Like in RDR2's main story mode, players in Red Dead Online have the ability to purchase a variety of different items, ranging from tonics to weapons, horses, clothing and so on. Unlike the single-player mode, however, there are two different currencies that can be used to purchase them.
The first currency is regular money, which is obtained in pretty much the same way as in the story mode. Players can complete a variety of activities such as story missions to stranger missions to obtain money, as well as take part in any of the game's competitive multiplayer modes, hunt animals and sell their pelts and so on.
The second currency, Gold Bars, is also available in the story mode, but it has a very different function online. In single player, Gold Bars can be sold to fences for huge amounts of money. In Red Dead Online, however, they can be used to purchase any item, and even to "cheat" the game's unlock system.
In Red Dead Online, only a small selection of items can be purchased at the beginning of the game. By playing the game and obtaining XP, the character's rank will increase, unlocking additional items. With Gold Bars, however, players can purchase any item without having to unlock it first.
In this guide, we will cover everything there is to know about Gold Bars, what you can do with them and how to obtain them in the fastest possible way.
Gold Nuggets
During the course of Red Dead Online, you will notice that you never receive a full Gold Bar as a reward for any of the game's currently available activities. You will be getting Gold Nuggets instead. 100 Gold Nuggets are required to make a single Gold Bar. There's no special procedure to follow to transform Gold Nuggets into a Gold Bar, as it will be done automatically once 100 have been obtained.
Gold Nuggets are awarded for completing any of the Red Dead Online activities, and the amount received varies depending on the activity.
The best way to obtain them without resorting to any tricks is to take part in any of the game's competitive multiplayer modes, the Showdown Series. The Race Series also hands out Gold Nuggets at the end of each race, with the given amount increasing if you have performed well.
You can always keep track of how many Gold Nuggets you have in your possession by looking at the upper right corner of the screen.
Unlocking Items
Gold Bars can be used to purchase any item in the game. A few items can only be purchased with Gold Bars only, so you need to think carefully about how you are going to spend them.
Gold Bars are also the perfect way to bypass the unlock system, as any item that has yet to be unlocked can be purchased at any time with them. Prices are high, however, so only use Gold Bars to purchase items you really need. We suggest you invest them in the best possible weapons, as they will help you succeed in the Showdown Series and speed up your Gold Nuggets earning efforts.
Reset Honor Rating
The Honor system in Red Dead Online works pretty much the same way it does in the single-player campaign, with players being able to change their rating depending on the actions they perform during the game.
In Red Dead Online, the current Honor rating, however, also influences which story missions can be played. Stranger missions are also slightly different depending on the current Honor rating.
If you don't want to play the game for long enough to change your Honor rating to access additional content, you can use Gold Bars to change it in a very convenient way. Just talk with Mr. Jones and pay him the required 3 bars: if you're honorable, you will instantly become dishonorable and vice-versa. Gold can truly buy anything in Red Dead Online!
Obtaining Gold Bars
As already mentioned, players are awarded different amounts of Gold Nuggets after completing story missions, stranger missions, winning in the Showdown Series and Race Series and so on. Right now, there isn't a very quick way to obtain Gold Bars other than playing the game. We believe it will be possible to purchase them with real money in the future, but the Red Dead Online beta currently doesn't support this feature.
There are ways, however, to earn good amounts of Gold Nuggets early on during the game. Due to how Red Dead Online works, Gold Bars and money are tied to your account, so making a new character won't reset the amount you have available. Gold Nuggets, however, are not shared.
Since Gold Bars are shared, you can make a new character, complete the tutorial to obtain the 50 Gold Nuggets reward, obtain the remaining 50 yourself and then delete this character. The new bar will permanently be added to your account.
If you want to spend more time and obtain an additional Gold Bar for each new character, you can also wait to delete your character until you reach rank 10. Once you reach this rank, you will get your first Treasure Map. The treasure chest always contains a single Gold Bar.
Completing Gang Hideouts is also a very good way of obtaining Gold Bars, as you can find Treasure Maps as rewards. Daily Objectives, small and easily completed tasks that rotate every day, can also reward you with increasing amounts of Gold of you keep up streaks of completing all Daily Objectives each day. These streak bonuses stack, so a bit of diligence can go a long way.
Additionally, Gold Bars can also be purchased for real currency. Since grinding for gold bars takes a very long time and the prices don't match the slow pace at which the bars are earned, the quickest way to unlock the best items in Red Dead Online is by purchasing microtransactions. Every player gets a one-time discount on the 25 gold bar package allowing you to buy it for just $5 as opposed to the full price of $10. There are several gold bar packages going as high as 350 gold bars for $99.99.
While buying gold bars may not be as rewarding as putting in the time and effort to earn them, right now the game's economy is balanced in a way that makes actually grinding out the bars particularly difficult.
