Maybe John randomly knew how to use dead eye and learn more about it by Landon Ricketts

Well...i think in RDR1, John knows the move, just hasn't gotten control over it. Like a padawan who wants to learn more about Jedis.

Owencoder Agree

It’s the problem about prequels. Gameplay mechanics that the character learns in the first game would most likely be in the prequel because players got used to using it and not having it would mean a very strong nerf to John compared to Arthur. Why will you want to play as John when you can use Arthur’s dead eye? They had to put it regardless of lore

> John learns dead eye in rdr1 from Landon Ricketts

He doesn’t, as he can still use Dead Eye before meeting him. Meeting Ricketts does make it go from level 2 to level 3, though, and John’s Dead Eye in RDR 2 is basically the same as RDR 1’s level 3. In short, learning some tips from Ricketts improves it slightly, but John already has the ability.

In terms of context, it’s important to remember that RDR 1 John probably hasn’t fired a gun in four years, as a result of him being on the farm. It’s therefore logical that he’s going to be a little rusty, and given that John starts with level 1 Dead Eye, it shows that his skill has regressed from what it was in 1907. It takes John a while to get back to the level he was about four years previously when he killed Micah, where he had fully developed Dead Eye.

As John already has Dead Eye before meeting Ricketts and the less developed nature of it exemplifies his rustiness and how he is out of practice, I think that his Dead Eye timeline does make sense.

It's just a gameplay mechanic. It isn't canonical to the story.

Come to think of it, you’re actually right. It’s not technically “canon”, meaning that it doesn’t really really matter where or who John got it from, but I still think the development of the skill helps to symbolise John getting back into practice and returning to the life of a gunslinger.

Its simply game mechanics. Think of how we would feel playing the whole game as arthur using dead eye then playing as john with no dead eye. It would suck. People say john is rusty. Bs. All that rust would be gone after new austin. He lives on a farm. Hes shooting guns in his spare time like anyone who own lots of land. Just look at the family missions in rdr1. We hunt, pest control. Even stopped a train robbery and killed people taking our cows. John would stay sharp. But look at john in 1899. He sucks. I put him below lenny and above sean in gun skill. I dont really look at his game mechanics in 1907. Micah pinned john down in a gun fight and john couldn't do anything. Sadie had to help So john is not Arthur's level even in 1907. Unless you think micah beats arthur. Which i dont. And I like the idea of john being average and being taught by ricketts. John has deadeye in rdr2 so we the player can have fun. Does anyone actually think Jack knows deadeye at age 19? Insult to red, arthur and john