NPCs In RDR2 That Are More Important Than You Realize
When Rockstar makes a game, they don't do anything halfway. There are mysteries scattered throughout Grand Theft Auto that have taken years for players to discover. And this level of detail only makes us wonder what secrets are hiding within the expansive landscape of Red Dead Redemption 2. Some players have already started to find mysteries and slowly piece them together. But knowing Rockstar, all of the hidden elements may never be found.
Rockstar has mastered their ability to hide things in plain sight. Often, some of their most important pieces of a puzzle are NPCs that players generally brush past. Because of a tendency to ignore anyone who doesn't have an obvious purpose, vital information is being missed. That may be frustrating for those who are determined to learn everything they can about Red Dead Redemption 2. But it does offer a nice reward to anyone willing to put in the time and effort to really explore the world with a fine-tooth comb. For those players who'd like to learn the secrets of Rockstar's most ambitious game yet, here are a few NPCs you should give a closer look.
Don't ignore the blind prophet
There's no shortage of NPCs in Red Dead Redemption 2 who are ready and willing to swindle you out of a few dollars. Everywhere you turn, dishonest people are posing as blind beggars or war veterans to get the drop on an unsuspecting Arthur Morgan. Because of this, it can be difficult to know who's being genuine and who is lying to you. Many players have been able to pull back the curtain on beggars pretending to be blind. However, that doesn't mean every blind person asking for money in RDR2 is dishonest. In fact, some of them have some important information for your character that's well worth a dollar to listen to.
It's possible to come across a "blind prophet" through a random event. You'll find this NPC on the side of the road, usually out in the middle of nowhere. This man will ask for money in order to predict your future. If you approach him while playing as John Marston, he'll inform you that someone is coming from whom you cannot escape, predicting the events of Red Dead Redemption 1. And if you approach the man while playing as Arthur Morgan, he'll predict your fate, saying, "That which is killing you will help you see clearly, friend." His foresight may be creepy, but it's definitely correct.
Stories of Red Harlow
Red Dead Redemption has come a long way. The jump from the first game to the second has shown just how much difference a few years can make. But in all of the excitement surrounding the second installment of the franchise, fans can sometimes forget that it all started with Red Dead Revolver. And that Red Harlow, the protagonist of that game, was the original gunslinger before Arthur Morgan and John Marston. But if you thought Rockstar wouldn't acknowledge their first foray into the Wild West, you were wrong.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, players can find an NPC camping out in the wilderness near Stillwater Creek. This camper invites you to sit for a while and chat so that the predators don't think he's alone. As the conversation progresses and he speaks of his family, the camper says that his brother used to tell him stories about a man named Red Harlow, the man who watched his parents get killed right in front of him but used his pain to become a better person, fighting for what was right. Even though it sounds like a fairytale, this camper is detailing the events of Red Dead Revolver.
Though this interaction isn't necessarily important to your own story progression, it was a nice nod to the original game that inspired everyone's favorite Wild West adventure. And fans of Red Dead Revolver were happy for the Easter egg.
Bonnie's beau
Bonnie MacFarlane is one of the more important characters in the first Red Dead Redemption game. She rescues John Marston, and their paths cross several more times as he returns the favor. And while it is insinuated that Bonnie develops feelings for John after their many encounters, players know very little else about her love life. That is, until a random encounter with a seemingly unimportant NPC in Red Dead Redemption 2.
South of the Van Horn Trading Post, players can find this NPC close to death. Lying on the shore near his overturned boat with a few boxes of his belongings, this poor soul at first seems to be dead. He even has buzzards circling around him. But as you approach, he will revive for a moment, hand you a letter, and say, "Tell her I never ... stopped ..." before passing away. The letter he gives you is the missing piece of Bonnie's past. This man was her suitor, but her father disapproved because of his "humble birth." Because of this, he left to make his fortune, to be someone her father would approve of. But his journey had an unfortunate end. Though the story is a sad one, the insight into one of the major characters of the first Red Dead Redemption game is more than welcome.
It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for
Edmund Lowry seems like a normal enough person. If you were to run into this NPC in town, you probably wouldn't give him a second thought. He's not particularly imposing or unique and is a forgettable man. But if you find him under different circumstances, it becomes clear just how terrifying and deranged he is.
If you've completed the "American Dreams" side-mission or have just happened upon some suspicious-looking crime scenes in RDR2, chances are, you know who Edmund Lowry is. Scattered throughout the map, players can find three different human corpses. They're all staged in precise and disturbing ways. In each scene, a clue can be found, which will lead the player to Lowry's cellar near Valentine. Lowry has trophies of his latest kills, ranging from polished skulls to corpses that are splayed open and on display.
The player will need to turn Lowry in to the proper authorities, but the spooky backstory of this NPC doesn't end here. Edmund Lowry bears a striking resemblance in name and occupation to Eddie Low from the Grand Theft Auto franchise. And if there's one thing we know about Rockstar, it's that they don't do coincidences.
The time traveler's cabin
For a game as serious and realistic as Red Dead Redemption 2, it's sometimes surprising to find elements of the supernatural. But Rockstar has always prided itself on including the fantastical in its otherwise gritty worlds. From the ghosts that can be found throughout RDR and GTA to the Undead Nightmare expansion for RDR1, the weird and impossible are no strangers to Rockstar. With this in mind, players shouldn't be too surprised that an NPC in the woods is actually a time traveler.
