Chapter 6 is considered the "final" story chapter in Red Dead Redemption 2's story mode, but there's even more to the story afterwards, as there's still a score to settle.
The traitor Micah Bell made it out alive in his confrontation with Arthur Morgan and one of the most beloved members of of the Van der Linde gang (Arthur of course) managed to get John to safety, allowing him to reunite with his wife Abigail and son Jack. In the first part of the Epilogue, you experience for yourself how the outlaw manages to become a rancher and make an honest living.
All story missions in Epilogue 1 come with a Gold Medal, which is obtained by clearing specific requirements that are only revealed after completing the mission itself. All missions can be replayed, however, so there's no need to get the Gold Medal on the first playthrough. Due to the peculiar nature of most of the missions in Epilogue 1, it's not too difficult to get Gold Medals in subsequent playthroughs, as you don't have access to the weapons you have collected so far for most of its duration, so the generic load-out is actually the same one you have during the first playthrough.
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The Wheel
The Wheel is the first mission in Epilogue 1 and the 83rd story mission in the Red Dead Redemption 2 story mode. It is unlocked after completing the final mission in Chapter 6, Red Dead Redemption. It also begins automatically after completing the previous mission.
It's been some time since the destruction of the Van der Linde gang. Thanks to Arthur's efforts, John Marston has managed to escape from the Pinkertons and he has been trying his hardest to turn the page over and start anew. Things aren't going too well, sadly, but are going to improve soon enough.
As soon as you can control John, drive the wagon to Strawberry and follow the waypoint to the general store in town. Here, talk with the shopkeeper about work. You will be offered a delivery job and John will accept.
After accepting the job, head over to the doctor's office to give the good news to Abigail. Once this is done, return to your wagon, which has been loaded up and is now ready to go.
To get the Gold Medal for this mission you must reach Pronghorn Ranch without dropping any supplies. Supplies are dropped only if you bump into something while on the road so it's very easy to avoid doing so, especially since there is no time limit to get to Pronghorn ranch. Just make sure to slow down when you're turning, as you will often have very poor visibility during these moments.
At the ranch you will meet Mr. Dickens, who will then check the cargo. John will then ask him about working at the ranch, but the discussion is interrupted by a bunch of outlaws who end up stealing the wagon.
To get the Gold Medal for this mission you must reclaim the wagon within 1 minute. This time limit is quite strict so you must be as quick as possible.
As soon as you regain control of John jump on the horse nearby and gallop after the wagon. Press the correct button to jump on the wagon. The outlaws will then be kicked off automatically, so all you will have to do at this point is to turn back and get back to the ranch at the marked location on the map. Mr. Dickens is so impressed by John that he will offer him to work at the ranch.
After the cutscene is over, the mission will be complete.
Simple Pleasures
Simple Pleasures is the second mission in the Epilogue 1 and the 84th mission in the entire story mode. This mission is unlocked right after completing The Wheel mission. To start the mission, talk with Tom Dickens at Pronghorn Ranch.
To get the Gold Medal for this mission, you must complete it within 5 minutes and 15 seconds. For this reason, you must skip all of the mission's cutscenes to save some time.
In this mission, John will be trained to be a rancher. In the opening cutscene, Mr. Dickens will send John to Abe, who will then show John the very basics of working in a ranch. While following Abe around the ranch you will be prompted to stop at your new house to welcome Abigail and John. Another cutscene will play so make sure to skip it to save some time.
After welcoming his family to their new home John will continue following Abe. It's time to learn how to milk cows: skip the cutscene and then alternate the left and right sticks with the correctrhythm. To get the Gold Medal for this mission, you must fill a bucket within 10 seconds. This is not too hard to do if you got the rhythm down quickly. You don't even have to do it in a single try as you will get two additional tries.
Once you have filled the buckets with milk, Abe will lead you to the stable, where you will be thought how to clean it. Pick up the pitchfork, get close to the manure and then put it inside the wheelbarrow. Once all of the manure has been cleaned out, you must put the pitchfork on the marked location on the map.
After the stable has been cleaned you must head back to your house as quickly as possible. Make sure to run as fast as you can to save some time. Once inside, skip the cutscene and the mission will hopefully be completed within the time limit to earn the Gold Medal.
Farming, for Beginners
Farming, for Beginners is the third story mission in the Epilogue 1 and the 85th story mission in Red Dead Redemption 2 story mode. This mission is unlocked right after completing the Simple Pleasures mission. To start the mission, you must talk with Tom Dickens at the Pronghorn Ranch.
