Dueling

thumb|300px|right|a helpful video on how to duel

Marston and his opponent in the midst of drawing their pistols

Dueling is an activity in Red Dead Redemption. John Marston may be challenged to duels by either outlaws or vigilantes, depending on the player's honor. You will also be challenged to a duel if you are caught cheating in poker. Note that cheating at poker requires you to own the Elegant Suit which can be purchased from the Tailor in Thieves' Landing. Occasionally, the player may be challenged to a duel if he knocks over an NPC while on horseback.

When dueling, Marston will make use of a special form of Dead-Eye. Before, or upon the countdown, the player must choose to either draw quickly, before their opponent and sacrifice accuracy; or, alternatively, to draw more slowly and increase his accuracy with their sidearm.

After their weapon is successfully drawn, the player will paint the opposing duelist with reticules, using the Dead-Eye system, and then fire. Successfully disabling or killing the opposing dueler will generate fame for the player. To earn the maximum amount of honor, the player must Shoot the opponents hat and then Disarm him by shooting the opponents' weapon.

Some opponents (mission or stranger mission based) cannot be disarmed and have to be killed for the duel to be won, rather than achieving a disarm when their weapon is targetted, a very small portion of the vertical bar will be filled leaving you with less shots to defeat them and win the duel.

Another thing that can happen is if you approach the challenger on horseback, your horse can get in the way of the duel, causing you to shoot your horse and lose the duel. The duels in storyline include Andreas Muller, Raul Zubieta and Edgar Ross.

Steps

John Marston disarming an opponent in a duel.

To win a duel by killing the challenger, at the very moment the screen says "Draw" press the LT button (Xbox 360) or L2 button (PS3). When the targeting icon appears on-screen, move it where you want to shoot the challenger. The longer the player waits to draw his weapon, the more the camera will zoom in on the target, making the player's shots more accurate. For the most accuracy, keep your weapon holstered until just before the duel ends. To know when the duel will end, listen for the Dead Eye sound which sounds like wind rushing through a tunnel. As the sound gets higher and Marston's heartbeat gets faster, the duel is nearing the end. Once you pick the spot wait for the targeting icon to shrink - this increases accuracy and fills your survival bar quicker. The optimal time to select your shots is when the targeting icon is white.

Another way to win is by disarming your opponent. Simply move the targeting icon to the opponents' gun or arm, and when he draws his weapon, fire one well-aimed round into his hand. Killing an opponent will generate Fame, while disarming an opponent will generate both Honor and Fame.

Refusal

Marston can choose to refuse a duel. The player can choose to instead attack the challenger with their fists. If the player succeeds in knocking the challenger out, the duel will be prevented. But it is not that hard to duel. But if you run away, honor will be lost

Marson and his opponent ready to draw.

Alternatively, any duels proposed from a stranger on the side of the road can just be walked away from and no actions will take place.

Cheating

Choosing to draw quickly may, sometimes, be perceived by spectators as cheating. When this happens, Marston's honor will drop and a bounty may be incurred.

Additionally, the player may choose to kill the challenger in the interval after the challenge has been issued, and when en-route to the dueling positions. Doing so will have a similar effect as drawing too soon.