Random encounters/Undead Nightmare

As with the main game, Undead Nightmare has Random Encounters that can occur anywhere on the map during the player's travels.

Description
Most of these encounters will be marked with a blue dot on the radar. Some will start with an NPC asking the player for help while others will not involve the player unless specific actions are taken. The tasks the player can carry out for them are not considered side-quests done for Strangers and the same task can randomly occur many times.

The encounters on this page are unique to Undead Nightmare. The player will often be rewarded with ammo. The sections below group similar encounters for convenience, but do not reflect any official nomenclature in the game.

Newly Minted Undead
These random encounters involve the conversion of a living or dead individual into an Undead.

Reunited Couple
A wife will see her husband (who was presumably dead before the plague, or got separated from her and became infected during the course of the plague) and try to embrace him. The husband will attempt to infect her and if you save her, she will thank you and reward you. If you kill the husband before he tries to eat her, she will say something along the lines of "he wasn't one of them" and run away. This usually happens in or nearby saved towns.

I Don't Feel Too Good Mister
An NPC will call out to John for help. When John approaches him/her, they will say they are feeling sick and ask for him to call a doctor. Soon after, the victim will start to vomit or writhe on the ground before turning into an Undead. Threatening the NPC can sometimes make him panic and flee, stopping him from becoming undead. Hogtying the victim before they turn undead will reward the player with Pistol Ammo or the Volcanic Pistol, depending on if the pistol is already in the player's inventory.

You only die twice
A person will be crying over their recently deceased friend. The dead person then tries to attack the man, but the man will shoot the zombie in the head, then shoots himself in the head. If you shoot the body, the man will run away. There are two variations: a man who is trying to kill himself and a man just sobbing without a gun. If he is without a gun, his deceased friend will turn into an Undead and murder him and infect him.

Camp Encounters
These random encounters occur at campsites in the wilderness.

Doctor
A person can usually be found at a camp with a gatling gun trying to fend off a horde of undead. If he survives (which he almost always does), he will ask you to capture an Undead and bring it to him for research. He will reward you with ammo if you do. Upon encountering this mission again, he may ask for two zombies. After receiving the Blunderbuss, he may ask for undead pieces. After completing typically four to six of these Random Encounters, the player is awarded the High Power Pistol in return.

Note that if you harm his specimen(s), he will shoot you. In addition, there will be often be a chest at his camp, which contains either ammo, consumables, and/or a Treasure Map (if not yet acquired). While he will often not mind if the player loots from it, he is more likely to turn aggressive if the player attempts to steal from his chest before bringing back a specimen. After bringing him a specimen, he will usually ignore the player if his chest is looted.

The doctor who appears in this random encounter when encountered in New Austin is the MacFarlane's Ranch Doctor in the main game, who can also be found managing the Missing Persons task at Fort Mercer and defending Armadillo. His Mexican equivalent, who features in this encounter when found in Mexico, is Porfirio Gutierrez, the Escalera doctor who is also a Missing Person.

A Hairy Encounter
Similar to the Doctor encounter, in this version there is a man, possibly a doctor, who is defending his makeshift base with a Gatling Gun. Beside him is a Sasquatch, that seems helpless as the hordes attack. The player will receive a reward if he holds off the zombies, but can kill the doctor for other items. He cannot, however, loot the Sasquatch. This only occurs in the Tall Trees area of West Elizabeth.

Happy Family
A man will happily greet John from his campsite. A closer look at the campsite reveals limbs, bones and other various remains scattered throughout the campsite, as well a "living" zombie (apparently the man's wife) leashed to a stake in the ground. The man will happily chat with John about his happy "family" and occasionally toss his undead wife a piece of meat. There is a chest of ammo or a treasure map at the campsite; however, opening it will cause the man to attack. It is possible for John to shoot the leash causing the Undead family member to attack. Occasionally, the man will stand up and give his wife (undead) a limb. The wife can possibly bite him, infecting him.

Till Death do us Part
Similar in appearance to the above event, a man will call out to John from his campsite. The man is alone and will pick up a severed head from the ground and talk to it affectionately as if it was his wife or girlfriend (or sometimes, he talks to it as if it was his boyfriend/husband). If he is uninterrupted, he will continue rambling and begin to gnaw on the head. As before, there is a chest of ammo in the area that will cause the man to turn hostile if it is taken.

