Red Dead Redemption 2 hides 90 challenges behind one small completion category. There are nine tracks with ten tiers each: Bandit, Explorer, Gambler, Herbalist, Horseman, Master Hunter, Sharpshooter, Survivalist, and Weapons Expert. All 90 are required for 100% completion, but none is permanently missable.
The catch is how progress works. Tiers unlock one at a time, and the game does not count work done before the matching tier is active. You can pick every herb in the West and still need to pick them again when Herbalist 9 appears. A player who starts in Chapter 2 can fold many tasks into normal travel. A player who waits until the epilogue has to recreate those same situations on purpose.
Start Several Tracks in Chapter 2
Open Progress, then Challenges, and see which tracks have already appeared. Each track has a simple trigger: rob someone for Bandit, find a treasure map for Explorer, play a table game for Gambler, pick yarrow for Herbalist, skin deer for Master Hunter, catch bluegill for Survivalist, and use the relevant combat actions for the others. Once a track is visible, check its current tier before a long trip or mission.
Do not try to finish all nine at once. Keep two or three active goals in mind. A story ride can also count toward Horseman. A hunting trip can move Master Hunter, Survivalist, and Herbalist. A gang hideout can cover Sharpshooter or Weapons Expert. This is much easier than riding to a location later only to manufacture a single objective.
The Best Order for All Nine Tracks
First: Explorer, Master Hunter, and Survivalist
Explorer is the cleanest early track because treasure hunts also solve Arthur's money problem. Each discovered treasure advances the sequence, and the gold can fund camp upgrades, weapons, and supplies. Master Hunter begins with common animals and later leads to the Legendary Giaguaro Panther. Survivalist mixes fishing, crafting, and small-game work, so it fits naturally beside the Legendary Fish and perfect-pelt guides.
Second: Sharpshooter, Weapons Expert, and Bandit
Let combat tracks ride alongside missions and hideouts. Read the current requirement before a fight and equip the needed weapon in advance. Bandit creates bounties and can damage Honor, so it is easier when Arthur has enough money to pay the law and enough story progress to access wagon and horse Fences. Make a manual save before expensive crime tiers.
Third: Horseman and Herbalist
Horseman becomes comfortable after bonding a reliable horse and carrying stimulants. Herbalist should stay active in the background, but its ninth tier asks for one of every plant species. Several plants grow in New Austin, making a normal epilogue cleanup far less frustrating than forcing the challenge early.
Last: Gambler
Gambler includes easy wins at poker and Five Finger Fillet, then turns into a test of random cards and long streaks. It does not combine well with exploration or story missions, so give it a separate session. Bet the minimum when the objective cares about the hand rather than the money.
What Each Track Actually Tests
- Bandit: hold-ups, robberies, bounties, stolen horses, wagons, and trains. Expect law trouble and bring money for the aftermath.
- Explorer: treasure maps and treasure finds. Complete real treasure chains instead of searching random landmarks.
- Gambler: poker, blackjack, dominoes, and Five Finger Fillet. Skill helps, but several tiers still depend on luck.
- Herbalist: picking plants, crafting tonics and poison weapons, then collecting every species and cooking every meat type.
- Horseman: mounted kills, long rides, obstacle jumps, wild horses, and timed routes that cannot touch water.
- Master Hunter: tracking, clean kills, bait, cougars, bears, fish caught without a rod, and the Legendary Giaguaro Panther.
- Sharpshooter: trick shots, long range, consecutive hits, disarms, and targets hit without reloading.
- Survivalist: fishing, small-game arrows, animal deliveries, crafted ammunition, and every fish species.
- Weapons Expert: knives, tomahawks, dynamite, crafted shotgun ammunition, bow ambushes, and a grizzly killed with throwing knives.
Gambler 8, 9, and 10
Gambler 8 asks Arthur to win three blackjack hands after taking at least three hits. There is no reliable way to force low cards. Sit at a table, place the smallest bet, hit every hand that still has a chance to survive, and fold your expectations before your money. A starting total of five or lower is the best opportunity, but the dealer can still ruin a qualifying hand.
Gambler 9 requires three domino wins in a row. Pick one rule set and learn it instead of changing towns constantly. The Emerald Ranch game uses straightforward draw dominoes and is easier to read than the scoring variants for many players. Keep flexible tiles, block numbers your opponent appears to need, and play against one opponent when possible.
Gambler 10 asks for three poker hands won in a row. Small tables move faster, and aggressive raises can make cautious opponents fold before the river. Do not chase a weak hand through a large pot just because two wins are already recorded. A reset costs time; a bad bluff costs the streak and money.
Herbalist 9 Needs Its Own Checklist
Herbalist 9 wants one of every plant species, but the menu does not provide a useful list of which species have counted for the current tier. Start a written checklist the moment Herbalist 9 unlocks. Mark a plant only after Arthur picks it during that tier, even if the Compendium says he discovered it hours ago.
Leave the New Austin plants for the epilogue on a normal playthrough. Use the rest of the story to clear common herbs, orchids, berries, mushrooms, and regional plants. When only the southern species remain, one focused ride is better than guessing which familiar green icon failed to register.
Horseman 9 and the No-Water Rule
Horseman 9 sends you from Van Horn to Blackwater in under 17 minutes without touching water. Wait until the epilogue, bond a healthy horse, carry stimulants, and set the route before starting. Use bridges and dry roads; cutting through a shallow creek ends the attempt even when the horse barely gets wet.
Weather is not the issue. Rivers, streams, and accidental falls are. Keep the horse fed, do not take risky cliff shortcuts, and avoid collisions in towns. The time limit allows a controlled route, so a clean bridge crossing beats a dramatic jump that throws the rider.
The Late Combat Tests
Master Hunter 6 requires five cougars killed with a bow and then skinned. Cougar country west of Strawberry and north of Annesburg can provide encounters, but the animals do not arrive on command. Save near a known route, use cover scent, keep the bow ready with improved or poison arrows, and never assume the first red dot is behind Arthur.
Master Hunter 10 unlocks the Legendary Giaguaro Panther near Bolger Glade after the previous nine tiers are complete. Save before entering the search area and fill Dead Eye. The panther is fast, low to the ground, and much more likely to spot Arthur first than an ordinary legendary animal.
Sharpshooter 8 asks Arthur to disarm three enemies without reloading or switching weapons. Use a sidearm with a full cylinder, enter Dead Eye, and target gun hands rather than arms or bodies. Find enemies who remain in the open, because a missed shot can force a reload and reset the count.
Weapons Expert 10 is the grizzly fight: kill one with throwing knives without taking damage. Carry a full stack, use poison throwing knives if available, and begin from enough distance to land several hits. A rock, fallen tree, or other obstacle can buy time, but do not stand somewhere that prevents the bear from registering the fight.
Rewards and the Legend of the East
Challenge tiers unlock reinforced equipment at the Trapper. Buying complete sets helps extend Health, Stamina, and Dead Eye beyond their normal limits. The tracks are grouped across those attributes, so completion has a real gameplay reward before the final outfit appears.
Completing every tier unlocks the Legend of the East outfit. You do not need to rush it during Arthur's early chapters. Keep the current tiers visible, let natural progress do the easy work, and save Gambler, New Austin plants, and the final timed rides for the point when the map and your patience are ready.
