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Red Dead Redemption:
Undead Nightmare mission

Curious Tales from Blackwater
Rdr curious tales blackwater
Statistics
Start Blackwater
End Blackwater
Given by Harold MacDougal
Location West Elizabeth
Rewards Torch
Repeater Carbine
Progression
Unlocked by Unlocks
Undead Nightmare
mission
"Love in the Time of Plague"
Undead Nightmare
mission
"Get Back in That Hole, Partner"
and
Undead Nightmare
mission
"A Cure for Most
of What Ails You"

and
Undead Nightmare
side-mission:
"Birth of the Conservation Movement"
Undead Nightmare
side-mission:
"Dinner for Two"
Undead Nightmare
side-mission:
"Paternal Pride"
Undead Nightmare
side-mission:
"Filth and Other Entertainment"


What is going on?

John Marston


Well, sir, I'm a man of science. A man of great learning. A thinker. A wise man, and I'll be honest with you, sir. I haven't got a fucking clue!

Harold MacDougal


Well, ain't that dandy?

–John Marston


Curious Tales from Blackwater is a mission in the Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare DLC pack.

Story[]

Upon arriving in Blackwater seeking the aid of a doctor for Abigail and Jack, John finds the town deserted and assumes the townsfolk are hiding. Surprisingly, John finds Harold MacDougal in the middle of town. MacDougal claims to have returned to do some more research, but at that moment he's scared out of his mind. John asks him to explain the situation, but despite MacDougal's supposed scientific brilliance, all he can offer John is "I haven't got a fucking clue."

John suggests they go looking for survivors, but MacDougal insists on getting his medical bag which he'd left with Nastas. He is greeted instead by an undead Nastas who promptly begins devouring the Professor as John looks on in horror.

Walkthrough[]

Mission Prerequisites[]

Before this mission becomes available, the player must complete:

Mission Objectives[]

To complete this mission, the player must:

  • Kill or avoid Nastas, Harold MacDougal and any other undead.
  • Search for remaining survivors.
  • Burn the caskets and clear the undead at the Blackwater Cemetery.
  • Kill Mordecai Robbard and the remaining undead horde.
  • Return to Blackwater.
  • Assist the survivors and lessen the undead presence.
  • Search Blackwater for any remaining survivors.

Mission Details[]

Phase 1[]

Speak with MacDougal and either dispose of him and the undead Nastas or avoid them and the remaining undead that appear. Whichever method is chosen, the player then needs to make his way to the back alley entrance to the Tailor Shop to speak with Mordecai Robbard's niece.

Phase 2[]

After speaking with the girl, the player should make his way to the Blackwater Cemetery and burn all of the coffins designated by the yellow dots on the minimap. Note that each of these coffins is also an ammo cache.

After burning the first coffin, the undead will begin to rise and attack the player. Eliminate nearly all of them and a cutscene will play showing Mordecai Robbard rising from his grave. Eliminate Robbard and any remaining undead to end this phase of the mission. The player will also receive the Repeater Carbine.

Phase 3[]

Return to Blackwater and a cutscene will show the townsfolk trying to fend off a undead attack. Aid the survivors (represented by the blue dots on the minimap) by giving them ammo or simply eliminating the undead for them. When the town is safe, green dots indicating ammo caches will appear on the minimap.

Phase 4[]

Find and speak with the small group of survivors atop the Auto Livery and listen to them squabble. Then find another group of survivors in the southwest lot. This second set of survivors will give Marston suggestions on the cause of the plague that will be the player's next destinations.

Mission Failure[]

The mission will fail if the player:

New Game Elements Introduced[]

  • Using a torch.
  • Filling the Town Safety Meter.
  • Providing survivors with ammo to fill Town Safety Meter.
  • Saving towns.

Mission Complete Unlockables[]

Trivia[]

  • The Blackwater cemetery does not keep to the same pattern of having the 'Boss' undead be a deceased character that John encountered in the regular campaign.
  • If the player didn't kill the undead Nastas or Harold MacDougal after the first cutscene, they may find them later on in the mission when clearing Blackwater from the undead hordes, where they will then have to be killed in order to complete the mission. Alternatively, they may be found just outside of the graveyard after the player cleanses it of the undead, where they can either kill them, or leave them to roam as undead.
  • It seems as if the undead are scripted to stop chasing the player once they cross the railroad tracks to cleanse the graveyard, possibly to make this part of the mission easier for the player.
  • The last group of survivors that John comes across ask John to prove to them that he isn't "one of them". John replies with "They can't speak", despite the undead Mordecai Robbard - although incoherently - being able to say words while John clears the graveyard.
  • It is possible to kill the child in the first survivor group without using cheats. Simply fire on or around them and the girl and her mother will stand and run off, after which they can then be downed easily.
  • If the player runs too far away before speaking to the family on the rooftop after clearing the town, the U icon on the mini-map used to trigger the cutscene will disappear. This does not affect the game, and the player can still trigger this part of the mission. Once the player moves closer to the family, the U icon will appear on the mini-map again.
  • When clearing the town of the undead hordes, if the player goes on top of the roof of the building where the family is standing before meeting them, they will suddenly spawn after the player kills the last undead to save the town. In this situation, the family will have unique dialogue that otherwise doesn't seem to trigger before officially meeting them in the respective cutscene.
  • The graffiti around Blackwater includes quotes from the regular campaign.
  • Ayauhteotl makes two appearances in this mission, the first is when she is among the bickering couple and their daughter, while the second is among the group of survivors at the end that get attacked by a Bolter.
  • Excluding Random Encounters, this mission is the only time that the player can find a Bolter in West Elizabeth.
  • After completing the mission, if the player stays in Blackwater and doesn't immediately leave, the ambient music that plays in Beecher's Hope may start playing. It will continue to play unless either a Random Encounter occurs in the town, if the player leaves the town, or if they save and reload the game. This only happens if the player has their Music Volume setting set to anything other than mute.
  • After completing the mission, the player is almost guaranteed to trigger at least one Random Encounter before starting a new mission or before saving a town. The Random Encounter in question tends to always be the You only die twice Random Encounter. Depending on the player's actions, the Random Encounter will either be triggered in the Great Plains if they chose to leave immediately upon completion of the mission, or it will be triggered in Blackwater if they chose to stick around.
    • It appears that this is one of two missions in Undead Nightmare where a Random Encounter seems to be scripted to trigger after completing the mission, with the other mission being "Birth of the Conservation Movement".
  • After completing the mission, it's possible for Pestilence - one of the Four Horses of the Apocalypse - to spawn immediately after leaving Blackwater, albeit unlikely.

Gallery[]

Video Walkthroughs[]

Original Version
PS5 Version

Achievements/Trophies[]

Completing this mission will contribute to acquiring the following Trophies/Achievements:

Rdr downward spiral
10 gamerscoregamerscore
Bronze bronzebronze
Complete "Curious Tales from Blackwater" survivor mission.

Rdr zed's dead baby
40 gamerscoregamerscore
Silver silversilver
Attain 100% Game Completion statistic in Undead Nightmare.


Related Content[]

Undead Nightmare mission walkthroughs
A Civilized ManA Cure for Most of What Ails YouAmerican ImperialismBiographies and LiesBirth of the Conservation MovementCurious Tales from BlackwaterDinner for TwoFilth and Other EntertainmentGet Back in That Hole, PartnerLove in the Time of PlagueMissing SoulsMother Superior BluesOn a Pale HorsePaternal Pride
Undead Nightmare MissionsMissions in RedemptionRedemption DLC Missions
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