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Intro[]
Faster and easier ways to get money, honor, fame, experience;
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for - Xbox 360
for - Playstation 3
Easy experience[]
Play in online Free Roam mode. Find a gang hideout, and kill all the enemies, as well as the reinforcements that appear. Loot the bodies to get money and ammunition, then leave the hideout. After a short amount of time, the enemies will respawn, allowing you to repeat the process as many times as desired.
Easy money[]
Find one of the bird shooting challenges. They are usually easy to find; simply listen for shots and watch for a lot of birds circling in the sky. Accept the challenge, and intentionally lose. The wager will then double. Repeat this until you have just enough money to make one more bet. Then, watch the sky and wait until you can see the amount of birds you need to win the bet. Accept the challenge, then go into Dead Eye mode, and kill the proper amount to win. Note: It may help to have moonshine or chewing tobacco in case you run out of Dead Eye. After you win the bet, put on your bandanna, and kill the man you bet against. Loot his body, and he will have the same amount of money as the final wager. The more money you have to work with, the more you can make. It is possible to loot over $20,000 from him.
Play the "Five Finger Filet" knife mini-game in Armadillo. Bet the $100 maximum each game. The buttons you press are always in the same order; X, Circle, Triangle, Square, X, Circle, Triangle. This will allow you to get $100 every 20 seconds early in the game. Repeat this process as many times as desired.
Easy money and honor[]
Accept a bounty mission. Go set up camp somewhere, and save your game. Capture or kill the bounty target, and return to the sheriff to get your money and +100 honor. Then, go run into some water and die. When you respawn in one of your houses, the bounty mission will still be active, and you will also keep the money and honor you just received for completing the mission. Repeat this as many times as desired.
Easy fame and honor[]
Go to Thieves' Landing, and buy the Elegant Suit. Then, go in the saloon (or any other place with cheap poker), and play poker ($25). Get caught cheating by pulling the arrow to one side. You will then have to duel with someone. Wait for the "draw" sign to flash, then aim at their right hand/arm to shoot the gun out of their hand for extra fame and honor. Note: When you do this, the bullet may ricochet and hit someone else. If this happens, they will start shooting at you. To make this easier, buy the house in town to save the game and stop others from coming after you. Repeat this as many times as desired.
Easy reloading[]
When you are low on ammunition, enter Dead Eye mode. Your ammunition will be refilled without needing to reload.
Easy herding[]
When you are herding, stand far back and just ride very slowly. The herd should follow the person in front of the herd.
Easy skinning[]
Kill an animal, then walk over it slowly, and press R1to come to a stop over the dead animal. Next, press Triangle to get off, then press Triangle again to skin the animal, then press Triangle one last time to get back on your horse. This is very helpful when you are being attacked by packs of wolves or when hunting grizzlies or cougars.
Kill an animal, then walk over it slowly, and press RB to come to a stop over the dead animal. Next, press Y to get off, then press Y again to skin the animal, then press Y one last time to get back on your horse. This is very helpful when you are being attacked by packs of wolves or when hunting grizzlies or cougars.
Easy quick save[]
Change the "Audio" settings in the "Options" menu to force the game to save. Alternately, obtain two
different horse deeds. When you want to quick save your game, simply switch horses by using the other deed, and your progress will be automatically saved.
Getting a new horse faster[]
Once you get the lasso, find any herd of wild horses, then lasso and break one. Once the new horse is broken in, return to a hitching post, and hitch the horse. Then, return to your bunk, and save the game. The horse will now be yours and come to you when you whistle for it.
Getting Dark horse[]
Once you become dishonorable enough, your horse and clothes will turn black. However, they will only stay black while you are dishonorable.
Determining horse breeds easier[]
If you go to the general store, you can purchase horses by buying a deed for them. Instead of buying the deed, check the info, and it will give you a description of the horse's appearance. You can compare this information with horses you break to help determine the horse breed.
Another good way to determine a horse's breed and quality is to break and ride them just a few seconds. You should be able to instantly tell the difference between a 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star horse. The stamina will deplete much quicker the lower the quality, and the horse itself will not run as fast. Physically you can also tell a difference. If you can see any ribs or bones, the horse is low quality, while thicker more muscular horses are the 3-star ones. You can get the 3-star Pearl from the "Bonnie" mission very early in the game. The Hungarian Half-bred is found in Mexico and is an off-white color. The Standardbred Pinto is all black and can be found in Mexico. Other horse breeds that can be found throughout the game are American Standardbred, Ardennais, Cleaveland Bay, Dutch Warmblood, Friesian, Highland Chestnut, Kentucky Saddler, Lusitano, Painted Quarter Horse, Painted Standardbred, Quarter Horse, Tersk, Tobiano Pinto, Turkmen, War Horse, and Welsh Mountain.
Finding map locations easier[]
There are a total of 94 locations in the game. 45 are in New Austin, 32 are in Mexico, and 17 are in West Elizabeth. The quickest and easiest way to find these locations are through the maps you can purchase at various general stores. These will unlock all areas in a specific part of the game.
Throwing homing projectiles easier[]
With a throwing weapon (fire bottle, dynamite, or knife) in hand, enter Dead Eye mode, and try to imagine the normal targeting reticule on the screen. The target will not appear, but it works the same. If you rapidly tap R1, it will be easier. When you release the object (automatic after locking on), the projectile will home in on the target. This is really helpful when people are speeding away on horses/carts. The projectile will keep flying until it hits the target. Try this with a stick of dynamite on birds; the effect is hilarious.
Reaching[]
Reaching Blackwater faster[]
Locate a cliff near the waterfall north of MacFarlane's ranch; it will say "Tall Trees" once you get to the edge. Get arrested at this spot, and you will be transported to Blackwater. To get back to New Austin, quick save the game, and then kill yourself. Note: If you buy the Manzanita Post property, you will have to use your horse to jump the unfinished bridge north of Thieves' Landing to return.
Making a Ghost town[]
Kill every person and animal in a town to have it marked as a "ghost town". Check the population sign at the town's border to view your progress. The town will remain empty for the remainder of the game. Note: It is recommended you wear the Bureau Uniform while doing this.
The Shawshank Redemption reference[]
To the east of Beecher's Hope is a broken tree beside the road with a small weathered stone wall under it. This is also the location of the treasure buried for Level 9 of the Treasure Hunter challenge. This location is basically identical to the location Morgan Freeman's character goes to collect his treasure in The Shawshank Redemption.