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10 Places You Need to Visit in Red Dead Redemption 2

by enricofairme · Published November 9, 2018 2:03 PM · Updated November 29, 2019 12:48 PM

The world of  Red Dead Redemption 2 is huge. There are a ton of places to visit and explore, with many mysteries associated with each spot. To help you sort out exactly where you should go, I’ve put together this list of 10 places you need to visit in  Red Dead Redemption 2 .  Warning: Spoilers Below .

10. Meteor House & Meteor Crater

One of the first places I want to highlight is actually two spots in the northeast corner of the map. The first location is called the Meteor House. This house, seen above, is the location of a meteor crash. When you reach this location, you are going to want to make your way inside for a… surprise of sorts. After you’re finished exploring the Meteor House, make your way slightly northwest to find a meteor crater, which is pretty crazy to see in the world. As is implied, the large meteor in the crater is responsible for the small meteor falling onto the Meteor House.

9. Hani’s Bethel (AKA UFO House)

It wouldn’t be a Rockstar game without the inclusion of aliens, and the next location has some. That’s right, if you want to see a UFO in  Red Dead Redemption 2 , you will want to make your way to a location called, Hani’s Bethel, which is north of Emerald Station. Inside this shack you will find a number of decomposing bodies and a Mysterious Sermon. This Mysterious Sermon talks about an alien voyager who will take up believers spirits when he comes (cough* Heaven’s Gate reference *cough). The Mysterious Sermon also mentions “at the second hour under the half moon”, which is a clue to enter the cabin after 2 AM. When you enter you will see a UFO appear above the roof. It will hang around for a couple hours (or fly away immediately when if you leave the cabin) and then fly away. Pretty interesting… Maybe there’s more to this?

8. Witches Cauldron

The next location is fairly mysterious and lacks much explanation (so far). To find the Witches Cauldron, make your way north of the N in Ambarino on your map. In this area you will find a shack in the middle of some trees with a number of interesting items you can loot inside as well as a cauldron. If you approach the cauldron you will be prompted to take a drink of the mysterious liquid. Drinking the liquid will cause you to pass out and wake up some distance from the Witches Cauldron. What makes this area even more bizarre is the fact there is a Raven perched inside the shack that will watch you the entire time.

7. Devil’s Cave (Hidden Tunnel)

There is an interesting cave located west of Hanging Dog Ranch which has the “Devil” inside it. When you reach the lower area of the cave, a man will speak to you telling you to leave his cave and that he’s (not) the Devil. This interaction can be repeated a number (by passing the time) of times to get different lines from the “Devil”.

6. Manmade Mutant (House West of Van Horn)

The next location I want to highlight features a bizarre mutant creature on the upper floor of a house to the west of the Van Horn Trading Post. When you arrive at the house it will seem like there is no way inside, but there actually is a way. You can use the crates in the wagon on the west side of the house to reach an open window on the second floor. Inside this room you will find a number of experiments, including what appears to be a mutant creature on the wall.

Read More: Check out our other  Red Dead Redemption 2   guides.

Our list of 10 places you need to visit in  Red Dead Redemption 2 continues on the next page. What do you think so far?

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enricofairme

A lifelong gamer who has devoted the last six years to the creation and development of "Hold To Reset," a website tailored by gamers for gamers. Yell your hot takes at him on X .

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Every Town In Red Dead Redemption 2, Ranked

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The 24 Best Outfits In Red Dead Redemption 2

Red dead redemption 2: 17 things arthur morgan can do that john marston can't, secret side quests everyone missed in red dead redemption 2, key takeaways.

• Red Dead Redemption 2 features well-constructed towns with vast open-world maps, allowing players to explore and experience the personality and environmental storytelling of each location.
• The towns in Red Dead Redemption 2 , such as Colter and Lagras, offer unique features and missions, adding depth to the game and providing a great sandbox experience for players.
• While some towns like Armadillo and Van Horn Trading Post may not offer much in terms of activities or interactions, they still add to the immersive world created by Rockstar Games and contribute to the overall narrative of the game.

After waiting eight long years for a sequel, fans were finally rewarded with one of the best-selling games of all time, Red Dead Redemption 2 , and many people are still loving the story-based cowboy simulator. A lot of that is due to the multiplayer Red Dead Online and its ongoing updates, but it's largely just because the main game has a lot of places to explore. Rockstar Games is known for its large open-world maps seen in franchises like Grand Theft Auto and RDR2 featured a number of towns that players could visit throughout the story, with some towns leaving more of a mark than others. These settlements all have their positives and negatives, but there are bound to be a few well-constructed areas in Red Dead Redemption 2 to see which town comes out on top.

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That being said, players should obviously check out all these areas regardless of their apparent quality. Rockstar's open-world design is in a class of its own, and this can be seen in the detail-rich world of the game and how everything gels together to make for an extraordinary experience in every way. From the most populated RDR2 towns to the desolate woods — each location in Red Dead Redemption 2 is bursting to the seams with personality, and the environmental storytelling in each and every one of these locations is a great example that shows why Rockstar is a master of its craft.

Updated on June 9th, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the greatest games ever made, set during the throes of the Wild West when the age is almost at an end and the rise of the Industrial Revolution is in full swing. The life that outlaws lived is slowly becoming a thing of the past now, with cities and towns becoming more advanced than ever before. It's during this time that Dutch's gang face a ton of adversity, after a botched heist attracts the attention of the Pinkertons, the day's government agents. During Arthur's journey of personal redemption, he explores numerous settlements in the game, with some being some of the most memorable towns in gaming.

The Prologue Is Entirely Based In This Town

The prologue of Red Dead Redemption 2 may be a bit too long for most people's tastes, but there's no denying that the game does a great job of introducing the characters , exploring their dynamics, and setting the tone for a story that starts off from the very start of the van der Linde gang's downfall. After a string of unfortunate events in Blackwater, the gang is forced to escape the Pinkertons and take shelter in an abandoned mining town during a major snowstorm.

Until the weather clears up, players are forced to scrounge for supplies and take on a rival gang that has taken shelter nearby. It's a simple way to limit the scope of the world and not overwhelm players from the get-go. It helps that Colter makes for a decent base in its own right, even if players will move away from this town soon after and not really have a reason to come back since this place is devoid of any life and meaningful interactions.

10 Armadillo

One of the last few towns that adheres to the tenets of the wild west.

While the small town of Armadillo is the first settlement that players visit in Red Dead Redemption, when John Marston arrives in the town during RDR2 , it is a fiery apocalyptic mess . Players soon learn that the town has been hit with a series of plagues, with the latest Cholera outbreak either killing or driving away most of the town's residents.

While there are some intriguing mysteries regarding Armadillo, Herbert Moon (proprietor of Armadillo's General Store), and the Strange Man that begs for a proper explanation, there just isn't that much to do in Armadillo to get answers, and the town is best to be avoided during the player's travels through New Austin. Thankfully, by the time Red Dead Redemption 's events start, fans will be glad to know that this settlement bounced back to become a lively place once again.

9 Van Horn Trading Post

A decrepit, neglected town.

The Van Horn Trading Post sits in Roanoke Ridge on the Lannahechee River and looks like it was at one time a healthy, growing community. Unfortunately, when Arthur and the rest of the gang reach Van Horn, it's a grungy dying town with very little to offer players. It's a shame since it's clear that there's a lot of life still present in this area, but the fact that the trading post has fallen into disrepair means that the majority of the player's attention will be drawn towards the abandoned homes, broken-down structures, and everything else along the same lines.

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The Post Office is the largest draw of Van Horn, though its saloon does offer Blackjack. Aside from a Fence and a few story missions, there's not much for players to do in Van Horn, though it is 1 of only 2 towns where players can get in duels. There are also no Lawmen in Van Horn, though the citizens won't hesitate to shoot if a crime is committed. If nothing else, it's a fun place to mess about in if players want to go on a classic Rockstar rampage that these games are notorious for. However, even after racking up a bounty, the entire experience of roaming this world feels shallow after a point.

A Small Settlement With A Close-Knit Community

The small settlement of Lagras isn't much of a town, but the small group of buildings located in the bayou does have a very important Bait & Tackle Shop for players looking to catch a few Legendary Fish and does feature exciting missions that introduce players to the Legendary Bullgator that can be hunted down post-mission. The cozy nature of this settlement means that there's a tight-knit community here, with life seemingly being pretty peaceful.

However, the main reason that Lagras sits higher than a few other towns with more stores is that the bayou and area around Lagras is the only place where players can encounter the Night Folk. The Night Folk are cannibalistic humans/monsters who live in the swamp and brutalize their victims, and it's an easy mission to miss if players don't wander around the bayou at night. While the settlement itself may not be the most interesting part of the Bayou area, it's still a great place to feel safe after braving the dangers of the swamp. For a place that seems rather tranquil, it's ironic that it's situated near a gang that features some of the most vicious individuals in the open world of Red Dead Redemption 2 .

7 Annesburg

The largest town in new hanover.

While players do spend a lot of time in Annesburg near the end of the main story, there is a sense of dread that falls over the town. This is likely because of the issues between Arthur, Dutch, and Micah that have been steadily building for the last few chapters, and any beauty or fun found in Annesburg is drowned out by the gang's troubles. It's a shame since this large town is pretty fun to explore if players try not to focus on the main narrative and how tensions are boiling over at this point.

