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Weapon Challenges are a category of multiplayer challenges in Red Dead Redemption that involve using specific Weapons to kill opponents in PVP or gang Shootouts and Bag Games. Although not mentioned specifically in the challenge details, Stronghold matches also count. Player kills in Free Roam do not count.

The majority of the challenges are available with the main game, though some (such as the Tomahawk challenges) do require a DLC. The DLCs also add more locations in which to work on these challenges. Most, but not all, available weapons have associated challenges.

Note that this page only concerns challenges listed within the Weapon challenges section. Various weapons also factor in to challenges in the Free Roam, PVP, and Co-op challenge sections. Those challenges are covered on the appropriate pages.

Challenge Format Overview[]

Each weapon has two sets of associated challenges, with three ranks per set. Most follow the same challenge format, as detailed in the Standard Weapon Challenges section, below. A couple of weapons, namely the Fire Bottle and Dynamite, follow a different challenge format and are covered under the Special Weapon Challenges section, below.

Rewards[]

Completion of each rank of a challenge earns the player XP as noted in the charts that follow. Completion of all three ranks of both sets of challenges for a given weapon earns the player a title and a golden version of that weapon. Titles are noted for each weapon in the sections below.

Standard Weapon Challenges[]

All of the weapons in this section follow the same standard challenge structure noted below. There are two sets of challenges for each weapon, one involving total player kills and one involving headshots. The challenges unlock at the same multiplayer rank at which the weapon itself is unlocked. Kills scored prior to unlocking the challenge do not count.

As noted above, although the text specifies "Shootouts or Bag Games," kills and headshots in Stronghold qualify as well.

Standard Challenge - Kills[]

Rank Description XP Title
1 Get 25 kills in Shootouts or Bag Games with the specified weapon 50 n/a
2 Get 50 kills in Shootouts or Bag Games with the specified weapon 100 n/a
3 Get 100 kills in Shootouts or Bag Games with the specified weapon 150 (See "Rewards" section above and specific weapon listing below)

Standard Challenge - Headshots[]

Rank Description XP Title
1 Get 25 headshots in Shootouts or Bag Games with the specified weapon 100 n/a
2 Get 50 headshots in Shootouts or Bag Games with the specified weapon 175 n/a
3 Get 100 headshots in Shootouts or Bag Games with the specified weapon 250 (See "Rewards" section above and specific weapon listing below)

Note: The Rockstar Social Club website incorrectly lists the XP values for the following challenges. The values listed in the charts above are correct and confirmed for each weapon as of April 2011.

  • Repeated Killer headshots
  • Double Death Dealer headshots

Standard Challenge Weapon List[]

The table below lists the weapons that follow the standard challenge formats listed above, along with the associated challenge name and the multiplayer rank at which the challenge is unlocked. In each case, the name of the challenge is equivalent to the title that the player receives upon completing all three ranks of both the kills and headshots challenges for that weapon.

Weapon Challenge Name/Title Earned Unlock rank Footnotes
Bolt Action Rifle Bolt Action Assassin 40
Buffalo Rifle Buffalo Butcher 50 (1)
Carcano Rifle Carcano Killer 28
Double-action Revolver Double Death Dealer 17
Double-barreled Shotgun Double Barrel Killer 37
Evans Repeater Evans Reaper 43
Explosive Rifle Explosive Rifle Killer 1 (2)
Henry Repeater Henry Hurter 32
High Power Pistol High Powered Killer 35
LeMat Revolver LeMat Meurtre 46
Mauser Pistol Mauser Murder 49
Pump-action Shotgun Pump Action Killer 11
Repeater Carbine Repeated Killer 2
Rolling Block Rifle Rolling Block Bully 20
Sawed-off Shotgun Sawed Off Shooter 18
Schofield Revolver Schofield Assassin 9
Semi-automatic Pistol Semi Auto Pistolero 24
Semi-auto Shotgun Semi Auto Shotgunner 26
Springfield Rifle Springfield Killer 13
Tomahawk Tomahawk Killer 1 (3)
Volcanic Pistol Volcanic Killer 5
Winchester Repeater Winchester Wielder 8

Footnotes:

(1) Buffalo Rifle - Although the standard XP values are listed for the Buffalo Butcher challenges, since the challenges are only unlocked at Level 50 (maximum XP), no XP are actually earned for completing the challenge ranks.
(2) Explosive Rifle - Requires Liars and Cheats DLC. Challenge wording differs from standard, replacing "Shootouts or Bag Games" with "Stronghold" since that is the only mode in which the challenge can be completed. Challenge is available from the beginning, assuming the DLC is installed (does not need to be unlocked).
(3) Tomahawk - Requires Legends and Killers DLC. XP for rank 1 of the headshots challenge is listed in-game as 50, which differs from the standard 100. It has not been confirmed if this is just a typo or if 50 xp is actually awarded. Challenge is available from the beginning, assuming the DLC is installed (does not need to be unlocked).

Special Weapon Challenges[]

Two of the thrown weapons follow a different challenge format than the standard noted in the previous section. These are covered below.

Note: The Rockstar Social Club website incorrectly lists the XP values and kill requirements for the DYN-O-MITE! and Pyro challenges, listing them as identical to the standard kills challenge. The values listed in the charts below are correct and confirmed in-game as of April 2011.

