How to rob trains, open a safe, rob the doctor and more

Red Dead Redemption 2 robbery guide: how to rob trains, open a safe, rob the doctor and more

Sometimes you’ve got to go for the big loot – and that involves pulling off a big robbery.

Pulling a bank or train robbery in Red Dead Redemption is a massive buzz, it nets you stacks of swag and usually ends up with a violent face-off against lawmen. It’s why you bought Red Dead Redemption 2, don’t @ us.

There are occasions where Arthur Morgan and his gang will pull a robbery during the main story of Red Dead Redemption 2, and that will bag you loads of cash that you should invest in upgrading your camp, whether that’s to unlock the ability to fast travel of more general upgrades like adding the leather working tools.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Robbery Tips

You are also free to rob any store, gunsmith, doctor, or other business, as well as people in general. We wouldn’t recommend this as it will destroy your Honor System rank, which can upset the value of discounts and restrict unlocks, and the payoff is never that spectacular.

If you’re desperate for cash then make sure you take as many precautions as you can. Rob away from the busiest areas to avoid witnesses and be prepared to flee when your Wanted level rises. You’ll probably end up with a Bounty on your head, and that will need paying off so don’t rob random characters as you’ll usually have to pay more than you steal. And make sure you have your mask on (select it from your item menu), don’t be an amateur.

How to rob a train

If you’re going to go on a robbing spree, you may as well go big. Robbing a train comes with a big risk but it easily gets you the most lucrative of payoffs as you can fleece passengers and their items. Freight trains usually have a lock box with decent items in too. Ride alongside a train and press the X/Square button to jump onto it while it’s moving. We recommend jumping onto a train while it’s travelling between locations. If you get on at a train station there will be more witnesses.
To rob a train successfully, we recommend stopping it outside of towns, preferably between stations. This reduces the number of lawmen who will come looking for you. To stop a train make your way to the engine and beat the driver into submission. Now you should make your way through the passenger carriages intimidating and beating the passengers so they hand you money and jewellery. Some trains are guarded so be sure to kill any, otherwise, you risk them escaping to tell the law.

How to rob a stagecoach

Robbing stagecoaches isn’t that lucrative until you unlock the stagecoach fence at Emerald Ranch. In Chapter 3, you will then unlock a bunch of specific coach robberies. You’ll be introduced to bent postal workers – one in Strawberry and one in Rhodes – who are happy to give you the details of various stagecoaches for a price. These start out easy enough, and graduate up to armed stagecoaches where you’ll need dynamite and fight numerous guards.

Banks and how to open a safe

Banks are easy targets, and the pay is good. There’s always a shoot out at the end, so you better be prepared to flee and avoid the town for a while as it will go into lockdown. Inside the bank, vaults are a bunch of safes. Intimidate the clerk until he or she opens up the vault, then decide how you’re going to open the safe.

You have two options – you can blow them with dynamite or crack them open silently. Dynamite is quick but it attracts more lawmen and as far as we can tell produces less cash than cracking a safe. You’ll need to have dynamite in your inventory and make sure you stand well back or get caught in the blast.

To crack a safe takes longer, which means any witnesses have more time to reach the sheriff or call for help. If you didn’t leave any witnesses, then you have more time to crack a safe and make a quieter getaway. You’ll need to rotate the analogue stick to the left, then to the right, back to the left and to the right again before the lock pops open. The secret is to slow down when the controller vibrates a lot and as soon as it clicks rotate in the opposite direction. It gets easier with practice.

Rob the doctor in Valentine

There’s a good reason to rob the doctor in Valentine – it gives you the Schofield Revolver, one of the best weapons in Red Dead Redemption 2. Robbing the doc results in a shootout and a brush with the law, so go prepared and get ready to outrun the sheriff and his deputies rather than get in an escalating conflict. You’ll have to force the doctor to open the two locked doors here as there’s no way to shoot them open.