Ambarino

“	Fight the elements and meet the mountains head on in the vast and rugged landscape of Ambarino. Journey through the snow, see glaciers and powerful geysers, hunt bears that roam the Grizzlies or enjoy the blue waters of Calumet Ravine.	„
	—Red Dead Online description

Ambarino is one of the five American states in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online, and the highest elevated state.

Description[]

Ambarino is characterized by its high-rising mountains that can be seen from almost anywhere in the map, vast bodies of water, and diverse terrain. The state is divided into two distinct regions: the Grizzlies West, an inhospitable and frigid region, and the Grizzlies East, known for its dense forests and rocky landscapes. A Grizzlies North is mentioned in the journal of Arthur Morgan, but it is not accessible in the map.

The state is known for its vast wilderness and lack of civilization, with very little presence of modernization. There is only one major settlement in Ambarino, that being the Wapiti Indian Reservation, a small and isolated village of displaced natives. Several ranches and homesteads dot the state, likely making up a majority of the population. Due to the hostile geography and environment of Ambarino, there are very little settlements, with many of them being abandoned, such as the decrepit towns of Colter and Ewing Basin. Despite this, the unique environment of the state emits beauty and adventure for many.

Geography[]

RDR2 Ambarino — Map of the Southwestern US as shown in-game, with Ambarino highlighted in red.

Ambarino borders West Elizabeth’s Big Valley to the southwest, New Hanover’s Heartlands and Cumberland Forest to the south, as well as Roanoke Ridge to the east.

Crossing the region is often perilous and challenging as the area is mostly isolated and teeming with deadly wildlife, such as wolves and bears. The land is largely unsuitable for settlement due to the deadly snowstorms and impenetrable geography. As such, there is a noticeable lack of permanent settlements, barring the abandoned mining town Colter in the northwestern part of the region, and the Wapiti Indian Reservation, located farther east towards Cumberland Forest. However, because Ambarino apparently has statehood and law enforcement, it can be assumed that the state has more hospitable areas with permanent habitants and towns, which are unseen. Given that West Elizabeth was expanded in Red Dead Redemption 2, as well as Arthur's journal mentioning the gang travelled down from the North Grizzlies after staying in the western foothills before heading into Blackwater, this is plausible.

Ambarino takes influence from many Rocky Mountain states such as Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho; its rough geographic placement seems to correspond best with Colorado, and the state's name hints at this (Ambarino means 'amber' in Spanish, whereas Colorado means 'reddish').

Grizzlies West is filled with snow-capped mountains, many of which are normally impassable in normal circumstances. It is the highest elevated region in the game, with temperatures usually below freezing. It is primarily based on Colorado and Wyoming, in particular, the Grand Tetons, the Medicine Bow range, and the Arapaho National Forest.
Grizzlies East, on the other hand, is more forested, with more stable temperatures; usually above freezing and steadily cool. The Grizzlies East is likely based on parts of northwestern Wyoming, specifically the Wind River range and Yellowstone. It also is influenced by the Black Hills of western South Dakota.
Overall, despite mixing some elements of some real life states, Ambarino’s geographic placement roughly corresponds to that of the Continental Divide spanning through central Colorado, western Wyoming, and eastern Idaho.

Red Dead Redemption 2[]

The game's opening cinematic begins with Arthur Morgan and the rest of the Van der Linde gang arriving in the state after being chased out by lawmen in Blackwater. Morgan and the gang shelter in the abandoned town of Colter, situated in the northern Grizzlies West, waiting for the blizzard to subside. The gang later leaves the area during the mission "Eastward Bound" and head for the Heartlands in New Hanover.

In Chapter 2, the player can revisit Ambarino in "Exit, Pursued by a Bruised Ego," where Arthur travels to the Grizzlies East with Hosea in an effort to try and kill the fabled "1000 pound grizzly-bear." Later in the mission, Arthur has the choice to stay in the Grizzlies and continue hunting for the bear, or to go back to Horseshoe Overlook with Hosea. The player must also travel to Ambarino to save Jamie Gillis from the Chelonians in the mission, "We Loved and Once True II."

Ambarino plays a significant role in Chapter 6, where the gang helps the Wapiti Indians in their conflict against the US Army, with many missions within that chapter taking place in Ambarino. Arthur also visits the Wapiti Indian Reservation alone to assist Rains Fall and Captain Monroe.

Later, in the final mission of Chapter 6, "Red Dead Redemption," Arthur attempts to bring John to safety, avoiding Pinkertons and those siding with Dutch and Micah chasing them. However, Arthur and John’s horses are both killed at the foothill of a mountain, and the player can make a choice on whether to help bring John to safety, or to go back for the money in Beaver Hollow. If the former is chosen, Arthur will accompany John up an unmarked mountain straddling along the border of Roanoke Ridge and the Grizzlies East. In both high and low honor scenarios, Arthur will die on a ledge in the Grizzlies East, either watching the rising sun or being shot and killed by Micah. If the player chooses the latter, Arthur will instead head back into Roanoke Ridge, where in both scenarios, he will die in Beaver Hollow.

Ambarino is featured in only one epilogue mission, that being the final mission, “American Venom,” where John Marston, Sadie Adler, and Charles Smith travel to Mount Hagen in the Grizzlies West to pursue Micah Bell. Both Charles and Sadie are shot, but John manages to reach Micah’s hideout, where he confronts Micah and Dutch. With the assistance of Dutch, who shot Micah, John kills Micah Bell and loots his money. Following that, the trio returns to Beecher’s Hope, and the mission ends.

Locations in Ambarino[]

Grizzlies West[]

Grizzlies East[]

Interactive Map[]

Trivia[]

The wanted poster for The Wolf Man in Red Dead Online reads: "Proclamation of the Governor of Ambarino", confirming that Ambarino is its own political entity and alluding to the possibility of it having other settlements, as somewhere without any civilization would be unlikely to have its own government.
The gunslinger Flaco Hernández can be found in Grizzlies West, Ambarino, as part of the stranger mission “The Noblest of Men, and a Woman”.
This is the only territory in Red Dead Redemption 2 to only have two regions.
Grizzlies West is visible from the farthest southern point of Nuevo Paraíso, which can be accessed through glitches.
If the player attempts to leave the Colter camp while not on a mission in the first chapter, they will be caught in a blizzard, which will near instantly kill their horse, and slowly kill the player unless they turn back.
One of the loading screens displaying Ambarino is incorrectly labelled as Lemoyne.
If the player tries to head up the path to the mountain from the mission "Enter, Pursued by a Memory", they will keep falling off the slope even though it is traversable. The only way back is either by modding or glitching past the barrier.
According to early renditions of the in-game map, Ambarino was meant to be much smaller with only the northern and southern portions of the Grizzlies being explorable.
According to Arthur's journal, the gang stayed in the western foothills of the Northern Grizzlies before moving towards Blackwater, which possibly means that the state extends further to the west.
The state flag of Ambarino flag can be equipped as the player's camp flag in Red Dead Online after unlocking it by reaching rank 49 in the fifth outlaw pass.
- The Latin motto featured on the seal Bonis omnia bona means "All things [are] good to those [who are] good".

Ambarino

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