DYN-O-MITE![]

The DYN-O-MITE! and DYN-O-MITE! DEM-O-LI-TION! challenges apply to the thrown weapon Dynamite. The DYN-O-MITE! challenge follows a similar format to the standard kills challenge, but with lower kill requirements. The DYN-O-MITE! DEM-O-LI-TION! challenge takes the place of the standard headshots challenge (which wouldn't make sense for Dynamite). Completion of all three ranks of the DYN-O-MITE DEM-O-LI-TION challenge earns the player the title "DYN-O-MITE!" and golden Dynamite. Completion of the DYN-O-MITE! challenge is not required to earn these items (confirmed on PS3). These challenges are unlocked at multiplayer rank 15.

DYN-O-MITE! Challenge[]

Rank Description XP Title
1 Get 5 kills in Shootouts or Bag Games with a stick of Dynamite 250 n/a
2 Get 25 kills in Shootouts or Bag Games with a stick of Dynamite 250 n/a
3 Get 50 kills in Shootouts or Bag Games with a stick of Dynamite 250 n/a (See DYN-O-MITE! section text, above)

DYN-O-MITE DEM-O-LI-TION! Challenge[]

Rank Description XP Title
1 Kill 2 enemies with a single stick of Dynamite 250 n/a
2 Kill 3 enemies with a single stick of Dynamite 250 n/a
3 Kill enemy holding the bag with Dynamite 250 (See "Rewards" section and DYN-O-MITE! section text, above)

Pyro[]

The Pyro and Pyro Arson challenges apply to the Fire Bottle and follow a similar format to the DYN-O-MITE! challenges. Completion of all three ranks of the Pyro and Pyro Arson challenges earns the player the title "Pyro" and a golden Fire Bottle. These challenges are unlocked at multiplayer rank 22.

Pyro Challenge[]

Rank Description XP Title
1 Get 5 kills in Shootouts or Bag Games with Fire Bottles 250 n/a
2 Get 25 kills in Shootouts or Bag Games with Fire Bottles 250 n/a
3 Get 50 kills in Shootouts or Bag Games with Fire Bottles 250 (See "Rewards" section and Pyro section text, above)

Pyro Arson Challenge[]

Rank Description XP Title
1 Kill 2 enemies with a single Fire Bottle 250 n/a
2 Kill 3 enemies with a single Fire Bottle 250 n/a
3 Kill enemy holding the bag with a Fire Bottle 250 (See "Rewards" section and Pyro section text, above)


Weapons without challenges[]

The following weapons do not have challenges in the Weapon challenges section, and thus cannot become golden weapons. Some of them do factor in to challenges in the Free Roam, PVP, and Co-op challenge sections, however.

Tips[]

Tips for completing the Weapon challenges are divided into General tips that apply to all weapons and tips that apply only to a specific weapon or weapon class.

General[]

  • Maybe a little obvious, but try for headshots as often as possible since they are the limiting factor in each of these challenges (every headshot might be a kill, but every kill doesn't require a headshot). Getting good at headshots also helps with gameplay in general and, therefore, many PVP challenges.
  • Enter a Shootout or Bag Game which uses casual targeting and use the aim assist to get a headshot. It may be easier for some players to get kills and headshots with the aiming system in Casual mode vs. Normal or Expert (Hardcore).

Buffalo Rifle[]

  • The Buffalo Rifle is not a standard weapon for any competitive game mode and is only available in chests in a few locations: Las Hermanas, Chuparosa (Hold Your Own) and Blackwater (Grab the Bag). In addition, the Buffalo Rifle only fires one round at a time and leaves the player exposed while reloading. So, it is important to try for a headshot with each shot in order to work towards both the kills and headshots challenges. The rifle has good range so remain at a distance from the target to gain an advantage.

Fire Bottle[]

  • One fire bottle is not enough to kill a player with full health, so either damage the player with another weapon first or be prepared to use multiple fire bottles.
  • Since it takes 2 fire bottles to kill a player, it's best to aim for the head. The game will treat it as a head shot with a gun.
  • Contrary to its ingame description, the Pyro Arson Challenge will progress as long as multiple targets are struck by the same Fire Bottle and then killed by any means. As such, finishing off burning opponents with a gunshot is a perfectly viable tactic and will help complete the objective.

Rolling Block Rifle[]

  • This weapon, being a sniper, does not use the aim assist, so headshots can be obtained just as easily in either normal or Hardcore games.

Trivia[]

  • One glitch that was observed with DYN-O-MITE! DEM-O-LI-TION! (running with Title Update 1.06 at the time) was that all players on the defending team in Stronghold were awarded rank 1 of the challenge when a player on the attacking team apparently blew up two teammates with dynamite.


Red Dead Redemption Multiplayer
Game modes Free RoamShootoutGang ShootoutGrab the BagHold Your OwnGold RushGrand PrixStrongholdLand GrabUndead OverrunCo-opPokerLiar's Dice
Unlockables CharactersWeaponsMountsTitles
Challenges Free RoamWeaponPVPCo-opGamblingRacingStrongholdUndead OverrunStat
Concepts Gang HideoutsGolden GunsOutfitterPosseXP
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