Stranded Camp
A stranded camp full of dead bodies. If Marston approaches, a few undead will rise from the ground.

If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em
A man will be sitting at a campfire, eating human meat. He invites John to eat with him. If John chooses to, he will eat the meat saying "I can't believe I'm doing this." and then vomit (an undead character will eat and not vomit only if he's alone). The man will talk about food for the duration of John's stay. Subtle differences in the discussion depend on the ethnicity of the NPC. Also, if John just stands around and doesn't sit down, the man will accuse John of trying to rob him and start shooting.

Helping Survivors
These random encounters involve the player helping a single fellow survivor stay alive.

The Zombie Prey
Similar to The Prey in the normal Red Dead Redemption, a woman will be chased by one to five zombies. If you save her, she will reward you with ammo. The zombies chasing her are always Bolters regardless of location.

Stranded Traveler
A person will call out to John and ask for a ride to the nearest safe town. Simply ride up to the person on a horse and ride to the town marked on the map. Upon arriving safely in the town, the person will reward John with a decent supply of a random ammo type.

One less zombie to kill
A man will be trying to fight off many Undead at once. If left alone, he will fail, then shout that the zombies are not "gonna get" him and then shoot himself in the head. The player can decide to help him, but they will not be rewarded if they do. At other times, the man will say that he has run out of bullets and the player can watch as the undead claw him to death. However, the man does not turn into an undead when this happens.

The Living Enemy
Usually around a town, you will hear an NPC cry out for help. When you arrive, you will see a scraggly man – possibly a treasure hunter – attacking the NPC, demanding money. If you pull your gun on him, he will shoot you. Killing or hogtying the man rewards you with ammunition.

The Chase is on
This event can appear in certain towns. A man calls for help as a zombie chases him. Eventually, the zombie overtakes the man and begins to eat him. If the player is quick enough, the zombie can be shot once anywhere and the man will run away but come back once the player has killed the zombie. You will receive ammo upon completing this.

Houses of the Undead
These random encounters involve a building either filled with or being attacked by the Undead.

Don't Open that Door!
May happen at most houses you can enter in the wilderness. Three zombies are shuffling against a woman and you can save her. After the three are taken care of, the woman will warn John to "not open the door no matter what". The woman will proceed to take a drink and stumble away before passing out a few steps away. If John touches the door, it will open, revealing a huge attacking horde of zombies. After John dispatches them, there is a chest inside that will give a good deal of ammunition and a consumable item.

Help My Brother
May happen at most houses you can enter in the wilderness. Sometimes a man on a horse will ask John to help his brother who is trapped in the house. The house will be surrounded by a group of zombies and you will need to kill them all before you can reunite the two brothers. Again, there is a chest inside. Open it for some ammo and a consumable item. Note the saveable person may also be the man's wife.

Preacher and Barn
A preacher will be standing outside of a closed barn with a rifle and will warn you not to open the barn door. Usually, he will take a few drinks and recite scripture. After he is done, he usually takes off. If you open the barn door, it will be filled with Undead, who will shortly pour out of the barn. Make sure you stay away from the doors after you open them if you plan on cleansing the area of Undead. A smart thing to do would be to throw in a stick of dynamite or a fire bottle inside the enclosed barn-space.

Fighting the Hordes
These random encounters involve the player assisting fellow survivors in eliminating a large number of the Undead in the wilderness.

Challenger
A man will be trying to fend off a horde of Undead. He will bet some ammo that he can kill more than you. If you lose, you can kill him and loot his body anyway. If he is killed, the challenge will be over.

Last Stand
A group of men, usually two or three, will be seen surrounded by zombies with a custom-made barricade defending themselves against a group of around ten zombies. The zombies will get closer to the boxes, and once they reach them, they will begin to break them till the barricade is destroyed and the survivors are killed. You can choose to help them or let them die and turn into zombies.

Miscellaneous
These random encounters do not fit into any of the above categories.

Hell has one more seat
A man will be crying over two Undead bodies that are burning and then he will shoot himself in the head.

Dinner for Two
Sometimes in the wilderness, the player will come upon two zombies feasting on a dead human. Once the zombies notice the player, they will attack him. If the player does not interrupt them, the corpse may become a zombie. If they are interrupted, the corpse will not rise. The corpse usually has dynamite or fire bottles on it.