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Regardless of the feeling of the town, it does allow players a sense of closure with Arthur's dealings with the Downes family, and the mine can offer a fun distraction for players. However, most players just didn't find themselves visiting Annesburg much if the story didn't call for it, unlike some of the other towns on this list. That being said, it's still a fun settlement to explore for players who love Rockstar's design ethos when it comes to the many habitable areas in the game.

6 Tumbleweed

A town in decline that becomes completely barren by the beginning of the first game.

Much like the town of Armadillo, Tumbleweed is in New Austin and also appears in the first Red Dead Redemption . However, in the first game, Tumbleweed isn't much more than a ghost town/gang hideout, which shows just what a few bad years can do to a town.

It's interesting that Armadillo and Tumbleweed seemed to trade places for each game, with Tumbleweed flourishing in the second while Armadillo prospered in the first. Tumbleweed offers a number of amenities as well as a few bounties for players to check out post-game, extending the game just a bit further for those players looking for more. Players who found this area to be rather haunting in the first game can refresh their image of this place by exploring a livelier version of this settlement in Red Dead Redemption 2 .

5 Saint Denis

The jewel of lemoyne.

The industrial city of Saint Denis is awe-inspiring to witness firsthand and also shows how the world is slowly evolving, leaving behind the people of the past who aren't used to such technological innovations. The polluted city looks absolutely beautiful at night, with the busy streets, cramped marketplace, and overabundance of lawmen really making it feel like the player simply isn't welcome to engage in their murderous sprees.

It doesn't help that there are way too many bounties for "Disturbing The Peace" or "Assault," to the point where even running too fast in a crowd can lead to an unintentional crime the player has to either pay money for to diffuse or avoid any enthusiastic lawman as the bounty on their head is slowly forgotten. Still, that's a small issue in what is otherwise the best settlement in Red Dead Redemption 2 by a country mile. Saint Denis is the beating heart of both games and reflects the developments that America is undergoing with the rise of the Industrial Revolution.

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This feeling of claustrophobia and close spaces and tight crowds is, of course, intentional, as this is the showcase of the civilization that Arthur and the Dutch van der Linde gang have been running from. Arthur and the player feel not just out of place but trapped, and the city will punish players very quickly for any "uncivilized" misstep .

4 Blackwater

It's not until the game's epilogue that players can finally access this town.

It might seem crazy to see Blackwater so high on the list, considering that players aren't even able to visit the town until the epilogue, but there is a different feeling in the large town that possibly colors Blackwater in a different light than some of the other towns of the sequel.

While it is stocked with police like Saint Denis, players didn't find themselves having too many problems in the town because they just weren't playing the same way after Arthur's death. Blackwater, in the sequel, is a town of new beginnings, and the missions to build Beecher Hope reflect that. Still, Blackwater features quite a few shops and story missions that keep most people visiting.

3 Strawberry

The capital of big valley.

While there isn't actually as much to do in Strawberry as the Mayor would have players believe, it still serves as an early gateway to the northern Big Valley area of the game, which features Legendary Fish, Animals, a few Stranger missions and even the exciting Mount Shann UFO.

With how vast the open-world environment of Red Dead Redemption 2 is, it's easy to miss out on these fun secret side missions.

The town itself features the basic luxuries of other towns, but its importance to the game lies with Arthur and Micah's breakout and later leads to their final matchup in the epilogue. Strawberry is also the only town in RDR2 where players can commit their own hanging instead of watching in the crowd, though it doesn't have much to offer for additional missions beyond finding a lost dog amongst a stressful wilderness.

Founded By Brigadier General Sherman M. Rhodes In The Early 19th Century

The town of Rhodes is located in the Scarlett Meadows area of Lemoyne, which is home to the Confederate Lemoyne Raiders, whose criminal activities are always fun to interrupt. Scarlett Meadows is also home to one of the Gang's best camps and a weird side business at the Gunsmiths that can be experienced.

Rhodes gives players the chance to see Dutch's gang in action as they attempt to play the competing Gray and Braithwaite families against each other, and the player's time in Rhodes remained enjoyable even when things began to fall apart. Rhodes' lasting mark on the gang is proven when players can find Pearson running the general store there in Rhodes.

1 Valentine

The closest town to horseshoe overlook, the area where the gang camps after leaving colter.

The lovely town of Valentine is the first actual town players visit in Red Dead Redemption 2 , though they do initially set up camp in the former town of Colter. While Valentine offers the majority of stores and even introduces players to the lucrative act of robbing side businesses, it remains a favorite town in the eyes of most players for several reasons.

Not only is Valentine the easiest place in the game to cause a bit of mayhem, considering the low level of lawmen and multiple quick escape routes out of town, but it features a number of fun missions and stranger encounters, including the hilarious "A Quiet Time" mission with Lenny and the competitive twin brothers Proteus and Acrisius that are not to be missed.

Red Dead Redemption 2

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Red Dead Redemption 2 Points of Interest Locations Guide

With our RDR2 Points of Interest Locations Guide, you will be able to discover all 46 POIs in RDR2 to attain 100% game completion.

Points of Interest are a type of collectible in RDR2. They aren’t tracked in the progression tab but present interesting world-building opportunities through peculiar characters, objects, and locations.

There is a total of 49 Points of Interest in Red Dead Redemption 2 and in this guide, we’ll be looking at the locations of all of them. You’ll know you’re at a Point of Interest when you get a prompt to Inspect something. Once you do, Arthur will put out his journal and start scribbling about it.

Meditating Monk

The meditating Monk can be found on top of the mountain east of O’Creagh’s Run in Grizzlies East. Climb up the mountain to locate it. Do note that the monk only appears around noon time.

Face in Cliff

The Face in Cliff POI is not far from the previous one. It is found northeast of the Three Sisters and dead north of the Moonstone Pond. You’ll once again have to climb the mountain into which the face is carved.

Strange Statues

The Strange Statues POI is located inside a cave near the East Grizzlies and to the east of Donner Falls. The cave can be accessed through a hidden entrance marked on the map above. Enter the cave to find the statues.

Mysterious Hill Home

The Mysterious Hill House is located to the northeast of Bacchus Station. The house’s roof is covered with moss, so it can be fairly difficult to spot.

Mammoth Skelton

The Mammoth Skeleton is located in the western part of Ambarino, between the Spider Gorge and the Deadboot Creek. The skeleton will be found on the path on the map image above. It will be covered in snow, so keep a keen eye when looking for it.

Frozen Settler

The Frozen Settler is found at the top of Mount Hagen. He’ll be next to a couple of rocks in the location marked on the map above. Once you interact with him, you can collect the Morion Helmet from his corpse.

Defaced Grave

The Defaced Grave is located right at the northern edge of Barrow Lagoon, near the small cabin.

Strange Statues (paintings)

The final POI in Ambarino is found in Window Rock. There will be a large overhanging rock with paintings of statues on it. Simply approach it.

Warped Tree

The first POI in New Hanover is found within the Heartlands, to the southwest of Emerald Ranch. It is on top of the hill in the area marked on the map above.

Register Rock

Register Rock is located south of the Heartlands Oil Field in New Hanover. The rock will be next to a large tree with text scribbled.

Oil Derrick

The next POI located in the Heartlands dead center, northeast of Flatneck Station. Here, you can also find some resources, including food and alcohol.

Trading Post

The Trading Post is found to the east of Flatneck Station. It appears as a small, white hut.

The Brush Fire Points of Interest is located right next to the Dakota River and the N of the New Hanover text on the RDR2 map. It’s hard to miss as the fire’s aftermath spreads over a large area.

Barrel Rider

The Barrel Rider can be found on the river bank near Donner Falls. Depending on how you approach the area, you may need to climb down to reach the bank.

The Meteorite is found in the Roanoke Ridge area of New Hanover. It can be found toward the north of Annesburg, at the northern limit of the map.

Abandoned Trading Post

The Abandoned Trading Post is found right next to the meteor. Just walk a couple of yards east. This POI appears as a dilapidated wooden hut.

Fossilized Man

The Fossilized Man is found close to the previous POIs. He’ll be on a rock ledge right above the train tracks.

Meteor House

The Meteor House is also located in the general vicinity of the previous three POIs. Follow the map image above to find it. The Meteor House will appear burned and destroyed as a meteor crashed through it.

The Old Tomb is found a little way away from the previous collectibles. It is located right near the river bend in Roanoke Ridge. It’ll be in a shallow pit.

Old World Scripts

The Old World Scripts POI will be found on the opposite end of Roanoke Ridge. It’ll be amongst a couple of rocks right by the bank.

Trail Trees (I), Trail Trees (II), Trail Trees (III), and, Trail Trees (IV)

All four Trail Trees are found along a path near Annesburg in Roanoke Ridge. Start from the marker on the map closest to the New Hanover text on the map and make your way to the river bank to find all four Points of Interest in RDR2

Manmade Mutant

The Manmade Mutant POI is located west of the Van Horn Trading Post. The mutant will be on the house’s second floor, located in the marked area on the map above.

Serpent Mound

The last POI in New Hanover is close to the Manmade Mutant. Follow the map image above to locate a tower. Climb it and look down to find the Serpent Mound.

Hermit Woman

The Hermit woman can be found in the northwestern limit of West Elizabeth. Reach the area marked on the map image above to find her cabin.

Crashed Airship

The Crashed Airship POI is just a few feet south of the Hermit Woman. It’ll be found amongst the trees off the main path.

