Highlights

• Red Dead Redemption 2 is filled with bizarre and unexpected encounters, such as finding a meteorite crash site and a fossilized man struck by a space rock.
• The town of Armadillo has been ravaged by a cholera plague, leaving it almost deserted, but it will eventually bounce back to its former glory in the events of the first game.
• One encounter in a shack in Lemoyne turns into a traumatic experience for Arthur, as he's violated by a seemingly innocent man, leaving a lasting impact on the player's experience.

The Red Dead series is no stranger to the wild and wacky nature of its American Western setting. The openness and the mystery of the wild frontier leave little excuse to exclude any bizarre possibility that could occur. Ghost tales, aliens, monsters, historical artifacts, and madmen/madwomen; Red Dead Redemption 2 has them all and then some.

Arthur Morgan and John Marston serve as the perfect vehicles, being men of malleable characters and disposition, in order to properly experience or even execute the wild and bizarre actions within their famous setting. Some of the strangest things players can find and do in RDR2 can genuinely take them by surprise, which is a testament to how jam-packed this game is with quality content.

Updated on January 31, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: The praise that Red Dead Redemption has received ever since its launch has been consistent, showing just how much players resonated with the game's emotional narrative. It's Rockstar's best story by a country mile, and it helps that the world looks and feels amazing. As this is a Rockstar game, there are bound to be some oddities in the title that are hard to explain and end up mystifying and engrossing the players even more as they try to wrap their heads around these happenings.

20 Pick Up A Meteorite

Found Near A Fossilized Man Who Was Apparently Struck By The Space Rock

• Location: North of Roanoke Ridge

The world of Red Dead Redemption 2 is full to the brim, with so many discoveries that it can boggle one's mind. One such instance can be seen when players are exploring the northern point of Roanoke Ridge.

Players can find a meteorite crash site around this area, coupled with a man's fossilized corpse who had clearly been struck down by this projectile from space. It's a minor yet fun addition to the game that rewards players with two chunks of meteorite, with a third yet to be discovered by players.

19 Explore The Ravaged Town Of Armadillo

The Cholera Plague Has Significantly Impacted Normal Life Here

• Location: Armadillo

Armadillo is a town that players will head to time and time again in the original Red Dead Redemption. So, it's easy to see why players would want to check out the settlement once the part of the map it's situated in is unlocked.

However, Armadillo is a shell of a town during the events of Red Dead Redemption 2. A cholera plague has ravaged the town, with barely any residents to speak of. It's a shame, but at least fans can rest easy with the notion that the place will bounce back by the time the events of the first Red Dead Redemption take place.

18 A Traumatic Encounter

Not Recommended For Players Who Want Arthur To Live A Trauma-Free Life

• Location: Lemoyne

There are many interesting people that players can meet during their adventures in Red Dead Redemption 2. However, one encounter that most people wouldn't want Arthur to go through can be found in a shack in Lemoyne, which houses a rather innocuous person who seems like a good Samaritan... at first. He invites Arthur in to have a meal, and players can agree as they walk into his shack, only to be knocked out mere moments later.

Later, Arthur wakes up in a completely different area of the map following a creepy cutscene. It doesn't take an expert to figure out that Arthur was violated by this creepy man. While players can still take revenge and hogtie the man to get an explanation for his actions, the playthrough will forever be marred with this gruesome act that most people won't be able to forget, no matter how much they play this game.

17 Meet The Feral Man

Someone Who's Grown Up With A Pack Of Wolves

• Location: Roanoke Ridge

With the Bigfoot rumors present in pretty much every Rockstar game, many people expected that this fabled creature would make an appearance in Red Dead Redemption 2. There's one event that genuinely makes players feel like they've stumbled upon this mythical beast, only for the truth to be far more mundane but still interesting nonetheless.

It turns out that there's a feral man who lives with wolves in the forests of Roanoke Ridge. He can be spotted a total of three times, with the final encounter leading the player to a cave where this wild man will unleash his wolf pack on the player. If players decide to kill them all, the feral man will fall down as his friends die, and players can find a journal detailing his story and why he chose to live in the forest to begin with. It's a simple yet well-told story that does a great job of fleshing out Red Dead Redemption 2's world even more.

16 Witness A Gathering Of The Ku Klux Klan

The Racist Group's Incompetency Is Hilarious To Witness

• Location: Various places

There are many unique encounters that players can experience in Red Dead Redemption 2. One of these moments happens during an innocuous moment of exploration when Arthur randomly finds a gathering of the infamous Ku Klux Klan in the woods.

Fittingly enough, this group is full to the brim with idiots, with one of the members accidentally setting themselves alight before causing the other members to catch on fire too. At this point, Arthur can intervene and just shoot these racists before they burn down the entire forest.

