Highlights

• Red Dead Redemption's side missions, called Stranger Missions, add depth and richness to the game's world.
• These missions can range from helping people in need to uncovering dark secrets and dangerous situations.
• While some missions may not have a happy outcome, players should still seek out and engage in these missions to fully experience the game's immersive story.

In the first Red Dead Redemption, John Marston can find strangers and complete tasks for them. These types of side missions were first featured in Grand Theft Auto 4 and gave the player a chance to discover a little more about the game's world. These side missions could range from gathering flowers for an old man to blackmailing a politician. These stranger missions can still be completed during the epilogue, even if they were started by John. The strangers will comment on Jack looking different, but will gladly accept his help.

While meaning to do good, some of these stranger missions in RDR1 can have an unfortunate outcome. Of course, this is more of an exception than the norm, and shouldn't dissuade any player from seeking out these Stranger missions and seeing what they have to offer. After all, the world of Red Dead Redemption is a rich and diverse one, and these side missions make it feel more fleshed out and lived in.

Updated on December 30, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Red Dead Redemption is one of the best open-world games ever made, and the fact that players can check out this game on modern consoles after an excruciatingly long wait is quite the treat. John Marston's story as he hunts down the former members of his gang is a riveting one, with the context of Red Dead Redemption 2 making these events more meaningful and tragic than ever before. Along with the main missions, there are many Strangers that Marston can help out during his journey.

An Overview Of All Stranger Missions

Here's a quick look at all the Stranger Missions and where players can find them.

19 American Appetites

Investigate The Disappearances In Armadillo

• Given by: Grace Anderson
• Location(s): Cholla Springs

This stranger's mission can be found in front of the Armadillo sheriff's office near the start of the game. There are three parts to this mission; the first requires the player to look for a woman's son, the second has the player look for a man's missing wife, and the last goes to search for a missing husband, where they find what is causing these people to go missing.

On this third time searching, the player will find two men, one with a broken leg and a man escaping. There is a choice the player can make, either hogtying the man with the broken leg or the escaping man. It is discovered at the end of the mission that the man with the broken leg is a cannibal who ate all of the missing people, which makes for a rather chilling reveal indeed. Players who decided to hogtie the escaping man instead would be beating themselves up over making the wrong decision after sticking with this missing for quite some time.

18 Aztec Gold

Help Basillo Find His Family's Hidden Treasure

• Given by: Basilio Aguirre Olmos de la Vargas
• Location(s): Sidewinder Gulch

Players can find this mission at Sidewinder Gulch in Mexico. Players can take a break from the Civil War and go on a treasure hunt. This mission takes the player to three different areas, looking for pieces of a treasure map. The first area is Sidewinder Gulch, the second is near Primera Quebrada, and the third map piece is near Alta Cabeza.

After finding all the pieces, the player must go to El Matadora and give the pieces to the treasure hunter. This will have the player follow the hunter into a cave, where they find a box. As it turns out, the box is empty and there is no treasure to be found. It's a shame, but the fact that the quest is pretty hilarious in its own right makes this lack of a reward slightly better.

17 American Lobbyist

Stop Any Dissent Against The Governor

• Given by: Mr. Philmore
• Location(s): Blackwater

For this mission, John gets involved with politics. The mission starts at the gazebo in Blackwater Plaza, where John speaks to a blackmailer. The blackmailer says there is a man who is speaking out against the governor, who is trying to get reelected. John is tasked with convincing the gossiper to not talk about the governor anymore.

This is achieved by showing certain pictures of the gossiper. Interestingly, players can check the photos before handing them over, showing the gossiper performing scandalous acts with a prostitute. The gossiper agrees to cease talking about the governor, successfully being blackmailed. It's a simple yet fun mission that gives players a look at the twisted politics of Red Dead Redemption.

