Most games have two separate in-game currencies to encourage players to spend extra cash. Red Dead Online have chosen to have cash for their normal in-game currency and gold bars as their premium currency. At lower levels making money is difficult, but it gets easier as you level up in roles. Earning gold, however, is different. As a premium currency, Rockstar wants to encourage you to buy it by making it harder to get in-game than just delivering goods. However, unlike many other games, earning gold is pretty easy if you understand Rockstar's system.
It might sound like a frivolous concept, but some beautiful horses are exclusive to gold, some clothing requires gold to purchase, and all roles require gold to start them, with the Moonshiner requiring more than others thanks to the extras and decor options.
How to earn gold in Red Dead Online
Nothing is faster than buying gold from Rockstar. And compared to other premium currencies you look at Elder Scrolls online, the ratio of real money to in-game gold is quite good.
Whatever deals Rockstar may have on gold, it is possible to earn more than you will ever know what to do with. Most of these operations can be done without having any gold at the start, except one.
Image via RockstarDaily challenges
Never underestimate the daily challenges. At first, completing challenges will net you a pitiful amount of gold, 0,2 bars per task. It's per task and with seven general challenges which equals 1,4 gold bars if you complete all seven, plus a bonus for completing all of them. The amount of Gold earned from Daily Challenges increases as your streak continues. And to continue the streak, all you need to do is complete one of the daily challenges.
Once you hit a 21 day streak, the amount of gold is multiplied by 2,5, which means for each daily challenge you will earn 0,5 bar. If you've unlocked Roles and passed level 10, you'll also be offered Daily Role Challenges, for a total of 19 Daily Challenges to complete. If you complete all 19, you will earn 9,5 plus 1,5 additional gold earned for completing all of them, resulting in 11 total gold in one day.
It is not difficult to continue the streak, but it takes dedication. The daily challenges range from easy to difficult. Some are simple, like eating five fresh items. Others ask you to participate in free roaming events to check them out. To keep a streak, log in and complete one of the easiest challenges. It might take ten minutes.
Image via RockstarHistory missions
Because Daily Challenges are more of a chore than gameplay, there are other options for earning gold. This will earn you a little less than the 0,5 bars earned by maximizing your challenges, but it will still be productive.
The story of Online may not be as detailed as the story of the single player, but there are still events and missions to complete. Each will give you some gold. Story missions are ranked and have a hidden timer. In order to maximize the amount of gold, you need to complete them correctly and quickly. Dying and restarting from a checkpoint will reduce your score and rewards.
Image via RockstarForeign missions
Aliens who need your help are all over the map, marked by a peach circle with a wavy silhouette. Accepting these missions will put you in offensive mode and other players can interfere with your mission if they wish, so consider getting a party together. Foreigners will give you both money and some gold to accomplish their tasks.
Remember what we said about completing story missions fast to get the best reward? The reverse is true for the next two options. Counterintuitively, the slower you complete these missions, the better the rewards you will receive. There is a cut-off point where the time spent on rewards is not worth the amount thanks to diminishing returns. Alien missions should take around 15 minutes to maximize the time needed for gold. There are plenty of topics on Reddit if you are looking for a detailed guide on this. Here is one of the good ones.
There is a timer hidden in the missions that starts from the moment you are out of the cutscene. You will need your own timer to keep track. Some missions give you checkpoints or timers at the start, such as intercepting a wagon before its destination. You can intercept the wagon without starting the visible stopwatch if you do not get on the wagon. You just have to intercept it and wait. If you don't have such a checkpoint, gather nearby collectibles or hunt extra skins for Cripps.
Image via RockstarRandom encounters
Depending on the spawn rate of the server, random strangers will ask for your help. They can be marked by a stack of smoke in the distance or by a yellow spot on your radar as you approach. Some are kidnapped and detained at gunpoint and need you to save them and take them somewhere. Others have been injured or thrown by their horse and need a lift. The latter has a chance of being an ambush. If the blue arrow does not appear above their head after pressing "Accept Rescue", it is an ambush. You won't be able to aim at them until they fire the weapon, but you can stomp on them.
If it is not an ambush, there is a hidden timer that starts after clicking "Accept Rescue". Start your stopwatch and drag this event to 12 minutes. Your base amount of gold if you top it up too quickly is 0,08 gold. This can double to 0,16, then to 0,24 around ten minutes. After 12 minutes you will get 0,32 gold for depositing the alien. While the best reward is given at 30 minutes (0,4 gold), doing two of 12 minutes will get you more gold in less time than a 30 minute drop.
Events like defending the camp or saving a stranger from predators will not give you gold. They do give you money and corpses to loot, though, so get them anyway.
Image via RockstarBounties
Right now, Bounty Hunter is the only role to earn gold. The collector can make the most money, but if you need to collect some gold, go to Bounty Hunter. Bounties follow the same hidden timer as Random Encounters. The timer begins once the bonus begins. Start hunting or scooping to help push the timer to 12 minutes. It can sometimes be buggy and may start another timer that forces you to get to the location earlier than you want.
While extending the timer to 30 minutes or more is generally not recommended as there is a chill hour on Legendary Bounties, take as much time as you want. Be warned, dying and restarting from a checkpoint will restart the hidden timer.
A dead bounty will bring in the same amount of gold as a living one, but the amount of money you earn will drop. If your concern is gold and not silver, don't worry if a stray bullet manages to take out your target.
Image via RockstarTreasure maps
The last way to get gold without purchasing it directly from Rockstar is treasure maps. You earn a treasure map every ten levels, so you are guaranteed to always have access to it. You can also find them sometimes by looting enemies. A treasure map usually gives an average of one gold bar. Some will give you less and less money, others will give you more and more money.
Treasure maps suck. Not because their rewards are bad; they are really good and you should do them. But because they drag you to remote places and force you to peer eagle's eye to find a hidden box, sometimes hidden in a cave where the glow won't be visible. If you happen to purge your inventory of all accumulated treasure maps, we recommend this convenient online feature. You will have to activate the treasure maps in the drop down menu, but it is very useful. It's also updated with the daily collectibles, so do some collecting while you're in the area.
Sometimes Rockstar offers gold bonuses for certain tasks, so keep an eye out for those. For now, these are the best and the only ways to earn reliable gold. Another role is expected to come out in the next few weeks which could change the way we earn gold. The search for gold is a long task, but it can be very rewarding. With many players earning over a thousand gold from it all, it's possible to have more gold than you will ever need in Red Dead Online.