John has a lot to learn yet about working in a ranch, so Tom Dickens will continue to show him how to do a few more things during this mission. The first thing he will show the former outlaw is how to put up a fence.
To get the Gold Medal for this mission you must fix the first section of the fence in 1 minute 30 seconds. To clear this requirement, you have to be extremely quick: press the X or A button to hammer a post into place, then pick a rail, put it to the correct height, then X or A again to place it. You must do it two more times to fix a full section of the fence.
Once a second post is placed on the ground, a cutscene will play showing how John fixes the entire fence. At the end of the cutscene, Tom Dickens will ask John for help with a bull that's creating some trouble.
Follow Tom until you reach the unruly bull. The bull will eventually break free and run away, and you will have to bring it back.
To get the Gold Medal for this mission, you must avoid being hit by the bull, which is simple enough to do if you pay attention to what the bull is doing.
Chase down the bull and then use your lasso. At this point, the bull will either try to drag you along or charge you. If it's going to charge, it will turn toward you, so get ready to dodge if it does. You will have to follow and lasso it a couple more times. Eventually, the bull will not be able to free itself, so start getting close to it and calm it with the square or X button.
Once it has stopped tossing its head around, you can get closer. Continue calming it down until you get the option to lead it. At this point a cutscene will play and the mission will be complete.
Fatherhood, for Beginners
Fatherhood, for Beginners is the fourth story mission in the Epilogue 1 and the 86th story mission in the story mode. This mission is unlocked after completing the Simple Pleasures mission. To start this mission, you must talk with David Geddes at the Pronghorn Ranch.
There's a lot to do at the ranch and during this mission David Geddes asks John for help in teaching his son Duncan to ride and to help his wife with a mare that's about to give birth. After the first cutscene is over follow Abe until he will point you to Duncan. The young man is already struggling with his, Jeremiah, and it will be up to John to calm the horse down and teach Duncan how to ride.
Before Jeremiah can be ridden he must be calmed down and broken. Target the horse and press the correct button to calm him down. Eventually you will be able to pat the horse. Continue doing so until you get the option of tiring out Jeremiah.
To get the Gold Medal for this mission, you must tire out Jeremiah within 45 seconds. To do this, you must push the horse to the limits so ride hard and make him jump over fences repeatedly. Once his stamina has been depleted Jeremiah will become fit for riding.
After Jeremiah has calmed down for good you must feed it a treat to get the Gold Medal for this mission. Open the Weapon Wheel, access the Item Wheel and pick any treat currently in your possession. Once this is done bring the horse to Duncan and watch the young man get better at riding.
The riding lesson, however, will be interrupted by Mrs. Geddes, who needs help with the mare. Follow her to the stable and learn how to birth a foal by following the tutorial. Once this is done, go back home and talk with Abigail, where she will ask John to take Jack out for a bit.
During the next sequence you will have to teach Jack how to ride. Mount your horse and follow the boy while telling him to go faster or slow down.
To get the Gold Medal for this mission, you must teach Jack to ride without his horse bucking him off. Never make Jack go faster than canter speed and you will clear this requirement without any troubles.
Continue following Jack around but don't get too far from him, as this will make you fail the mission. Continue on until you reach the stream.
To get the Gold Medal for this mission, you must win the race back to Pronghorn Ranch. This is a very easy requirement to clear, as Jack's pony is much slower compared to John's horse.
Once back at the ranch, another cutscene will play and the mission will be complete.
Old Habits
Old Habits is the fifth story mission in Epilogue 1 and the 87th mission in the whole story mode. This mission is unlocked after completing the Farming, For Beginners and Fatherhood, for Beginners missions earlier in the story chapter. The mission begins automatically after completing the aforementioned missions.
After a few relatively calm missions it's time to get back to, as the mission name hints, old habits. At the beginning of the mission, John will hear the sound of gunshots in the distance: members of the Laramie Gang are back at the ranch and are terrorizing Abe.
To get the Gold Medal for this mission, you must defeat the Laramie without taking a hit and within 25 seconds. It's still not the right time to get back to guns, so you will have to defeat him with your fists: always guard to avoid getting hit, counterattack with a few punches and then beat him hard once he is on the ground.
The fight will be interrupted by Abigail who is not too happy to see John back into his old ways.
Once the cutscene is over, this short mission will be complete.