16 California

Find A Man On A Foolhardy Journey To California

• Given by: Sam Odessa
• Location(s): North of The Scratching Post

This mission can be started by finding a man named Sam Odessa north of the Scratching Post in New Austin. Odessa tells John he is headed to California, wanting to bring his family from the Black Sea in Europe to the Pacific Ocean in three generations. The first encounter has John warn Odessa about the dangers of Gaptooth Ridge.

The next two encounters found near Cueva Seca and Gaptooth Ridge respectfully, have Odessa going insane from the heat and exhaustion. The last encounter is located near Tumbleweed, where Odessa is found dead. John must take a letter from Odessa's body and deliver it to a telegram station, completing this mission. Odessa was a pretty entertaining character with noble intentions, so it's a shame that the end of this mission saw him dead and (mostly) forgotten.

15 Deadalus And Son

A Fetch Quest That Ends In An Anticlimatic Fashion

• Given by: Charles Kinnear
• Location(s): Near Agave Viejo

Players can find the inventory who gives this mission on top of a mesa near Agave Viejo in Mexico. The inventory, Charles Kinnear, has made a flying machine and needs supplies for it. He tasks John with finding these supplies. John will have to find certain kinds of flowers, bird feathers, and beaver pelts to help the inventor.

After returning, Charles will say he is ready to test his invention. The story does not end happily, as Charles crashes to the ground and dies. It's a rather anticlimactic and hilarious end to one of the goofier Stranger Missions in Red Dead Redemption. It's so shocking that most people won't even mind that all their efforts were technically for naught, especially since the finale of this Stranger mission is so funny that it makes up for the fetch quest that players are sent on beforehand.

14 Eva In Peril

Save Eva From Mario's Abuse

• Given by: Eva Cortes & Mario Alcalde
• Location(s): Casa Madrugada

This mission starts at Casa Madrugada, where John finds a man beating up a woman. John intervenes, discovering this woman is a prostitute named Eva and the man is her pimp, Mario. John will pay the man $200 to free the woman, helping her escape the abuse. Unfortunately, the story doesn't end here. The woman will leave for Las Hermanas, and after a few days, John can go to check in on her.

Speaking to a nun reveals the woman ran off to the cemetery with her old pimp. John confronts the man, who is digging a grave after accidentally killing her. John duels the pimp, killing him and avenging the woman. It's a rather sad conclusion to Eva's story, showing just how frivolous life was treated out in the Old West.

13 Flowers For A Lady

Help A Man Gather Flowers For His 'Wife'

• Given by: Billy West
• Location(s): Stillwater Creek

Close to the MacFarlane Ranch in Stillwater Creek, John will encounter an old man who wants to pick flowers for his wife. The man, named Billy West, will ask John to bring back three Wild Feverfew, three Red Sage, and Three Desert Sage. The Wild Feverfew can be found around Hennigan's Stead, Red Sage can be found in Río Bravo and Desert Sage can be found around Gaptooth Ridge.

After bringing these flowers back to Billy, John will be invited inside to meet the wife. Things take a turn, as the player discovers the wife is dead and her decomposing remains are sitting in a chair. It's a truly insane ending that shows just how depraved certain residents in the world of Red Dead Redemption are and adds another rich layer to this tantalizing world that Rockstar has meticulously crafted.

12 Funny Man

An Introduction To Gang Hideouts

• Given by: Jimmy Saint
• Location(s): Gang Hideouts

John meets a journalist from New York City, named Jimmy Saint, at the train station in Benedict Point. The mission has four parts, with the first being the easiest. It requires John to speak to Jimmy about life in the West. The next three missions have Jimmy in troubling situations, being found in gang hideouts.

The player must clear the hideouts and free Jimmy. During the last encounter, Jimmy says he plans to give up being a writer. Interestingly, when playing Jack, Jimmy mentions he plans to become a war reporter in World War I instead. It's these small changes that make playing the game as Jack so rewarding, even though a lot of people might not like his character all that much.

