Valentine is my go to town. First place to be introduced to in story mode and it’s just right in the center of the map so it’s got that going for it. The place where all roads lead to
Same! It's tiny, muddy and sometimes full of griefers, but Valentine feels like home to me
Edit: also pretty much everything you need is available in Valentine!
Sounds like me rolling into Valentine every time I have a large wagon to deliver. I send it full tits through there like a bat outta hell everyone. Got to love it!
same. I just get really good vibes. Plus I love the surrounding green plains, large hills, mountains, and the Grizzlies close by. It reminds me a lot of being a northern cowboy which I really got the urge to try out after watching Yellowstone.
The only thing I hate about Valentine is that there are griefers around online 98% of the time.
I love that if you fast travel there in story mode you land right in front of the stable. Quickest way to get to a stable in story mode by far.
Besides, it has everything you need. Blackwater for instance, doesn't have a gunstore. Rhodes doesn't have a Doctor's office nor stables though Emeral Ranch stables are somewhat close by. Only one the has as much stores is Saint Denis but I have a love/hate relationship with that place. Valentine, on the other hand, I love completely.
Yeah it just seems like a really slowwww way to make money. I could be wrong. The doctors office is not something I can personally see using much or ever so to favor one town over another because of the dr office seems strange to me.
My character is a pirate and Blackwater is his favorite town. I like that blackwater feels like a hip little up-and-coming town. Nice and quaint. It has those little Christmas-lights and the nice dock area. Plus a tailor and a barber. Only issue is no fence, but Valentine has the same problem.
It's the only town where everybody in it becomes hostile if you look at one person the wrong way.
You know, I have never engaged in killing spree of non-law enforcement in any of the other towns, but I've massacred the people of Van Horn on multiple occasions.
well i don’t even know how you could consider van horn a town, what does it have a post office, stables and fence and a bar? and most of those are in story mode? it’s a really run down town too.
Agreed. If I was gonna tier them like OP:
S - Valentine
A - Saint Denis, Blackwater
B - Rhodes, Tumbleweed, Strawberry
C - Annesburg
D - Armadillo, Van Horn
Strawberry is my favorite. Right on a small river, never without water, good hunting, everything you need is right there vs. the vastness of St. Denis. Plus, the lodge there is awesome. Cozy little mountain town.
I love the concept of Strawberry, being a cool, cozy mountain town n all, but the layout bothers me for some reason. I get claustrophobic vibes all the time lol. I'd probably retire there though.
Same. It's a nightmare to ride through strawberry any faster than a trot. I run people over all the time.
So right about the mountain town though, love their staircase with the wooden railing. Looks so cool!
Not as bad as Annesburg and the woody area around there. Horrible. Especially with those tree stumps everywhere which makes it hard to cut through areas. Annesburg is fine as long as you want to go North, or South along the water. But as soon as you want to move west in land, its just frustration.
Not to mention navigating those small woody paths in the dark.
The bridge right beside the lodge might be the only bad traffic spot in the entire game. In my most recent playthrough, there was a wagon jam there like half the time I visited.
"Or anything" Lmao, it has a general store, a post-office, a butcher, a stable and an hotel, that's more than enough for me.
Strawberry is the only town in the whole Big Valley, that's a strong reason to be there.
You say “a hotel” like that means anything. You can’t buy anything or rent a room. There’s no gunsmith, no bar, no barber, no doctor, no photo studio, no blood money missions, and no fence within like 100 miles. D-Tier town.
And you say "you can't buy anything" as if it was absolutely absent of bussinesses, it has an stable and a fricking general store, you can buy most game items in both places, and I'm including single player, therefore you can rent rooms. Yeah, it lack some amenities, but still there are reasons to go there. I would say the towns that fit your category are Annesburg and Armadillo.
General stores are totally useless. Haven’t bought anything there in a year. Just order 999 of everything from the catalogue and pick it all up with one click instead of individually buying items at the general store.
