The Delights of Van Horn is a mission in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Mission Overview[]
Bill and Arthur ambush an army convoy transporting dynamite through Van Horn.
Story[]
After stealing Leviticus Cornwall's documents during a shootout in Annesburg, Micah learns about some high quality dynamite that is being transported from Annesburg to Saint Denis. Micah, Arthur and Bill meet up at an old house in Roanoke Ridge, where Micah instructs the two to steal the dynamite for him while he continues his "planning". An argument between Arthur and Micah quickly erupts over Micah's new position as Dutch's right hand man, with Micah belittling Arthur for his illness. Bill steps in and breaks up their argument, telling Micah to stop his taunting. He tells Arthur to ride with him to Van Horn Trading Post in order to steal the dynamite.
Along the way, Arthur tells Bill that he thinks Dutch has lost his mind, which Bill is angry at, while also saying that Arthur has "gone soft". The pair soon see a Pinkerton patrol up ahead, and stop to let them pass. The pair then come into Van Horn, and begin devising a way to rob the stagecoach and steal the dynamite. Bill says that Arthur should play drunk on the roadside while he covers him from above as a sniper, but Arthur suggests the opposite, citing that he is a "better shot" and that Bill is "the better actor". Arthur takes Bill's Carcano Rifle and heads to the second floor of a old, abandoned building nearby to prepare for the ambush.
Not long afterwards, the stagecoach enters the town, and Bill staggers drunkenly out from beside the tavern, falling down in the street ahead of the stagecoach. With Bill lying down on the road, the driver orders him to move, but there is no response. The driver then sends another rider to physically move Bill off the road and, as they do, Bill shoots him and gets behind cover, while Arthur snipes the others from afar. After Arthur and Bill gun down the convoy, they commandeer the wagon and drive it south out of town. Bill compliments Arthur for his shooting who, likewise, compliments Bill for his "drunk playing". Soon after the pair exit Van Horn, they see riders coming after them in an attempt to reclaim the wagon and its cargo. Arthur gives Bill the reins while he fends off several waves of pursuing riders.
After the riders are defeated, Arthur and Bill rendezvous with Micah and John near Beaver Hollow. Micah thanks Arthur and Bill for the stealing the dynamite, and asks John to take the dynamite to Bacchus Bridge. After telling Bill to go on ahead, Micah speaks to Arthur, saying that he isn’t the "bad guy" Arthur thinks he is and merely a "survivor", before asking Arthur to go and help John with the bridge.
Gold Medal Objectives[]
- Headshot 5 soldiers with a long scoped rifle.
- Complete with at least 85% accuracy.
Tips[]
- The player's shoulder long-arm slot will be replaced with a Carcano Rifle after arriving in Van Horn. If this weapon was already equipped in the player's back long-arm slot, it will be swapped to the shoulder slot and the back slot filled with another weapon (usually a repeater). Unlike some missions, however, the player's horse is nearby after the cutscene that forces the swap, and can be used to reset weapon choices (note that the stagecoach is already approaching at this point and will not wait for the player to get into position before the attack triggers, so be quick about it). If the player already has a Carcano Rifle equipped to their shoulder long-arm slot, neither weapon will be changed.
- It is recommended to avoid using explosive ammo in your rifle during the stagecoach ambush, as hitting the stagecoach with it, or sometimes even a nearby enemy, can cause the dynamite in the wagon to explode and the mission to fail.
Gold Medal[]
- Using Dead Eye when sniping can make achieving the required five headshots much easier.
- Switching to other weapons after achieving the required five headshots can make the rest of the mission easier, even during the sniping sequence, as the Carcano Rifle forces the player to look down the sights, dramatically reducing peripheral vision and aiming flexibility. This can potentially cause an unnecessary misses, as the player must shoot fast-moving horse-mounted soldiers, which can cause the player to fail to maintain the requisite accuracy percentage for the the second Gold Medal objective.
Mission Failure[]
The mission will fail if the player:
- Assaults, kills or abandons Bill;
- Allows Bill to be killed;
- Assaults or kills Micah;
- Destroys the dynamite wagon or allows it to be destroyed;
- Alerts the Pinkerton patrol;
- Kills or abandons their horse;
- Dies.
Deaths[]
- Numerous stagecoach guards and lawmen — killed by Arthur Morgan and Bill Williamson during the robbery.
- Eric - shot by Bill after attempting to move him off of the road
Video Walkthroughs[]
Trivia[]
- At the end of the mission, when Arthur questions Micah on what to do with the stolen dynamite, the latter makes a detail on how to blow up Bacchus Bridge, saying, "There's a big picture here, Arthur. Trust me", a line Arthur remembers on his final ride back to camp in the "Red Dead Redemption" mission if his Honor is low.
- If Arthur kills a civilian with his sniper rifle, Bill will scold him afterwards.
- This is the only Chapter 6 mission where the player will gain a payable bounty. The bounty is $20, and covers the entire state of New Hanover.
- Upon returning to Van Horn after this mission, a woman may approach Arthur and berate him for killing the dynamite escorts, and complain about getting rid of the corpses.