Honor is the system which serves to measure the social acceptability of Marston's actions in Red Dead Redemption. Specific actions in the game are considered honorable or dishonorable.
Descripton
Performing certain tasks, like saving citizens under attack or siding with honorable lawmen will earn the player positive honor. Alternatively, siding against lawmen, aiding thieves and outlaws, stealing and violent actions such as Murder toward innocents will earn the player negative honor. Having the law alerted of any crimes, whether or not law enforcement sees it first hand or an eyewitness escapes, will lower Marston's honor.
Honor will affect how NPCs interact with the player in different ways depending on whether one has accumulated high or low honor. The psychological effect of Honor on NPCs is relative to Marston's Fame level.
A player with high Honor is rewarded twice as much pay for jobs and bounties, is bestowed the Duster Coat Outfit, and finds that nearly all shopkeepers offer discounts while lawmen and eyewitnesses alike will sometimes overlook minor crimes. Players with Hero Honor rank have a chance of a random encounter with a nun who bestows the Obscuridad del Santo Andres, a kit item that makes enemies less accurate. If a Hero Honor is maintained after receiving the Obscuridad, random nuns will occasionally give the player gifts of money (~$70).
Players with low Honor can bribe eyewitnesses for less, enjoy discounts in the especially shady town Thieves' Landing, their whistle can beckon a special, unique Dark Horse with a white face and red scars and eyewitnesses (but not lawmen) won't dare snitch for anything less than murder. You will also insult people instead of greeting them if you have low honor.
Players can avoid changes in Honor and Fame altogether by use of the bandana.
Honor also directly affects Marston's bounty levels. Bad deeds will increase Marstons bounty, while good deeds can reduce his bounty.
Results
Doing specific actions will result in negative or positive honors.
- Killing an innocent: -50 honor.
- Killing your horse: -50 honor.
- Killing a Lawman: -100 honor.
- Killing a Preacher: -100 honor.
- Killing a nun: -100 honor.
- Bribing a Lawman (while wanted): -400 honor. -1000 if your bounty is $500 or higher.
- Looting the daughter's corpse in Twin Rocks (looting the container outside her room also counts): -200 honor.
- Cracking a safe: -100 honor.
- Nightwatch: +50 honor per non-lethal encounter.
- Bounties: +200 honor alive, +100 honor dead.
- Helping random encounter strangers: +50 honor per non-lethal resolution.
- Disarming duel opponent: +200 honor.
- Defending a stagecoach against bandits: +400 honor.
- Completing a gang hideout: +200 honor.
Titles
These are the lists of rankings in corresponding honor.
High Honor Ranks
| Rank | Title | Perk |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honest Joe |
All jobs pay twice as much (including Bounty Hunting). |
| 2 | Peacemaker | Shop prices are reduced 50% when buying and increased 50% when selling in all areas except Thieves' Landing, in addition to Honest Joe perks. Worn Duster outfit is unlocked. |
| 3 | Hero | Lawmen and civilians only report crimes after the first murder in cold blood, in addition to Honest Joe and Peacemaker perks, although bank robberies will still be reported. Also, there is a chance of a random encounter with a nun who bestows the Obscuridad del Santo Andres. |
Neutral Honor Ranks
| Rank | Title | Perk |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | Drifter | No perks for neutral honor. |
Low Honor Ranks
Here are the ranks in corresponding order:
| Rank | Title | Perk |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rustler | The cost to bribe eyewitnesses is reduced 50%. If you've already reached "Desperado", the "rare mount" Dark Horse responds to your whistle as long as you stay below "Drifter" rank. |
| 2 | Road Agent | All the shops in Thieves' Landing charge you 50% less to buy and pay you 50% more to sell, in addition to Rustler perks. Achieving this title allows you to summon the Dark Horse, as long as you don't pass into "Drifter" rank. |
| 3 | Desperado | In addition to Rustler and Road Agent perks, no eyewitness reports crime below murder, although lawmen still respond to all crimes if seen. An exception: if you're seen robbing a bank the crime will be reported. |
Trivia
- There is a known glitch in which to earn extra honor: After having accepted a bounty, the game must be saved and the bounty returned alive for an increase in honor. Then, without saving, the player must kill themselves; the game will reload to before the bounty was claimed, but will still have the gain in honor and money and may claim the bounty again. This does not always work, and may only work once per bounty.
- Neither honor nor Fame are used in the Undead Nightmare DLC pack.
- Some characters like Trent Oxley and Giovanni Corbeilinni only appear as duelling challengers when the player has low honor.
- The easiest place to lose honor is Thieves Landing and Casa Madrugada, since you incur no bounty for crimes committed there.
Achievement/Trophy
Honor is associated with this gameplay achievement/trophy:
 |
25
 Bronze
 Attain highest Fame rank and either highest or lowest Honor rank.
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