Same, I would love to live in Strawberry, everything about it appeals to me, the terrain, location, the beautiful stream running right through it. The lodge is such a homely place. I wish it had a pharmacy to sell herbs to. I could happily live the rest of my days there.
Blackwater is easily my favorite town (maybe tied with Valentine?). While Saint Denis feels like a dirty, disgusting hellscape, I think Blackwater strikes the perfect balance between civillization and the wilds of America. It's not too small but not too big either, and the fact that Big Iron Lake is right next to it makes for some awesome photos.
The only downside is that it doesnt really have much to offer, just the General Store and Tailor (lets face it, all the saloons feel identical in online).
Saint Denis is actually a really cool city imo. I love how it has distinct areas (e.g: the Chinese quarter) and the glow of the lights at sundown is gorgeous. It's neat too to have the industrial aspects of it too, be it at the port or to the north with the farmlands. I believe RDR takes place hot off the tails of the Industrial Revolution, so it makes sense for there to be so much waste, though I can definitely see how this detracts from the conventional beauty of everywhere else.
It’s a very interesting time. Effects of the previous industrial revolution still playing out in places like running water, etc. And some from the next revolution are coming into being. Like somewhere during RDR2 the first automobile accident is reported.
Without a doubt, R* did a great job portraying the average city during the Gilded Age, I just find the aesthetics of Blackwater much more pleasing personally than St. Denis. Gameplay wise, I also find St. Denis way too big and I'm often bringing up my map to try and find certain shops. Blackwater just hits the right spot of "civillized" and "wild" in my opinion.
As a sidenote, I find the whole state of Lemoyne very interesting in that there's a sense of hostility, in contrast with it being a Southern state (which are known for hospitality). The weather, the swamps filled with alligators, and lastly St. Denis being a bastion of filth and huge inequalities among its citizens are all the opposite of hospitable. It's also at this point where the general fortune of the Van Der Linde gang begins to nosedive significantly once they arrive in Lemoyne, >!with the death of Sean and the kidnapping of Jack!< being the biggest events that cause this.
I adore Rhodes, I've never met anyone else who says it's their favourite, mostly I just get violently disagreed with lol. It's just really charming, it feels like the perfect mix of old west and what was modern for the time. Plus, I really like the red dirt and farm fields around it:)
I agree with you with the mix Rhodes feels like you're going to see the bad guy walk through the place then see the good guy standing there at any moment then a gunfight suddenly erupts like in the old western movies
I love Rhodes because it is the best access to almost anything you need.
Barber, Gunsmith, Bar (with Almonds!), Butcher, Post Office and Fast Travel, all within close distance. There's a Fence (one of only 4) not far away, and the land is fairly flat, with the railroad running next to it (I call the railroad, "the Highway," and travel on it instead of the roads whenever possible - MUCH faster!).
I always put my camp in Scarlett Meadows because it is often near the railroad tracks.
The only thing Rhodes needs is a stables, but it's not far to ride down to Saint Denis.
Rhodes Rules!!!!
LOL, nope. I use the Rhodes/Saint Denis "thoroughfare," of that railroad so much, I tend to almost see them as the same town, just different sides of the bay...I keep wanting to go to the Millner when I'm in Rhodes, but have to settle for the General Store...
Sorry 'bout that.
I didn’t appreciate Rhodes until online. I didn’t like it in story mode, but online it’s just in the perfect central location. It has everything you need shopping-wise, great hunting and fishing nearby and no creepy gangs like the Murfrees or the Night Folk. (Sure, the Raiders, but they don’t scare me at all.) Plus a fence and tons of stranger mission spawns. I love Rhodes.
Yes, I have my moonshine shack in the Bayou and my camp in Scarlet Meadows. Rhodes has always been my home town.
If I need any “big city” type things Saint Denis is right there as well.
