Red Dead Redemption II has a lot of weapons. Arguably too many given that a good chunk of them are just reskins of the same weapon. At the same time, what’s the harm in that? In giving players some visual variety, the gun count might be superficially increased, but it does promote individuality. The gun you decide to use says a lot about your Arthur Morgan. Given how gun bonding is a literal mechanic this time around, it’s quite deliberate on Rockstar’s part. Naturally, this is a concept that extends into the online side of things.Certain weapons promote player identity.
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At the same time, while the main cast can get away with this, online playersreally can’t. When it comes down to it, there will always be a competitive element to online ensuring that guns will always be judged by their quality. There are, indeed, best and worst weapons in Red Dead Online. So how shouldplayers categorize them? Well, stats are a given, but availability plays a role too. Since guns are locked behind both ranks and shops, when and whereplayers can get a gun matters quite a bit. A weak gun grabbed early on might be worthwhile if only becauseit's gotten early, whereas a strong gunsnagged late might come too late to be useful.
Updated June 26, 2021 by Russ Boswell: Red Dead Redemption 2's Online Mode has come quite a long way since its inception soon after the game released. While there are still many players enjoying the base game in all its glory, there is a lot of fun to be had online, as players make a name for themselves in the rough and tumble areas of the Wild West. But, much like the main story, the online aspect of RDR2 is filled with choices, specifically when it comes to which weapons to wield. Because of this (and the influx of new players that are just now discovering the absolutely stunning adventure, this list has been updated for clarity, with better photos and information. Here's the best guns Red Dead online.
25 Throwing Knife
The Throwing Knife is not so much a good weapon as it is a fun weapon. On its own,playersprobably won’t be taking down too many players or enemies just by tossing a knife at them, but there’s nothing more satisfying than properly sneaking up on someone andinstantly downing them with a Throwing Knife.
Of course, it’s important to keep in mind thatplayers will never have too many Throwing Knives on them at any given time, so they’ll need to be quick and careful when taking down a group of players. Realistically,players won’t get too far with just a Throwing Knife, but a well-placed throw will immediately fell anyone. It may not be one of the best weapons in RDR2 online but it can catch people off guard.
24 Fire Bottle
Fire Bottles fall into the Throwing Knife category where they’re more fun than they are good. That said,players can get way more use out of a Fire Bottle than a Throwing Knife by sheer virtue of its range and area of effect. Upon throwing a Fire Bottle, players can unleash a literal mini fire. Time it well, and a Fire Bottle can be used as a fantastic assist, lockingan opponent in a bad spot whilethe player finishes them off with whatever gun they have equipped. Or maybe even a Throwing Knife if they're feeling petty.
23 Stone Hatchet
The Stone Hatchet is way more trouble than it’s actually worth which is why it’s so low on the list, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad weapon. The main issue behind the Stone Hatchet is that it requiresplayersto play a fair bit of Grand Theft Auto Online —a taskthey may not exactly want to do if they’re only into cowboys.
In GTA Online,players need to complete five bounties for Maude Eccles. Upon completing the fifth, he’ll give the location for the Hatchet, but not the weapon itself. From there,players need to defeat 25 enemies using the Stone Hatchet —which is simple enough, honestly— and that will unlock a trigger that will allowplayers to find the Hatchet in RDO at the Native Burial site near Owanjila.
22 Machete
The Machete is a strong enough melee weapon, but it’s held back by the fact that it’s a melee weapon in a game where literally every single character- player or NPC- will be using guns. As a result, the Machete can come off as useless, but it’s not totally without its own usability. In the right setting, the Machete can tear enemies apart like nothing else.Gamers willhave to play recklessly, but it’s a strategy that does actually work. Unfortunately,players won’t be getting the Machete until far later in the game due to its level gate, keeping it from ranking any higher than it would otherwise.
21 Tomahawk
The Tomahawk falls somewhere between the Throwing Knife and Machete in terms of usability. While it isn’t as overwhelmingly powerful as the Machete, it can be used as a throwing weapon which does give it far more use. In many respects, the Tomahawk is a Machete thatplayers can throw at their opponents from across the screen.
