Almost five years ago Red Dead Redemption 2 was released, one of the best games (if not the best) of the last generation of consoles. Rockstar Games managed to deliver a video game that borders on perfection and that to this day continues to surprise both veterans and new players.
Its story mode and Red Dead Online, the multiplayer version, have a huge map to explore, hundreds of beautiful locations and dozens of secrets to discover. All this without counting the story missions, roles and many other activities. The work of Rockstar Games It’s on another level, well above even what’s seen in GTA V and GTA Online… although we already know that the company prefers flying motorcycles over horses.
Today I want to discover something that happens under enough blueprints so that many of you have not even noticed it. And it’s not a bad thing, not everyone has the time and desire to stop for hours just to observe the same area waiting for something to happen.
The secret life of animals in Red Dead Redemption 2
Los animals in video games They are usually quite limited NPCs in terms of behaviors. Their activity is not usually varied and as a general rule they are limited to being ornaments in the landscape. The interaction of most players with the animals in Red Dead Redemption 2 usually responds to this usual: find them, kill them and obtain their materials. Perhaps petting a dog, but little else.
The reality is that Red Dead Redemption 2 has the more complex and varied animals I’ve seen in a video game. It’s not an exaggeration to say that they all have a secret life beyond our very eyes, just like human NPCs to a lesser extent. They don’t need us to run their lives. Something similar to what happens in the movie Free Guy!
exist more than a hundred variants of animals in Red Dead Redemption 2, including domestic, wild (flying, ground and aquatic) and legendary animals. Each one belongs to a animal family (foxes, wolves, crocodiles…) with their own behavior.
The animals in Red Dead Redemption 2 They respond to the cycle of day and night. Predators are usually most active during the latter hours of the day, while other animals feed during the day and retire to their burrows/roos for the night. The same goes for the weather: rain and storms, for example.
He lobo It is one of the most fascinating animals of Red Dead Redemption 2 (and in real life) and the perfect example to show the complexity of animal behavior in the game. They usually gather in packs that can exceed 8-10 wolves. They attack in a group and create ambushes. Several stand in front of you to intimidate you while the rest surround you to attack you by surprise. If it’s a large group, chances are you’ll end up being their dinner.
if you have some prismatic o look in your bolt action rifle, then you can see their behavior from afar. They spend the first half of the days playing and resting, and the second half and the night hunting. Many users have caught them hunting deer and humans, for example. They don’t usually move much and are very, very territorial.
An interesting detail about wolves is that recognize their dead companions. When a wolf in the pack dies, either by our hand or from trying to hunt another animal, the rest will recognize the carcass and howl beside it in grief.
Other predators like puma hide and attack by surprise, and crocodiles They camouflage themselves to catch you off guard or attack in small groups underwater if they see they can surround you. Be very careful with the puma because it is extremely fast and it kills you with nothing.
The case of eagles and other birds of prey it is especially interesting. It is possible to see them descending at high speed to catch snakes, rabbits, mice and even fish from the rivers. They are a bit more difficult to locate due to their speed. It is a show like no other! Once in their claws, they go to a safe place and devour their prey. If you have seen documentaries, you will notice that the animations are incredibly realistic.
And there is also cats and dogs close to towns! These animals have learned to live with humans and benefit from it. Many users have seen cats scratching wooden posts to prepare their claws, licking themselves, and hunting rats around farms, towns, and cities. On the other hand, dogs are closer to humans. They play games and even do tricks in front of the stalls so that the vendors throw them some meat. They even howl when they hear some music!
all the animals of Red Dead Redemption 2 They perform their basic functions: they sleep, drink and eat (hunting or grazing), and they interact with each other. Each Worth Watching: The Deer Family and Goats face each other with their horns. Some users have found deer with their antlers broken and/or entangled in a dead rival, and goats that have died after receiving a shock or two from their violent confrontations.
Foxes leap and nose-drop in the snow in search of prey, ducks dive into the water in search of fish, bison move (and flee) in herds to protect themselves from attack, birds such as small birds clean their plumage on the banks of the rivers…
Bears scratch their backs on trees (part of their mating ritual), moose stretch and move to avoid freezing while resting, and even animals can be affected by pests and diseases, changing their appearance.
Another special case:horses! Our horse has a huge number of interactions that do not have to depend on us. Some users are recently discovering that they can go backwards and the issue of shrinking testicles with the cold is well known. However, surely you did not know that its way of walking through the water changes according to its size and that react to firewhether or not it was our doing, to the point of throwing ourselves to the ground to flee.
The death It is part of the cycle of life Red Dead Redemption 2. Hunting animals isn’t always enjoyable, especially when it’s not done correctly. Each animal has a type of weapon indicated to hunt them down and obtain the skins in perfect condition. If you do not attend to this system, you will damage the skins and the animal will suffer a lot before dying, to the point of being able to find it dying after tracking it down. It is extremely unpleasant. Committing this act lowers the character’s karma.
- Important: Beware of hunting too much because it is possible to decimate animal populations in certain areas. It usually happens when there are daily challenges with specific animals.
Lastly, the animal and human corpses They have a decomposition system, which other animals can accelerate by eating their meat. It is not infrequent that we have seen bears, pumas, wolves and other animals eat corpses. Even farm pigs will eat the carcasses (animal or human) you leave in their pen! This is a bit shady because there are human NPCs that kill others in duels and leave their bodies with the pigs.
I understand that not everyone has the time, patience, and desire to explore. Red Dead Redemption 2 in such detail. No one is more or less a fan for doing it. However, pursuing zoology (or the Naturalist role) has some really nice rewards. If you want to see everything discussed in action, then I highly recommend the video “Red Dead Redemption 2 – Insanely Realistic Animals Detailsby Rockstar Guides.
I can’t even imagine the work it took for the animales de Red Dead Redemption 2 with all its details, customs, relationships… It doesn’t make sense how wonderful it can be. And all this is just the tip of the iceberg: watching it is much, much more incredible than reading it. They are not scheduled events at specific points, but random events. And yes, this post is an invitation to install the game.
Now it’s your turn: Did you know that the animals in Red Dead Redemption 2 have such a complex hidden life? Have you ever studied the animals in Red Dead? Do you remember a nice moment? The comments are all yours.
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