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

The state is characterized by mountains, spots of water, and steep cliffs. Most of the area is covered in dense snow, frozen bodies of water, and glaciers. It is one of the few regions that are untamed and unexplored due to the sparse number of inhabitants living in the area.

Ambarino is a massive area divided into two constituent regions: Grizzlies East and Grizzlies West. Between the two divisions, Grizzlies West is the more dangerous region to explore due to its area being surrounded by mountain ranges. Grizzlies East, on the other hand, is rockier and more forested, with sparse snow cover and an isolated Indian reservation situated in the area.

This is where the player first begins the game following the journey in the opening cinematic. The player is limited to Grizzlies West up until the next chapter because of persistent blizzards obstructing further exploration.

Geography

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

The region borders Big Valley to the southwest, The Heartlands and Cumberland Forest to the south, as well as Dakota River and Roanoke Ridge to the east.

Crossing the region is often perilous and challenging as the area is mostly isolated and teeming with deadly wildlife especially wolves and bears. The land is unsuitable for settlement due to the occasional 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 a capital city, 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 zero but sometimes in the single figures (Celsius). Grizzlies East is likely based on parts of northwestern Wyoming, specifically the Wind River Mountains and Yellowstone. It also is influenced by the Black Hills mountain range in western South Dakota.
Overall, despite mixing some elements of some real life states, Ambarino’s geographic placement roughly corresponds to that of Wyoming.

Interactions

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 region after being chased out by lawmen in Blackwater. Morgan and the gang shelter in Colter, northern Ambarino in Grizzlies West, waiting for the blizzards to subside. The gang later leave the area during the mission "Eastward Bound".

The gang visit the territory again in Chapter 6, where they help the Wapiti Indians in their conflict against the US Army. Morgan also visits the Wapiti Indian Reservation to help Rains Fall and Captain Monroe.

The territory is visited one last time during the final epilogue mission, where John Marston, Charles Smith and Sadie Adler locate Micah Bell at Mount Hagen. Thanks to Dutch's assistance, John manages to kill Micah and avenge Morgan's death, as well as the disbandment of the original gang.

Locations in Ambarino

Grizzlies West

Grizzlies East

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.

Ambarino

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