Red Dead Online

Red Dead Online is a multiplayer mode with a third-person view of the action-adventure game Red Dead Redemption 2. It offers story missions, cooperative and competitive modes, several variations of "battle royale" — all intertwined in new exciting ways. It periodically receives new content in the form of updates.

Like in GTA 5, in Red Dead Online, players start by creating a character in an advanced editor – they can choose gender, body type, set unique facial features, tattoos, and scars, as well as select clothing from their wardrobe. Later, clothing can be bought and changed.

Unlike GTAO, the events of the RDR 2 multiplayer are not connected to the single-player game and take place before its events, with all content available without completing the single-player campaign. However, both modes share some common NPC characters, although there are also new NPC quest-givers.

After creating a character, the player finds themselves chained in a wagon with three criminals being escorted to execution from prison. The character has been framed for the murder of an important person, whose wife, Mrs. Leclerc, wants revenge on the real killers, and it is up to the player to help her.

The standard action game plot unfolds with a lengthy story about the main character's terrifying revenge, featuring quests that, unlike the single-player, seem like a silly parody of the western genre. Although there are well-developed ones as well.

As for story missions, there is a strict division: some are completed solo, while others must be done in a group. The story in RDO serves more as a tutorial guide, explaining gameplay features.

In RDO, of course, you can play alone, but teaming up with other players in a gang will unlock new opportunities for all squad members: boss battles, competitions in open-world challenges, fights with other gangs in spontaneous skirmishes, and other mind-blowing competitions designed for 16-32 players.

To encourage players to band together, the penalty for illegal killing has been reduced. Player squads are more likely to attack lone cowboys, while solo players are much less likely to confront a group.

If a conflict arises between players, they can resolve it in two ways:

Avoiding unnecessary conflicts in free mode is aided by the style system – aggressive and defensive. Activating the latter makes it easier to explore the world, avoid unnecessary skirmishes, and in case of an attack, damage will be less. Notifications and auto-invitations are turned off.

Progression is implemented through a leveling system, with 100 levels available as of 2019. The higher the level, the more content is available, for example:

By completing any tasks in the game, the character gains experience, which accumulates into character levels (there are also Role levels). Interestingly, for some player levels, players are rewarded with a treasure map, which they can use to find money and valuable items.

As players level up, special ability cards become available. Players can equip a limited number of cards, thus creating a unique character. The higher the character's level, the more cards and slots are available, which increases build variability.

For victories in online battles, characters earn gold, RDO$ (used for weapons, ammunition, gear) and experience, which unlocks access to abilities like "Eagle Eye" (implemented through cards inserted into slots).

Levels can continue to be gained, but this will only affect gameplay if the "Outlaw Pass" is owned — a battle pass that grants access to exclusive content: single-player and gang quests, camp upgrades, and various cosmetics, such as a companion dog.

In Red Dead Online, there are 100 levels of the "battle pass," and the longer you play, the more content the player receives — meaning its contents need to be unlocked. Like in other service games, the battle pass is available for a limited time, after which a new one must be purchased. This can be done by farming gold in-game or buying it with real money.

The game starts with a newcomer without reputation and money – all of this must be earned through shootouts, various events, robberies, and other activities with other players.

Initially, the gameplay in multiplayer did not differ much from the single-player mode, especially since all familiar mechanics were present: (hunting, fishing, treasure hunting, robberies, character customization and all weapons and ammunition, the same physics model. However, as multiplayer evolved into a standalone mode, changes were made with a greater emphasis on interaction between players.

Multiplayer has a different item cost and overall economic model: RDO$ earned in the game, and gold, which can be purchased with real money or through tedious grinding. Microtransactions affect gameplay – gold can be used to buy camp upgrades, horses, higher-level items, as well as clothing and appearance items like holsters.

Unlike RDR 2, honor affects nothing except access to missions and status in free roam. With a high honor rating, players can receive more missions to protect against criminals, while with low honor, they can receive more robberies and rescues of criminals. Honor can be increased or decreased for gold by switching sides and completing all available content.

Another difference is the class or role system, which as of the end of 2019 includes four:

Roles offer new abilities for the character, additional quests, unique items, and of course, reward efforts with gold and experience, which goes into the class level, not the overall progression. Each class has 20 levels with its own ranks: novice, amateur, expert, and veteran.

Additionally, each player has their own personal camp, as well as a group camp if they are part of one. In the camp, you can rest, change appearance, create missing items, cook food, and so on. A tent system has been introduced – depending on the style, the player receives a certain bonus when entering free roam and resting in the camp.

In one of the updates, the controls were revamped to reduce the number of button presses and speed up character actions, especially in combat (aiming, cocking the trigger, and reloading are faster). Rockstar regularly adds content (weapons, clothing, masks and holsters, horse breeds, quests), but it is only available in multiplayer.

Let's list the main modes available at the beginning of 2019:

As part of the 2019 updates, Red Dead Online received the following permanent modes:

Temporary events have also appeared in the game, such as tracking down and killing a legendary criminal or surviving in the "Under Cover of Night" showdown (a group of players, ordinary mortals, must defeat fast, strong, and resilient predator players). They are available for a very limited time, after which they disappear. It is still unknown whether Rockstar plans to make them a roster or if they will always be unique.