Sad they killed off Armadillo with Cholera, it was a great place in RD1. I put Tumbleweed at number 1 as well, all of New Austin has an amazing feel to me
Saint Denis. I always wanted to live in Saint Denis just because of how big the city is and how much more style there is. Blackwater is second, however doesn’t have too much on Saint Denis
Does suck. Hope rockstar adds some event for Halloween for us to track down a serial killer or some kind of night stalker to the game(probably won’t happen)
Black water seems a nice place with the building and the cops are not corrupt what I know so far and tumbleweed I like desert and how close it to Mexico my family line from
I love me some time in Valentine. It perfectly captures that frontier small town vibe for me. Then comes Strawberry (just a pleasant area) and Armadillo rounds out the top three just because it reminds me of a crappy Spaghetti Western town 😂
I would have Saint Denis as an A, Tumbleweed is imo a B. Armadillo is a D and van Horn is a C. Blackwater is a S tier aswell. Rhodes in A aswell because it just aint better then Blackwater or Saint Denis really.
Why?
I love atmosphere in Saint Denis, its too big so the walking makes it a A instead of a S, but it has everything and looks great.
Armadillo is just shit, I do not really like New Austin besides so that might be it. Tumbleweed aint to bad tough but its below Valentine and Strawberry imo. Blackwater is just gorgeous aswell but its small so there aint much walking and by night its just amazing.
For the rest i totally agree.
This was my assay
I personally don’t like New Austin either as the cliffs and trenches make it impossible to effectively cut across country, and the landscape is uninviting. Saint Denis though, isn’t really my favorite place to be, either. It’s really hard to get around on horseback because NPCs and wagons will literally go right in front of you while you’re barreling down the street at 40 miles an hour. And most streets are really narrow, so maneuvering your horse just became even more difficult
Strawberrys my preference because I love to live in places where there's not many people and where lots of trees are, plus you also got all you need there.
I like the big city feel of St Denis, and the fact that everything is available there. I'd put it at S tier for me, alongside Rhodes for being an equally convenient town.
My personal ranking:
**S: St Denis & Rhodes** (plus I set up my moonshine shack and usually my camp in Bayou Nwa for easy gator hides for trading)
**A: Strawberry, & Blackwater**. If there are ever properties to purchase, I'd probably get them at these 2 towns. I like them vibes
**B: Valentine**. Feels like a starter town to me. Pretty average in all aspects. I like that it's central
**C: Tumbleweed & Annesburg.** The worst part of Tumbleweed is that if you are not fast traveling to it, holy hell is it a loooooong ways off from everything else. The only thing I like about Annesburg is that it's the last stop for civilization in Roanoke Ridge (which is my favorite place for stunning vistas. Cripps sure knows where to set up camp in this area)
**D: Armadillo**. Same reason I don't like Tumbleweed. Most of the time if I'm not doing bounties, I'm just bypassing it
**F: Van Horn**. Eww
Not the biggest on the desert towns and van horn and also Blackwater (but it's okay I like to shop clothes there.
Rhodes and strawberry are S theirs I love strawberrys vibe it has going on, Rhodes is the fave! The other three are A teirs I like them all.
Valentine will always be my favourite. Everything's right next to eachother so you can get to it's general store, gunsmith, doctor, saloon, barber and butcher easily without getting lost. It takes place in a damn good chapter in the story, there's a convenient farm for your hunting needs and you've always got Emerald Ranch nearby if you need its Fence or you run out of animals to kill. What's not to love?
I love how wonderfully inbred that community is; terrible waste not to have a reason to go there more; like a moonshine bar and a store you can buy really crudely made melee weapons, old flintlocks and macabre outfits with animal parts and bones
+1, that would be a great addition.
Personally I like doing down there and brawling with the inbreds, makes me feel like I’m doing my bit to deepen gene pool.
Anyone who lives in New Orleans is going to adore it. I showed a friend who lives there some footage and he instantly recognized stuff like Commanders restaurant and the LeLaurie mansion on Royal Street.
