Red Dead Redemption 2 Guide: How To Raise Your Honor

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that feels familiar to anyone who played the first game but an altogether more ambitious and expansive beast. One of the new introductions includes the Honor system, which regulates how people react to you, discounts at various vendors, and unlocking new outfits, as well as other small details.

The effects of your Honor can be seen a lot more prominently later in the story, which we won’t spoil here. However, it’s worth mentioning that if you have a high or low level of Honor during a certain interaction with a gang mate (spoilers ahead), Arthur’s mannerisms and general demeanour are vastly different.

The game doesn’t always spell out how you can raise your Honor in Red Dead Redemption 2, but there are some scenes in which the player is presented with a couple of different choices. However, your actions in the world can also impact your Honor rating, so if you want to become an angel of a dying Wild West, here’s what you need to do.

UPDATED: for Red Dead Online, the more or less Honor you have, the different your missions vary. If you’re a bad dude, you will typically receive naughty jobs. If you don’t go around killing all of the other players, you will be rewarded with more virtuous missions, though being good in any multiplayer game is a tall order.

Howdy
Greet people as often as you can. Every three or so interactions, you will receive a small bump to your Honor as well as another chance to listen to Arthur’s dulcet voice and possibly even receive some hints for side quests. Does not apply to Red Dead Online.

Help your gang mates
On occasion, the gang will ask you to go and fetch items for them out in the world. You will definitely want to do them as not only will you get a small bump to your Honor, but you will also receive an item for your troubles. There’s also noticeable changes if you fetch them what they want; Jack, for instance, will sleep with a book you fetched for him. Does not apply to Red Dead Online.

Do your chores
Look for the black dots dotted on your mini-map around camp. These are chores that you can complete to raise your Honor and bump up the mood of the camp. It’s worth trying to do them each time you land back at camp, especially for the animation porn when Arthur chops wood. Does not apply to Red Dead Online.

Donate to beggars
Beggars will occasionally appear as pulsating white dots on your mini-map and take donations of up to a dollar. Some of them will even give you an item back or a hint for your troubles, as well as a warm feeling in your tummy. Does not apply to Red Dead Online.

Help strangers out in the wild
Whether it’s someone with their leg in a bear trap or a woman without a ride back to town, helping these people will also help your Honor rating. Be careful, though: prisoners or thieves asking you to help them escape the law will create the opposite effect.

Donate to camp
After playing for a while, you gain the option to donate to camp to put towards upgrades and even fast travel. While we can’t be sure of the logistics, you can either donate constantly or in a big lump and get a considerable boost to your Honor rating. Bit weird that you contributing towards a life of crime makes you more honorable, but okay. Does not apply to Red Dead Online.

Fishing for fun
If you go fishing, consider not putting the fish away in your satchel and throwing them back in instead. This makes it less cruel in the eyes of the game and will help out your Honor as a result. You can get quite a lot of money from keeping the fish, though there are easier ways to earn money in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Take on bounties
Red Dead Redemption 2 has plenty of bounties you can take on, which will actually killl two many birds with one stone. Not only will you get decent cash from doing the job, but you will also get a boost to your Honor as well. Remember to save these for at least Chapter 6 as you will get a huge improvement of 50% to your Honor earned. Does not apply to Red Dead Online.

Here’s some stuff to avoid when it comes to your honor in Red Dead Redemption 2: don’t kill people; don’t throw dynamite at horses. That’s pretty much your lot.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, with backwards compatibility also available on PS5 and Xbox Series.