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Civilization in all its glory.
John Marston

West Elizabeth (known as the Commonwealth of West Elizabeth) is the smallest of the three territories featured in Red Dead Redemption.

In Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online, it is one of the five American territories, now with an expanded region to the north.

Description[]

West Elizabeth is composed of three constituent regions. Tall Trees and Great Plains are two regions featured in both Redemption and Redemption 2, while the third constituent region, Big Valley, is exclusive to Redemption 2.

During the events of Redemption 2, West Elizabeth is a rapidly industrializing state, especially in the south (the north is still very much frontier-like), only preceded by the state of Lemoyne and its massive city, Saint Denis. The state capital, Blackwater, is a port town undergoing the process of rapid industrializing, with new buildings and amenities sprouting within town. Despite this, the railway in Redemption that stops in Blackwater and going through New Austin has not been fully built yet. Furthermore, the Pacific Union Railroad Camp did not exist yet

By the events of Redemption, in 1911 and 1914, West Elizabeth is now considered a largely modernized state, with the thriving capital of Blackwater being set apart from other settlements due to its uniformed constabulary, cobbled roads, automobiles, and named streets. The region of Tall Trees also seems to be growing with the absence of the Skinner Brothers, a gang who used to terrorize the region and repel most settlers.

In Redemption 2, there are two major settlements in West Elizabeth: Blackwater and Strawberry. Many camps, ranches, and homesteads dot the state as well, such as Pronghorn Ranch and Manzanita Post. By 1911, West Elizabeth is home to a large Native American population, many of whom are members of Dutch's Gang.

Geography[]

RDR2 WestElizabeth

Map of the Southwestern US as shown in-game, with West Elizabeth highlighted in red.

West Elizabeth is bordered by New Austin to the south, as marked by the Lower Montana River. The river empties through Thieves' Landing, and into the San Luis River. The Great Plains and Tall Trees regions are separated from Big Valley through the Upper Montana River, which originally served as the map-limits in the first game. In the second game, northern West Elizabeth is bordered by the Grizzlies West to the north, and the Heartlands of New Hanover to the east, as marked by the Dakota River. The southeastern coasts of West Elizabeth are met by Flat Iron Lake.

The landscape progresses from rolling grasslands in the Great Plains region through snow-capped, impassable mountains around the edges of Tall Trees. To the north lies Big Valley, which falls under the foot of Mount Shann (and Mount Hagen further to the north). The natural resemblance of Tall Trees persists in southern Big Valley, although the rest of the region is known for higher and mountainous elevations, along with meadows surrounding the base of Mount Shann.

Much like other American states featured in the series, West Elizabeth is an amalgam of various states in the Western United States. Geographically, West Elizabeth appears to roughly correspond with northwestern Texas, western Kansas, the Panhandle of Oklahoma, and most of Colorado. There are also heavy influences from the mountains of California.

  • The Great Plains region is based on the real-life Great Plains region of the central United States. This physiographic region encompasses parts of states including Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. Great Plains itself does not seem to be based on a specific real-life location, and is likely a generalized frontier area.
  • Tall Trees is visually based on the Big Trees State Park and its surrounding areas along the Pacific Coast of California, especially with its sequoia trees; Tall Trees also bears a resemblance to the Carson National Forest in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico.
  • Big Valley is likely the Yosemite Valley of eastern California. The blue wildflowers, which are common in Big Valley, are almost identical to the gray lupine, a wildflower most commonly found in Yosemite. The presence of loons in both Big Valley further suggests California, given that loons are normally only found around the Arctic Circle during the summer, but around the Pacific Coast of the United States in winter. Strawberry and the surrounding area is based on Babcock State Park in West Virginia. Mount Shann, a tall mountain in the region, is based on Mount Shasta in northern California. Big Valley's geographic location relative to the other regions would be similar to that of Colorado, Montana, or Utah.
  • Overall, despite mixing many elements, it can be assumed that West Elizabeth is based on California and Colorado, as Big Valley is based off of several parts of California, especially around the Yosemite Valley area, while also having a mountain based on Mount Shasta, but the rest of the area is partially based off of Colorado. Tall Trees having a visual resemblance of Big Trees State Park in California. Great Plains is based on the real-life Great Plains region, which also stretches through eastern Colorado. The area also bears a resemblance to Carrizo Plains of central California.
  • The rough geographical equivalent of West Elizabeth would correspond with the Front Range of Colorado spanning south through Texas and north towards the Medicine Bow Mountains of southern Wyoming. The presence of Mount Shann indicates a similarity with Mount Elbert in Colorado, which is the largest mountain in the American Rockies.

Because there is an overlap area that links the original map with new areas of Red Dead Redemption 2, West Elizabeth is one of the most geographically diverse states in the series. In all, its terrain broadly reflects numerous characteristics that can be found across many real-life states west of the Mississippi River, from the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains to the redwood forests of northern California. In turn, West Elizabeth’s people reflect everything from eastern city and riverboat-based societies to mountain fur trade and forestry cultures. 

