade, 15,000 XP and $500 is required.
• You can freely change your cards so you are allowed to have a set for hunting, missions, PvP, and other activities.
• You can see which cards activate when they light up on the top right HUD, although this visual check isn't reliable. Cards may still be active if its HUD isn't lit.
• Check other Player's Cards with Left on D-Pad (x2) > Their name > View Ability Loadout
• Purchasing the first tier of a card grants 150 XP instantly. Try to purchase a level 1 card while other cards that are still accumulating XP are currently active, and they will absorb 150 XP each.
• Your cards on the top right of the screen light up when active. This can be used to better understand card use.
• You can have perfect accuracy with Paint It Black, even before you paint an X. Lock-on, activate PIB, then quickly flick/fire. Dead Eye will deactivate when you fire. It also provides a range boost.
• In addition to perfect accuracy, enabling PIB means Shotguns are given a huge increase in damage as more of your pellets can hit.
• Paint It Black is useful for hunting. Tag multiple birds or tag a headshot on a valuable 3-star carcass.
• If using a Bow, use damage Ability Cards to add an arrow's impact. Horseman, Landon's Patience, and Peak Condition increase damage output for Bows. Focus Fire as well, but you sacrifice Paint It Black.
• Currently, the best cards are Paint It Black, Slow and Steady, Eye For An Eye, Strange Medicine, Unblinking Eye, Winning Streak, Iron Lung, Sharpshooter, Fool Me Once, and Landon's Patience. Slippery Bastard is THE evading card, but you sacrifice your Dead Eye offense. I love using Horseman for Free Roam. Below I breakdown some card specifics and combinations.
• Some combat evolution we have been seeing: "Slow and Steady" or "Never Without One" kills headshots. Using both is redundant and counteractive. Damage cards + "Paint It Black" kill "Slow and Steady". "Slippery Bastard" tops everything but snipers, tackles, Lasso, Bolas, Incendiary shells, and lucky Explosive shots. You can use "Paint It Black" with Bolas, Bows, and Throwables. You can use "Hangman" with Lassos. Sniper Rifles top everything (not with a scope) and give you perfect accuracy through a scope. “Paint It Black” tags everything and gives your shots perfect accuracy with zero spread. "Iron Lung" is a great defense card for PvP and PvE. For sniping you can use "Slow and Steady", "Sharpshooter", and "Iron Lung" to absorb bullets. More about Ability Cards. See exact weapon and Ability Card stats on this spreadsheet.
• Bolas and Lasso can counter someone using "Slippery Bastard". You can use "Paint It Black" with Bolas, Bows, and Throwables to hit "Slippery Bastard" users.
• Use "Hangman" while Lassoing a player. Level III will kill a player using Health Tonics in seconds.
• "Paint It Black" + Double Barrel Shotgun is a very fast kill. Paint two X’s for two fast shots.
• The Ability Card "Slow and Steady" lets you take less damage to survive one hit headshots. It won't let you run or sprint, but that is unneeded when you can stand out in the open and headshot your opponent. Great counter to Paint It Black player getting headshots.
• I have gotten in the habit of seeing another player, aiming and diving, and have enabled "Slow and Steady" and shoot my weapon before I get to my feet.
• The above tactic works wonderfully with PIB. You will tag, give, and IMMEDIATELY shoot.
• If you couple "Slow and Steady" with "The Unblinking Eye", which increases your Dead Eye and Eagle Eye times, you will be quite the murder force.
• "The Unblinking Eye" is good for any Dead Eye card and increases your Eagle Eye time. Use it to better track Bounties and animals.
• "Slippery Bastard" increases the bloom size for the user and anyone aiming at them. It also makes bullets hit the bloom circle, not inside the circle.
• "Paint It Black" can counter "Slippery Bastard" if you tag them a Bow or throwables.
• Arrow headshots are unaffected by an enemy's "Slow and Steady" and will kill them. Use "Paint It Black" to tag their head.
• "Slippery Bastard" is good to rush with. If "Paint It Black" is being used against you then wait for their Dead Eye to activate and shoot them after deactivating yours. Use trees and other objects to block the line of sight as you close in closer. This is best on horseback and in free roam. You basically only pop out of Slippery Bastard when you want to shoot.
• "Eye for an Eye" restores a lot of Dead Eye each headshot. A great alternative to Dead Eye consumables.
• "Strange Medicine" instantly gives you Health each time you damage a player. But you regenerate Health slower. You can help counteract this with "Cold Blooded" which you some health 3 seconds after getting a kill.
• "Landon's Patience" increases your damage each time you wait between shots. It's unsure the rate of damage increase per second, but the maximum increase is at 15 seconds across all upgrades.