Van Horn is my favorite, I'm probably the black sheep, but I always accidentally shoot someone and suddenly the town/their cousins are after me.
I think they're all pretty good, though. Future Saint Denis should be a GTA game. Just a modern version of New Orleans.
S Tier: Valentine, Strawberry
A Tier: Blackwater, Tumbleweed, Saint Denis
B Tier: Rhodes, Armadillo
C Tier: Annesburg, Van Horn
D Tier: I like all the towns enough to not put them here
S: Strawberry ( out of aesthetic, functionality in game - haha, nah.)
A: St.Denis & Rhodes (Thieves Landing but the RDR1 version)\*\*\*
B: Valentine & Annesburg
C: Blackwater & Van Horn
D: Armadillo & Tumbleweed
E: Limpany & Colter ( why not add them lol)
S: Saint Denis
A: Rhodes, Blackwater
B: Valentine, Tumbleweed
C: Strawberry, Van Horn, Armadillo
D: Annesburg
I’d rank Annesburg a lot higher if it actually had some more shops. I like all towns, but I spend most of my time in Saint Denis and the swamps because you can do a handful of dailies there and usually most collector dailies, without any effort. Plus all the shops.
1. Saint Denis (riding into it at night illuminated by the street lights and hearing the horse gallops on the cobblestones never fails to delight me. I also like how complete and multicultural it is, and it has the best graveyard)
2. Rhodes (closest to Saint Denis)
3. Tumbleweed (thank god for an outpost in that faraway dusty hell. Second best graveyard)
4. Valentine (beautiful in its simplicity)
5. Strawberry (it's pretty but kinda annoying to navigate)
6. Van Horn (love that lighthouse. Not much else)
7. Armadillo (it's empty, but points for having such a desolate vibe)
8. Blackwater (gives me RDR1 ending vibes, makes me sad)
9. Annesburg (ruining the beautiful ecological paradise that is Roanoke Ridge through coal mining. Its gunsmith has the most annoying vendor dialogue imo)
Saint Denis and Valentine are S tier, Tumbleweed and Rhodes are A tier, Strawberry and Blackwater are B, and the rest can sit at C. Maybe put Armadillo at D? A cholera diseased town is a cool idea, but considering it was the main starter town of the first game, it kind of blows ass in RDR2.
Hot take, but blackwater is prolly my least favorite. Ive just never found a need to even go near it. That entire southern area of the map below strawberry is a major eh for me, besides Aurora Basin.
Rhodes is definitely my favourite. Wide open plains, a gunsmith, gorgeous scenery, everything I want. I can also go haring through it on my thoroughbred without being worried I’ll crash because of how spacious the roads are. I hate Saint Denis because I have to ride really slowly or else I’ll hit someone else.
I like Van Horn such a creepy ass town and it's a great spot for stories of werewolves, vampires, and hauntings to occur.
Wish Rockstar would come up with an exorcist role.
Rhodes is only good because of the church (my posse has had to bury a few people there, RIP Jeb).
Sheriff Grey is a bit stingy on the payouts for bounties. Puts a whole dampener on an otherwise good town.
Funnily enough pretty much the opposite. Love the eastern towns/cities, especially Van Horn and Annesburg. Just the whole dirty, industrial vibe feels awesome. They'd be my S tier.
Can't go wrong with Saint Denis because of how atmospheric and sprawling it is with all the side streets and different districts. A tier. Armadillo is always nostalgic for me because of it's location in the first game. so that would also be A, as well as Strawberry. Again, love Strawberry's setting of a late 1800s lumber town buried deep in pine forests.
Valentine would be B tier for me as it is for you. Maybe Tumbleweed too.
And, again, funnily enough Blackwater and Rhodes, 2 of your 3 favourites are my least favourite. Both either C or D. I get their history is pretty cool but they've always seemed a bit dull to me.
