Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption 2 has continued to draw in new fans since its release in 2018, which is partly due to the ever-growing fanbase of Red Dead Online that followed the game's original release. However, the game's ongoing popularity is also due to the plethora of activities available to truly immerse players into the life of an outlaw in the Old West.
Much like the first game in the franchise, part of that outlaw life is the ability to hunt down and capture bounties for the sheriff's offices that protect RDR2's various towns and settlements. While some of those bounty targets are laughable distractions that earn you a little cash, there are quite a few that might give some players a challenge, which we'll explore further today.
10 You'll Have To Outdraw Joshua Brown In Order To Bring Him In Alive
One of the earliest bounties players can pick up that might actually prove to be a challenge is Joshua Brown, whose bounty can be picked up at the jail in Strawberry to reveal his own past as a bounty hunter that crossed the line.
While investigating his camp in an abandoned mine at Beryl's Dream, Brown will sneak up on players and force a draw, which can be difficult enough. However, it's important to take Brown in alive, so players might have to fight their initial urges and only wing Brown in order to complete the bounty.
9 Mark Johnson May Not Be A Difficult Bounty, But Keeping Him Alive Could Be
Red Dead Redemption 2 is known for putting players through a number of decisions that will challenge their moral compass and put their honor ranking in jeopardy, which the bounty on train robber and outlaw Mark Johnson is sure to do.
While the bounty is an easy catch and he comes along willingly, he makes it clear he's abandoned his former lifestyle in order to raise his family. There are definite parallels to the player's own storyline, and the decision exists to try and free Johnson from his public execution, increasing the danger by placing the lawmen on your tail.
8 Robbie Laidlaw Goes To Extreme Lengths To Avoid Capture If You Find His Bounty
The bounty mission for Robbie Laidlaw is only available after fulfilling a couple of prior objectives, including capturing the Mark Johnson bounty and investigating the Old Harry Hen shack in Braithwaite County to uncover a newspaper scrap as well as a family photo hidden in the floorboards.
The bounty poster for Laidlaw can then be located in the Rhodes Sheriff's Office. As if that wasn't challenging enough, after he's discovered and a fight is won with his partner, Laidlaw plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse before setting a nearby field on fire in an attempt to escape.
7 Camille de Millemont Is A Lemoyne Raider Who Is Wanted Dead or Alive
The Lemoyne Raiders are a gang of racist confederates that terrorize the Scarlett Meadows area that you might encounter a few times over the course of the game, especially if you pick up the bounty poster for Camille de Millemont from Rhodes.
Millemont and his gang of Raiders can be tricky as they sneak up on the camp you are investigating, especially if you are trying to keep him alive. If Millemont is captured and hogtied, you will be ambushed by yet another gang of Raiders who could outgun you on horseback if you're not ready for the extra attack.
6 Wilson J. McDaniels Can Easily Escape While You Are Dealing With His Gang
There are a number of bounties that can be hunted throughout the course of regular missions and stranger encounters, which includes the bounty for Wilson J. McDaniels that players will receive while playing through "The Mercies of Knowledge" stranger mission.
Not only is this bounty difficult due to the unfavorable terrain of his gang hideout, but the need to capture him alive before he escapes on horseback while you deal with his full hideout makes McDaniels a difficult and dangerous bounty. However, you might wish he had escaped given his fate as the first test subject of the electrical chair.
5 You'll Have To Storm A Fort Filled With Raiders To Capture Or Kill Lindsey Wofford
As players gathered more bounties under their belts over the course of the game, the increasing cash reward signaled the potential danger of the associated hunt which tipped burgeoning bounty hunters off early when they saw the $100 reward for Lindsey Wofford.
Wofford is the leader of the Lemoyne Raiders who has taken over an abandoned military fort in Roanoke Ridge that is filled with gang members looking to take out anyone coming for their leader, and they have the high ground.
4 Otis Skinner Is The Leader Of A Gang That Makes John Marston's Retirement Difficult
Players encounter a number of different gangs as both Arthur Morgan and John Marston over the course of Red Dead Redemption 2's storyline, which includes the sadistically evil group of murderers known as the Skinner Brothers.
When Marston attempts to settle down on his own farm in the Epilogue of the game, he is forced to deal with the Skinners before he can take on the bounties for both Elias Green and Otis Skinner. While Green can be dangerous, Otis Skinner comes with more men from his gang that can be overwhelming if not taken out stealthily.
3 Joaquín Arroyo Is A Del Lobo Gang Member Who Will Need To Be Hunted Down
Once players pick up Joaquín Arroyo's wanted poster from the Tumbleweed jail, they will have to track down the Del Lobo gang member to a couple of places to ultimately capture him, highlighting the increased difficulty of the Epilogue's bounties.
After an initial gunfight in the first location, Arroyo is found with his gang members as they prepare to rob a train which means they are geared up and ready for a battle as soon as Marston makes his presence known in the middle of a dust storm.
2 Gaptooth Breach Is Known For Gang Hideouts That Include Esteban Cortez' Del Lobos
There are a number of towns and areas in Red Dead Redemption 2 that appear in other games in the franchise, which also extends to gang hideouts like Gaptooth Breach, an abandoned mining facility that houses Esteban Cortez and the Del Lobo gang.
Esteban's brother Ramón appears in Epilogue missions with Sadie that launch Marston's own bounty hunting career and leads to the more challenging hunt and then battle for Esteban in the notorious Gaptooth Breach.
1 Marshall Thurwell Isn't The Most Dangerous Part Of His Bounty Mission
"A Really Big Bastard" is an Epilogue mission that sees John Marston hunting for a bounty for Marshall Thurwell alongside former Van der Linde gang member Sadie Adler, though it's quickly clear once he is tracked down that the accountant-turned-criminal isn't the real threat of the mission.
The danger actually comes from the large grizzly bear Thurwell is hiding from that players will be forced to fight up close and personal. As if that wasn't dangerous enough, the trip back to Blackwell is interrupted by rival bounty hunters looking to claim the reward for themselves that will have to also be dealt with before claiming the payday.