Rumors of Red Dead Redemption 2 arriving on PC have swirled energetically across the gaming community for a while. The potential was certainly exciting, as the franchise has never existed in full on the PC. Now, less than a month after its announcement, it’s arrived — and there’s plenty to look forward to for those who didn’t grab the original PlayStation 4 or Xbox One editions. Or who are enthusiastic about their high-definition animal details.
A pressing question for many is: Will RDR2 players be able to access Red Dead Online? And the answer is yes! Players can access the shared-world service for free, “featuring all previously released improvements and the latest content for the complete online experience.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that it’s cross-play with PlayStation 4 users. But that’ll probably be alright, given we know you’re probably going to mod the fuck out of the game anyway.
And that’s not necessarily what everyone’s playing for anyway. Remember how when RDR2 came out, everyone was obsessed with every goddamn detail that Rockstar crunched their employees over? PC gamers finally get to see horse testicles retracting in sweet, sweet super-resolution.
Rockstar announced that it’s added a suite of technical improvements that will let you render the game with ridiculously powerful parameters. The blog reads, “New graphical and technical enhancements for deeper immersion include increased draw distances for better navigation; higher quality global illumination and ambient occlusion for improved day and night lighting; higher quality snow trails, improved reflections and deeper, higher resolution shadows at all distances; tessellated tree textures and improved grass and fur textures for added realism in every plant and animal.” There are also options for HDR support, 4K support, widescreen configurations, and faster framerates. Basically, super high-res horse testicles.
More On Red Dead Shenanigans:
- 5 Weird Secrets Hiding in Red Dead Redemption 2
- I Tried Living Honorably in Red Dead Online
- Red Dead Redemption 2 Looks Pretty Great as LEGO
Maybe you don’t need that in your life. That’s fine! Not all of us own IBM-tier supercomputers. But Rockstar does sweeten the pot with brand-new content that looks like it’ll be PC-exclusive for the time being. Keep in mind, of course, that these are all for Story Mode, the single-player mode.
First off, there are some new Bounty Hunter missions. Rockstar lists them as follows:
- Herman Zizendorf has been stealing tools from tradesmen – track him down in Blackwater.
- Ex-Confederate Cavalry Officer Camille de Millemont is wanted dead or alive out by Catfish Jacksons, but his loyal men are never far behind.
- Bart Cavanaugh and his gang are camping out in Big Valley. Take Bart dead or alive without alerting his gang if you want to avoid a whole mess of trouble.
If chasing down Del Lobos is more your speed, you can raid RDR2’s new hideouts at Gaptooth and Solomon’s Folly. Or, you can plunder for treasure with the new Landmarks of Riches and The Elemental Trail treasure maps. You can also collect herbs for rewards in the new mission, “To The Ends Of The Earth.” Hey, something for everyone’s pace, right?
Story Mode has a few new toys to play with. Specifically, the Rockstar blog outlines the following:
- M1899 Pistol – all-new Semi-automatic handgun with clip loaded ammunition
- Evans Repeater – high capacity repeater (previously available in Red Dead Online only)
- High Roller Revolver – ornate double-action revolver (previously available in Red Dead Online only)
- Le Mat Revolver – powerful revolver with the ability to shoot shotgun shells (previously available in Red Dead Online only)
There are also Trinkets that will help out your loadout:
- Hawk Talon – permanently decreases Stamina bar drain speed by 30% when drawing a bow
- Cat Eye – permanently increases the length of Fortifying tonic effects by 20%
- Shark Tooth – permanently increases horse bonding experience bonus by 10%
- Turtle Shell – permanently increases health bar refill speed by 10%
- Crow Beak – permanently increases looted ammo by 10%
RDR2 Guides — Don’t Ride In Unarmed:
- Fishing Guide: How to Get a Fishing Rod, Best Fishing Spots
- The Best Horse – White Arabian, Rose Grey Bay, & More
- PVP Guide – How Feuds & Parley Work
Getting bored with your horses? How about more horses? Whether you want to give a new steed a try, or you absolutely messed your old one up, RDR2’s Story Mode now has five new ones. They’re as follows:
- Warped Brindle Arabian – a fast and agile mount
- Few Spot Appaloosa – beautiful and hardy, ideal for cross-country journeys
- Perlino Andalusian – a healthy, sturdy animal ideal for hunting (previously available in Red Dead Online only)
- Red Chestnut Arabian – a fleet-footed beast with a distinctive coat (previously available in Red Dead Online only)
If the more tamed ones aren’t your stile, there are new wild horse variations: Buttermilk Buckskin Kentucky Saddler, Liver Chestnut Morgan and Gold Palomino Tennessee Walker will show up in herds now.
Oh, and there’s also photo mode! That should be the real takeaway here.
If you plan on picking up RDR2 on PC, you can buy the base game directly from Rockstar Games for $59.99 via their new launcher. But if you have a digital inventory you want to add it to, chances are it’ll show up there soon enough. Right now, it’s available on the Epic Games Store via there, Greenman Gaming, GameStop, Humble Store and more. But in December, you can pick it up on Steam; and if for some reason, you’re giving Stadia a shot, it’ll be a buyable game at the Founder Edition’s launch.