Hidden Tunnel

The Hidden Tunnel POI is located in s small crevice right where you find the Crashed Airship. Head into the indentation in the area marked on the map above.

The Obelisk POI is located northwest of Strawberry, near the previous one. It’ll be on top of the hill overlooking the Owanjila Dam. The Obelisk is a tall, needle-like structure.

Native Burial

The Native Burial can be found dead north of the Owanjila Dam. It’ll be in the middle of a forest clearing in the area marked on the above map.

Giant Remains

The Giant Remains are in the middle of Big Valley in West Elizabeth. They’ll be underneath a cliff, along the path on Mount Shann.

Pagan Ritual

The Pagan Ritual POI is located to the west of Owanjila Dam. It’ll be found in a forest clearing and feature a half-cut corpse in the middle of a large white symbol.

Faces in Trees

Faces in Trees is located right next to the Owanjila Dam. Head to the area marked on the map above and look for drawings of faces on the tree trunks.

Whale Bones

The Whale Bones POI is also located right next to Owanjila Dam. Head to the area marked on the map above to locate the bones.

Circus Wagons

To locate the Circus Wagons, head over to Hanzanita Post, which is found toward the west of Blackwater in West Elizabeth. It’ll be along the path marked on the map above.

The last Points of Interest in West Elizabeth is located to the west of Aurora Basin in RDR2. The Wickuip is a white tree.

There aren’t any Points of Interest in Guarma.

Tiny Church

The Tiny Church is found north of Saint Denis in Lakay. It’ll be next to a large tree.

Gray’s Secret

Gray’s Secret, a letter, can be found in Caliga Hall. It is located on a table at the back exterior of the house marked on the map image above. This points of interest can only be found after you’ve completed the mission ‘A Short Walk in Pretty Town’ in Chapter 3 of RDR2.

Withered Arm

The Withered Arm is located to the south of Caliga Hall. It’ll be found off the main path in the area marked on the map above.

The Phonograph is located in Bluewater Marsh. It’ll be inside a boathouse by the marsh in the area marked on the map above.

Bolger Glade

The Bolger Glade POI is located toward the east of Braithwaite Manor. It appears as a series of trenches in the open.

Abandoned Church

The Abandoned Church is located at Bolger Glade. It’ll have a couple of squatters, so come prepared.

Braithwaites’ Secret

The Braithwaite’s Secret POI is located in the Braithwaite estate area. It can be found to the west of the manor. You’ll hear a woman’s voice when you enter the area of the map. Follow it until you locate a white outhouse. Braithwaite’s Secret is inside the outhouse.

The final Points of Interest in Lemoyne is located west of Bluewater Marsh in RDR2. Go to the area marked on the map above to find Pleasance, a couple of old derelict buildings.

Donkey Lady

The Donkey Lady is located to the south of Armadillo. She can be found next to a well in the village marked on the map above.

Flying Machine

The Flying Machine is found to the west of Armadillo in Cholla Springs. It’ll be on the ground in the area marked on the map above.

Jesuit Missionary

The Jesuit Missionary is found at the western limit of the map near the San Luis River. He’ll be leaning up against a couple of rocks near the main path.

Sperm Whale Bones

The last Points of Interest in New Austin is found to the southeast of the Tumbleweed in RDR2. The Sperm Whale bones will be embedded in the earth in the area marked on the map above.

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Locations in Redemption 2 and Online

Red Dead Redemption 2 's Map

The following is a comprehensive list of all the locations and points of interest in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online .

• 1 Articles Found Elsewhere
• 2.1 Bait & Tackle Shop
• 2.2 Barber Shops
• 2.3 Butchers
• 2.4 Doctor's Offices
• 2.6 General Stores
• 2.7 Gunsmiths
• 2.8 Hotels and Lodging
• 2.9 Photography Studios
• 2.10 Post Offices
• 2.11 Saloons
• 2.12 Show and Cinema
• 2.13 Stables
• 2.14 Tailors
• 2.15 Trappers
• 3.1 Bounty Hunting
• 3.2 Blackjack
• 3.3 Dominoes
• 3.4 Five Finger Fillet
• 4.1 Bayou Nwa
• 4.2 Bluewater Marsh
• 4.3 Scarlett Meadows
• 5.1 The Heartlands
• 5.2 Cumberland Forest
• 5.3 Roanoke Ridge
• 6.1 Grizzlies East
• 6.2 Grizzlies West
• 7.1 Big Valley
• 7.2 Great Plains
• 7.3 Tall Trees
• 8.1 Hennigan's Stead
• 8.2 Cholla Springs
• 8.3 Río Bravo
• 8.4 Gaptooth Ridge
• 10 External links
• 11 Related Maps
• 12 Navigation

Articles Found Elsewhere [ ]

• Easter Eggs & Secrets in Red Dead Redemption 2

Amenities across the Map [ ]

Amenities are shops and activities the player can partake in and use across the map, whether it be buying supplies, getting a haircut, or watching a show. Amenities are typically found in or around settlements. There are fifteen different types of amenities the player can use across the map.

Bait & Tackle Shop [ ]

Barber shops [ ].

• Blackwater Barber Shop
• Saint Denis Barber Shop
• Valentine Barber Shop

Butchers [ ]

• Eldridge and Sons Butcher ( Blackwater )
• Rhodes Butcher
• Saint Denis Butcher
• Strawberry Butcher
• Tumbleweed Butcher
• Valentine Butcher

Doctor's Offices [ ]

• Saint Denis Doctor's Office
• Strawberry Doctor's Office
• Valentine Doctor's Office
• Clemens Cove ( Horse Fence )
• Emerald Ranch (Wagon+Standard Fence)
• Rhodes Fence
• Saint Denis Pawnbroker
• Silas Crawford Wholesale & Retail (Van Horn Trading Post)

General Stores [ ]

• Coopers General Store ( Strawberry )
• Horner & Co. General Store (Saint Denis)
• H.R. Putnan's General Merchandise ( Armadillo )
• Rhodes General Store
• S. M. Neely Ship Chandler and Grocer (Blackwater)
• Tumbleweed General Store
• Wallace Station
• Worths General Store (Valentine)

Gunsmiths [ ]

• Kuo Chao & Co. (Saint Denis)
• Rhodes Gunsmith
• Schultz Gunsmith ( Annesburg )
• Tumbleweed Gunsmith
• Valentine Gunsmith

Hotels and Lodging [ ]

• Bastille Saloon (Saint Denis)
• Blackwater Saloon
• Rhodes Parlour House
• Saints Hotel (Valentine)
• Schultz Gunsmith (Annesburg)
• Strawberry Welcome Center
• Van Horn Depot

Photography Studios [ ]

• Blackwater Photography Studio
• Saint Denis Photographic Studio

Post Offices [ ]

• Annesburg Station
• Benedict Point
• Blackwater Post Office
• Emerald Station
• Rhodes Station
• Riggs Station
• Saint Denis Post Office
• Strawberry Depot
• Valentine Station

Saloons [ ]

• Armadillo Saloon
• Bastille Saloon ( Saint Denis )
• Doyle's Tavern (Saint Denis)
• Keane's Saloon ( Valentine )
• Old Light Saloon ( Van Horn Trading Post )
• Smithfield's Saloon (Valentine)
• Tumbleweed Saloon

Show and Cinema [ ]

• Blackwater Imperial Theater
• Fontana Magic Lantern Theater (Saint Denis)
• J.J. Riggins' Traveling Magic Lantern Show (Valentine)
• Théâtre Râleur (Saint Denis)

Stables [ ]

• A. Aitken Livery & Stable (Tumbleweed)
• Amos Levi Blacksmith & Farrier (Valentine)
• B. R. Shelton Livery & Stable (Blackwater)
• Horse Shop ( Scarlett Meadows )
• Strawberry Stables
• Theodore Eckhart Stables (Saint Denis)

Tailors [ ]

• Blackwater Tailor
• Saint Denis Tailor

Trappers [ ]

• Black Bone Forest
• Elysian Pool
• Saint Denis Market

Activities [ ]

Bounty hunting [ ].

• Blackwater Police Department
• Saint Denis Police Department
• Scarlett Meadows Sheriff's Office
• Strawberry Sheriff's Office
• Tumbleweed Sheriff's Office
• Valentine Sheriff's Office

Blackjack [ ]

• Old Light Saloon (Van Horn Trading Post)

Dominoes [ ]

• Cluster of Tents (Blackwater)
• Emerald Station ( Emerald Ranch )
• Pavilion outside the City Hall (Saint Denis)

Five Finger Fillet [ ]

• Keane’s Saloon (Valentine)
• Woodworking Shop (Strawberry)
• Flatneck Station ( the Heartlands )

Lemoyne [ ]

Bayou nwa [ ].

