Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game so full of detail that some of its mysteries are still being uncovered years after its initial release date, but one mystery in particular appears to have been made exceptionally difficult to solve. One YouTuber recently took on the challenge of explaining what, exactly, happened at Bear Claw Camp in Red Dead Redemption 2. Finding the solution required them to investigate across both Red Dead Redemption games.
Bear Claw Camp--or Bearclaw Camp in the first game--is an abandoned cluster of rotting cabins and huts located in the Tall Trees region of the West Elizabeth territory. The camp was attacked before Red Dead Redemption 2 begins, but to find out what happened there, YouTuber Strange Man went back to the original Red Dead Redemption to look for clues.
There, they found a connection between Bear Claw Camp and two other locations: the mystery site at the Repentance Rock and the abandoned Native American camp known as Mescalero. At Repentance Rock, players can find what appear to be stone petroglyphs of uncertain significance and an animal hide with painted symbols pointing them toward Mescalero. This isn't the first time Red Dead Redemption has incorporated Native American symbols and culture, but this mystery tells a rather somber story.
Strange Man connected the first three symbols--the sun, the teepee, and the medicine wheel--to Mescalero, which is named after a real Apache tribe. The Mescalero camp is dotted with abandoned teepees and features a stone Medicine Wheel in the center, also inspired by a real Medicine Wheel found in the Bighorn National Forest. Standing in the middle will reveal that one specific line of rocks points in the direction of the rising sun, as represented by the sun symbol with an arrow on one ray. The last two symbols, a bear track and an arrow, are all Strange Man needed to declare this Red Dead Redemption mystery solved.
The arrow symbol connects the bear track and the symbols representing Mescalero, so assuming that the bear track represents Bear Claw Camp, it appears the Mescalero tribe attacked the Bear Claw settlers. Players can witness the aftermath of the attack in Red Dead Redemption 2, complete with arrows sticking out of desiccated bodies. Furthermore, if Arthur takes a picture of the Camp, the tag on the Social Club will read "Dead Settler," which appears to set this Red Dead Redemption mystery to rest. Strange Man suggests that the animal hide was left by a remorseful member of the Mescalero tribe, but notes that the reason behind the attack is left up to player interpretation. Of course, given how settlers historically treated Native Americans, coming up with a motive may not require much imagination.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.