Are you enjoying your time in Red Dead Redemption 2? I know that I am. I've been chipping away at the game over the course of two weeks now, barely even playing the story. I know that I'm only about halfway through the story, if that, but that's fine. This is a game that's something of a miracle. Not only is it slow paced story-wise, but it's made almost every player take their time with it. There are so many stranger✱ missions, animals to hunt, fish to catch, gang hideouts to wipe out, collectibles, and more, it's the closest that a game has ever come to making a real, living, breathing world.  I don't think that this game could ever have been made before this generation, and it's nice to see a game that truly takes advantage of 🔥this generation, not just in its graphics, but in its sheer scope.

It feels like GTA V was basically a dry run for this. You know when you're running around in the San Andreas desert, and just messing about? That has to have been something of a dress rehearsal for Red Dead.

With a game so big as Red Dead Redemption 2, there are so many systems for you to grasp. In this guide, we've pulled together 30 tips that will make you a better cowboy, a better man of the plains, and a better player. Learn these before Red Dead Online come🎃s out, and🎀 you'll be able to massacre the competition!

30 Take Clean Shots ﷺ

When you’re hunting animals, you want to get the best shots you can, as this willꩵ improve the quality of the pelts you get. The cleanest shots are straight to the head. Switch to dead eye🍎, and aim for the head. Press square/X to call to the animal to get them to raise their head for a more direct line of fire. Make sure you use the right weapon for the job too. For animals the size of a rabbit, use the varmint rifle. For larger animals like deer, use a bow. There's a guide for the weapons to use in your compendium.

29 Improve The Controls ꦐ

Bless Rockstar. They might be amazing at creatingཧ worlds, but on the controls front, they're kind of stuck in the last generation. Luckily, they also provide a solution! Go into the options and head to "third person cont𒅌rols." Change this to "standard FPS." Next go to  "accessibility", "running mode" and change it to "toggle to run," and you'll no longer have to tap X/A to sprint! Instead, you'll just have to click in the left stick, with crouch moved to X/A.

28 Clean Your Clothes An🌸d You🥀rself

All that shooting, running, and wrasslin' gets Arthur real dirty, real quick. If you're too covered in dirt or blood, people won't look upon you in a good light. To clean up, and also clean your clothes, go to a hotel. Get a bath, and wash yourself. If you're not fancying doing the whole cleaning minigame, you can pay extra for a deluxe service, and get someone else to wash you. The best part? Doi𝓀ng this will somehow magically clean your clothes too.

27 You Can Fast T🐭rave🥀l Without Spending A Buck

Getting around the map the old-fashioned way (quite literally), AKA on horseback, is fantastic, and a superb opportunity to learn more about the world. That being said, sometimes you don't want to traipse all the way across the map, especially if you only want to go to another town just for an item or a haircut. While you can ride in a train or a wagon, there's an easier, and cheaper way. In the camp ledger, upgrade Dutch's lodging, and you'll be able to upgrade Arth🌌ur's. This give💧s him a map in his tent, allowing you to fast travel anywhere, for free.

26 Always Loot Dow๊ned Enemies

After a gunfight, there's always a lot of carnage. One part of this carnage are the bodies of your fallen foes. It may not be the best manners, but always loot them before you go on your merry way. You can often find useful ܫitems or valuables on them, that you can then sell at a fence. Just make sure to be quick: the law often make their way towards scenes of crimes, and you don't want to get caught red-handed🅺.

25 Put Your H𒁃at Back On

You know in the tutorial, where your hat gets knocked off by an O'Driscoll? That makes it seem as though it'll always be easy to find your hat. Not so. All too often I've ridden off into the sunset only to realize that Arthur now has a rapidly developing sunburn. You can always get it back though. Your horse doubles🍃 as a traveling haberdashery, and if you go into its L1/LB menu, you can find all your hats in the bottom right.

24 You Can Hitch Your Horse To🎃 A Tree

Hitching your horse is important! While pressing Y to hook your horse to a post may seem banal, it bonds you to your๊ horse, and also allows their cores to regenerate! The only problem is that the game doesn't tell you that you can also hitch your horse to things that aren't exclusively hitching posts. If you're near a tree in the m🍬iddle of nowhere, simply ride over towards it, and press Y/Triangle to hitch up Neddy to the tree.

23 Get Mor♎e Gang Contributions

Paying into the gang is totally optional, but it's something I'd advise you do, if♑ only to improve the mood at camp. However, sometimes it can feel like you're the only one who gives a modicum about the camp's welfare. You're donating $100 at a time, everyone else is putting in about 50 cents. To improve this situation, upgrade Dutch's lodging. This will (for one reason or another) inspire everybody else to put more into the collection tin. It's not a drastic improvement, but every little helps!

22 Fire🍷 Into the Air

I'm not the only one who's been binge-watching old westerns since starting Red Dead 2 am I? No? Good! Well, you know how the characters often shoot into the air, firing off warning shots or clearing space using their shooting irons? You can do this too! Red Dead  isn't very good at telling you this, but it's really easy. When you're aiming, simply tapꦗ up on the D-pad, and Arthur will aim his gun into the air. You can make wi🌺ldlife scatter, fire warning shots, and scare witnesses into stopping by doing so.

21 🔯 Craft Rare Talismans 🦂

Although normally it's best to sell valuables, if you come across anything particularly rare, hold onto it. You often need a particular valuable to craft trinkets that boost your stats. To make a talisman, you need to head to the fence, and go into the craft screen. Here, you'll be able to see exܫactly what you need to make the item. You'll need a couple of animal pelts or parts, and a particular, unique valuable. They are well worth the effort, trust me.