• Caliga Hall
• Lakay (formerly)
• Macomb's End
• Saint Denis
• Victory Street Station (Saint Denis)
• Fishing Spot
• Kamassa River
• Lannahechee River
• Merkins Waller
• Crawdad Willies
• The Grand Korrigan
• Hagen Orchards
• Prinz & Co.
• Shady Belle
• Gray’s Secret
• Bayall Edge ( Strange Man )
• Tiny Church
• Withered Arm

Bluewater Marsh [ ]

• Sisika Penitentiary
• Canebreak Manor
• Copperhead Landing
• Trapper's Cabin

Scarlett Meadows [ ]

• Braithwaite Manor
• Pleasance (formerly)
• Clemens Cove
• Clemens Point
• Dewberry Creek
• Flat Iron Lake
• Mattock Pond
• Ringneck Creek
• Southfield Flats
• Aberdeen Pig Farm
• Catfish Jacksons
• Compson's Stead
• Hill Haven Ranch
• Lonnie's Shack
• Old Greenbank Mill
• Old Harry Fen
• Old Trail Rise
• Radley's House
• Radley's Pasture
• Robard Farm
• Siltwater Strand
• Abandoned Church
• Bolger Glade
• Braithwaites' Secret

New Hanover [ ]

The heartlands [ ].

• Cornwall Kerosene & Tar
• Emerald Ranch
• Limpany (formerly)
• Flatneck Station
• Caliban's Seat
• Citadel Rock
• Cumberland Falls
• Dakota River
• Heartland Oil Fields
• Heartland Overflow
• Horseshoe Overlook
• Twin Stack Pass
• Bard's Crossing
• Carmody Dell
• Castor's Ridge
• Chadwick Farm
• Downes Ranch
• Gill Landing
• Granger's Hoggery
• Guthrie Farm
• Hani's Bethel
• Lucky's Cabin
• Oil Derrick
• Register Rock
• Trading Post
• Warped Tree

Cumberland Forest [ ]

• Fort Wallace
• Bacchus Station
• Bacchus Bridge
• Firwood Rise
• Six Point Cabin

Roanoke Ridge [ ]

• Butcher Creek
• Van Horn Trading Post
• Van Horn Station
• Beaver Hollow
• Black Basalm Rise
• Brandywine Drop
• Roanoke Valley
• Abandoned Trading Post
• Central Union Railroad Camp
• Deer Cottage
• Fire Lookout Tower
• Fort Brennand
• MacLean's House
• Manito Glade
• Meteor House
• Mossy Flats
• Osman Grove
• Reed Cottage
• Sawbone Clearing
• Van Horn Mansion
• Willard's Rest
• Fossilized Man
• Manmade Mutant
• Old World Scripts
• Serpent Mound
• Trail Trees (I)
• Trail Trees (II)
• Trail Trees (III)
• Trail Trees (IV)

Ambarino [ ]

Grizzlies east [ ].

• Wapiti Indian Reservation
• Calumet Ravine
• Cotorra Springs
• Donner Falls
• Moonstone Pond
• O'Creagh's Run
• Three Sisters
• Fairvale Shanty
• Flattened Cabin
• Martha's Swain
• Mysterious Hill Home
• Veteran's Homestead
• Witches Cauldron
• Barrel Rider
• Face in Cliff
• Meditating Monk
• Strange Statues

Grizzlies West [ ]

• Colter (formerly)
• Ewing Basin (formerly)

Natural Formations

• Barrow Lagoon
• Beartooth Beck
• Cattail Pond
• Deadboot Creek
• Granite Pass
• Lake Isabella
• Mount Hagen
• Spider Gorge
• Tempest Rim
• Whinyard Strait
• Window Rock
• Adler Ranch
• Cairn Lodge
• Chez Porter
• Clawson's Rest
• Dodd's Bluff
• Dormin Crest
• Micah's Hideout
• Millesani Claim
• Defaced Grave
• Frozen Settler
• Strange Statues (Cave Painting)

West Elizabeth [ ]

Big valley [ ].

• Pronghorn Ranch (epilogue only)
• Beryl's Dream
• Diablo Ridge
• Little Creek River
• Hawks Eye Creek
• Monto's Rest
• Mount Shann
• Upper Montana River
• Valley View
• Wallace Overlook
• Appleseed Timber Co.
• Hanging Dog Ranch
• Lenora View
• Lone Mule Stead
• Old Tom's Blind
• Owanjila Dam
• Painted Sky
• Shepherds Rise
• Stilt Shack
• Taxidermist House
• Vetter's Echo
• Watson's Cabin
• Faces in Trees
• Flying Machine (West Elizabeth)
• Giant Remains
• Hermit Woman
• Hidden Tunnel
• Native Burial
• Pagan Ritual
• Whale Bones

Great Plains [ ]

• Beecher's Hope
• Broken Tree
• Quaker's Cove

Tall Trees [ ]

• Manzanita Post
• Aurora Basin
• Lower Montana River
• Nekoti Rock
• Bearclaw Camp
• Evelyn Miller Camp
• Swadbass Point
• Tanner's Reach
• Circus Wagons

New Austin [ ]

Hennigan's stead [ ].

• MacFarlane's Ranch
• Thieves' Landing
• MacFarlane's Station
• Manteca Falls
• Pike's Basin
• San Luis River
• Stillwater Creek
• Brittlebrush Trawl
• Greenhollow
• The Old Bacchus Place
• Stillwater Cabin

Cholla Springs [ ]

• Armadillo Station
• Mercer Station
• Jorge's Gap
• Lake Don Julio
• Rattlesnake Hollow
• The Hanging Rock
• Coot's Chapel
• Lake Don Julio House
• Odd Fellow's Rest
• Pleasance House
• Ridgewood Farm
• Riley's Charge
• Río del Lobo House
• Venter's Place
• Crashed Airship
• Donkey Lady

Río Bravo [ ]

• Fort Mercer
• Benedict Point Station
• Benedict Pass
• Rio del Lobo Rock
• Sperm Whale Bones

Gaptooth Ridge [ ]

• Gaptooth Breach (formerly)
• Rathskeller Fork
• Sea of Coronado
• Abandoned Mission
• Scratching Post
• Silent Stead
• Solomon's Folly
• Jesuit Missionary
• Aguasdulces
• Arroyo de la Vibora
• Bahía de la Paz
• Cinco Torres

External links [ ]

• Exploring the Sad Stories of ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’s Shacks via FANDOM, October 30, 2018

Related Maps [ ]

Map of every county in Red Dead Redemption 2

Satellite view of the entire RDR2 map +external areas

Navigation [ ]

• 1 Missions in Redemption 2
• 2 Arthur Morgan
• 3 Missable Content in Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2: 8 Best Natural Landmarks

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PlayStation Is Deleting Concord From Players' Consoles

I’m worried the robot in astro bot isn’t attractive enough for me to enjoy, elden ring fans think the erdtree was moved.

Rockstar Games has gained a reputation for having incredibly dense, detailed worlds filled to the brim with secrets and easter eggs for you to discover. They know that it’s something you want. Expected, even. Naturally, that level of intricacy carries over into the environments too. Rockstar’s attention to detail is bar none -- bugs notwithstanding.

RELATED: Ranking Every Van Der Linde Gang In Red Dead Redemption 2 From Oldest To Youngest

The game has an obvious respect for the inspirational places it draws from, making you feel as close to visiting actual landmarks as you can without having to shell out hundreds of dollars for the trip. These places represent all types of beauty that can be found in Red Dead Redemption 2 , conventional or otherwise.

8 Lake Isabella

Tucked away within the western part of the Grizzlies lies a lake almost encased within a giant mountain of frost and snow. The serene atmosphere helps set the scene for any fishing or hunting you do in the area and makes you feel more connected to nature as if you and the mountain are one.

RELATED: Red Dead Redemption 2: Best Horses, Ranked

The animals around the frosty lake are as rare as the area is calm . From the Legendary Sockeye Salmon to the majestic and wild White Arabian steed are hiding within the mountain range waiting for you to find them.

You’ll have to watch out for the bears and wolves that reside in the area.

Beautiful trees, balmy weather, and plenty of wildlife to enjoy. What’s not to like? If you ask Arthur and the gang, then you'll know that being crash-landed on the island is no different from being locked up.

The gang is only there for a little while and gets to leave, but that means you won't be able to return there for the rest of the game. Might as well enjoy the sights.

There’s plenty to do while trying to figure out how to escape the island: take a trip to the beach, sketch the various animals you’ll miss out on otherwise, wrestle control of the island away from tiny dictators who want to run sugar cane plantations. Either way, you better make the most of this ‘vacation’ while you can.

6 Citadel Rock

Towering over the Heartlands in the middle of the second-largest mountain and most established state in the area you’re able to traverse, Citadel Rock is a sight that all should take the time out and reflect on life while looking over the flora and fauna that dot the land or hiding out from any one of the various people who are looking for you.

It’s generally believed that Citadel Rock is based on the real plateau in the state of Montana, which is as if not more impressive than its digital counterpart. You’re able to see all of West Elizabeth as far as the eye can see, and it’s an impressive view both from the top and the bottom.

5 Brandywine Drop

The cool winds and the sounds of rushing water will bring you a sense of calm and peace right before you need to shoot someone on the top of Brandywine Drop. One of several waterfalls dotting the map, but Brandywine Drop feels more like you're discovering a secret, due to it being the smallest waterfall of the game.

RELATED: Hidden Locations And Weapons In Red Dead Redemption 2

Blink too fast as you travel, and you'll end up missing this tiny fall and all of its tiny wonders. A few Legendary animals are hiding here that are enjoying the calm serenity of the cascading waters traveling over into the Kamassa River.

4 Sea Of Coronado

In a land overrun with desert and forest, something named the Sea of Coronado sounds like a complete myth. Yet, right in the middle of New Austin and Nuevo Paraiso sits a massive chasm filled to the brim with fresh water and will probably be the closest thing to a beach that will be available outside Guarma.