Red Dead Redemption 2[]

West Elizabeth is described as being the location of the Van der Linde gang's camp prior to the events of Red Dead Redemption 2 in the spring of 1899. The gang decided to hide in plain sight just outside Blackwater, a town Dutch expected to be "no more than a small trading post." Despite this, the gang proceeded to scope out many leads. Arthur Morgan and Hosea Matthews planned a hefty real estate scam, while Micah Bell informed Dutch of a lead regarding a ferry lading with riches coming into town. Hosea and Arthur were reluctant, despite Dutch's optimism. While Hosea and Arthur went out to conduct their scam, Dutch and the rest of the gang rode for the ferry.

Unfortunately, the ferry heist did not go as expected. At some point during the robbery, the gang was ambushed by the Pinkertons, causing a massive firefight known as the Blackwater Massacre. Arthur and Hosea arrived late, and by then, the gang was barely holding on. Several gang members were killed or seriously injured, and they fled the area in an "almighty scramble," north into the mountains in hopes of avoiding the law. The entirety of the Great Plains and Tall Trees regions were put on lockdown and under constant patrol by Pinkerton agents and lawmen. Crossing into the Great Plains or Tall Trees will result in a maximum wanted level; the player will be shot on sight almost immediately, except during the mission "The First Shall Be Last," where the amount of lawmen is decreased so the player can meet Javier Escuella in an effort to save Sean MacGuire.

Following the Blackwater Massacre, West Elizabeth plays a role in the story during the Chapter Two mission, "Blessed are the Meek?" where Arthur is sent to Strawberry after being informed that Micah was imprisoned in the local jail, and sentenced to hang. Arthur meets Micah at his cell window, and they discuss a method of escaping. No matter what the player chooses, the escape will result in a mass shootout, in which the town sheriff was killed. Shortly after, the player must return to Big Valley to meet Micah again, and the two rob a stagecoach before returning back to camp.

West Elizabeth is revisited in the Chapter 3 mission, "Blessed are the Peacemakers," in which Arthur is kidnapped by the O'Driscoll Boys and held hostage in the Lone Mule Stead in southern Big Valley. He manages to escape and make it back to Clemens Point, although he suffers major injuries. The player can also visit the region to retrieve a debt for Leopold Strauss.

In Chapter 6, the player can visit West Elizabeth one last time as Arthur Morgan in the mission, "Mrs. Sadie Adler, Widow." In this mission, Arthur travels with Sadie Adler to Hanging Dog Ranch in Big Valley to kill the last remaining O'Driscolls once and for all, and to seal Sadie’s vengeance by killing the man who killed her husband.

In the epilogue, the rest of West Elizabeth is unlocked and fully accessible, as well as New Austin. The player will control John Marston, starting the epilogue in West Elizabeth as his family finds work in Strawberry and Pronghorn Ranch. Playing a major role in both parts of the epilogue, most missions occur in West Elizabeth. During the epilogue, John will move to the Great Plains, where he meets Uncle, and purchases a plot of land named Beecher’s Hope. Following the completion of the final mission in the major storyline, “American Venom,” the player spawns at Beecher’s Hope, thus ending the main story of Red Dead Redemption 2.

Red Dead Redemption[]

The game's opening cinematic begins with John Marston arriving in the region by steamboat, escorted by Federal Bureau agents Edgar Ross and Archer Fordham. The cinematic then transports the story to New Austin before giving control to the player. The player does not gain access to West Elizabeth again until the third chapter in the game's storyline, following completion of the mission "An Appointed Time." The focus of the game remains in West Elizabeth through the conclusion of the main storyline.

Locations in West Elizabeth[]

Great Plains[]

Tall Trees[]

Big Valley[]

Trivia[]

Red Dead Redemption[]

  • This is the only region not to have any Gang Hideouts that the player can attack. There are still gang members that can be captured via bounty hunting, however. Cochinay is considered a gang hideout but plays only a story-based role and cannot be revisited to eliminate the gang in the area.
  • As with the boundary between New Austin and Nuevo Paraíso, the transition of the music when the player moves between New Austin and West Elizabeth can take some time to register.
  • The landscape is reflective of various states in the Western United States. The eastern portion of West Elizabeth resembles and is named after, the Great Plains while the western portion (Tall Trees area) resembles the front range states along the Rocky Mountains.
  • The name would appear to be a reference to West Virginia since Elizabeth I was the eponymous "Virgin Queen" Virginia was named after.
  • This region is host to a wide variety of game for hunting, as the player can hunt for Bear, Wolf, Cougar, Elk, Bighorn and Boar along with many other species in Tall Trees.
  • West Elizabeth is the first state seen in the whole game. The game technically begins in Blackwater when John departs the Morningstar at the very beginning of "Exodus in America".
  • West Elizabeth is the only of the three territories to have Native Americans; the vast majority of whom are members of Dutch's Gang and are, therefore, extremely hostile.
  • West Elizabeth is the most developed territory as it has Blackwater, a fully developed city, and heavy government influence. However, there are still many untamed elements to this land such as the natives, the wildlife and there are even small settlements such as Manzanita Post formed by natives or frontiersmen.