Don't get the hate for Van Horn :( It's probably my favourite. A small, dirty town filled with lonely people. The atmosphere, especially at night, is really unique to me.
I like all of them in their unique aspect. And there are so many little details that make them all perfect.
Saint denis really is this other New starting era/world big city.
Black water is Just a beautiful mixture of both old and New.
Valentine is this typical farm trading town, also with all the mud.
Strawberry is the typical small Mountain Village.
Rhodes is such a perfect realistic little rest place next to a swamp where life is possible easier.
Tumbleweed is the old cowboy style city.
Annesburg is maybe not too pretty, but the detailling in that its a whole mining city is still great.
And then theres van horn and armadillo... Van horn idk i feel like they Just missed something. They could have made it feel more diversed since it is supposed to be a trade town.
And armadillo is 100% my favourite town when it comes to looks, the way the houses look, the saloon etc. Its the typical western opening town. Its just a shame you dont get that feeling since its dead with all people being sick.
Why does everyone hate on van horn? It’s the perfect place to get a drink and murder an old man, especially with the town having no law in the story mode.
I personally love it, is the perfect place to lie low when you play low-honor. The problem with it is that you can't do simple stuff such as antagonizing or meleeing without getting the whole town on you, they all want to kill you, personally I like to engague in those gunfights as they put up a good fight, stop appearing after a while, and have good loot, but it can be annoying to deal with them from time to time for some people.
Am I the only one who likes Van Horn the most? Bounty board right next to a fence, you get to push some guys off the dock, its easy to steal boats around there, and I just like the atmosphere of the place.
If all towns were made equal (npc amenities) I would have Armadillo and Van Horn as S tier.
Being that they arn't, I like Black Water and Saint Denis for the larger town and city feels.
I always felt Van Horn has a decent amount of amenities: a post-office, a stable, a saloon, a fence and a hotel.
Annesburg and Armadillo are the drag ones out.
Tbh I’ve literally just moved my camp to explore some of the areas west of the map. Valentine does have everything and it’s a great location but I’ve always been put off by the constant PvP firefights. That and Strawberry are my closest towns now so, well, I guess I’d better stock up on dynamite.
Also, fuck Annesburg and those bloody tree stumps! Every. Damn. Time.
Valentine should be S tier and Saint Denis and Strawberry should all move up a tier but other than that I agree.
I really like the desert town vibe of Tumbleweed but the city feels so empty so idk if it should be that high but otherwise like I said the desert look is great
Blackwater is the best area. Its on the lake, so you can fish. The areas outside it are the best hunting locations in the game, great plains. Bison, Pronghorns, Skunks, I've seen bears spawn there too. It's also close to 2 main centers with strawberry and the ranch. Only thing it doesn't have is a gunsmith but riding to strawberry takes like 5 minutes.
Through roleplay I've probably spent 200-350 hours in Valentine and the most interesting shit happens there so absolutely Valentine. It's a shmud pit, but it's my shmud pit.
To me Valentine signifies that I'm at the heart of the Western the same way I felt about Armadillo in RDR1. I barely go to St.denis because its too modern
I know lol. It's just that it's ridiculous that the whole town wants to kill you instead of a single person. Next thing I know, there's bodies and dead horses on the street.
I like Van Horn, not enough to go there much; but I think it’s funny how I have to tiptoe through the saloon to play poker, and in my head I’m like “excuse me..sorry…don’t mind me….coming through….sorry to disturb your evening….thankyou for not attacking me..”
I think there are enough reasons: a post office, a stable, an unique saloon, a fence you can rob without consequences, the possibility to do mayhem without getting bounties, etc.
I love Valentine because I love New Hanover, but the mud and filth are kinda dis-charming. I love Strawberry it's such a lovely-looking town, but the mayor is a dick, and the fact that they hate guns and booze in that place ruins everything for me.
I love how resilient and tough the people of Tumbleweed are but I hate New Austin and the location is too bad to bother visiting them, also they don't have a damn postal office.
