Red Dead Redemption 2 is filled with systems and mechanics that can be a bit overwhelming at first glance. One mechanic that players are introduced to during Arthur Morgan’s story is the Honor system. The Honor bar at the bottom of the HUD basically represents how the residents of the land view Arthur, and can affect everything from how they greet Arthur to the success rate of defusing a situation. Here is how the Honor system works in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Gaining and Losing Honor

There are a ton of actions in the game that can impact Arthur’s Honor level. While some actions are obvious, there are some more smaller deeds that can have a positive or negative effect on the player’s Honor. Players can raise their honor level by helping random strangers with their requests, sparing lives instead of murdering, giving to the camp, and paying off bounties. While those are the obvious boosts, there are some more subtle boots to honor, like swiftly killing an animal instead of using multiple shots, disarming opponents in duels, petting animals, and releasing small fish back into water. Players can also surrender to lawmen when a bounty is active instead of fighting to help boost honor.

On the other side of the coin, there are plenty of actions that can lower Honor. Robbing stores and people will cause the public to turn against Arthur. Killing innocent civilians and fighting off lawmen after Arthur’s bounty will also drastically lower Honor. Players should also steer clear of looting innocent bodies (even if the player did not kill them). Also take a bath regularly, because civilians hate it when Arthur walks around covered in mud (or worse).

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How Honor Affects Gameplay

While at first glance it may seem like Honor doesn’t affect much, it is actually ingrained in many parts of the game. When Arthur has high Honor, civilians will be more friendly to him in day-to-day activities in the massive open world. When accidentally startling them (perhaps by bumping them with a horse), they will be more open to dismissing the action as opposed to drawing down on Arthur or reporting it as a crime. Witnesses will be more open to accepting a bribe to turn a blind eye to some crime. Honor comes in several tiers, each coming with certain bonuses.

  • Honor -1 (worst): Players will have a better chance of finding Dead Eye tonics, Throwing Weapons, Alcohol, and Tobacco from corpses.
  • Honor 1: Increased chance of finding tonics, jewelry, and consumables from corpses.
  • Honor +2: Players unlock a 10% discount in shops
  • Honor +3: Unlocks the following outfits for purchase: the Bulldog, the Corson, the Chevalier, the Cowpuncher, the Cumberland, the McLaughlin, the Roscoe, and the Valentine.
  • Honor +5: Players unlock a 25% discount in shops.
  • Honor +6: Unlocks the following outfits for purchase: the Deuville, the Dewberry Creek, the Drifter, the Faulkton, the Gambler and the Farrier.
  • Honor +7: Players unlock a 50% discount in shops.

So it definitely pays to play by a certain code of ethics when exploring the wilderness. If players choose to be an honorless ruffian, they will lose out on some handy perks and neat outfits. Players that want to make a quick buck by robbing civilians may want to wear a mask to lessen the blow to Honor, but the money saved through shop discounts may be worth playing by the rules.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PS4 and Xbox One.