The Red Dead series is no stranger to the wild and wacky nature of its American Western setting. The openness and the mystery of the wild frontier leave little excuse to exclude any bizarre possibility that could occur. Ghost tales, aliens, monsters, historical artifacts, and madmen/madwomen; Red Dead Redemption 2 has them all and then some.

Arthur Morgan and John Marston serve as the perfect vehicles, being men of malleable characters and disposition, in order to properly experience or even execute the wild and bizarre actions within their famous setting. Here are some of the strangest things players can find and do in RDR2.

Update October 30, 2021 by Raza Malik: Rockstar'swestern epic, Red Dead Redemption 2, is so massive that players are still finding secrets three years later. Because these secrets require players to go out their way, finding them is more impactful and therefore more rewarding. Some of these secrets are ominous and out of this world, leaving chills down players' spines, But nonetheless, the following weirdest things players will find in Red Dead Redemption 2 will leave a mark for some players.

15 Encounter The Strange Man

Strange man in the mirror

Players of 2010's Red Dead Redemption will remember the Strange Man, who would cross paths with players every so often. However, in the second game, it's a different experience. Players will make their way to Leymon Beyoue West, where they'll stumble upon a shack. Upon entering it, players will see some eerie things, references to the Strange Man.

The creepiest part is a large painting in the middle of the main room, whic appears to be the Strange Man. Every time the player returns to the shack, the painting grows cleare, until it finally reveals itself to be the Strange Man. Players can't engage with him, but by looking into a mirror in front of the painting, the Strange Man will be standing right behind the player — however, he's only present only in the mirror.

14 Find The Locked-Up Braithwraite Girl

braithwrait girl attacking the player Cropped

Heading south in Rhodes towards the Braithwaite Manor, players will spy an outhouse with a moon on the door. Players can look inside and they'll see an arm reach out, belonging to the locked up Braithwraite girl. If the player looks at it from the right angle and zooms in, they can guess why she's locked up: apparantly, she's disfigured.

Later, players will meet Penelope Braithwaite, who explains that the locked-up girl is her cousin, and what happened to her. Upon returning to the area during the epilogue players will see what happened to her, thanks to what happened to the Braithwraites.

13 Get Attacked By A Vampire

red dead 2 finding the writing to get the vampire

If UFOs weren't enough, vampires will show players how outlandish RDR2 can be. Located in one of the hubs of the world, Saint Denis, players will need to go out of their way to trigger the priper event. The game doesn't give much of an indicator as to how to find the vampire, but for those curious enough, it'll be rewarding.

First, if players can find strange writing on city walls after midnight. They will be directed to go down an alleyway in the city, and will witness the Prince of Darkness himself with his latest victim. He will get up once the player gets close, and will try to attack them.

12 Find A Mutant Creature

red dead 2 mutant creature

Strange animals are plentiful in RDR2, however, this one is an interesting and creepy find. If players head down to West Horn, they'll come upon a house that looks like a laboratory of sorts.

Once the player has entered, they'll find a hall with a long table and a creature at the end. This isn't any normal creature; in fact, it looks like it's been put together by someone. It has a pig's head, wings, and several limbs. Although the creature doesn't do anything, it can make the player's skin crawl, especially if they aren't expecting to encounter it.

11 Clear Out The Night People

red dead 2 night folk attacking the player

While RDR2 doesn't feature zombies like the first game, the Night People are even more terrifying. Heading to Bayou Nwa Lakays Swap and night, players will come across the Night People, swamp residents that will attack on sight.

When the player interacts with the Night People for the first time, it'll start a quest to help an old man clear the swamp of these hostile folks. The player will be rewarded after completing the quest, with a gold tooth, a rare animal pelt, and a dagger.

10 Close Encounters Of The First Kind

RDR2 Arthur Morgan Riding At Night Looking At UFO Behind Him

For players who wish they had a little more aliens with their cowboys, look no further than two easter eggs that can be encountered in Red Dead Redemption 2. The first takes place at Hani's Bethel in the Heartlands and the second at Mount Shann in Big Valley, West Elizabeth.

If a player climbs to the peak of Mount Shann anytime between midnight and 4 a.m., they will eventually see a small craft descend and hover in the sky for about half a minute before departing. Hani's Bethel, on the other hand, can only be experienced in an abandoned schoolhouse where a cult appears to have committed mass suicide. If a player is there at 2 a.m., they will be enveloped in a green light from a larger UFO directly above them before it disappears.

9 To Speak Amongst Giants

RDR2 Arthur Morgan In Front of Giant's Cave and Giant Skeleton

In Big Valley, West Elizabeth, players can come across the skeleton of a large humanoid that has been dead for an indeterminate amount of time. It is far from the only strange skeleton that can be encountered, but what makes this instance special is that a living specimen can be somewhat interacted with.