Mexico lies just out of reach here and is inaccessible in the game, which is a shame, considering the map for it is as close to done as you can get without gameplay, but it’s still nice to look across the water to see the map that could have been. You’ll just have to settle for getting a good, long look.

3 Calumet Ravine

Located in the northeast of the map inside the state of Ambarino, the Calumet Ravine is a stretch of beautiful reddish-orange mountains and cliffs that act as a sort of hallway to the river that it runs alongside. There’s no excuse for the landscape here to be so photogenic, and you should take some screenshots as Arthur or your player character take a moment to enjoy the rushing waters and red walls.

RELATED: Games To Play If You Like Red Dead Redemption 2

Just west of here lies the Wapiti Indian reservation, as well as Donner Falls, the largest waterfall you can find in the game. There are a lot of cool little secrets to find in this area as well, such as a witches' cauldron on the farthest east of the ravine next to a shack.

You don’t know what they’ve been doing up here, but hey, at least they left some hair tonic inside of it.

2 Mount Shann

West Elizabeth is where the meat of the game goes down. You have Blackwater where the infamous heist failed, then you have Strawberry, an idyllic western town that was semi-peaceful until Dutch and gang got ahold of it, anyway.

The jewel in the middle though, stands above and watches the surrounding area.

Mount Stann. A mighty mountain in the middle of West Elizabeth that you can spot from any corner of the state. It’s the tallest mountain in the game that is accessible to you, and it’s more than worth the climb to take in the almost otherworldly view of the land below.

If the view isn’t enough to get you to visit, then maybe the secret that lies at the top might get you interested.

1 Pike’s Basin

Yes, Pike’s Basin has the harsh reputation of being a hideout for every gang under the New Austin sun. If you only focus on the negative in this convenient hideaway, you’re going to miss out on the true beauty of this canyon.

You’re only able to visit this place in the epilogue after everything is said and done.

The cliffs completely envelop the area, giving the area the feeling more akin to a building than something out in nature. It might be a little strange to have all this nature to enjoy, only to compare the Basin to a building.

However, don’t you think it's representative of the force of human nature and its will to make a home out of anywhere? It’s a fascinating and beautiful thing.

NEXT: Creepiest Missions In Red Dead Redemption 2

• Triple-A Games
• Red Dead Redemption 2

Have you found these 17 amazing moments in Red Dead Redemption 2?

Here are the most must-see, exciting outlaw sights in the open-world masterpiece

Red Dead Redemption 2 secrets are pretty numerous, though not easy to find - from science fiction aliens to fantasy monsters to plenty more, there's all sorts of outlandish things for you to uncover as you play through Red Dead Redemption 2 . Rockstar are happy to evoke a little of the weirder West, so here are the 17 most must-see things in Red Dead Redemption 2 and where you can find them for yourself!

*Spoiler warning: A couple of these must-see activities can only be completed once you get to the epilogue, so if you’ve not reached that point yet, don’t say we didn’t warn you...

• Red Dead Redemption 2 tips - essential tips to improve your game
• How to make money fast in Red Dead Redemption 2
• Red Dead Redemption 2 guide - complete set of guides to win the West
• Red Dead Online guide - everything you need to know to get started

1. Meet a robot

Play through the wonderfully absurd ‘A Bright Bouncing Boy’, and near the end of this Stranger quest, Arthur meets a forlorn (and more than a bit broken) robot. Like several other selections on this list, RDR2 loves to have fun with subverting the idea of the Old West. The golden days of the Frontier were famed for bison, not bots. Yet here we are, celebrating the saddest android in games. 

To find the miserable metal man, first you need to kick start this quest by visiting the robot’s maker in a park in the southwest of Saint Denis. Complete the subsequent toy boat mission, then travel to the inventor’s lab to the north of Brandywine Drop at least 24 in-game hours later at night. Finish Dragic’s electrifying experiment, come back a few days later, pick up the lamp from the lab, then travel to the map’s most northwesterly mountains, near Colter. Equip the lamp and follow the ticks up to the peak and Morgan will soon stumble upon the beleaguered bot. 

• The 7 best Red Dead Redemption 2 Strangers missions you absolutely need to check out

2. Find giant bones

This particular point of interest could well be linked to a later entry, which may or may not involve a hairy individual with rather large feet. Ride to the summit of Mt Shann, to the north of the town of Strawberry, and prepare to face a rather sizeable surprise.

Laying on one of the most northerly ledges of the mighty mountain is a skeleton that’s far too big to be a 19th century human. While these big-boned remains could perhaps belong to a particularly chunky NBA player, there’s no way a cowboy in 1899 could grow to this size. Most likely, these remains belong to a legendary beast who just happens to wear size 22s. 

3. Encounter the KKK

If you keep your eyes peeled near the Southfield Flats, just by Rhodes, you might spot some men in white coats attempting to perform a ritual. Sadly, they’re not the scientists coming to take you away, they’re actually Rockstar’s Wild West version of the Ku Klux Klan, and they’re hilariously incompetent. 

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It’s worth keeping back a ways, and just watching what happens next as the event unfurls, but safe to say this particular branch of the KKK might not pose too much of a threat.

4. Follow the carnage created by the Wild West s erial killer

In a world where there’s plenty of killing going on, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that there’s a (presumably) active serial killer running amok in Red Dead Redemption 2. And you’ll discover more about them by following some breadcrumbs known as Killer Clues. Up towards the bridge on the Valentine side of the train tracks by Citadel Rock you’ll find a leg, and then a body hanging from the bridge itself, with some words written on the rocks. “Look on my works”. Nope, nothing sinister about that. Nothing at all. *cries* 

In the mouth of the head just to the left of the bridge is a map, and you’ll need to find all three parts to solve this particular horror show. Thankfully, we’ve got a full Red Dead Redemption 2 Killer Clue map guide for you, and trust me, you’re going to want to follow this one through to completion.

5. See a bonafide flying saucer

It just wouldn’t be a Rockstar game without a juicy UFO mystery. Thankfully, RDR2’s alien Easter egg is nowhere near as protracted as GTA 5’s years-long Mt Chiliad quest. 

To see a Wild West flying saucer, first you must travel to a spooky cabin to the northeast of Heartland Overflow in New Hanover. Here, you’ll find a shack populated by long dead cultists. Read the note on the leader’s table, then set a map marker a little to the north of the ‘M’ on Mount Shann.

Once you scale the rocky ridge at the very summit of the mountain, you’ll find a religious artefact. Study it for a second – or run around it like a loon, if you must – then ride back to the shack near Heartland Overflow. 

Set up camp and make Arthur sleep until night, then approach the cabin. As you enter and approach a mysterious vial of goo, garish green lights sift through the roof of the cabin. Quickly run outside, pan the camera behind you, and Arthur will glimpse the briefest sight of a UFO. Talk about a cowboy close encounter. 

6. Buddy up with Bigfoot

Rockstar is such a dirty tease. After rumours ran rampant for years that a sasquatch roamed the woods near Mt Chiliad in GTA : San Andreas – which ultimately proved nonsense – the studio has finally offered up the big-footed goods. Though RDR2 never shows you its Sasquatch, the game leaves you heavy clues when you eventually come across a mysterious, never-seen figure in a cave to the northeast of Grizzlies West.

To kick start this Easter egg, you must first ride to the lake at Calumet Ravine, found north of Bacchus Station. 

Here, a mysterious flock of birds will guide you to the curious creature’s lair. 

Once you arrive at the cave, the lonely beast talks about its life of solitude, of people wanting to murder him. Return after three days, and he also mentions that no women wants to have “large children”. If this isn’t Barry Bigfoot, we’ll eat our Stetson. 

7. Check in on a crashed airship

This point of interest feels like a sly homage to the original Redemption’s ‘Deadalus and Son’ Stranger quest. 

To the northwest of Little Creek River, among a forest and near the slopes of the accompanying hills, you can find an old timey crashed airship. Clearly, the inventor didn’t have much luck getting his flying contraption off the ground for long. Anyone else having flashbacks to GTA 3’s useless Dodo plane?

8. Meet the Meteor House

Ouch. You can find this grisly grotto in Roanoke Valley, to the east of Brandywine Drop. Ride to this isolated shack and you may spot a small but conspicuous hole in its roof. 

Venture inside, and Arthur soon discovers three mutilated bodies, all of which have been obliterated by a rogue piece of space rock. Both Armageddon and Deep Impact warned a flying comet would spell our demise… we just never thought it would be this teeny. 

9. Walk to the Witches Cauldron

Double, double, toil and… um, line? RDR2 gets its wicca on when you travel to an off-putting site to the north of Grizzlies East. 

This spell-casting shack lies a little north of the ‘N’ in Ambarino. Step inside, and Morgan will find a steaming cauldron, which is presumably full of eye of newt and other disgusting goodies. Drink the potion in this hut and Arthur will pass out, in what feels like a nod to GTA 5’s spaced-out “Did Somebody Say Yoga?” mission. 

10. Figure out what the heck the Strange Statues are all about

Rockstar loves a cryptic puzzle as much as we do, so when you first find the Strange Statues mural scrawled in chalk on the underside of Window Rock, which lies directly north of Valentine, just south of the train lines that run across the border of Ambarino and New Hanover, you’re going to want to find out exactly what it refers to. It’s here that you’ll start your journey to figuring that all out, and it actually has something to do with fingers, and feathers. 