Red Dead Redemption 2[]

  • In the mission "Fleeting Joy", Agent Milton refers to West Elizabeth as a "Commonwealth", which is an unusual title for an American state located in the southwest. This is unusual because the only states with the title of "Commonwealth" are located in the northeastern part of America.
  • The state flag of West Elizabeth reveals the state's official motto to be "Prosperity and Industry". It is a tradition in the United States for state mottos to be in both English, and Latin (for ceremonial purposes). Therefore, West Elizabeth's Latin motto would be "Felicitatem et Industria".
  • The character biography for Sean MacGuire released by Rockstar Games states that Sean met Dutch van der Linde and Hosea Matthews in "North Elizabeth", confirming the state to have a northern counterpart.
  • This game confirms that West Elizabeth is a separate state from New Austin, a fact that was left ambiguous in Red Dead Redemption, where a bounty obtained in either New Austin or West Elizabeth was valid in both states, regardless of the location of the crime.[1]
  • West Elizabeth is one of two states to have a confirmed capital (Blackwater), the other being Lemoyne, whose capital is Saint Denis.
  • West Elizabeth has three trapper locations, the highest number among the five territories.
  • There is no fence or gunsmith in West Elizabeth.

Red Dead Online[]

  • A flag with the coat of arms of West Elizabeth on it can be equipped as the camp's flag after unlocking it by reaching rank 17 in the third outlaw pass.
    • As of the release of the fifth outlaw pass, New Austin is the only region to not have a state seal.

Early Access to West Elizabeth in Red Dead Redemption[]

  • The player should have a fast horse such as the War Horse, Kentucky Saddler or the Hungarian Half Breed, and look for a cliff near the waterfall north of the MacFarlane's Ranch. A display reading "Tall Trees" will pop up when at the edge. From there, players should then walk over to the other side of the railroad tracks nearby, staying as close as possible to the West Elizabeth border. Pitching camp as near to the water as possible will place the player in West Elizabeth; this method works in the GOTY version. This action can be seen here.
  • Another simple way over is to just follow this video. Once over the river, players should head to the Pacific Union Rail Road Camp and walk over to the stagecoach so it is marked on the map (an earlier version of Red Dead - not GOTY)
  • If the player is arrested at this cliff, they will be transported to Blackwater (Confirmed for GOTY and Early Version.)
  • To get back to New Austin, the player should auto-save the game and then die. However, if one buys the Manzanita Post property, the stagecoach is an option to return; this exploit still works as of 2018. Players should go to Thieves' Landing and use the stagecoach to go to any stagecoach marked on the map in West Elizabeth or follow the videos (depending on which Red Dead version the player has).
  • Another option to return is to use a fast horse to jump the unfinished bridge north at Thieves' Landing at a full gallop: with care, the other side of the bridge or land will be reached and safety achieved. Mason's bridge will also allow the player to return by hitting land underneath the bridge on the way down after leaping at a full gallop (but the fall may kill the horse and the player too if one is not careful). The Thieves' Landing bridge and Mason's bridge both work in the GOTY version.
  • A very simple solution to get in and out freely without unlocking the storyline is to get arrested like mentioned above. Once the player is out of jail, they can earn enough cash to buy the house in Manzanita Post, and then buy all the maps for the West Elizabeth towns (Great Plains, Tall Trees, etc..), then save at the newly bought house. After the player does this, they can come and go as they please without having to go through the storyline.

Gallery[]

Achievements/Trophies[]

The discovery of locations in West Elizabeth count towards the following Trophies/Achievements:

Hitthetrail
10 gamerscoregamerscore
Bronze bronzebronze
Get from Blackwater to Escalera before sundown in a public Free Roam session.

Onthetrail
10 gamerscoregamerscore
Bronze bronzebronze
Uncover every location on the map in Single Player.

Redeemed
100 gamerscoregamerscore
Gold goldgold
Attain 100% List in the singleplayer game completion list.


References[]

  1. While most likely an error in development, it is possible that the reason why bounties obtained in New Austin or West Elizabeth were valid in both states in Red Dead Redemption is because since Redemption is set in 1911 (which was essentially in the twilight years of the Wild West) and interstate extraditions were becoming more common. The governments of West Elizabeth and New Austin thus probably had an agreement with each other that allowed either state to extradite anyone who was wanted in either state to the other and that those arrangements most likely also allowed anyone with a bounty in either state to have that same bounty in the other if physical extradition of the wanted person was impossible for logistical or safety reasons (say for example a cholera outbreak affected all of New Austin or parts of it with a jail or court geographically close to West Elizabeth) and is thus why the bounties being valid in both states (regardless of where a crime was committed) was a thing in Redemption.

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