11 I Know You

Interact With A Unique Man Familiar With Marston's Past

• Given by: Strange Man
• Location(s): Hennigan's Stead

This mission is possibly one of the oddest ones, as it has John meet a man who knows a lot about John's past. The Strange Man can first be met between Armadillo and MacFarlane's ranch, where he tasks John with helping in moral dilemmas. The first has John go to Thieve's Landing, where he can encourage or discourage an affair.

The man can be met in Mexico, where he tasks John with either donating to a nun or robbing her. The last encounter takes place on the hill looking over Beecher's Hope. Here John gets frustrated, shooting the man three times. The bullets do nothing, making John question what the man is.

The Strange Man is an enigma, and everything in this side quest foreshadows the ending of the game. In the third meetup with him, the Strange Man will mysteriously remark how this location makes for a "fine spot". It's a place that turns out to be the final resting place for John, Uncle, and Abigail later down the line. The three bullets that John shoots at him before the gun jams could be a way to show how all three characters die but Jack is spared.

10 Jenny's Faith

Bring Medicine To A Woman In The Desert

• Given by: Jenny
• Location(s): Cholla Springs

This mission is fairly simple compared to the other ones. The player can find a woman named Jenny close to Ridgewood Farm in New Austin. Jenny is dying in the desert, not being able to move from her spot. The player can either leave her alone or give her some medicine.

Giving her medicine will raise the player's honor, but Jenny will refuse a ride to town. She will say she can do anything through faith, despite John begging to bring her to town. It's a small moment that shows just how scorching the heat of the desert is, leading to people going insane. After all, Jenny thought that Marston was sent by God himself to give medicine to her.

9 Let No Man Put Asunder

Bring Back An Old Woman's Husband

• Given by: Alma Horlick
• Location(s): Odd Fellow's Rest

John can find an old woman named Alma Horlick at a burned-down house near Coot's Chapel. She is looking for her soon-to-be husband, named Peter Turner. The player must then go to Armadillo and talk to the saloon's musician. The player can either pay the man for information or complete a task for him.

The musician's wife is mad at him and must be convinced to return. The player can either hold her at gunpoint or hogtie her and return her. Doing either will reveal Peter is buried at Odd Fellow's Rest. Finding his grave reveals Peter had died 20 years before the game had started, being killed by a blow to the head.

8 Lights, Camera, Action

Help A Man Build A Movie Studio

• Given by: D.S. MacKenna
• Location(s): New Austin and West Elizabeth

This mission starts when John speaks to a director named MacKenna behind the cinema in Armadillo. This mission has two parts, the first requiring the player to win a land deed during a game of Liar's Dice. The player must travel to Thieves' Landing to do this.

The player is then tasked with traveling to Benedict Point to get MacKenna's lead actor back. The actor will challenge John to a duel, where he must be disarmed. Heading back to Armadillo will give the player their reward. Sadly, MacKenna can later be found at the Pacific Union R. R. Camp, where he says his theatre failed.

7 Love Is The Opiate

Help Zhou Break His Draconian Contract

• Given by: Zhou
• Location(s): Chuparosa

John will get a Stranger mission if he talks to a Chinese immigrant called Zhou at El Matadero in Mexico. After being exploited by a foreman, Zhou is trapped in this area and can't leave. This serves as a huge problem to him, since the love of his life is in Shanghai and he wants to go back but is unable to do so because of said foreman and his draconian contract. However, there's a silver lining here — the foreman will agree to let Zhou go, only if the player finds a white stallion and brings it to this man.

Completing this Stranger mission secures Zhou's freedom, but players must wait a few days if they wish to attain a reward for their 'selfless' deed. After some time, players can find Zhou at the train station in Chuparosa. The player will only need to speak to him, earning them fame and honor.

