Horses are everywhere inRed Dead Redemption 2, with deep RPG mechanics that make them one of the most interesting parts of the game to explore. Arthur can find the perfect steed, from dependable workhorses to sturdy warhorses to help him in the middle of a firefight. The intricate depth of customization with horses is already extensive inRDR2, but its sequel could improve upon its mares even more.
The freedom of choice you have forcollecting different horses inRDR2is staggering, aseach of the 19 types of mares often have unique breeds. Each breed of a horse type has distinct stats, from Health and Speed to Acceleration and Handling. Horses have various personalities too, making the process of taming them engaging to earn the trust of creatures who will carry you around for every journey.
5Random Personalities That Aren’t Locked To Different Breeds
Make Horses Have More Noticeable Quirks And Traits
The breed of horse inRDR2determines its temperament, with some being aggressive while others are far more docile. While this is a great mechanic for diversifying how horses behave,RDR2unrealistically assigns one personality type to every horse of that same breed. Even if you have a horse with different coats, it will always have its behavior reflected by its breed alone.
In a future sequel,one interesting system could be having every individual horse you come across have its own quirks or traits, regardless of its breed. For example, awild Missouri Fox Trotter inRDR2might be more friendly if you find it on a farm as opposed to the wild.
One easy way to make horse personalities more varied is to have them clearly defined for the player under specific categories. Some easy classifications, like"Stubborn"or"Harmless",could be simple methods for conveying how a horse might act.
Some stables could sell horses with different personality traits too, helping players pick ones out instead of taking their chances finding a mare with a random personality in the wild. These horses could be more expensive, but an interesting way to add more depth to taming the creatures into your ideal steed.
4Faster Horse Summoning For Immediate Travel
Have Mounts Arrive Reliably From Many Different Locations
The Handling of horses inRDR2can be difficult at first, withsteeds somehow finding a way to hit every obstacle along your path(at least when I travel). When you try to go off roads or paths, this is noticed far more often, with the horses you summon to Arthur’s location oftentimes taking a tumble due to the landscapes they have to run over.
A great change in the nextRed Dead Redemptioncould bethe ability for horses to always reach you, without having to worry about any environmental obstacles. This would work similarly toGhost of Tsushima, where the titular Ghost’s mount tends to arrive to the player rapidly every time they call it.
While I still think that carefully maneuvering your horse around paths adds to the realism, this only really needs to be present while you ride one.When you summon any horse, it shouldn’t take forever to reach you or injure itself accidentallyby running into harm’s way.
3More Significance To Horse Stats
Have Differences Between Mares That Players Can Feel
Every horse breed has a noticeable spread of stats inRDR2, affecting their overall Speed, Handling, Health, and other features. A weak horse will be slow and go down easily in fights, while thebest horses inRDR2have great endurance, agility, and vitality to face all of Arthur’s problems with him. However, these details are easier to imply than feel within the game, as it’s hard to notice differences between horse breeds that have similar traits.
While the different types of horses (Riding, Draft, Race, War, etc.) do impact the stats of certain breeds, you can get any type of mare to do just about anything well inRDR2.
Any iteration of theRed Deadformula should have horses with a far more diverse range of stats, instead of having a large selection whose stats are too close to tell. Unique breeds and coats add more impact to specific breeds inRDR2, but never to the degree that makes horses feel too different.
One of the biggest complaints aboutRDR2horses is the lack of sturdy breeds actually reflecting their role as a packhorse. Almost all horses can only carry the same amount of cargo, regardless if Arthur is riding them or not.Weight and cargo having a greater impact could add more depth to horsesthe player collects.
2Larger Variety Of Horse Breeds, Coats, & Equipment
Expanded Styles Builds Realistic Biodiversity Between Possible Steeds
An obvious expansion toRDR2’s horses is toinclude more coats for the various breeds you may tame. InRDR2, each of the 19 available horse breeds only has between 1-5 coat variations, only giving you slight differences between the mares you’ll encounter. These do impact stats, but in much smaller ways than players expect.
Horses having closer to 5-8 coat variations immediately add far more depth to every kind of horse, allowing players to fine tune which steed they want. More horse breeds than 19 alsogive players more options, encouraging a larger engagement with horsesin general. A breed more sharply focused on being a packhorse, such as a donkey, for example, could fulfill a niche role that players will want as they progress through the game.
This expansion of horse types also extends to the equipment you may put on them as well.Saddles present inRDR2allow you to customize a horse’s stats in different directions, giving you the means to"craft"the perfect horse build for your playstyle. With a longer list of saddle types to equip, this system can return to a much larger degree to grant players more freedom in their horse management.
1Extra Horse Customization Through Creating Unique Breeds
Mix And Match Horse Types For Completely Original Steeds
A crazy idea for a futureRed Dead Redemption 3would bethe ability to actually breed horses by combining two different kinds togetherthrough a stable. This would create completely new, hybrid horse types whose stats combine in wild ways, either predictably or unpredictably. This could lead to tons of experimentation as players search for the perfect combination of breeds to match together.
Unique breeds of horse can feature various predictions about a possible personality, stats, or other traits. This could be similar tobreeding systems inPalworld, which let players combine different creatures together to make something new and stronger.
This system could be a natural part of stables too, with different horse owners taking requestsfor larger amounts of money. This could automate the system rather than you doing all the work, almost allowing you to"put in a custom order"for a customized horse breed. This could be an easier way to get coat variations of specific horses without having to catch them in the wild as well.
Mix breeding might be a complex system to implement, but it would reflect the realistic practices of horse owners, who are constantly developing new breeds for different tasks. Being able to try to fully customize the stats, personality, or appearance of your horse inRed Dead Redemption 2is already immersive, so adding this level of detail could make horses even more fascinating in a hypothetical sequel.
