Rockstar surprises Red Dead Online fans with a major supernatural-themed update, introducing four eerie Telegram missions featuring undead plagues, swamp beasts, and rogue robots. Here’s everything you need to know.
For the first time in a long while, Red Dead Online has received a substantial content update, and it’s a haunting one. Rockstar Games has launched a new series of Telegram missions titled Strange Tales of the West, diving deep into supernatural folklore and eerie phenomena of the American frontier. This marks the biggest update the game has seen since Rockstar shifted much of its development team to focus on Grand Theft Auto VI back in 2022.
The missions are introduced through a letter from author Theodore Levin, a familiar face from Red Dead Redemption 2’s single-player campaign. Players can collect Strange Tales of the West Vol. 1 from any post office or their camp’s lockbox to begin the four new Telegram missions, each tackling bizarre, otherworldly threats.
Here’s what each mission entails:
- Strange Tales of the Plague: A mysterious disease is sweeping through Armadillo, reanimating the dead into “shambling undead.” Players must retrieve infected corpses for study, without getting infected themselves.
- Strange Tales of Modern Science: In a nod to Fallout-like dystopia, players face off against rogue automatons created by a mad scientist, now terrorizing the Braithwaite Manor area.
- Strange Tales of the Bayou: Set in the eerie swamps of Lagras, players hunt down a mythic swamp creature believed to be lurking in the shadows.
- Strange Tales of the Wilderness: A captured scientist is being held by a murderous gang in the remote wilderness. Players must track and rescue him while managing limited resources and deadly enemies.
The update is part of Red Dead Online’s July event month, and Rockstar is making it worthwhile for both returning and new players. All Strange Tales of the West missions award triple Gold, RDO$, and XP through August 4. Naturalists will also earn triple RDO$ and XP on Sample Sales and double rewards for Wildlife Photography and Legendary Animal Sighting missions.
Additionally, players who log in anytime during July will receive the exclusive Rebellion Poncho, a free cosmetic reward to celebrate Independence Day. Rockstar has also reintroduced several limited-time clothing items, including the Owanjila Hat, Clymene Coat, and Winter Shotgun Coat, alongside discounts on weapon customizations, cartridge pamphlets, and more.
While Rockstar previously stated it would no longer release major updates for Red Dead Online, this spooky, story-driven drop shows that the Wild West still has life, and unlife, left in it. It’s a welcome return to form for fans, especially those who have long hoped for a follow-up to the cult-classic Undead Nightmare.
Available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and next-gen consoles via backward compatibility, Red Dead Online invites players to saddle up and brave the paranormal. This summer, the West gets weird.
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