Starting today, players will be able to dive into a new Frontier Pursuits role in Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Online: The Naturalist.
With this Frontier Pursuit, players will be able to hunt, track, and study the wonders of the animal kingdom. The Naturalist allows players to encounter majestic new Legendary Animals, explore diverse locales, and forge your own path. The choice is yours whether to use these findings to learn new skills or bolster your material gains and resources.
Accomplished conservationist Harriet Davenport is seeking out all adventurers that have an affinity for wildlife to help her track down specimens and further her extensive knowledge of these animals. To get her what she’s looking for, players can pursue these creatures in the wild and then cautiously sedate them to obtain samples for Harriet and be rewarded.
Those that obtain samples without killing will earn unique rewards. To achieve this goal, players can use the new Sedative Varmint Cartridges with the Varmint Rifle to sedate and sample. For the especially savvy Naturalists among us, one can use Animal Reviver to ensure that vulnerable animals are not left prone and endangered.
At odds with Harriet’s mission to preserve and understand wildlife is retired big game hunter Gus Macmillan, who will compensate you well for your hunting skills. Those that favor fine clothing made from animal hides over conservation can take advantage of a wide range of options from your hauls. Just be warned that Harriet will take notice of your poaching activities if you’re looking to play both sides.
By delivering skins, animal parts, and hides to Gus, one can get themselves high quality garments and other unique items that contain special benefits. These include Legendary Animal Coats and other apparel, along with Animal Trinkets that bring with them select advantages.
To get started, players can visit the Welcome Center in Strawberry to meet up with both Harriet and Gus. Players will be able to document their findings with the new Animal Field Guide, which serves as a compendium that features the abundant species found across each of the frontier’s distinct habitats. Those that track, photograph, and sample animals will be able to add their information to your Animal Field Guide and progress you along the Naturalist role.
Along the way, a range of new items, skills, and gameplay will be yours to explore. These include a new Naturalist-focused breed of Horses, bespoke accessories and clothing, and new Tonics and Tonic Recipes. New skills like Mercy Kills and the ability to pitch Wilderness Camps will also be available.
As players’ Naturalist activities progress, they’ll begin to encounter Legendary Animals in both in Free Roam and through Animal Sighting assignments. By using the Legendary Animal Map as a guide, players can discover their locations and follow information in the Animal Field Guide to locate each of them. Legendary Foxes, Cougars, Beavers, Boars, Bison, Wolves, and Elk can be discovered now, with more Legendary Animals emerging in the weeks to come.
A new Advanced Camera is also available from the Wheeler, Rawson and Co. Catalogue, which allows for for increased mobility and an improved suite of camera features that contains a set of filters. New weapons also make their appearance, including a customizable Improved Bow and the Elephant Rifle, which is designed for taking down large animals.
Finally, this role brings with it a pair of new Free Roam events:
- Legendary Animal Protection – Work together to defend a Legendary Animal from poachers as it migrates across the frontier. But don’t get too close to it while doing so, or you may be seen as a potential threat.
- Wild Animal Tagging – Join up with other players to sedate and tag animals from certain species in order to obtain samples and discover a bonus Legendary Animal, while also dealing with potential poachers.
