All Roles in Red Dead Online Explained

In Red Dead Online, roles serve as unique avenues for players to make money and earn exclusive role-restricted items. However, it can be very daunting trying to figure out which one to do first as there are a total of five specialist roles that all cost large amounts of gold to unlock. That said, keep reading as in this guide; we will explain all roles in Red Dead Online and shed light on which one you should do first. 

How to unlock roles in Red Dead Online

Before we begin explaining all of the roles, let's first explain the basics. To start, in order to unlock a role in Red Dead Online, you will need around 15 to 25 gold bars, depending on what role you want. 

You can get gold from farming missions, treasure hunting, and various other game methods. You can also pay for it with real-world money - this something you might want to consider if you don't like grinding. 

Once you get the required amount of gold, all you need to do next is find certain NPCs in various locations and speak to them to unlock the role. As a side note, some roles are more challenging than others, so be sure to read which role we recommend starting with first. 

How do Red Dead Online Roles work?

In short, it's as precisely as we previously mentioned; the roles in Red Dead Online generally give you a unique way to make money in the game and access to some cool activities like bounty hunting missions and moonshine runs. You will also, overtime level up these roles and earn some unique items through 20 ranks.

 As you level up, you will also earn what are called role tokens, which can be used to buy various skills such as the ability to duck while on horseback. Each role also comes with exclusive gear, skins, weapons, and even wagons you can ride around in. Keep reading below to find out everything you need to know about roles in Red Dead Online.

Red Dead Online Trader Role Explained

How to unlock: Speak to Cripps after receiving the letter from him in the mail.

Price: 15 gold bars (PS4 players can get it for free)

The Trader role is one of the best in terms of making money the easy way and for new players to start doing. It's also good if you like hunting as you will be tracking game all of the time with this role. With the Trader role, you will work alongside your camp manager Cripps to start a fur trading company by bringing back materials for Cripps to turn into sellable goods.  

After Cripps turns the skins and furs, you bring him into goods; you will need to make two types of deliveries; Local and long-distance runs. In local, you will generally be attacked by NPCs at the end; however, with long-distance runs, rival players can intercept your delivery and steal your goods. Along with this, you will also have to protect your camp from time to time from bandit raids trying to steal your supplies. 

The following are some of the skills and items you can unlock with this role.

• Stew Pot - This is an upgrade to your camp that unlocks a stew pot where you can make various stew recipes to boost your cores.
• Awareness - When this skill is unlocked, you will see rival Trader wagons from an increased distance.
• Ingredients Satchel Upgrade -  Unlocking this upgrade will allow players to store more ingredients in their Satchel.
• Canine Warning - Once unlocked, you will train your camp dog to warn of thieves trying to raid the camp
• Weapons Locker - Another camp upgrade that will allow you to store some of your weapons at camp.
• Lance Knife - A special knife only available to Traders.
• Materials Satchel Upgrade - Unlocking this will allow players to store more materials in their pouch. 
• Large Delivery Wagon - An upgraded version of the Delivery Wagon that can hold four barrels in delivery missions.
• Hunting Wagon - Unlocking this will allow you to purchase a wagon to store multiple carcasses, hides, and pelts. 
• Medium Delivery Wagon - An upgraded version of the Delivery Wagon that can hold two barrels in delivery missions.
• Efficiency -  When unlock, it Increases the number of raw materials from perfect carcasses when donating to a trading company.
• Protection - This skill, when unlocked will reduce the chance of raids occurring at your camp

Red Dead Online Bounty Hunter Role Explained

How to unlock: Speak to the Legendary Bounty Hunter and buy the Bounty hunting license in Rhodes

Price: 30 gold bars altogether if you want both licenses; if not, it's just 15 for the normal one.

The Bounty hunter role is the ideal role for someone who just loves combat and hard as nails missions. As a Bounty hunter, the game will task you to hunt down and capture or kill various randomly generated criminals for small amounts of cash and gold. Or instead, you can go after an extensive roster of big-name criminals dubbed "Legendary Bounties" in missions that get harder as you do them. Along with this, the rewards increase as the missions scale up in difficulty.

Both bounty types can be taken on in any of the major settlements in the game viva a bounty board next to the sheriff's building. Also, when you hit rank 12, you can even go after players with a bounty of $20 or more. To do this, all you need to do is join a pursuit if you get an invite.

The following are some of the skills and items you can unlock with this role.

• Focus - Targets in Deadeye mode will glow red 
• Reinforced Lasso - An upgraded version of the lasso that will keep bounties secured
• Tonics Satchel Upgrade - Unlocking this will allow players to store more items in their Tonics pouch.
• Reverse Spin - Unlocking this will enable you to do a reverse spin with a single pistol or revolver
• Eagle Eye+ - When this skill is unlocked, you will be able to track enemies while sprinting or galloping.
• Kit Satchel Upgrade - Unlocking this will allow players to store more items in their Kit Satchel. 
• Spin Up - Unlocking this will enable you to do a spin up with a single pistol or revolver.
• Tracking Arrow Pamphlet - Unlocks crafting tracking arrows.
• Ducking - When unlocked, the player will be able to duck while on horseback for extra protection in fights. 
• Bolas - A throwing weapon where you can stop targets from running away or moving around. It's perfect for capturing bounties and players.
• Bounty Wagon - A wagon that will allow you to secure bounties safely - I highly recommend picking it up as soon as you can. 
• Perception - Unlocking this skill will give you bounty notifications from a farther distance. 
• Alternating Flips - Unlocking this will allow you to do alternating flips with a single pistol or revolver
•  Dual Gun Spinning - Learn to do a spinning gun trick with two pistols or revolvers. 