15 Encounter The Strange Man

A Legendary Figure From The First RDR Game

• Location: Leymon Beyoue West

Players of 2010's Red Dead Redemption will remember the Strange Man, who would cross paths with players every so often. However, in the second game, it was a different experience. Players will make their way to Leymon Beyoue West, where they'll stumble upon a shack. Upon entering it, players will see some eerie things, references to the Strange Man.

The creepiest part is a large painting in the middle of the main room, which appears to be the Strange Man. Every time the player returns to the shack, the painting grows clearer until it finally reveals itself to be the Strange Man. Players can't engage with him, but by looking into a mirror in front of the painting, the Strange Man will be standing right behind the player — however, he's only present in the mirror.

14 Find The Locked-Up Braithwaite Girl

A Heinous Way To Keep The Disfigurement Of Gertrude Braithwaite Under Wraps

• Location: Braithwaite Manor

Heading south in Rhodes towards the Braithwaite Manor, players will spy an outhouse with a moon on the door. Players can look inside, and they'll see an arm reach out, belonging to the locked-up Braithwaite girl. If the player looks at it from the right angle and zooms in, they can guess why she's locked up: apparently, she's disfigured.

Later, players will meet Penelope Braithwaite, who explains that the locked-up girl is her cousin. Upon returning to the area during the epilogue, players will see what happened to her, thanks to what happened to the Braithwaites.

13 Get Attacked By A Vampire

A Rare Encounter With A Denizen Of The Night

• Location: Saint Denis

If UFOs weren't enough, vampires will show players how outlandish RDR2 can be. Located in one of the hubs of the world, Saint Denis, players will need to go out of their way to trigger the proper event. The game doesn't give much of an indicator as to how to find the vampire, but for those curious enough, it'll be rewarding.

Players can find strange writing on city walls after midnight. Following this, they will be directed to go down an alleyway in the city and will witness the Prince of Darkness himself with his latest victim. He will get up once the player gets close and will try to attack them.

12 Find A Mutant Creature

Multiple Body Parts From Different Animals Are Sewn Together To Create This Abomination

• Location: West Horn

Strange animals are plentiful in RDR2; however, this one is an interesting and creepy find. If players head down to West Horn, they'll come upon a house that looks like a laboratory of sorts.

Once the player has entered, they'll find a hall with a long table and a creature at the end. This isn't any normal creature; in fact, it looks like it's been put together by someone. It has a pig's head, wings, and several limbs. Although the creature doesn't do anything, it can make the player's skin crawl, especially if they aren't expecting to encounter it.

11 Clear Out The Night People

Residents Of The Swamp Who Attack Outsiders On Sight

• Location: Bayou Nwa

While RDR2 doesn't feature zombies like the first game, the Night People are even more terrifying. Heading to Bayou Nwa Lakays Swap and night, players will come across the Night People, swamp residents that will attack on sight.

When the player interacts with the Night People for the first time, it'll start a quest to help an old man clear the swamp of these hostile folks. The player will be rewarded upon completing the quest with a gold tooth, a rare animal pelt, and a dagger.

10 Close Encounters Of The First Kind

Discover Many UFOs Hidden In The Game

• Location: Various

For players who wish they had a little more aliens with their cowboys, look no further than two easter eggs that can be encountered in Red Dead Redemption 2. The first takes place at Hani's Bethel in the Heartlands and the second at Mount Shann in Big Valley, West Elizabeth.

If a player climbs to the peak of Mount Shann anytime between midnight and 4 a.m., they will eventually see a small craft descend and hover in the sky for about half a minute before departing. Hani's Bethel, on the other hand, can only be experienced in an abandoned schoolhouse where a cult appears to have committed mass suicide. If a player is there at 2 a.m., they will be enveloped in a green light from a larger UFO directly above them before it disappears.

9 To Speak Amongst Giants

Encounter What Many People Assume To Be A Massive Humanoid Being

• Location: Near Fair-vale Shanty

In Big Valley, West Elizabeth, players can come across the skeleton of a large humanoid that has been dead for an indeterminate amount of time. It is far from the only strange skeleton that can be encountered, but what makes this instance special is that a living specimen can be somewhat interacted with.

If a player journeys to Ambarino, near Fair-vale Shanty, birdsong will guide them to a cave with a boulder blocking the entrance. If approached, a deep voice greets the player and discusses how lonely it is. It chooses to stay in the cave, though, because it does not want to scare anyone due to its imposing size. It is assumed that this being in self-imposed exile is the same species as the giant skeleton mentioned before.

8 Rush No More

The Aftermath Of One Man's Tragic Decision

• Location: Grizzlies East

In the wild days of the Old West, it was not unusual to stumble upon the occasional random death. Many things were dangerous in those days, even without a human element, and the Red Dead series does a great job of showing this.

