An American Pastoral Scene

Red Dead Redemption 2 missionAn American Pastoral Scene
Game	Red Dead Redemption 2
Chapter	Chapter 2 - Horseshoe Overlook
Start	Monto's Rest
End	Dakota River
Given by	Micah Bell
Location	Big Valley, West Elizabeth
Mission Objectives
Mount your horse Follow Micah Attack the guards and stop the stagecoach Get on the stagecoach Attack the rival gang members
Rewards	Lancaster Repeater $330
Progression
Unlocked by	"Blessed are the Meek?" "Pouring Forth Oil I" "We Loved Once True I & II" (if Mary's mission is rejected) "We Loved Once True III" (if Mary's mission is accepted)
Unlocks	"Advertising, The New American Art"

Micah: "So I guess you won't be riding with me to rob the banking coach comes about this time into Strawberry? I heard one of the O'Driscoll Boys yapping about it while I was inside."

Arthur: "You and me? Do a robbery?"

―Micah Bell and Arthur Morgan

An American Pastoral Scene is a mission in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Mission Overview

Following a tip-off, Arthur and Micah rob a banking stagecoach.

Story

Arthur meets Micah at his camp near Strawberry, where Micah asks for his assistance in robbing a banking coach heading towards Strawberry, as a way to repay Arthur for his help in escaping jail.

Arthur follows Micah on horseback until they make it to their destination - a ridge, overlooking where the coach should come through. On the way, the two share a mostly belligerent conversation in which they discuss the security of the coach, and the O'Driscolls. They also argue about Micah's reckless habit of causing endless trouble.

After they reach the destination, the pair ambush the coach and take out all of the guards and the driver, before hijacking it and driving it away. Micah takes the reins, and gives Arthur a Lancaster Repeater to use, saying "that's more your style than mine". Things seem to be going well, but once the duo get close to the Dakota River, a horde of O'Driscolls attack them and try to commandeer it for themselves, cutting down a tree to block the road. In the chaos, the carriage is blown up by a stick of dynamite, and the two are thrown into the river. Arthur and Micah manage to successfully eliminate their rival outlaws in the ensuing gunfight, with the few remaining O'Driscolls fleeing.

After the robbers are taken out, Arthur meets with Micah at the overturned bank coach. At Micah's request, Arthur shoots the lock and opens the lockbox, which contains a hefty take. The two split the loot between them and then ride their separate ways back to camp.

Gold Medal Objectives

• Headshot each of the mounted guards protecting the wagon.
• Get 10 kills in Dead Eye.
• Complete within 6 minutes.
• Complete the mission without taking any health items.

Tips

• After eliminating all guards, players should let the coach continue moving for a while. This can help minimize the time that the coach will be driven by Micah, as he drives quite slowly, which likely causes players to miss the Gold Medal Objective. However, if players wait too long, the coach will end up falling off the cliff.
  • The best moment to stop the coach is after it moves past a train rail into the forest.
• In 1.0 cutscenes count toward the total mission time, so they must be skipped to meet the 6 minute Gold Medal Objective.
• While Dead Eye slows in-game time, it does not slow the mission timer, so quick and efficient use of Dead Eye is recommended to complete the mission within the strict 6 minute limit. For example, line up headshots with aim assist and only enter Dead Eye to confirm the shot.
  • If you use Dead Eye to take out the four riders, the guard on the carriage, and the driver, you'll have 6 Dead Eye kills going into the river shootout. Kill the first four O'Driscolls with Dead Eye, then one-shot the rest as quickly as possible.
  • Explosive Rounds can be used for fast one-shot kills during the river shootout (not possible in Replay mode)

Mission Failure

The mission will fail if the player:

• Assaults, kills, or abandons Micah;
• Allows Micah to be killed;
• Destroys the coach before its scripted destruction;
• Abandons the coach;
• Kills or abandons their horse;
• Dies.

Deaths

• Stagecoach guards - Killed by Arthur and Micah while attempting to defend the banking stagecoach.
• Numerous O'Driscolls - Killed by Arthur and Micah while attempting to rob the stolen banking stagecoach.

Missable Items in the Mission

• Liberty Hat

Trivia

• It is possible to obtain a Lancaster Repeater from the guards before Micah gives the weapon to Arthur. This way the player will have two Lancaster Repeaters in their weapon inventory.
• If the player strays too far from Micah during both shootouts they will be killed with one shot, no matter their health.
• If the player neglects to shoot the coach's lock, Micah will do it himself after expressing his impatience.
• After the mission ends, staying next to the river too long will trigger a response from the law.
• In this mission, the Lancaster Repeater makes a different noise than it does during free roam.
• Micah's belief that Dutch thinks Arthur is a "big shadow cast by a tiny tree", is possibly a reference to the Abraham Lincoln quote, "Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."
• One of the stagecoach guards will have a Liberty Hat but there is also one with a Farmer Hat.
• The player can get 2 Lancaster repeaters if they have robbed the basement of Rhodes Gunsmith and have looted the weapon case prior to the mission.
• This is one of the many missions where the player can obtain Micah's Revolver early.

Video Walkthroughs

PS4 Version

PC Version

Background Music Played in the Mission

• "An American Pastoral Scene" - Played when Arthur and Micah are out to rob a stagecoach.