• "To Fight Another Day" allows you to take less damage while sprinting and remains active while on horseback. This also applies while you're on wagons or carriages.
• "Peak Condition" gives you a max 8% damage buff and works while on Horseback. If your Stamina depletes so does the buff, but if you are on horseback then you will always have 100% Stamina. The card gives you a damage boost while at 100% Stamina. Even if the card doesn't light up on the top right.
• For predators and even Legendary predators, use "Slow and Steady" while on your horse. Your Horse will not buck you or run away in any circumstances. The predator will walk right against your paralyzed horse and give you plenty of time to unload. In addition to "Slow and Steady", use the "Horseman", "Winning Streak", and "Unblinking Eye" cards, Bolt Action Rifle, and Express Ammo.
• "Hunker Down" + "Slow and Steady" + "Iron Lung" = extremely great defense while in cover
• Never use "Never Without One" with "Slow and Steady" since they both provide the same protection against headshots, and losing your hat would weaken "Slow and Steady".
• You can activate Dead Eye while holding almost any non-gun item and even while unarmed with the same L2 + R3 combination. This does not work with "Paint It Black".
• "Winning Streak" activates 2 seconds after the first shot.
• After testing in free roam, the consecutive shot damage bonus from "Winning Streak" is not reset if your enemy dives or if you dive. More interestingly, it does persist after your death or your enemies' death as long as you don't fire any shots until you can hit them once again. No missed shots.
• "Slow and Steady" is useful to activate while looting corpses. You will absorb more bullets during the looting animations.
• Some weapon and Ability Card pairings:
  • Before you get into combination methods, you should know a "glass cannon" one-shot kill build isn't quite possible unless you use a scoped rifle. More info here. Here is a spreadsheet of exact Weapon and Card attributes.
  • Slow and Steady + Winning Streak + Gunslinger's Choice + LeMat + Dual Schofield/Lancaster/Dual Volcanic Pistol = You can take headshot damage while you rapid-fire one of these weapons. Each shot is more powerful than the last thanks to Winning Streak. Use this and spam body shots when someone is using Slow and Steady.
  • To Fight Another Day + Horseman + Never Without One = With these three cards you are your strongest while on horseback and Never Without One allows you to take less damage and gives you immunity to one headshot per hat (face shots will kill you). And because you are on your horse you have an endless supply of hats.
  • Slippery Bastard + Knife/Anything else + To Fight Another Day (Optional) + Iron Lung = Enable Dead Eye and Slippery Bastard will slightly prevent anyone from locking onto you. Zigzag towards them and tackle them with any weapon and spam R2 for an execution. The two optional cards let you take less damage while sprinting (To Fight Another Day) and you have more Stamina which gives you more Health (Iron Lung).
  • Slippery Bastard + Shotgun Slugs or Incendiary Buckshot = Free aim headshots with your Slugs or Incendiary Buckshot while your enemy can't auto-aim. The Dead Eye will also improve your range.
  • Slow and Steady + Dynamite = Momentarily stand out in the open and throw dynamite near your enemies.
  • Never Without One + Permanent Posse Outfits (or a team Showdown or both) = Always respawn with a hat.
  • Slippery Bastard + Shotgun + Quick Strafing + A corner/object = You will quickly strafe in and out of cover and pop off your shotgun before your close-to-medium ranged enemy can lock-on to you. Enabling Slippery Bastard will further complicate their lock-on.
  • Slow and Steady + Unblinking Eye + Fool Me Once + Iron Lung = Great for Showdowns but good for everything. You are a headshot absorbing tank which regenerates Health with each hit and each kill. In Showdowns, use Tonic to keep up your Health and Dead Eye.
  • Slippery Bastard + Lasso = Run up and tackle them to hogtie. Good for griefers when you don't want to engage.
  • Quite An Inspiration + Unblinking Eye + Strenght In Numbers = Support loadout. Either make your fourth card one that regains your Dead Eye similar to Kick In The Butt or Eye for An Eye. Or you can use Dead Eye Tonics and use a Damage card like Iron Lung.
  • Slow and Steady + Sharpshooter + Iron Lung = Sniping loadout. You can activate Slow and Steady while scoping. You will soak up a lot of bullets. Either make your fourth card one that regains your Dead Eye like Kick In The Butt or Eye for An Eye. Or you can use Dead Eye Tonics and use a Damage card like Peak Condition.

[u/ProfilerXx]

Is this still accurate? Asking for a friend...

[u/SmurfinGTA → u/ProfilerXx]

Yes, but PvP cards are overpowered by Tonics and Explosive ammo. Use Ability cards for an edge in PvE. For PvP use NWO and other health/damage cards but Tonics and Explosives are the current meta.

[u/ProfilerXx → u/SmurfinGTA]

Okay thank you so much for that, OP!