Red Dead Online launched as a standalone purchase on 1 December 2020 at 4.99 dollars, split off from Red Dead Redemption 2 so players could buy the multiplayer without the story mode, and settled at 19.99 dollars after the introductory window closed on 15 February 2021. It puts up to 32 players in the same 1898 map across Ambarino, New Hanover, Lemoyne, West Elizabeth and New Austin, with five specialist Roles carrying most of the progression. Rockstar announced on 7 July 2022 that major themed content updates had ended so staff could move to the next Grand Theft Auto, so treat this as a finished game with seasonal events rather than an active live service.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | New Hanover | Five specialist Roles basics | Trader | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Lemoyne | Gold Bars as the unlock currency mastery | Trader | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | West Elizabeth | Ability Cards and Dead Eye + gear | Bounty Hunter or Trader | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | New Austin | Build optimization | Bounty Hunter | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Ambarino | Min-max | Bounty Hunter or Naturalist | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (New Hanover)
Valentine, Emerald Ranch, Annesburg and the Heartlands. This is the default starting region, with dense deer and pronghorn populations for Trader hunting and short travel times to most Free Roam Events.
Level/Difficulty: Ranks 1 to 20 Key Rewards: Valentine stable and gunsmith, Heartlands hunting grounds, central camp placement
What to Do in New Hanover
- Learn Five specialist Roles. Bounty Hunter, Trader, Collector, Moonshiner and Naturalist each run a separate 20-rank progression track with their own unlocks. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Trader as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Make Collector your first Role. The Collector's Bag costs 15 Gold Bars, the collectibles it unlocks cost nothing to gather, and complete sets sold to Madam Nazar pay several hundred dollars each, which funds every other Role without needing more gold.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Bolt Action Rifle or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Five specialist Roles fundamentals
- Trader selected and functional
- New Hanover main content cleared
- Ready for Lemoyne
Phase 2: Early Game (Lemoyne)
Saint Denis, Rhodes and the Bayou Nwa swamps. Saint Denis holds the largest shops on the map, and the bayou is prime Moonshiner and Collector territory as well as being the region most likely to get you jumped by other players.
Level/Difficulty: Ranks 10 and up Key Rewards: Saint Denis fence and tailor, bayou Moonshine Shack sites, alligator hunting
What to Do in Lemoyne
- Work on Gold Bars as the unlock currency. Roles are bought with Gold Bars rather than cash. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Bolt Action Rifle if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Daily challenges are the only reliable gold income. Each completed challenge pays a fraction of a Gold Bar and a streak multiplier builds over consecutive days, so logging in for even a few minutes to clear easy challenges is worth more than an hour of missions.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to West Elizabeth.
- Consider whether Bounty Hunter might suit your playstyle better than Trader.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Gold Bars as the unlock currency integrated into gameplay
- Bolt Action Rifle acquired
- Lemoyne fully cleared
- Ready for West Elizabeth
Phase 3: Mid Game (West Elizabeth)
Blackwater, Strawberry, Big Valley and Tall Trees. Big Valley is the standard Collector circuit because its spawn points cluster tightly, and Tall Trees holds cougars and bears for high-value pelts.
Level/Difficulty: Ranks 15 and up Key Rewards: Blackwater shops, Big Valley collectible density, Tall Trees predator hunting
What to Do in West Elizabeth
- Master Ability Cards and Dead Eye. You equip one Dead Eye card and up to three passive cards, each upgradeable through three tiers with cash and gold. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Lancaster Repeater. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Move Cripps and the camp before a delivery run. Distant deliveries pay roughly double local ones but the wagon travels the whole way in the open, so shifting camp toward the destination first cuts the exposure window substantially.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Posses and Free Roam Events for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Ability Cards and Dead Eye mastered
- Lancaster Repeater acquired or in progress
- West Elizabeth fully cleared
- Ready for New Austin
Phase 4: Late Game (New Austin)
Armadillo, Tumbleweed, Benedict Point and the desert around Rio Bravo. Sparse, hot and empty, which makes it the quietest place to run deliveries and the best region for Naturalist work on desert species.
