Difficulty

Difficulty settings affect various aspects of gameplay in Red Dead Revolver and Red Dead Redemption.

Red Dead Revolver

Red Dead Revolver has four different difficulty settings for the single player campaign:

• Normal Mode
• Hard Mode (unlocked by beating the game on Normal Mode)
• Very Hard Mode (unlocked by beating the game on Hard Mode)
• Red Wood Revolver Mode (unlocked by beating the game on Hard Mode)

Note:To unlock a difficulty level, you have to finish the previous first.

In Red Wood Revolver Mode, the player plays as Manny Quinn, a target dummy.

Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption has three difficulty settings in the regular single player campaign and in Undead Nightmare. Multiplayer has the same settings, which can be set independently of the single player setting. While playing competitive multiplayer matches, different playlists are available for different difficulty settings.

• Casual Mode uses a full auto-aim system (and faster regenerating health), intended for new players.
• Normal Mode features snap-to-target with precise aiming using the right stick.
• Expert Mode implements total free aim with no lock-on at all.

Hardcore Mode

The Game of the Year Edition of Red Dead Redemption adds a Hardcore Mode which includes the following features:

• Aiming is permanently set to Expert.
• Maximum health is reduced by half.
• Health regenerates more slowly and begins refilling after a longer delay.
• Dead Eye Targeting does not automatically fill over time. It must be earned by killing enemies or using items.
• Horses do not regenerate. If killed, the player must purchase, steal, mount, or break another horse and then Hitch it to a post to earn the right to call it by whistling. Horse Deeds are still available and unlimited use, but are twice as expensive.
• Store items cost more. Sell values are lowered.
• Reward/drops/looting amounts are lowered (ammunition and money).
• Pardon Letters are more rare.
• Fame and Honor gains are reduced.
• Mini-game buy-ins are lowered to match the scarcity of money.
• The War Horse deed is not automatically provided to the player and must be purchased instead. It is available to be purchased for $10,000 in any General Store.
• The Deadly Assassin Outfit increases the amount of Deadeye gained from kills, rather than over-time regeneration.

This mode only affects the regular single player campaign, not Undead Nightmare.

Tips

• Health regeneration in cover is higher than out of cover.
• The Treasure Hunter's satchel increases the number of dead-eye items that can be carried.
• Completing all Survivalist Challenges allows a new type of dead-eye item to be looted from plants.
• Loot everything you can, it's all potential money and ammo.
• To make a lot of money, one can still employ the exploit from the Stranger Side-mission "Lights, Camera, Action" by playing Liar's Dice in Thieves' Landing. Try to make sure there are at least two people at the table to maximize your winnings.
• As shooting moving targets from horseback can be rather challenging with Expert aim, it is advised that the player have a full complement of Dead Eye before attempting missions that revolve around this activity. This is especially true for the Vincente de Santa mission "Civilization, at Any Price".
• While riding around, be sure to scan well in front of your horse for Random Encounters so that they may be approached with caution. Some encounters may have participants with itchy trigger fingers that will shoot the player dead before a weapon can be drawn, let alone aimed properly.
• If your horse dies, you cannot replace it without breaking a new one or purchasing a deed. Try reloading your autosave instead. It won't always be the same or even the best horse, but it's better than the alternative of not having a mount at all.

Trivia

• The player is given 3 new save slots so normal difficulty saves are not overwritten.
• The wash color of all of the loading screen pictures is changed from red to white with grey half-tones. This is also true when the player pauses the game, all text, however, remains red.
• In the pause menu, the word "Hardcore" will display to the right of "GAME".
• The War Horse will be given as the player's initial steed. However, the player will not receive the deed to the horse and will still have to purchase it.