With Blood Money, Red Dead Online finally receives a major update. You will become part of a criminal network and must commit crimes. This includes a feature players have long awaited: heists!
This is what the new update for RDO is about: Blood Money brings numerous new features to Red Dead Online. This includes new stories revolving around criminal networks in Saint Denis. Throughout this story, you will be committing crimes on behalf of gangsters Angelo Bronte and Guido Martelli.
In the plot of Blood Money, gangster boss Angelo Bronte has introduced his own currency “Capitale” to bypass the state’s tax system and expand his power.
The currency was initially designed for the criminal “upper class”, but quickly fell into the hands of ordinary criminals and thieves who use Capitale in all 5 states of RDO. As a result, the police quickly took notice.
His underboss Guido Martelli is now doing everything he can to retrieve as many Capitale letters as possible. And that’s where you come in as outlaws. You need to commit crimes on Martelli’s behalf and collect the Capitale.
If you collect enough Capitale, you earn Martelli’s respect and receive an invitation to so-called “opportunities”. This is a new, highly anticipated feature in Red Dead Online.
Red Dead Online finally gets its first heist – a train robbery
What are opportunities? In this case, it’s simply another word for heists, and there will be a total of three that will appear in succession.
- Opportunities come in three difficulty levels: Normal, High, and Ruthless
- The higher the difficulty level, the greater the reward
- They can be completed alone or with up to three other players
- Opportunity missions cost you Capitale
This will be the first heist in RDO: Once you unlock the first opportunity, you will receive the mission to steal the valuable “Jewels of the West”. To obtain the first jewel, you must carry out the first train heist in RDO. This concerns the Covington Emerald, which is being transported on a heavily armed train and is highly coveted.
Exact details are still lacking, but it is highly likely to be a comprehensive and multi-part mission similar to what you know from GTA Online: You plan the heist, prepare it, and ultimately execute it.
Why is this so special? While heists have been a part of GTA Online for a long time, RDO has not yet seen more extensive heists. Although players have long been demanding such a feature. To see this, you need only search the subreddit for Red Dead Online for heists and you’ll find an endless list of threads (via reddit.com).
It seems that this wish may finally be fulfilled. The opportunity is just the first of three missions; more heists will follow. The crimes also promise more than just short bursts of gunfire.
Crimes bring multi-part missions in free roam mode
What lies behind the crimes? While these may not be as extensive as the opportunity heists, crimes will apparently also provide opportunities to carry out robberies.
Once you have met Martinelli, you can meet five of his associates to start the crimes with up to 6 other players. This includes, for example, Sean Macguire, who is temporarily separated from the Van der Linde gang.
According to Rockstar, these are missions with multiple segments that you can start in free mode. At the launch of Blood Money, there will be three different crimes available:
- The Railroad Contract
- The Jeb Phelps Contract
- The Bluewater Contract
Three additional variants are to follow after the update’s release. Each of the crimes will reward you with Capitale and other useful items. You can also rob yards and camps outside of mission crimes and gather Capitale.
Revamped menu, new player search, and DLSS
What can you expect in the major update? In addition to the story surrounding Capitale, named “Crimes and Opportunities”, Blood Money also brings several other contents and new features.
In addition to the aforementioned crimes and opportunities, the update introduces a new menu system that allows players in free mode direct selection between free roam and Blood Money missions.
With the nomination series, there’s also a new matchmaking feature, allowing you to nominate a specific game mode and start a series. A series consists of your mode and the modes nominated by other players.
With DLSS, a graphics tool from Nvidia comes to Red Dead Redemption 2, improving performance and graphics quality. However, this feature is only available for owners of RTX cards.
Additionally, the Quick-Draw Club introduces a series of 4 Battle Passes for RDO, which will be released sequentially from today until October 27. Each month, there will be a new pass with new rewards. These cost 25 gold bars each (equivalent to 9.99 euros), but the gold bars can be earned back with each pass.
Here’s an overview of the additional contents of the update:
- An in-game purchasable mercenary outfit that includes Capitale, ammunition, supplies, and a matching bandana
- Harraway outfit and rebel poncho are now available at Madam Nazar’s shop
- New color variants for the Torras poncho
- Skills and pocket brochures are now available for purchase at the fence
- New daily challenges
- New achievements
- More content will follow after the release
For more information, check out the official newswire for RDO. (via rockstargames.com/newswire)
In the game, you may also encounter a mysterious guitarist voiced by American blues musician Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. The trailer for Blood Money has already been accompanied by his music, and the character is also featured:
By the way: If you successfully steal the emerald this week, you will receive a voucher for a free ammunition belt. If you complete the opportunity mission on Ruthless, you will unlock a Pacific Union cap for purchase at Madam Nazar.
If you like to party with your gang, this week you can enjoy free drinks in the saloons. Also, in the benefits section, there’s a voucher for a free accessory waiting for you.
When will Blood Money be released? The official release is July 13. The update will be available for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
Do you have to pay for the update? No. Blood Money is free. Only the Quick-Draw Passes cost gold bars, which can be purchased with real money.
What do you think? Will you take a look at Red Dead Online because of Blood Money? Or is there nothing in the update that interests you? Discuss it with us in the comments.
If you’re not only interested in Red Dead Online, but also like the story, we have here 5 of the most tragic characters from your gang in Red Dead Redemption 2.