Level/Difficulty: Ranks 25 and up Key Rewards: Low player traffic for deliveries, desert animal species, Tumbleweed and Armadillo shops
What to Do in New Austin
- Finalize your build. You should be running Bounty Hunter or Trader with optimized gear.
- Lancaster Repeater should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Use the Varmint Rifle on anything smaller than a deer. Rabbits, squirrels and birds only produce three-star pelts when killed cleanly with a small calibre, and a repeater round destroys the carcass and the payout with it.
- Camp and Moonshine Shack property optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Ambarino.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Lancaster Repeater upgraded to max
- New Austin fully cleared
- Ready for Ambarino
Phase 5: Endgame (Ambarino)
The Grizzlies, Colter and Lake Isabella in the far north. Deep snow, bad visibility and the highest-value cold weather game, including moose and legendary bears, with almost no towns to resupply at.
Level/Difficulty: Ranks 20 and up Key Rewards: Moose and bear pelts, mountain Moonshine Shack sites, isolated Legendary Animal spawns
What to Do in Ambarino
- Ambarino tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Switch to Defensive mode in the Free Roam settings if you are hauling goods. It reduces the damage you take from other players and blocks most of the harassment that would otherwise cost you a full delivery wagon.
- The endgame loop: run Ambarino, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Naturalist for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Camp and Moonshine Shack property mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Ambarino fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Spending the first 15 Gold Bars on the Naturalist or Moonshiner track. Both cost 25 Gold Bars, Moonshiner additionally requires Trader rank 5, and neither pays back as quickly as Collector or Trader.
- Hunting with a repeater or a shotgun and then wondering why pelts sell for so little. Pelt quality depends on the calibre and the shot placement, so Cripps gets far less material out of a mangled carcass.
- Running distant Trader deliveries solo in a full public lobby with the camp still parked on the other side of the map, which is the single most common way players lose a full wagon.
- Ignoring daily challenges. Gold Bars are the gate on every Role, and the daily streak multiplier is the difference between unlocking a Role in a week and unlocking it in a month.
- Buying Red Dead Online expecting the Red Dead Redemption 2 story campaign. The standalone product contains only the online mode, and the single-player story is a separate purchase.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Make Collector your first Role. The Collector's Bag costs 15 Gold Bars, the collectibles it unlocks cost nothing to gather, and complete sets sold to Madam Nazar pay several hundred dollars each, which funds every other Role without needing more gold.
- Daily challenges are the only reliable gold income. Each completed challenge pays a fraction of a Gold Bar and a streak multiplier builds over consecutive days, so logging in for even a few minutes to clear easy challenges is worth more than an hour of missions.
- Move Cripps and the camp before a delivery run. Distant deliveries pay roughly double local ones but the wagon travels the whole way in the open, so shifting camp toward the destination first cuts the exposure window substantially.
- Use the Varmint Rifle on anything smaller than a deer. Rabbits, squirrels and birds only produce three-star pelts when killed cleanly with a small calibre, and a repeater round destroys the carcass and the payout with it.
- Switch to Defensive mode in the Free Roam settings if you are hauling goods. It reduces the damage you take from other players and blocks most of the harassment that would otherwise cost you a full delivery wagon.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Red Dead Online Guides
- Red Dead Online Red Dead Online Overview
- Red Dead Online Best Builds
- Red Dead Online Tier List
- Red Dead Online Beginner's Guide
- Red Dead Online Tips & Tricks
- Red Dead Online Weapons Guide
- Red Dead Online Combat Guide
- Red Dead Online Boss Guide
- Red Dead Online Maps & Locations
- Red Dead Online Crafting Guide
- Red Dead Online Classes & Characters
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