Justice in Pike's Basin

Justice in Pike's Basin is a mission in Red Dead Redemption.

Story
John stops by Marshal Johnson's office to speak to him. Before their conversation goes anywhere, Deputy Eli enters the office. Eli says that cattle rustlers have been spotted in Pike's Basin, just northeast of Armadillo. When Eli says that the rustlers have taken Mr. Gulch's ranch hands and cattle into the basin, the Marshal calls Eli, John, and Jonah to arms. All four of them race to Pike's Basin to save the ranchers and their cattle. After fighting through multiple enemies, John and the others manage to save the cattle and the ranchers. At the end of it all, Eli mentions that Nigel West Dickens is missing, and the townsfolk cannot find him. This leads to the next story mission.

Mission Objectives
To complete this mission, the player must:
 * Accompany Marshal Johnson to Pike's Basin.
 * Wipe out the Bollard Twins Gang.
 * Rescue the kidnapped ranch-hands.

Mission Details
Once the mission begins, get on your horse, and follow Marshal Johnson and the Deputies to the Basin. The trip is fairly short, and you'll eventually arrive at Pike's Basin, where you'll be forced to dismount your horse and proceed forward on foot.

As you cautiously enter the basin, you'll very quickly encounter some of the hostile rustlers. Use nearby rocks and any other cover around to protect yourself from enemy fire, once the first wave of enemies have been defeated, you can then head forward towards their position. You'll soon encounter a fork in the road at which point you will have to choose between going with the Deputies or Marshal Johnson. Either way, you'll end up In the same area. You'll be In the lower ground here, as enemies fire at you from above. You'll want to take them out ASAP and then head up there yourself. You can fire at the hostiles on your side of the path and rely on your friends on the other side of the area to assist you as well. You can then head even farther up towards the basin, where enemies will be located below your area.

Use your height advantage and open fire on them from above, thinning them out along the way. Eventually pushing through the basin will bring you to what looks to be a dead end. The hostiles around the camp have little cover to work with; use trees and rocks towards the sides of the camp to protect yourself as you thin their ranks. Once you've cleared the camp, you're not done yet! Heading away from this camp is a series of ridges connected by wooden bridges. Along the ridges are snipers. Don't let their distance fool you; these snipers have accurate aim and do high damage, and just a few shots from their rifles will take you out in a matter of seconds. Remember not to stick your head outside your cover too long! Keep your eyes open for them in the barren landscape, locating their positions from muzzle fire, and shoot them down from afar. There will be a couple groups of them as you go from bridge to bridge, so be alert. Sooner or later the bridges will head directly to a circular ridge that overlooks another encampment. This area is where the pilfered animals are being held, as well as some hostages from the ranch the animals were pilfered. There are innocent farm hands (captured by the rustlers) scattered among the rustlers, so you need to be very careful that you don't kill anyone you shouldn't. Once you've cleared the raised ridge of its enemy contingent, make your way down to the ground, take cover behind corral fences, and try to shoot down the rustlers while ducking in and out of cover. Be careful though, there are innocents down there!

Mission Failure
The mission will fail if the player:
 * Assaults or abandons Marshal Johnson, Deputy Eli or Deputy Jonah.
 * Assaults or kills the Marshal's or any Deputy's horse.
 * Approaches the hostages from the wrong path.
 * Kills any hostages.
 * Kills the prostitute.
 * Kills three of the rustled livestock.
 * Breaks the law.
 * Commits vandalism.
 * Assaults or kills townsfolk.
 * Dies.

New Game Elements Introduced

 * Basic ranged combat

Mission Complete Unlockables

 * Hideout: Pike's Basin
 * "American Appetites" Part 2 Stranger side-mission
 * Nigel West Dickens mission strand

Social Club Challenge
The challenge will be unlocked if the player completes the mission.

Challenge

 * Kill 3 people in one Dead Eye burst.
 * Drag a gang member in the basin.
 * Kill all gang members on horseback.

Reward

 * Blazing Guns cheat - shooting someone has a chance of catching him/her on fire.