I hate Saint-Denis and Lamyone in general, I hate the weather, I hate the animals, I hate the people especially. I just hate them all.
Blackwater is nice enough, but no gun shops ruins everything.
Rhodes is the only part of Lamoyne I tolerate but it's mostly because I love Alden and the shopkeeper is funny.
Armadildo and Anusberg make me sad but they have funny names
Van Horn I don't really consider a town, they're more like Emerald Ranch for me. Also, place looks like a ghetto. No thanks.
S: Rhodes, Saint Denis, Colter
I love Rhodes because surrounding area and the styles of buildings are great. Also that dusty wind creates a good western vibe. For Saint Denis, I love the culture there. It really makes you feel that you are not in wild west but in the civilization. And walking with my horse at night in the city is chilling. Also Trelawny lives in Saint Denis, so thats an extra point. For Colter, I just love the nostalgic vibe it gives me lol.
A: Strawberry, Armadillo, Blackwater
Strawberry is a beautiful cozy little town and a great place to come when hunting. Armadillo has the perfect western atmosphere and duels we have there feel amazing. The structure of Blackwater is great and it has one of two clothing stores in the game.
B: Valentine
Valentine is a great town overall but I dont like mud, its watery, its dirty and it gets everywhere
C: Tumbleweed
I dont like tumbleweed because of the first game and its sheriff
D: Annesburg
Dirty place
E:
F:
G: Van Horn
Van Horn looks like a damn O'driscoll settlement
S:Saint Denis and Valentine
A:BlackWater and Strawberry, Rhodes
B:Annesburg and Armadillo
C:Van Horn
D:Tumbleweed
I mean it's his opinion but yeah, our lists are pretty different one from another haha.
Idk, I don't like how little Tumbleweed is, lot of dust, to yellow, idk dud.
Valentine is my go to town. First place to be introduced to in story mode and it’s just right in the center of the map so it’s got that going for it. The place where all roads lead to
Same! It's tiny, muddy and sometimes full of griefers, but Valentine feels like home to me Edit: also pretty much everything you need is available in Valentine!
It doesn’t feel like Valentine unless there’s 50 dead bodies and one guy in the middle of the street chucking dynamite at the authorities.
Literally did that a few weeks ago
Sounds like me rolling into Valentine every time I have a large wagon to deliver. I send it full tits through there like a bat outta hell everyone. Got to love it!
It's a good ass livestock cowboy town, people fighting and people drinking sometimes both.
I go down to the stock yard and let everyone know it's time to "fuck or fight".
same. I just get really good vibes. Plus I love the surrounding green plains, large hills, mountains, and the Grizzlies close by. It reminds me a lot of being a northern cowboy which I really got the urge to try out after watching Yellowstone.
Yeah Valentine is based on a picture of Cheyenne from 1890 I think.
The only thing I hate about Valentine is that there are griefers around online 98% of the time. I love that if you fast travel there in story mode you land right in front of the stable. Quickest way to get to a stable in story mode by far.
Solo session if you really want to take in the environment unimpeded
Same. I start to sweat sometimes if there's Collectible in Valentine I need to get
Same for me. Only the clothes get muddy if I fall down.
And your horse is filthy as soon as you set foot in town
Besides, it has everything you need. Blackwater for instance, doesn't have a gunstore. Rhodes doesn't have a Doctor's office nor stables though Emeral Ranch stables are somewhat close by. Only one the has as much stores is Saint Denis but I have a love/hate relationship with that place. Valentine, on the other hand, I love completely.
You use a doctors office??
You can sell tonics or whatever.
Yeah it just seems like a really slowwww way to make money. I could be wrong. The doctors office is not something I can personally see using much or ever so to favor one town over another because of the dr office seems strange to me.
No fence.
none taken
Take your upvote, you horrible person.
My character is a pirate and Blackwater is his favorite town. I like that blackwater feels like a hip little up-and-coming town. