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Red Dead Redemption 2Story Mode and Red Dead Online guide

Red Dead Online

Progression

Red Dead Online tracks three things at once: your overall rank, a rank in each role, and the cards you equip. Here is what each one is, what it unlocks and how the currencies fit together.

Red Dead OnlineSpoiler-safe

Checked Sep 30, 2026 · Sources: OfficialCommunityCGN

A field kit laid out on a rough porch rail and wool blanket: binoculars, a hunting knife in its sheath, a worn leather satchel, a glass bottle, a tackle box, a fly-fishing reel and rod, a feather lure and a blank notebook, with a saddled horse and a river valley behind under an overcast sky.
CGN fan art

Player rank

Almost everything you do earns XP. XP raises your rank, and each new rank unlocks items: clothing, weapons, horses, camp changes and ability cards. The top rank is 100. You can keep earning XP past 100, but it stops unlocking anything. Community

Role ranks

Each of the five roles has 20 ranks of its own (30 for a Prestigious Bounty Hunter). A new tier of distinction comes every five ranks: Novice, Promising, Established and Distinguished. Unlocking a rank earns Role Tokens, and some ranks unlock a skill. Official The roles

Role Tokens are a special currency for unlocking role skills and items. By the community's count, the tokens needed to unlock everything equal the tokens earned by ranking all roles up, so you never fall short. Community

Currencies

CurrencyWhat it is for
RDO$Cash. Earned from almost every activity and spent on gear, horses, ammunition and camp items. Rockstar's events quote payouts in RDO$.
Gold BarsThe premium currency. Rockstar says Gold Bars unlock weapon modifications, horse kits and camp items quickly. They can be earned in some activities and bought in packs on the Rockstar Store. Official
XPRaises your player rank.
Role XPRaises a role's ranks. It comes from that role's activities.
Role TokensUnlock role skills and items.

Rockstar's event posts list RDO$, Gold, XP and Role XP separately, so you can see which bonus applies to which. This month

Ability cards

Four slots, set by your rank

Ability cards change how you fight. Red Dead Online has one Dead Eye slot and three passive slots. The Dead Eye slot opens at Rank 2, and the passive slots at Ranks 10, 20 and 40. Each card has three tiers, and the community records the price as $50 to buy (the first Dead Eye card is free), $350 for the second tier and $500 for the third. Check prices in the game, because they may have changed. Community

Dead Eye cards (a sample)

CardRankWhat it does
A Moment to Recuperate2Regenerate health while Dead Eye is active. Taking damage cancels Dead Eye.
Focus Fire I2You and your allies deal a little more damage.
Paint It Black2Paint targets on enemies and fire to hit them all. Each shot drains Dead Eye.
Slow and Steady I24Take a little less damage and headshots do not kill you outright, but you cannot run.

Passive combat cards (a sample)

CardRankWhat it does
Gunslinger's Choice10More damage and accuracy while dual-wielding.
Horseman10A little more damage on horseback.
Sharpshooter10More damage dealt and less taken while using a scope.
Landon's Patience18Waiting up to 15 seconds between shots slightly raises damage.

There are also recovery and defense cards in the passive groups. Open the Abilities section of your pause menu or use the weapon wheel to change cards. Story Mode has no ability cards: its Dead Eye grows through the story and Dead Eye XP. Dead Eye in Story Mode