Red Dead Online Naturalist Role Explained

How to unlock: Go to the welcome center in Strawberry

Price 25 Gold Bars

If you like the Trader role and hunting, this role is for you as that's all you will be doing with the Naturalist role. When you unlock the role, you will gain access to two sets of activities offered by two different NPCs. 

One is called Harriet, and she will want you to track down animals and collect blood samples, while the other Gus Macmillion will want you to hunt game and bring back their pelts. In return, both NPCs can give you access to some unique skills, outfits, and trinkets that will help you become a better hunter. Along with that, you will get exclusive hunting missions.

It's worth pointing out that the Naturalist role is not the most significant money-making role, but it will help a lot with the Trader role, so it's worth the gold if you can afford it.

The following are some of the skills and items you can unlock with this role.

• Naturalist Varmint Rifle Skin - As the name suggests, unlocking this will get you a unique skin for your Varmint Rifle.
• Wilderness Camp - Unlocking this will allow you to set up temporary camps where you can rest, craft and cook. 
• Legendary Eagle Eye - Unlocking this skill will enable you to tell the difference between normal and legendary animal trails. 
• Animal Attraction - Increases the chances of spotting legendary animals.
• Sedative Varmint Cartridge Pamphlet - Unlocks crafting sedative ammunition for the Varmint Rifle.
• Mercy - Unlocks the ability to mercy kill wounded animals.
• Animal Focus - narrows the search area when looking for legendary animals.
• Legendary Animal Pheromones Pamphlet - Unlocks crafting legendary animal pheromones.
• Blending Tonic Pamphlet - Unlocks crafting blending tonics.
• Animal Reviver Pamphlet - Unlocks crafting animal reviver tonics.
• Tonics Satchel Upgrade - This allows you to store even more Items in your Tonics Pouch.
• The Kennewick - Unlocking this will let you wear an exclusive rugged outfit for Naturalists.

Red Dead Online Collector Role Explained

How to unlock:  Speak to Madam Nazar and buy the collector's bag.

Price: 15 gold bars

If you are a fetch quest addict, you will love the Collector Role because that is all you will be doing with it. When you unlock the Collector Role, you will gain access to a bunch of items that can be gathered up across the map to put in sellable collections.  

When you get a full collection, you can then mail them to an NPC called Madam Nazar and sell them for insanely good payouts. If you want to find Madam Nazar or the various items use this excellent tool here, it will show both where to find her and all of the items that make up collections. 

As a side note, each item in a collection only spawns on a specific day, so I recommend using that online tool for finding them all. Along with that, you will need to get certain items sold by Nazar before you can collect specific collector items. For example, you will need to buy the field shovel to dig up dirt mounds and the metal detector to find items buried underground. Also, I would recommend starting off with this role alongside the trader one if you are a new player, as it is an excellent source of XP to level your rank up.

The following are some of the skills and items you can unlock with this role.

• Pennington Field Shovel - When this is unlocked and bought, you will be able to dig up dirt mounds for certain collectible items. 
• Divination - Unlocking this skill will allow you to sense when you are near collectibles; you will hear a ringing that will haunt you in your sleep when you get near a location.
• Potential - Unlocking this skill will allow you to detect disturbed earth while using Eagle Eye.
• Intuition - This skill, when unlocked will narrow the search area for collectibles.
• Collector Saddle Bag - A collector exclusive saddle bag that has extra pouches and pockets
• Refined Binoculars - Special binoculars that will allow you to see dig sites from a distance. 
• Águila Machete - Unique melee weapon exclusive to Collectors.
• Metal Detector - When bought, it will enable you to dig and find buried collector items.
• Equine Assistance - Unlocking this skill will let you grab collector items on horseback - probably won't let you dig for them though
• Horse Lantern - Unlocking this will allow you to buy a cool lantern for your horse, so you can see where you are going at night.
• Witford Compass - A unique belt buckle for Collectors
• Valuables Satchel Upgrade = When unlocked, it will allow you to store more items in your Valuables Pouch.

Red Dead Online Moonshiner Role Explained

How to unlock:  Complete at least one sell mission or reach rank 5, and Cripps will introduce you to this role. After this, you will then need to buy a moonshine shack.

Price: 25 gold

The last and final role, the Moonshiner, is a good one to do alongside the Trader role. You are essentially doing the same type of work, but instead, you are collecting materials to make various kinds of illegal booze. You will also gain access to various missions and a story campaign involving a tale of revenge.

 On top of all this, you can even purchase your very own bar, serve drinks to friends, and customize various options. You will also have to do delivery missions similar to the trader role with Moonshiner for some pretty decent payouts. That said, I'd recommend giving Moonshiner a go if you play the Trader role often. 

The following are some of the skills and items you can unlock with this role.

• Bar Expansion - When bought, constructs a secret bar in your Moonshine shack.
• Levens Gun Belt - Exclusive gun belt only available to Moonshiners
• Sabotage - Unlocks the ability to identify rival Moonshine Hideouts.
• Still Upgrade - Upgrades your moonshine still to increase the strength of moonshine produced.
• Band Expansion - Adds a band to your basement bar.
• Sawed-off Shotgun Skin - A unique skin for the sawed-off shotgun only available to Moonshiners.
• Flammable Moonshine - Basically an angry and more powerful Molotov cocktail throwing weapon. 
• Nevin Hip Flask - Adds an ornate hipflask to your gun belt.
• Recipes - Unlocks various Moonshine flavor recipes
• Darrow Buckle - Unique belt buckle exclusive to Moonshiners.
• Master Distiller - When unlocked, reduces the time to create a batch of moonshine.
• Toxic MoonShine Pamphlet - unlocks crafting Toxic Moonshine, a deadly poison throwable. 

There you have it, all roles in Red Dead Online explained. If you still need help with Red Dead Online or the story mode, head on over to the game page for more helpful guides and news stories