Summary

• The "Arthur's Redemption" mod allows players to rewrite Arthur Morgan's fate in Red Dead Redemption 2, giving him a happier ending.
• The mod lets players continue exploring the game world and completing side-quests as if Arthur never faced a tragic demise.
• Despite the non-canon nature of the mod, players can enjoy playing as Arthur without the need to avenge his death as John Marston.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic story in the most literal sense of the world but those who find the fate of Arthur Morgan a little too depressing are in luck because a happier fate can now await the outlaw. It's arguably one of the most tragic deaths in the video game medium as Arthur, forced to reconcile with his nature following his tuberculosis diagnosis, ultimately attempts to right all his wrongs by sacrificing himself to save the rest of the gang. It's a beautiful moment, but that doesn't mean his story has to end there.

Posted to Nexus Mods by creator RedPed, the "Arthur's Redemption" grants fans an alternative ending that doesn't result in John Marston setting out on a quest to avenge the death of his friend.

The add-on begins with Arthur's health taking a turn for the better as he's also informed that some of his closest confidants managed to survive Dutch's wrath, setting up camp near Beaver Hollow. While the narrative may not continue in a traditional sense, it does allow users to continue exploring the world and completing side-quests as though Arthur was never at risk of succumbing to his illness.

Arthur Morgan Lives Forever

Outlaws Never Die

While this reworked conclusion is obviously not canon, it's still a fun opportunity to continue playing as Arthur Morgan without having to worry about the calamity caused by Dutch and Micah Bell. Of course, to achieve this, there are a few requirements such as the aforementioned duo and Lenny needing to be absent to further the reworked narrative without their presence. To make the experience a little deeper, it doesn't touch any of the collectibles, activities, or side quests so players should be kept busy for many more hours.

Arthur only has the default cattleman revolver, a bow, a hunting knife, a lasso, and a carbine repeater with regular ammo in his weapon loadout when beginning Arthur's Redemption.

Of course, electing to avoid Arthur Morgan's death means users won't be able to step back into the dusty boots of fan-favorite outlaw John Marston, who takes center stage during the canon epilogue. In one of Red Dead Redemption 2's bolder narrative choices, players assume control of the ex-outlaw as he attempts to make a life for himself and his family by holding down a steady job and investing in a ranch. This being a Rockstar game though, things don't necessarily go according to plan as he's roped back into the life of a criminal for one last act of revenge. This focus on the Marstons in the epilogue bridged the gap between Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Redemption, which takes place four years later in the Red Dead timeline with John Marston as the main protagonist tracking down the remaining members of the Van der Linde gang to save his family from the Bureau of Investigation's devious agent Edgar Ross.

Arthur's Redemption Revisits Three Major Van Der Linde Camps

Arthur Reunites With The Remaining Members Of The Gang

The Van der Linde gang is constantly on the move throughout Red Dead Redemption 2's story, setting up campsites in several major regions to provide a base near to each chapter's main town. While past camps are dismantled each time the group moves and can't be revisited in the main campaign, Arthur's Redemption does let players return to three of them throughout its new story.

As previously mentioned, Arthur's Redemption starts in Beaver Hollow, the campsite the Van der Linde gang set up in the final chapter of the game, before moving to Clemens Point, the campsite from the third chapter of the game in the Scarlett Meadows region, and the abandoned plantation house Shady Belle that the Van der Lindes temporarily stayed in during the fourth chapter of the game after taking down a group of Lemoyne Raiders who stayed there. The latter two locations serve more as the active campsites players are familiar with and are full of activities, with the option to play games such as Texas Hold' Em, Dominos, or Five-Finger Fillet, and far more people to talk to and claim side missions from.

While Red Dead Redemption 2 may be nearly 6 years old, the community that's built itself around the game continues to thrive. Aside from a healthy modding scene that's constantly creating some exceptional additions to the experience, the online mode still has a solid player base even though Rockstar has acknowledged that it has no plans to continue supporting it with future content updates. Whether or not a third game is planned remains unknown, as Rockstar has yet to announce it officially and seems to be focusing most of its resources on the development of GTA 6 and probably the successor to the extremely profitable GTA Online that will accompany it, so fans will just need to hold their hats and wish.

Source: RedPed/Nexus Mods