6 Poppycock

Help Deliver A Package To A Dangerous Location

• Given by: Uriah Tollets
• Location(s): Chuparosa

Starting in Chuparosa, John meets a man named Uriah Tollets, who needs a package delivered. The player must ride to El Matadero to deliver the package. However, there's a catch — this package is in the town of Nosalida, which has become a gang hideout full of unscrupulous individuals who have no problems with murdering innocent folk. The player will have to risk life and limb if they wish to secure the package,

The player will be given $1000 once they secure the package and deliver it to the foreman in El Matadero. This leads to a choice of what the player can do after going back to Uriah — they can either kill the man and keep the money for themselves, or they can be honest and give the money to Uriah. Depending on the choice, players can either gain or lose honor for this mission.

5 Remember My Family

Duel The Man Who Killed John Marston

• Given by: Howard Sawicki
• Location(s): Lake Don Julio

For the most part, most of the Stranger missions in the game can be completed by both John and Jack. Poppycock is the only exception. This is the only Stranger mission that is solely meant for Jack to see through to the very end, and understandably so once players realize just how important this innocuous-looking Stranger mission is. It involves hunting down Edgar Ross and getting revenge for the death of Jack's father, John Marston.

The mission starts in Blackwater and ends in Mexico, where Jack must duel Ross. Jack can avenge his family by killing Ross, and also avenging the gang he once loved. After this, the player is free to either make Jack an outlaw or turn him into a good citizen. The fact that the credits roll after this mission makes this way more important than any of the other Stranger missions in the game by a country mile.

4 The Prohibitionist

Investigate The Disappearances In Armadillo

• Given by: Grace Anderson
• Location(s): Cholla Springs

John or Jack can find a preacher named Abner Forsyth outside of the Blackwater saloon. He talks about the evils of alcohol, trying to dissuade people from partaking in the consumption of liquid courage. Speaking to him leads players to talk to a man named Philips, who owns a bar in town. Suffice it to say, the man doesn't appreciate his business being hampered by this weird man and asks the player if they'd be willing to take out this man for the greater good.

The player can either kill the preacher to warn him to leave town. If the preacher is killed, the player will lose honor. If he is left alive, the price of bars and property will double across the game world. Suffice it to say, players should purchase as many safehouses as possible before telling Abner to escape before he dies at the hands of someone else.

3 The Wronged Woman

Help Clara LaGuerta Provide For Her Unborn Child

• Given by: Clara LaGuerta
• Location(s): Blackwater Chapel

To start this mission, John must go to the Blackwater Chapel at night to meet a woman named Clara. Clara says she is pregnant by her employer, a man named Harold Thornton. Clara says she wants a few dollars for the child, so John is tasked with hunting down the man.

Harold will challenge John to a duel, leading to his death. After a few days, a funeral for Harold will be held in the Blackwater cemetery. His widow will be met, where it is revealed Clara was lying and it was not Harold's child at all.

2 Water And Honesty

Help McAllister Buy The Deed To Pleasance House

• Given by: Andrew McAllister
• Location(s): Between MacFarlane's Ranch and Armadillo

John can find this mission on the road from Armadillo to MacFarlane's Ranch. Players find a man named Andrew McAllister at a campsite, who tasks the player with getting the deed to a house located west of Armadillo. Players will go to the house and find another man, named Clyde, living there.

Players can either buy the deed off of Clyde or kill him. The player must then return to Andrew and give him the deed. As a side note, the player can then kill Andrew after completing the mission and loot the deed from his body, allowing the player to own the house.

1 Who Are You To Judge?

Rescue A Man's Lover

• Given by: Jeb Blankenship
• Location(s): Rathskeller Fork

John can find the giver of this mission, a man named Jed Blankenship, at Rathskeller Fork. Jed will tell John that his love has been kidnapped by gangsters at Tumbleweed. The player will then travel to Tumbleweed and find a woman there. After talking to her, it is revealed the love of Jed is the horse she has.

The woman brings the horse back to Jed at Rathskeller Fork, where it is revealed Jed's love isn't like how someone loves a pet, but romantic love. It is revealed by a newspaper later in the game that Jed and the horse ended up getting married to each other, ending in a happy (if not weird) ending.