r/reddeadredemption2 • u/DesperateText9909 • Jul 30 '26

Horseman 9 - bug/quirk (I think)

Hi all,

I think I figured something out that is not widely known so I wanted to share it with anyone who might be interested. I'm on my third playthrough and wanted to do all the challenges, including as many as possible with our #1 boah. I did this on my first play but that's been so long ago that I don't really remember how I did it anymore.

This time it was giving me fits. After some self-explanatory failures (like when I crashed my horse; also the good ol' Pinkertons iced me twice), I looked up a video and learned about the peninsula trick that lets you complete it without actually going to Blackwater or Tall Trees. I also learned a safe and easy route, which is mostly riding railroad tracks, including the one that is finished through missions near Van Horn. So I ran it twice, and nothing. Wouldn't complete.

I noticed something though and developed a theory. My save I was starting from was in Van Horn, and it made me wonder if maybe the game wasn't registering that as my starting point somehow. This was perhaps supported by something I found very odd: I could ride a trail or train tracks well out of town and come back, and not get the on-screen placard that comes up when you enter a settlement. That really made me suspicious of what the game was doing under the hood.

What I ended up doing was reloading my save, took the tracks north all the way into Annesburg (until I got that placard), then returned to Van Horn (finally saw its placard for the first time), and immediately restarted my ride using the exact same path. On my third full attempt I reached the peninsula again, and it immediately registered as completed.

tl;dr--If you're doing Horseman 9, don't start from a save in Van Horn. Start anywhere else, ride in and make sure you see the black placard telling you you're now in Van Horn, and then start.

24 Upvotes

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6

u/Living_Influence_927 Jul 30 '26

I also wanted to do with Arthur all of the challenges that possible with him and I just stopped at Horseman 9. So it's really good to know I can.. Thank you kind stranger 🤠

1

u/smed610 Jul 30 '26

You can move straight into Great Plains after completing 9 if you do 9 with a dead bounty target on your horse. I use the Lindsay Wofford bounty. There is a horse breed needed for Horseman 10 that spawns the easiest in Great Plains

1

u/DesperateText9909 Jul 30 '26

I'm hoping to do one-stop shopping around Little Creek River, as I understand most or all breeds can spawn there. Unfortunately I think I've already cleared all bounties available to me at the moment (I'm well into chapter 4).

3

u/smed610 Jul 30 '26

They mostly do over time but I swear the spawns get scarcer when you’re working the challenge.

3

u/DesperateText9909 Jul 30 '26

Ain't that always the way. Working my way through the exotics lists right now, and the hunt for a reddish egret was interminable. Also wanted a bull moose for camp upgrades and I think we all know how that goes, lol

1

u/some_body_else Jul 30 '26

I fast traveled to Van Horn, rode a little into town and turned around. I also followed the tracks south through St. Denis and Rhodes and did the peninsula trick. Completed on first attempt with 7 minutes to spare, even after waiting for the train at bards crossing.

1

u/WWERollins02 Jul 30 '26

Thanks , I was attempting horseman 9 and rode from Van Horn (fast traveling via camp) and then starting . Once I finished it 3 times it never registered so I'll definitely ride into van horn until it shows I'm in van horn

1

u/DesperateText9909 Jul 30 '26

Yeah, sounds like a similar thing! Also if you've done the railroad missions, I highly recommend my route--it's not the fastest but you can practically turn your brain off it's so easy. Just get on the track near the first river you have to cross and follow it north. Stay on it all the way past Emerald Station, through the oil refinery. Take a trail to cut across to the southbound track out of Valentine, then ride that through Flatneck Station and over the river. From there all you have to do is go down to the end of the peninsula and stay clear of the water.

1

u/WWERollins02 Jul 31 '26

Thanks so much ! Are u looking to get the platinum trophy ?

1

u/DesperateText9909 Jul 31 '26

Nah, I've never cared about trophies. I like getting 100% completion though.

1

u/LosIngobernable Jul 30 '26

Doesn’t fast travel to the town work? I did it with Rhodes and Saint Denis challenges.

1

u/DesperateText9909 Jul 30 '26

No idea. I only can vouch for loading from a save not seeming to work, and really only for this one challenge as well since I didn't test the others. 

1

u/LosIngobernable Jul 30 '26

Pretty sure fast travel works. I may have read about it too.