Red Dead Online’s Disappointing Latest Update Shows GTA Online Still Rockstar’s Favorite



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Illustration from the article titled iRed Dead Online / The Disappointing Latest Update to i Watch iGTA Online / i Is Still Rockstar's Favorite

Picture: rock star games

Red Dead Online the last update is not much. While Rockstar plans to add a large new island to GTA Online later this month, with a new heist and more, Red Dead Online the year-end update is much smaller. And while a small amount of this new update is good, including some new bounty hunter content and useful upgrades, the rest is underwhelming, leaving me wanting more.

This latest update, which went live earlier today, mainly focuses on two things: adding a new Outlaw Pass and expanding the bounty hunter role already present.

I always liked playing as a bounty hunter Red Dead Online. It’s one of my favorite roles in the game and with this new update its level cap has been increased from 20 to 30. However, this is not a free level cap increase: you will have to shell out over 15 gold bars to become a professional bounty hunter, allowing you to reach level 30. Although 15 gold bars is not a very high amount, especially for players who log in regularly and face challenges, it’s yet another paywall between players and new content. And players have already spent gold to become bounty hunters before this update, so it feels like Rockstar’s share is doubled.

Illustration from the article titled iRed Dead Online / The Disappointing Latest Update to i Watch iGTA Online / i Is Still Rockstar's Favorite

Screenshot: Rockstar / Kotaku

Once you’ve paid your 15 gold and become a professional bounty hunter, you have access to new rewards. And unfortunately, it is not anything extraordinary. Some are nice, like the ability to hold more food, but most are not very useful. You also get new ways to rotate your weapons and new cosmetic items. For players like me who are already playing Red Dead Online regularly and who enjoy the role of bounty hunter, the new content and levels to be gained are cool. But I doubt it will bring many players back to the game, and I’m not sure it’s enough to keep me interested beyond a week or two. Rockstar promises new legendary bounty hunter missions, but the first news included in this update is not good. It’s just your standard RDO mission, where you run, shoot people and go with the target. Compared to some of the fun and creative legendary bounties we’ve seen in the past, this feels like a step back and doesn’t excite me for the future. RDO legendary bonuses.

This update also added Outlaw Pass Number 4, which contains 100 levels. The Outlaw Pass is Red Dead Online version of a Fortnite– a style battle pass, with different levels and rewards to be won by playing the game and accumulating XP. The Outlaw Pass is available in two versions: free and premium. And just like with the previous outlaw passes, the free level gives you a small number of uninteresting rewards. If you want something worthwhile, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium pass, which costs 40 gold bars. (Rockstar also has a special offer for players who purchase the Outlaw Pass before December 7: you’ll get 10 gold bars.)

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Screenshot: Rockstar / Kotaku

So what do you get for 40 gold bars? Well, not much. But no complete shit either. One of the first rewards you unlock at level 2 is the ability to cook multiple pieces of meat at once in your camp. It may not sound exciting, but if you’ve played a lot RDO, you know how time-consuming and tedious cooking meat can be. You can now cook up to three pieces at a time! There are some other quality of life improvements buried in the pass, including the ability to hold more ammo and more ways to travel quickly. These are great and I’m happy to unlock them. But none of that beats 40 gold bars.

Last December, Rockstar released Update on the Moonshiners, one of the best and most important updates for Red Dead Online. It added new story missions, new places to visit, a whole new role, new gear and more. It was a tremendous influx of new content and things to do. This year, Red Dead Online ends the year with a much smaller and comparatively disappointing update. Meanwhile, Rockstar prepares to go out the biggest update of GTA Online history in a few weeks. While I know 2020 has been a tough year for developers around the world, it’s hard to ignore that one Rockstar online game is treated a lot better than the other.

It’s a shame too, because Red Dead Online has potential. With a few big updates, a next gen patch, and more rewards, this could be a much better game. But for now, at least, Rockstar seems unable, unwilling or indifferent to really build RDO in a worthy GTA Online companion or successor. Maybe next year.

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