Red Dead Online Leaves Beta

Red Dead Online officially left beta yesterday with a new update adding a few new modes, Rockstar dropped the Beta splash from the loading screens on the sly and didn’t really make a giant fuss about the end of the Beta period.

At first glance, it appeared that not a lot was added. A few new Co-op missions, a few new free roam missions, and some new gear, such as the LeMat Revolver. I say first glance for a reason, peering into the announcement quite a few changes are quite promising as well as a few things that are teased for future updates.

New Goodies for Red Dead Online:

• Poker is here! All poker tables seat up to 6 players, available in 5 locations: Blackwater, Saint Denis, Tumbleweed, Valentine and Flatneck Station.
• Posse Challenges. Biggest Fish, Bird Shooting, or Herb Picking Contest.
• Dynamic Events: Random encounters such as found in single player will now show up.
• Playing Styles. You can choose between Offensive and Defensive playing styles. Offensive being the baseline for how the Online has worked since launch. Able to attack any player and meet the consequence of that action. Defensive mode is for players who want more exploratory experience in Free Roam. From the announcement, “Players in Defensive mode will be indicated by a shield icon, will take reduced damage from enemy players, cannot be lassoed, melee attacked, executed or targeted with auto-aim. Defensive players will also be excluded from being targeted in PvP-related missions such as Player Assassination. Those who attack Defensive players receive hefty penalties via the Hostility system, while players who initiate conflict while in Defensive mode will be instantly pulled out of Defensive mode and also receive similar Hostility penalties.”
• A host of tweaks and modifications that can be found here.

The future updates that were teased will be the addition of roles that you can select for your online character. Bounty Hunter, Trader, and Collector will be the first three that will drop during the summer months. Each will come with its own quest line and gear to help individualize your own story.

It has been awhile since I have stopped by the Red Dead world, the inclusion of poker and some of these future updates might be enough to bring me back into the fold. Are you still playing? Tell us your thoughts on these updates.