To actually solve the puzzle, you might want to use our Red Dead Redemption 2 Strange Statues guide, as the actual statues are in a secret (and well hidden) cave near the road under the I of Ambarino (check the map above), because it really is brilliantly cryptic - and lucrative.

11. Be sure to visit the Barrel Rider

Someone at Rockstar is clearly a fan of the works of J.J.R. Tolkien, because two of the entries in this list involve a subtle ode to The Hobbit. The first can be found near Donner Falls, to the north of Bacchus Station. 

Take the precarious cliff path down to the shores of the river, and you soon come across a sad, unfortunate sight: a poor woman who has seemingly toppled over the edge of the nearby falls… in a barrel no less. Imagine what a downer Tolkien’s tale would have been if Bilbo and company had all perished in that rapid river ride. 

12. Dote over the Donkey Lady

*spoiler warning*

Don’t let anyone tell you Rockstar doesn’t have a sense of humour. This must-see sight is inspired by the first Redemption’s most infamous glitch . Ride to *SPOILER WARNING* New Austin, to the northwest of Lake Don Julio, and you’ll discover a brutal scene. 

In a nod to the poor woman you could inadvertently ride in the last game, this Easter egg involves a female skeleton saddled with a great, unbearable weight; her death clearly coming from this untenable strain. Anyone else feel guilty about laughing at RDR1’s Donkey Lady?

13. Meet a Mammoth

While we wait for them to be cloned from elephant DNA, this is as close as any of us will come to seeing this hairy Ice Age leviathan. 

Ride to the northwest of Ambarino, where two rivers splinter, and you’ll find the skeleton of this once hairy customer lying among the snow. Are we the only ones who are now desperate for Rockstar to do a prehistoric GTA? 

14. Pay respects to a Pagan Ritual

Want to see some see some straight up Blair Witch voodoo in 2018’s biggest game? Then travel just east of lake Owanjila, which can be found a little west of Strawberry. 

In these hills, Morgan will find a gruesome offering to the Old Gods; something the hillbillies of the late 19th century seemingly had no problem committing themselves to. For an old timey Western, this is as close as Arthur could ever get to GTA 5’s crazy Epslion cult. 

15. The House on Hobbit Hill

Anyone else feeling the need for a ridiculously prolonged journey up Mount Doom? Perhaps we should have a few Hobbit-sized ales in the Shire first. 

Travel northeast of Bacchus Station and Arthur will find this adorable, Tolkien-inspired abode. Sadly, you can’t enter the diminutive premises, but if you could, we’re sure Bilbo and Frodo would offer you 14 slices of toast and six litres of Middle-earth tea.

16. Boom goes the neighbourhood 

*Spoiler warning* 

The Alchemist House is a must-see spot, and is located on a piece of the map you really don’t want to discover until you reach RDR2’s epilogue. Once you do, head to New Austin, specifically to the path between Gaptooth Ridge and Cholla Springs. 

Reach this destination, which lies a little north of Tumblewood, to discover a soon-to-be-destroyed hut. With a precarious looking power source attached to the side, it’s no wonder this Wild West house goes kaboom when you get too close. 

17. Pity the dead dude who married a sheep

Take your horse northwest of Emerald Ranch until you reach Guthrie Farm. In one of this location’s small stables, you’ll find the corpse of a dead chap who was clearly doing… um, unethical stuff to a sheep before he passed. 

The last game featured a beardy guy who was more than a little in love with a horse, so we suppose this man-on-mutton romance was to be expected.

Want more guidance on all the cool quests you can find in Red Dead Redemption 2? Why not gather yourself 10 Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carvings and solve the mystery of Francis Sinclair? Or discover why there are 20 Red Dead Redemption 2 dreamcatchers hidden around the world? And then, when you're ready, here are the best games like Red Dead Redemption to play next. 

David has worked for Future under many guises, including for GamesRadar+ and the Official Xbox Magazine. He is currently the Google Stories Editor for GamesRadar and PC Gamer, which sees him making daily video Stories content for both websites. David also regularly writes features, guides, and reviews for both brands too. 

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• Red Dead Redemption 2 guide

13 things to know about Red Dead Redemption 2 before jumping in

Woooo! Outlaw country!

by Dave Tach , Samit Sarkar , and Jeffrey Parkin

Normally, when we sit down to write a beginner’s guide for a game like Red Dead Redemption 2 , we ask ourselves, “What does someone need to know in the first few hours of this game?” But in Red Dead Redemption 2 , you spend most of your first few hours playing the tutorial missions of the first chapter. You don’t have to know anything — you’re just doing what the game tells you to. But just on the other side of that, the game opens up, and it can be overwhelming.

In this guide, we’ll teach you a thing or two to do in Chapter 1, but mostly what you need to to know when Red Dead Redemption 2 unfurls as an enormous, open-ended open-world game.

Red Dead Redemption 2 review

One of the weirdest, most ambitious and confounding big-budget games of this decade

Red Dead Redemption 2 is not an action game. You won’t be springing from gunfight to gunfight, pausing only to reload. Instead, it’s more like an Old West simulation with action built in. There are wide-open spaces to explore, an adopted outlaw family to meet and, yes, missions to complete. Don’t focus on the latter at the expense of the former.

Red Dead Redemption 2 wants to be absorbed, not devoured — and you should embrace that. You can see the pace at which it wants to be played in Arthur’s default movement speed. He walks (very) slowly — more of an amble than a walk, really. You’ve got to press a button if you want to get anywhere (comparatively) fast. That means something. The game doesn’t want you to run everywhere and past everything. It makes speed deliberate because it rewards being methodical — even contemplative.

Red Dead Redemption 2 wants to be absorbed, not devoured

Yes, it will feel slow. But resist the urge to make it fast. Lean into the pace, and you’ll get more out of (and discover more in) the game.

When the game opens up, you don’t need to sprint anywhere or do anything, and Red Dead Redemption 2 won’t nag you about what to do next. Time is not of the essence. You have options.

If you want to head to the yellow circles on your map and take on missions, you’re free to do so. If you want to explore or hunt or see what’s going on in camp, that’s cool too. Play the game at your own pace, pay attention to what’s around you, and just generally behave in a way that seems like Arthur would behave. There’s no rush.

Loot everyone and everything

During the opening chapter of Red Dead Redemption 2 , there are two gunfights that leave a lot of your enemies dead on the ground. Take the time during those scenes — and ignore the people telling you to hurry up — to loot every corpse you can find. You’ll walk into Chapter 2 with $30 in your pocket, all the ammo you can carry and a mostly full satchel. Now, that’s not enough money to retire on, and you’ll burn through those supplies in time, but it’s a huge head start as the world opens up for you to explore.

Adopt the “loot everything” philosophy early, and you’ll never (or rarely) find yourself wanting. This often means you’ll be taking a few minutes after a gunfight to wander around rifling through pockets. In fact, you’ll see a hand-drawn black X on your minimap leading you to the location of every bad guy you can loot. (And after you’ve looted them, the X becomes a softer gray.)

Check every drawer, cabinet, wardrobe and chimney (seriously, check chimneys — they’re apparently the piggy banks of the Old West) in every house you enter. You won’t always find cash, but you’ll keep your satchel stocked with provisions, and you can donate all of those pocket watches to the camp instead of handing over your hard-earned cash.

There’s one caveat to the “loot everything” strategy: innocents.

If you’ve killed a bunch of gang members in a shootout, you can loot their corpses with impunity. But looting the body of an innocent person will negatively impact your honor rating. For instance, if you commit a crime and then kill a witness to prevent them from reporting you, the murder will cause your honor to drop — and it’ll drop again if you then loot the bystander’s body.

Use camera angles to your advantage

In some games, you might pick a camera angle at the start and never touch the setting again. But we quickly found that it makes sense to swap between Red Dead Redemption 2 ’s various camera options depending on the situation. Tapping the touchpad (on PlayStation 4) or view button (on Xbox One) cycles through the options from Arthur’s point of view, which consist of third-person angles at three distances (near, medium and far) and a first-person mode .

Third-person is the default, and it works well in most cases. But anytime you’re indoors, or looting locations rather than bodies, it really helps to switch to the first-person view. It’s much easier to pick up individual items when you can see them up close and place your reticle precisely. The angle also makes it easier to control vehicles like horse-drawn carriages. If you want to play more of the game that way, you can go as far as choosing a different control scheme for the first-person perspective.

There’s one more camera option in Red Dead Redemption 2 : a cinematic mode, which is accessed by holding down the aforementioned camera button. This is a fun way to liven up long rides by horse or wagon — which you’ll be taking often — and focus on the beautiful environment instead of navigation. In cinematic mode, you can automatically keep your horse or vehicle on a trail by holding the X/A button.

You’ll still be learning dozens of hours in

Red Dead Redemption 2 isn’t like a lot of other games, where you learn most of what you can do in the first few hours. In fact, more than 30 hours into Red Dead Redemption 2 , we were still learning about and unlocking new things to do. Often, these are the (mostly surprising) results of missions and side quests.

Chapters are long and involved (there’s no rush, see?), spanning a dozen or more missions. And Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn’t overwhelm you with too much to learn at once. Instead, it doles out its lessons throughout missions. Just do what you see on the map, helping out people at camp and completing main missions, and you’ll get a regular stream of new options.

One of the missions available in Chapter 2 introduces the debt collection mechanic. The details of the mechanic don’t matter (punch down-and-out farmers until they cough up some money — sometimes literally). What matters is that it unlocks the ledger where you can upgrade your camp. It’s not a big announcement or a thing that flashes on your screen; it’s just something that quietly unfolds as you progress (noticing a theme yet?).

Stealth is another good example of how this works. Sure, you could stumble upon the game’s quieter ways to deal out death early, but they become explicit in a mission several hours into the game.

Missions and side quests work the other way around, too, teaching you about things that you know exist but can’t quite master. If something appears confusing or difficult, it’s reasonable to assume that you’ll find the answer you’ve been looking for if you just keep playing missions.

Don’t worry about a better horse

Your horse is your constant companion throughout Red Dead Redemption 2 — even more so than your gang family. But there are also horses for sale in just about every town you go to, plus wild horses you can tame in the wilderness. It’s tempting to think that your starter horse isn’t going to work for you for long. But you’d be wrong.

Don’t worry about finding a better horse. Instead, spend your time strengthening your bond with your starter horse. Your horse’s health and stamina will improve as you bond through hitching, patting, brushing and feeding. It won’t take much work to max out those attributes. At that point, you probably won’t notice your horse lacking in any way — you can gallop for (nearly) as long as you’ll ever need to, and it’ll come when you call for it.

For a long time, the horses that are available to tame or purchase will only have marginally different stats than your starter horse — and you’d have to rebuild your bond. It’s just not worth it.

Much (much) later in the game, you’ll start to find elite horses. These horses are expensive, but they also have stats that make the money and effort of bonding with them worth it.

However, it turns out that there’s a way to get an elite steed — the white Arabian horse , which is unique and one of the best horses in the entire game — very early on. It’s a challenge to tame this bucking bronco, but once you do, you’re set.

There’s a lot to do, and it’s hard to keep track of it all

Between the various members of the gang who have missions for you, strangers who set you tasks, bounties, challenges, and collectibles, it can be hard to remember where you’re going next without getting distracted. As you pick up missions and side missions (and tasks, etc.), you’ll notice new dots showing up on your map. You’ll have yellow dots for main story (gang) missions and white dots for side (stranger) missions. The initials inside will tell you who assigned it, and hovering over the icon will give you more details.

The map is a fine way to track your to-do list, but it’s not exactly convenient for anything beyond the big missions. Instead, from the main screen, tap left on the D-pad to open your log . It’ll be a list of your tasks , challenges and notifications . (If you hold down left on the D-pad, you’ll get to read Arthur’s journal, which is its own kind of entertaining, but won’t tell you about your open tasks.)

Don’t always do what the game tells you to

In the early chapters of the game, you’ll almost always have multiple yellow dots and initials on your map. These are the folks who want your help, or have something for you to do for the gang — your main story missions. You’re free to do these as you want, but, as we’ve said a thousand times already, you don’t have to be in a hurry. These yellow dot missions are self-contained tasks with a beginning and an end. What you do between them is up to you (something something options as wide open as the Western skies or something equally flowery that Arthur would write in his journal). Go hunting, find a town, investigate that campfire you see in the distance — the main missions will still be there when you get back.

But listen when the game tells you not to go somewhere

Especially early in the game, there are areas where you’ve got a huge price on your head and the law is out to get you. In these places, bounty hunters will actively seek you out, and you won’t be able to fire a gun without drawing their attention. In other places, you’ll be swarmed by cougars as soon as you hop off your horse. These are not-so-subtle hints from the game that it’s not time to be here yet. Don’t force it until you’re ready.

Use it to improve it

Red Dead Redemption 2 gives you three meters to worry about: health, stamina and dead eye. It’s a kinda complicated system called cores . We spent a lot of time figuring out cores and bars (and wrote a guide about them so you can understand them better), but the short version is: Use the meter you want to improve. If you want to be able to run for longer, run places. If you want to use your dead eye more, shoot your gun a bunch. If you want to be healthier, gather some food.

There’s a subtle mechanic working behind the scenes that looks kind of like XP for each of your meters (again: health, stamina and dead eye). As you do things, you’ll earn these quasi-XP points toward those meters. Earn enough, and you’ll unlock a new segment of the corresponding ring — which means you’ll have more health, stamina or dead eye available to use.

Chewing tobacco is great for dead eye

Like we mentioned in our cores guide (seriously, go read our cores guide ), your dead eye core and ring (or, as the game insists on calling it, bar) don’t work like the other cores and rings. It’s harder to keep full because it doesn’t fill on its own — and that’s kind of a pain.

Instead, you’re in charge of keeping your dead eye meter full. You can do this slowly by shooting things, or you can just use chewing tobacco (which you’ll find in the dead eye tonic segment of your item ring, or the tonics tab of your satchel). If you took our earlier advice and have been checking the pockets of every person you’ve shot, there’s a good chance you’ve already got a full stack of chewing tobacco in your satchel. Don’t forget it’s there, and use it anytime you think you’re about to enter a gunfight (heck, you can use it in the middle of a gunfight, too).

Upgrade your camp slowly

As part of the gang’s missions during Chapter 2, you’ll unlock the camp’s ledger, where you can upgrade various parts of the camp. First, let us say this: There’s no reason not to upgrade anything — improvements are by definition better, and will give you some sort of benefit. That said, you can put off a lot of the camp upgrades for a while if you take your time (our first point) and loot everything (our second point).

For example, the $175 chicken coop will add a dead eye boost to the camp’s stew — which is wonderful and useful — but if you’ve been looting everything and have a steady supply of chewing tobacco (our previous point), you’re barely going to notice the buff you get from the stew once per day. So yes, by all means, improve your camp whenever you want to, but don’t treat it like your job — get to it when you have some extra cash lying around.

One thing worth noting here is that certain game features are tied to specific camp upgrades. If you want to use fast travel that doesn’t involve a stagecoach or the railroad, you’ll need to improve Dutch’s tent ($220) and then Arthur’s ($325). If you want a bigger satchel, you’ll have to buy Pearson some leather working tools ($225). In other words, it may be worth prioritizing those (expensive!) upgrades.

Think of your weapon wheel like equipment slots

Every time you get off your horse to go on an adventure on foot, you should check your saddlebags to make sure you’re ready for whatever comes next. Standing next to (or riding on) your horse when you hold down L1/LB basically lets you choose your loadout from the weapons in your horsenal.

Going around the wheel clockwise from the top, you have:

• Sidearms . Pistols and other one-handed firearms.
• Fists . For punching.
• Knives . For stabby punching.
• Longarm back . The first of your two longarm slots — you’ll find things like rifles and bows here.
• Throwables . Unsurprisingly, things you throw at bad guys, like lassos or dynamite.
• Longarm shoulder . The second longarm slot.

When you choose your loadout, think about what you’ll need. If you’re trying to be stealthy (or just hunting), you can put a bow into one longarm slot and not worry about the other. If you’re expecting an all-out battle, think about using the two longarm slots for different ranges of engagement — a repeater and a shotgun, for instance.

Your item wheel works in a similar way. Across the top of the wheel are your tonics, and your provisions are on the left. On the right is your kit — things like your camera and binoculars. Across the bottom are clothes, campfires and hunting aids. You can cycle through the items in each slot with L2/LT and R2/RT.

It’s not that you have dedicated slots for equipment like in an RPG, but the categories of weapons and items in the segments of the wheels are fixed. Knowing this will make navigating the weapon wheel a lot quicker. Everything isn’t just thrown in randomly — there’s a logic and order to the items that you can learn. And once you do, navigating those wheels will become a whole lot easier.

Hide your identity

There’s a bandana in the bottom left of your items wheel. This is what you want to use anytime you’re going to (or even might) run afoul of the law.

It doesn’t make you invisible, obviously, but it makes you anonymous. You’re still going to be chased for your various crimes, but Arthur’s face won’t be associated with the illegality.

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Genshin Impact 5.1 Leaks: Citlali Already Sounds Way Too Similar To Another Character

I love wow: the war within but i hate the state of the horde, today's connections hints & answers for september 12, 2024 (puzzle #458).

Few games can rival the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2 in terms of scale. The game's map is so large that even after the narrative has wrapped up, there will likely be areas that players have never visited that are tucked away. As a result, discovering every nook and cranny to secure a coveted '100% completion' in Red Dead Redemption 2 can be a massive task in and of itself. Thankfully, someone else agrees and has put in a lot of work so that other players don't have to.

A fellow gamer has put together a website called RDR2 Map  that showcases all of the Red Dead Redemption 2 locations for every major collectible, Stranger encounter, Mission, and more found within Rockstar Games' Wild West prequel. This has proven to be incredibly helpful in assisting players to complete the entirety of the game, and there are quite a few categories for anyone actively searching for a particular line of quests or collectibles.

Related:  All of Red Dead Redemption 2's Cheats Have Now Been Found

For example, anyone hoping to see the locations of various Easter Eggs in Red Dead Redemption 2 can do so with relative ease. The map in question will spawn all of the locations, and happens to look like this:

Red Dead Redemption 2 Easter Egg Locations

Of course, while there's plenty of fun in finding Easter Eggs within the world of Red Dead , there are certainly lot more pressing issues that need attention in the game. Some of the more hands-on tasks, like the locations of Strangers, Events, and even Gang Hideouts is another 'must' for gamers eager to wrap up their play session with a 100% completion mark. Those locations can be found below.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Stranger, Event, Gang Hideout Locations

It doesn't end there either for avid collectors hoping to wrap up their collection of animal pelts. The map can also showcase the locations of Legendary Fish  and Legendary Animals , which helps ease the process of locating and killing them. Then again, there's a lot of fun in tracking the creatures down as intended, but fans can get a glimpse of those locations here.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Legendary Animal & Fish Locations

This interactive map is a pretty complete means of locating everything players will want to find. Of course, there are several other locations still present that plans will need to access the corresponding website to see. With the sheer scale of the game, these maps are very helpful.