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Unlike the Machete,players actually get the Tomahawk reasonably early too, giving plenty of time to get accustomed to its style of play.
20 Cattleman Revolver
In the first game, gamerswere best off ditching the Cattleman Revolver as soon asthey gained access to new weapons. For the most part, it was too weak for its own good. Coming into the second game,players could realistically use the Cattleman Revolver for the entire campaign without struggling.
Naturally, this extends to the Online half. Not only doplayers get this much more powerful gun fairly early, but it’s also just a competent sidearm.Gamers need to put in the work to make it usable, but enough time with the Cattleman Revolver and it can be a signature weapon from the secondanyone starts up their online adventure.
19 Carbine Repeater
Playerscan get the Carbine Repeater as soon asthey start their online adventure just by purchasing it from a store and comfortably use it for quite a while. As was the case with the Cattleman Revolver, the Carbine Repeater is very much meant to be a starting long arm with the expectation thatplayers will eventually upgrade to something better. Whilegamers perhaps should astheyrank up, there’s really no harm in holding onto the Carbine Repeater for a while. It’s not the strongest or the fastest, but it’s balanced well enough to get the job done more often than not.
18 Pump Action Shotgun
In many respects, the Pump Action Shotgun should be in the same category as both the Cattleman Revolver and Carbine Repeater: an early game weapon meant to upgrade asgamers play along. Although this is true to some extent, the Pump Action Shotgun both requiresplayers to reach rank 5 and spend roughly four times as much asthey would on either the Cattleman Revolver or Carbine Repeater. As a result, although the Pump Action Shotgun is a fine weapon,players are better off saving up for a better shotgun by the timethey get the money.
17 Double-Action Revolver
For reasons that will become clear later, the Double-Action Revolver should actually be lower on this list. It’s an incredible weapon, but it’s outclassed as soon as it's obtained. That said, although availability does play an important role in how good a weapon is, it’s not the only determining factor.
As is, even with its immediate redundancy, the Double-Action Revolver is a hard-hitting, fast-shooting gun that’s more than worthy to bea dedicated sidearm. If nothing else, it actually pairs well shouldplayers decide to go akimbo. It certainly helps that revolvers just work well with Online’s version of Dead Eye.
16 Bolt Action Rifle
The Bolt Action Rifle is actually shockingly slow for a game that basically requires you to shoot often and fast, but it’s guaranteed to throttle anyone in its path so long asplayers aim appropriately. With the right aiming and cover,gamers can become a legitimate threat to the world withthe Bolt Action Rifle. It’s especially useful for its incredible accuracy and range. From across the map,players can pick away at opponents none the wiser.
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15 Double Barreled Shotgun
Even though the Double-Barreled Shotgun is far from the best shotgun in the game as far as stats go, it does have one thing that elevates it above other guns: availability. From as soon asplayersstart their online journey,they can purchase a Double-Barreled Shotgun for the low price of $185. Since the online economy is awful,players will need to do a bit of money grinding, but far less thanneededfor other guns. When it comes down to it, though, pretty much any shotgun can get the job done and the Double-Barreled is no exception.
14 Schofield Revolver
The Schofield Revolver is the sole reason why the Double-Action Revolver isn’t any higher on this list. This will be the first side armplayers unlock asthey rank up and its cheap price effectively guaranteesthey'll be buying it no matter what. The Schofield Revolver also happens to have high enough statsthat gamers can cruise through the online with it equipped the entire time. The only real drawback is that it can be a bit unwieldy to aim, but that’s something easily adjusted to with time and practice.
13 Lancaster Repeater
When it comes down to it, the Lancaster Repeater is the kind of weapon that ranks so high mainly because it’s easy to get and just good enough to carryplayers through the whole game. Not only is it one of the cheaper long arms ina potential roster, butit's also unlocked at rank 12. As a result,players can actually get through almost all of the online story with the Lancaster Repeater equipped. Naturally, it might be a bit difficult for PvP without some kind of edge to overpower enemies, but solid enough play can elevate any gun to greatness. The Lancaster Repeater just happens to have a great head start.