If a player journeys to Ambarino, near Fair-vale Shanty, birdsong will guide them to a cave with a boulder blocking the entrance. If approached, a deep voice greets the player and discusses how lonely it is. It chooses to stay in the cave though because it does not want to scare anyone due to its imposing size. It is assumed that this being in self-imposed exile is the same species as the giant skeleton mentioned before.

8 Rush No More

RDR2 John Marston On Scaffolding In Front of Carved Stone Face

In the wild days of the Old West, it was not unusual to stumble upon the occasional random death. Many things were dangerous in those days, even without a human element, and the Red Dead series does a great job of showing this.

One such death the character can come upon is a case of suicide by hanging upon some scaffolding that leads up to the carved face of a woman. Some investigating reveals that the carving was the love of the dead man, but as he carved her, he fell out of love with her. This personal tragedy was so great to him that he killed himself in grief.

7 Cowboys & Vikings

RDR2 Old Viking Tomb in the Woods

Cowboys and archaeology are not necessarily an image that most people associate with one another, but RDR2 does allow players to perform a little archaeology of their own by allowing them to explore some ancient sites. One of the most significant and shocking sites is an ancient Viking burial ground located in Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover.

While there is evidence that Vikings visited North America before Columbus era explorers ever did, there has never been substantial evidence that they ever got as far south as RDR2's setting. With some careful searching, players can obtain a wearable Viking helmet, a Viking hatchet, and even a Viking comb.

6 Red Dead Ghost Hunters

RDR2 Ghost of Agnes Dowd Lemoyne Night

Ghost hunting is an activity that is completely possible to pursue in RDR2. There are at least two investigation threads to follow with one being much more substantial than the other. The least substantial route can be heard and not seen in Roanoke Valley at night.

While the player is walking around, they can hear two spirits whispering a conversation amongst themselves, but no apparitions will be seen. The other case involves the ghost of Agnes Dowd in Bluewater Marsh. She will appear a total of sixteen times, each time reliving her tragic past. On the last interaction, she will call out to the player and bring them to a lockbox near where she hung herself.

5 Lions, Tigers, and Zebras, Oh My!

RDR2 Circus Animals from

Hunting is, of course, one of the mainline activities players can pursue on the side in RDR2. But on the surface, most would assume that the game native to North America would generally be the quotidian. And they would be right. But in one Stranger mission, players get the opportunity to wrangle up some "exotic" circus animals that have gotten loose.

These include a zebra, a tiger, and a lion. As it turns out though, the zebra is just a painted horse and the tiger is a painted mountain lion. However, at the very end, the lion is the only animal that turns out to truly be what it is and players, unfortunately, have to put it down before it kills them and other nearby NPCs.

4 The Cave Devil

RDR2 Cave Hermit First Person View With Lantern Inside Cave

Far on the western edge of the map, in West Elizabeth, there is a hermit living alone in a cave. He seems to loathe humanity and claims to be the Devil himself. He later admits that he is not, but it becomes clear the more he talks that humanity has dealt him a bad hand so he truly wants nothing more than to be alone.

Besides the mysterious man who eventually greets John Marston later on in Red Dead Redemption, there is no other known contender for the Devil himself within the series. Although, if this hermit truly is the Devil, he is a poor excuse for one.

3 The Poor Donkey Lady

RDR2 Donkey Woman Corpse

Some scenes that can be encountered in RDR2 are sadder than they are frightening. Such is the case of the Donkey Lady in Cholla Springs. The corpse of the creature can be found attached to a mill where it seemingly died from being overworked.

Now, most people would believe this is simply a practical joke where someone placed the head of a donkey upon the corpse of a woman and set her up in this faction. But given the way Arthur and/or John react to the sight, they seem to genuinely believe it was once a living creature, so who truly knows?

2 Wanted: Time Traveler's Assistant

RDR2 Francis Sinclair Adult and Francis Sinclair Child with His Mother

By far one of the strangest tasks, when the right amount of thought is put into it, is when the player helps a man known as Francis Sinclair. The man is dressed differently from most people encountered and speaks with a transatlantic accent that would not be very prevalent for a few years yet to come.

The man asks the player to help find rock carvings, and once aided, he can be returned to only to find a woman with a baby. The woman turns out to be Francis's mother and the baby she holds bears a striking resemblance to him, particularly due to their shared birthmark over the right eye. This whole scene heavily implies that Francis is a time traveler, though the where, the how, and the why remain yet to be answered.

1 That Long Ghost Train

RDR2 Ghost Train Arthur Riding White Horse at Night

The last weird thing Red Dead players can do is run with a ghost train as it disappears into the aether. It is one of, if not the only, event that can only be done once. Fans will need to head to the Old Greenbank Mill near the border of Lemoyne and New Hanover.

Between 3 a.m. and sunrise, a ghost train will appear on the tracks and come hurtling through. The horse may be initially spooked by it, but will eventually calm down. The Ghost Train does not damage players and disappears almost as quickly as arrives.

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