More:  Red Dead Redemption 2 Cheats - Unlimited Money Glitches

Source:  rdr2map.com

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25 Places to Visit in Moscow you Can’t Miss

25 Places to Visit in Moscow

Do you know what the most populous city in Europe is? Most people wouldn’t guess that it is actually Moscow. There are approximately 13 million people in the Moscow metro area, which amounts to approximately 1/10th of all Russians.

This former capitol of the Soviet Union is still the political and financial center of Russia. Just because it is a current business and government city, in no way means that it is boring and not worth a visit. Assuming the political tensions get solved, Moscow is a fascinating city you need to visit.

While lots of people can’t explain the nuances of Russian architecture, most can spot and appreciate it immediately. One of the best ways to see the historic sites is by taking a boat tour down the Moskva River that meanders through the city.

Overall, navigating the city isn’t difficult as there is phenomenal and cheap public transportation (roughly 30 rubles/35 cents per ride). You can also use a cheap Uber on the three ring roads that circle the city at various distances from the center.

Still wondering why you should visit this historic masterpiece of a city? Read on to see the top 25 things you need to see in Moscow.

The House with Animals

This former church is famous for the terracotta reliefs of animals that adorn the front of the building. It is a favorite of locals, and famous around the world. It was built in approximately 1900.

Resurrection Gate or Iberian Gate and Chapel

The Resurrection Gate is now one of the most common ways to enter Red Square. This gate is also the only standing part of the wall that was the entrance to to Kitai-Gorod, or Moscow’s historic central business district.

Book your tour: Moscow Kremlin Armory Chamber Entrance Ticket

St. Basils Cathedral

Probably the most famous of the Red Square attractions is St. Basil’s Cathedral. I don’t know if the legend is true or not, but supposedly Tsar Ivan IV poked the eyes of the architect out after completing it so nothing as pretty could be made again. What an awful boss!

Book your tour: Moscow: Saint Basil’s Cathedral and Red Square Private Tour

Book your tour: St.Basil’s Cathedral and Red Square: Private Tour and Ticket

The State Historical Museum

If you are like me then you can’t help but find all the twists and turns of Russian history fascinating. The State Historical Museum at Red Square is a fantastic place to learn and study the Russian Relics.

Book your tour: Kremlin, Red Square, and Metro Tour with Pick-Up

Moscow River Cruise

The Moskva River cuts directly through the heart of Moscow. Want to see it all but rest your feet? One of the best things to do in Moscow at night is float along on a dinner cruise . The lights of the city are so beautiful. Of course, dinner in included.

Book your tour: Night lights Moscow Cruise (with Dinner option)

Museum of Soviet Arcade Games

This is one of the most unique things to do in Moscow. If you know that many American video games paint the Russians as the bad guys, then it’s probably not surprising to learn that you can find an entirely different variety of video games in Russia. This isn’t a recent phenomenon; even historically the video games were different. If you are a video game buff then this stop is for you!

Main Church of the Armed Forces in Park Patriot near Kubinka

This church attempts to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ as well as Russian military leader. Yes, it’s an awkward amalgamation. It caused quite a controversy when there were plans to create murals of Vladimir Putin and Joseph Stalin to go along with the ones of Jesus Christ (those plans were scrapped).

Bunker 42 (Cold War Museum)

Tunnel at Bunker-42, anti-nuclear underground facility built in 1956 as command post of strategic nuclear forces of Soviet Union.

Americans weren’t the only ones afraid during the Cold War! You can now discover the most secret and secure Bunker of the USSR, Bunker 42. Also known as the Cold War Museum . This former military communication center is now a museum. I recommend this tour that will take you on a private two hour visit of Bunker 42.

If you aren’t interested in a guided tour you can book your tickets in advance here.

Get your tickets: Bunker 42 Admission Ticket and Cold War Tour

Tank Excursion and Bazooka Shooting in Moscow

For real – you can book this tour and actually ride in a tank and shoot off military grade weapons. While that’s not my cup of tea, I know tons of guys would absolutely love to shoot a bazooka!

Book your tour here .

Dormition Cathedral

This is another Russian Orthodox cathedral that is located inside the Moscow Kremlin. It is another famous landmark of Moscow. The inside is decorated with ancient frescoes.

The Cathedral of the icon of the Mother of God “Sign”

This cathedral is located in Zaryadye Park (adjacent to Red Square). It is also on the Moskva River. The Cathedral of the icon of the Mother of God “Sign” previously was a monastery.

Komsomolskaya Metro station 

So many of the metro stations are breathtaking works of art. The idea was to create something beautiful that all the regular people could enjoy, or if you are more cynical you could say it was to attempt to show off how well they were doing.

Book your tour: Moscow: Small Group Metro Tour

The Round houses at Dovzhenko Stree t

The Round houses at Dovzhenko Street look super cool and futuristic, except like many communist projects didn’t actually work that well. They were supposed to be something new and different from the standard “Soviet Blocks.”

There are a number of problems with this design. Supposedly the acoustics are awful making the apartments perpetually noisy. The inner circle becomes a wind chamber even when it’s not that windy. My favorite weakness is that the trapezoid shape of apartments is hard to decorate and even harder to do maintenance on.

Izmailovo District and Izmailovo Kremlin

This area has to be one of the coolest places to visit in Moscow. It features a park in the middle of Moscow that is over 3x the size of New York City’s Central Park. The Kremlin in Izmailovo is a complex located in the Eastern Administrative District of Moscow that is known as the center of culture and entertainment. The wooden buildings are in Russian architecture of the XVI-XVII centuries (not original).

Izmailovo Kremlin on Google Maps .

Tretyakov Gallery

For those that appreciate fine art this is where you have to go. The State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow Russia is the best collection of Russian fine art in the world. The museum previously hosted worldwide chess tournaments (I can’t help be think of the Queen’s Gambit).

Book your tickets in advance here. Tickets cost about $13 per person.

Kolomenskoe Estate

This reconstruction of a former royal estate is just a few miles southeast of the Moscow city center. Supposedly really detailed historical plans survived, so the reconstruction and current museum is incredibly authentic. It was completed in 2010.

Old buildings of Arbat

Arbat is an old street, and was previously the “nicest place to live in Moscow. Even though it fell into disrepair, it’s location, it’s historical buildings, and the fact that it is a pedestrian street are quickly making it a top place to live again.

The Melnikov House

Located on Arbat street, the Famous house of architect Melnikov designed this house (and Lenin’s sarcophagus). Melnikov designed it at a time when private ownership was outlawed, but got around this restriction by saying it was an experimental design to maximize space. Even though others weren’t built, he was able to keep it.

The New Maiden Convent

The New Maiden Convent, built was built to resemble a mini-Kremlin. It stands out to me because this “convent” was the place where women who were no longer welcome in the royal court were banished to.

Monument to the Conquerors of Space at the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics in the Cosmopark

The Americans may have made it to the moon first, but the Russian cosmonauts were first in a number of other achievements. This gigantic obelisk pays homage to their accomplishments.

Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve

This royal estate was founded by Catherine the Great. She was Russia’s longest serving female leader. It is now a gorgeous museum!

Stalinist Skyscraper tour

This group of seven skyscrapers are called the Seven Sisters. They were all made in the Stalinist style, and one was previously the tallest building in Europe. If you want to tour them all while learning about their history book here .

Cathedral of Christ the Savior

It’s ironic that a country that was so anti-religion for so long has so many great churches. The Cathedral for Christ the Savior was made to thank Jesus for saving Russia. If you are interested in visiting this and so many other cathedrals in Moscow I recommend this tour that will take you to The Cathedral of Christ the Savior many other popular churches in Moscow.

Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

This church on Red Square is reconstruction of what was previously there but ordered to be destroy by Joseph Stalin. It is a travesty thinking of all the beautiful things that Stalin destroyed to attempt to implement his vision.

Zaryade Park

Zaryadye Park is one of the main tourist attractions in Moscow. It is located directly next to the Kremlin, and offers truly amazing views. It is also famous for its “floating bridge” and the fact that there are so many unique features underneath it.

Church of Sign of Blessed Virgin in Dubrovitsy Znamenskaya

The Church of the Theotokos of the Sign (Dubrovitsy), or The Church of the Holy Sign of the Mother of God is located in a village amed Dubrovitsy about 20 miles south of Moscow. It is another Russian Orthodox church, but what makes this one unique is that we aren’t 100% sure who made it, or why is has a style that is completely different than other churches of the time.

The Church of Nicholas The Wonderworker

I love the unique style of the Russian Orthodox churches in Moscow. The golden onion domes stand out across the globe. This church dates back to 1657, though it has been partially destroyed a few times since then.

Moscow University

Moscow University is one of the Seven Sisters that are the “Stalin Skyscrapers.” Previously it was the tallest building in Europe. Though it has lost that title, it is still the tallest “educational building” in the world.

So what do you think? Next trip to Moscow?

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