12 Dynamite
As far as non-shooting-based weapons go, the Dynamite has the others beat. It’s basically a Fire Bottle that can do massive amounts of damage with really no concern for its surroundings. One well-placed Dynamite can take out a few players at once. Of course, it’s hard to actually lob Dynamite accurately and appropriately- so players should get ready to practice quite a bit- but once players find a rhythm, they'll always carry a stick with them. It’s the perfect support weapon to push the opposition back.
11 Carcano Rifle
Given thatplayers get the Carcano Rifle at rank 50, and later ranks seemingly do not award new weapons, this’ll likely be the final- and therefore “ultimate-” weaponplayers get intheir online journey. As a result, it’s only fitting the Carcano Rifle pack the heat necessary to be rewarded last in the roster.
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It is indeed an incredibly powerful weapon, but it doesn’t deserve to rank much higher. Why? Well, becauseplayers get it so late. By the time anyone gets the Carcano Rifle, they’ll already have a solid half-dozen weapons that outdo it. The Carcano isn’t bad by any means, but it’s more of a badge of honor.
10 Litchfield Repeater
Balance is important in any game, particularly the ones with competitive elements. Given that Red Dead Online is exactly that, some players might find themselves wanting a more balanced gun that can be used for just about any occasion. That’s where the Litchfield Repeater comes in.
Although it’s not the best long arm in any category, it does feature high stats that make it all around one of the best guns.Players could even make an argument that, because of the Litchfield Repeater’s lack of overt weaknesses, it’s actually the best repeater in the game in spite of its simultaneous lack of explicit strengths.
9 Rolling Block Rifle
The Rolling Block Rifle is a classic,albeit a bit expensive, rifle. Arguably stiffer than it should be, the Rolling Block’s great range and firepower make it quite the powerhouse weapon. Of course, it’s important to consider the fact that it’s meant to be a sniping rifle first and foremost. As a result,players will need to take a more passive approach to combat.
At the same time, this isn’t a bad thing and the Rolling Block is a good enough rifle wheregamerscould realistically use it astheir main sniping tool for the rest oftheir online campaign without ever breaking a sweat. Sometimes it's hard to be the classics.
8 Repeating Shotgun
The Repeating Shotgun is quite expensive, but it makes up for its price tag by lettingplayers carry six slugs at any given time- way more thananyone should need with a shotgun. As a result, it’s easy to pin down enemies whenplayers have six massively powered shots to fire at them. Of course, what elevates the Repeating Shotgun more than anything is its surprisingly high accuracy. For most shotguns in gaming, accuracy isn’t really a given, but the Repeating Shotgun allowsgamers to make clean shots from further away thanthey should perhaps be able to.
7 Semi-Auto Shotgun
By the timeanyone gets the Semi-Auto Shotgun, they’ll already have gotten used to the relatively similar Repeating Shotgun. So why make the change? Well, for starters, the Semi-Auto Shotgun makes for a great late-game weapon. By the time it's unlocked,players will likely be in the mood for a new weapon- especially a shotgun. More importantly, however, the Semi-Auto Shotgun is just a much quicker weapon. With the right timing,playerscan rush into a gunfight and realistically mow down the opposition thanks to fast reloads and snappy movements.
6 Bow
It seems almost deceptive having the Bow so high —especially considering how it’s not a firearm by any means— but it is undeniably one of the best weapons in the entire game once you learn how to use it properly. Not only is the Bow lethally silent, but it also features some of the cheapest ammo in the entire game.
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Sneaking up on someone with a Bow is both fun and a viable strategy. With a Bow, you can actually utilize stealth to its fullest advantage since the Bow’s range is good enough to rival even the best guns in the game. Best of all?Players can buy the Bow for reasonably cheap oncethey hit rank 10.