If you happen upon a stranded man named Francis Sinclair, you'll probably be able to tell right away that something is a bit off about him. From his sweater vest to his speech, Sinclair is very clearly "not from around here." When he encounters Arthur Morgan, he asks him to look for specific rock carvings. When you eventually come back to his cabin, however, only a woman and her baby remain. After asking the woman about Francis, she informs you that her husband has been dead for a year and her baby is named Francis.
If that isn't enough proof that this man is a time traveler, something from GTA5 will seal the deal. The Epsilon Program often spoke about how people with red hair and birthmarks are different from the rest of us. Since Francis Sinclair has both red hair and a birthmark, could he be one of the "different" people the Epsilon Program was talking about?
The woman in the window
If there's one thing Disney has taught us, it's that if you see a woman standing in a window at night, she's either a captured princess or an evil queen. But there's a third option that Rockstar presents to us when a woman in Emerald Ranch is seen through her window. Though the sight of her may be a bit jarring at first, as her stance comes off a bit ominous, there's nothing inherently dangerous about the woman in the window. The story behind this NPC, however, takes some piecing together.
If you talk to various NPCs around the ranch, you'll learn that the woman in the window is named Miriam Wegner, the ranch owner's daughter. This information needs to be put together with a letter found in an abandoned mail carrier cart near the Emerald Ranch. The letter, which is from Miriam's cousin to her father, informs us that Miriam hasn't been responding to her letters. It seems that Miriam's significant other, Joshua, met an untimely fate and Miriam is being held against her will by her father.
In order to learn what happened to Miriam's lover Joshua, one only needs to spend some time in the abandoned saloon near Emerald Ranch. Behind the structure is a tombstone with Joshua Burgess' name on it. In true Rockstar fashion, this one simple NPC that you never actually interact with has a backstory worthy of a Nicholas Sparks novel.
A familiar Sasquatch hunter
Have you ever run into someone you swear you've seen before? Given Rockstar's penchant for linking their various games together, that's a problem you'll encounter a lot when playing Red Dead Redemption 2. A perfect example is the man you'll find in the saloon in Valentine, wearing a raccoon pelt on his head and looking frustratingly familiar. Even without the raccoon hat, Big Jon would be hard to miss. He's large in stature and even larger in personality. This loudmouth NPC isn't subtle in the slightest. And if you're wondering where you might recognize him from, there are multiple answers to that question.
Many will remember Big Jon in another Red Dead Redemption installment. The Undead Nightmare DLC is our first official RDR introduction to the burly sasquatch hunter. But this isn't the only place Rockstar aficionados will find him. Eagle-eyed players remember seeing a very similar character in Grand Theft Auto 5. Upon gaining 100% completion in GTA5, you can complete "The Last One" mission. In this, you are tasked with hunting down a Sasquatch. The person who gives them this objective? Someone who looks almost identical to Big Jon. He wears the same hat, has the same blind eye, has the same facial features, and is even played by the same voice actor. At one point, GTA players can even hear the hunter say he's going to make his "grand grand-daddy proud." Could this man be Big Jon's ancestor?
Even the sheriff has a dark secret
It's no secret that the law is a bit of a grey area in Red Dead Redemption. You seldom find characters who are all good or all bad. Most are more realistic and complex than a caricature, and that includes the Sheriff of Valentine. While one might expect the appointed peacekeeper of a town to wear a white hat, this sheriff is dabbling in some very murky territory.
If you walk into the sheriff's office at the right time, you'll see that you've interrupted a conversation between him and Moira Calthorpe. Both seem very uncomfortable at being caught discussing whatever they were talking about, and neither will meet your eyes. After an uncomfortable greeting, you can go about your business. But if you follow the sheriff and Moira up to his quarters above the jailhouse, you'll be privy to a heated argument between the two. From the snippets of conversation, it sounds like they are having an affair, even though they're both married. It also sounds like things are beginning to go sour. But as Moira becomes more heated, sounds of the sheriff strangling her to death can be heard. Her character is never seen again after that, and the sheriff even makes subtle ominous remarks about her every once in a while. It looks like the peacekeeper isn't as peaceful as he seems.
A hug that ends in theft
The NPCs in Red Dead Redemption 2 have no problem with faking an injury or even an entire past life in order to swindle Arthur Morgan out of his money. The beggars who pretend to be blind are bad enough, but there's a man in Valentine who might just give them a run for their stolen money. A homeless veteran named Mickey isn't exactly all that he seems to be. At one point early in your interaction with him, Mickey will ask Arthur for a hug. If you accept, however awkwardly you may do that, he'll actually pickpocket you during the embrace.
The uninvited theft and almost equally uninvited hug are bad enough on their own. But Mickey's deception doesn't stop there. He tells many stories about being in "the war," but when Arthur questions him about which war he fought in, Mickey can't answer you. That's a red flag worth investigating. Later on, after Arthur finds out that he's sick, you can see Mickey again. This time, he'll confess to you that he isn't actually a soldier; he just made the story up to get sympathy. But now that you're dying, he feels bad for you and comes clean. As wrong as this man is, maybe there's some sort of redemption for eventually coming clean. Or maybe not.