Everything you need to know about the honor system.
Our Red Dead Redemption 2: Honor guide contains everything you need to know about the honor system, honor milestones and honor rank effects.
Red Dead Redemption 2’s honor system works as you’d expect. Commit unlawful acts like murdering innocent strangers and you’ll lose honor. Conversely, help out townsfolk or contribute to your camp’s upkeep and you’ll gain honor points.
One thing which isn’t explained is how your current honor ranking affects the world around Arthur Morgan. Turns out that there’s a lot more benefit to be gained from gaining honor, as opposed to fully embracing the outlaw life and having none at all.
Below we’ve put together everything you need to know about the honor system, including to gain or lose it, what benefits you’ll earn from accruing honor and details on the various events that can determine a big honor jump or loss.
Related Guides:
- All Treasure Map Locations and solutions – RDR2
- All Gold Bar locations – RDR2
- Gangs guide – RDR2
- Camp needs guide – RDR2
How to gain or lose honor
This is pretty simple and works as you’d expect. You’ll earn honor for actions that are perceived to be, well, nice. Rescue strangers from danger, stop a coach from being robbed or turn a criminal into the law and you’ll earn honor points.
On the flipside, you’ll lose honor ranking for committing criminal acts or actions that are considered dishonorable. Harassing and killing innocents, or looting innocent bodies will all lose you honor points.
As you spend time with the game, you’ll naturally earn or lose honor based on your actions. Either you’ll encounter something while out in the open world, or you’ll be forced to make a decision in a story mission. Sometimes, missions don’t even give you a choice and you’ll lose honor when events transpire and things go south, so to speak.
What will earn you honor
- Donate to gang via tithing box
- Disarm a duelling opponent
- Complete camp chores
- Peacefully surrender to a lawman and serve time in jail
- Pay off your debts for crimes
- Help strangers
- Honorable actions in story or optional missions
What will lose you honor
- Steal a horse
- Loot an innocent’s corpse
- Rob a shop
- Shoot near an innocent
- Watch a wild animal bleed to death
- Beat someone up while intimidating them
- Dishonorable actions in story or optional missions
- Kill domesticated animals or town animals
- Shooting or using explosives on specific corpses
- Watch your horse while it is writhing in pain
- Trample an innocent with your horse
How do honor ranks and rewards work
Imagine your honor is on a sliding scale. Every time you accrue honor points, you’ll move up the scale (+). Conversely, if you lose honor, you’ll slide down the scale (-). Play it neutral and you’ll be at 0.
There are certain honor milestones in the game which you’ll achieve at a specific rank. You’ll receive certain benefits if you earn honor, but if you start sliding down the scale you’ll lose them.
The sliding scale begins at the lowest honor ranking of -8, and extends all the way to the highest honor ranking of +8.
At -8 honor rank, you’ll be sitting at -320 points. A rank is gained by earning +40 points. So, those at honor rank -7, will have -280 points. Those at honor rank -6, will have -240 points and so on. Someone with the highest honor rank at +8, will be sitting pretty at +320 points.
Video by Arekkz Gaming
Here’s an overview of what benefits you can earn with your honor ranking:
- +8 Honor Rank ( +320 points) – N/A
- +7 Honor Rank ( +280 points) – 50% discount in all shops.
- +6 Honor Rank ( +240 points) – New outfits available in certain general stores: the Scrapper, the Farrier, the Gambler, the Deauville, the Faulkton, the Drifter, the Dewberry Creek, and the Drover.
- +5 Honor Rank ( +200 points) – 25% discount in all shops.
- +4 Honor Rank ( +160 points) – N/A
- +3 Honor Rank ( +120 points) – New outfits available in certain general stores: the Bulldogger, the McLaughlin, the Chevalier, the Corson, the Cumberland, the Cowpuncher, the Valentine, and the Roscoe.
- +2 Honor Rank ( +80 points) – 10% discount in all shops.
- +1 Honor Rank ( +40 points) – Drop rate of potent tonics, restorative items, jewelry and food items is increased when looting bodies.
- 0 Honor Rank ( 0 points) – Loot bodies and you’ll often obtain standard tonics, cheap jewelry, basic horse consumables and used alcohol and tobacco.
- -1 Honor Rank ( -40 points) – Drop rate of Dead Eye tonics, thrown weapons, alcohol and tobacco is increased when looting bodies. You will also receive more money and jewelry from lawmen.
- -2 Honor Rank ( -80 points) – N/A
- -3 Honor Rank ( -120 points) – N/A
- -4 Honor Rank ( -160 points) – N/A
- -5 Honor Rank ( -200 points) – N/A
- -6 Honor Rank ( -240 points) – N/A
- -7 Honor Rank ( -280 points) – N/A
- -8 Honor Rank ( -320 points) – N/A