One such death the character can come upon is a case of suicide by hanging upon some scaffolding that leads up to the carved face of a woman. Some investigating reveals that the carving was the love of the dead man, but as he carved her, he fell out of love with her. This personal tragedy was so great to him that he killed himself in grief.

7 Cowboys & Vikings

Find Viking Artifacts In A Place Where They Shouldn't Belong

• Location: Roanoke Ridge

Cowboys and archaeology are not images that people tend to associate with one another, but RDR2 allows players to perform a little archaeology of their own by allowing them to explore some ancient sites. One of the most significant and shocking sites is an ancient Viking burial ground located in Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover.

While there is evidence that Vikings visited North America before Columbus-era explorers ever did, there has never been substantial evidence that they ever got as far south as RDR2's setting. With some careful searching, players can obtain a wearable Viking helmet, a Viking hatchet, and even a Viking comb.

6 Red Dead Ghost Hunters

Continues Rockstar's Tradition Of Adding Hidden Supernatural Elements In Their Games

• Location: Roanoke Valley (only at night)

Ghost hunting is an activity that is completely possible to pursue in RDR2. There are at least two investigation threads to follow, with one being much more substantial than the other. The least substantial route can be heard and not seen in Roanoke Valley at night.

While the player is walking around, they can hear two spirits whispering a conversation amongst themselves, but no apparitions will be seen. The other case involves the ghost of Agnes Dowd in Bluewater Marsh. She will appear a total of sixteen times, each time reliving her tragic past. On the last interaction, she will call out to the player and bring them to a lockbox near where she hung herself.

5 Lions, Tigers, And Zebras, Oh My!

Part Of The "He's British, Of Course" Stranger Mission

• Location: Various

Hunting is, of course, one of the mainline activities players can pursue on the side in RDR2. But on the surface, most would assume that the game native to North America would generally be the quotidian. And they would be right. But in one Stranger mission, players get the opportunity to wrangle up some "exotic" circus animals that have gotten loose.

These include a zebra, a tiger, and a lion. As it turns out, though, the zebra is just a painted horse, and the tiger is a painted mountain lion. However, at the very end, the lion is the only animal that turns out to truly be what it is, and players, unfortunately, have to put it down before it kills them and other nearby NPCs.

4 The Cave Devil

A Hermit Who Loves Solitude

• Location: Western edge of West Elizabeth

Far on the western edge of the map, in West Elizabeth, there is a hermit living alone in a cave. He seems to loathe humanity and claims to be the Devil himself. He later admits that he is not, but it becomes clear the more he talks that humanity has dealt him a bad hand, so he truly wants nothing more than to be alone.

Besides the mysterious man who eventually greets John Marston later on in Red Dead Redemption, there is no other known contender for the Devil himself within the series. Although, if this hermit truly is the Devil, he is a poor excuse for one.

3 The Poor Donkey Lady

A Chilling Scarecrow Consisting Of A Woman's Body And A Donkey's Head

• Location: Cholla Springs

Some scenes that can be encountered in RDR2 are sadder than they are frightening. Such is the case of the Donkey Lady in Cholla Springs. The corpse of the creature can be found attached to a mill where it seemingly died from being overworked.

Now, most people would believe this is simply a practical joke where someone placed the head of a donkey upon the corpse of a woman and set her up in this faction. But given the way Arthur and/or John react to the sight, they seem to genuinely believe it was once a living creature, so who truly knows?

2 Wanted: Time Traveler's Assistant

Hunt Down Rock Carvings To Uncover A Dark Secret

• Location: A cabin just outside Strawberry

By far one of the strangest tasks is when the player helps a man known as Francis Sinclair. The man is dressed differently from most people encountered and speaks with a transatlantic accent that would not be prevalent for a few years yet to come.

The man asks the player to help find rock carvings. Once aided, players can return to his location... only to find a woman with a baby instead. The woman turns out to be Francis's mother, and the baby she holds bears a striking resemblance to him, particularly due to their shared birthmark over the right eye. This whole scene heavily implies that Francis is a time traveler, though the where, the how, and the why remain yet to be answered.

1 That Long Ghost Train

A Cool, Unnerving Sighting

• Location: North-west area of Lemoyne

The last weird thing Red Dead players can do is run with a ghost train as it disappears into the aether. It is one of, if not the only, event that can only be done once. Fans will need to head to the Old Greenbank Mill near the border of Lemoyne and New Hanover.

Between 3 a.m. and sunrise, a ghost train will appear on the tracks and come hurtling through. The horse may be initially spooked by it but will eventually calm down. The Ghost Train does not damage players and disappears almost as quickly as arrives.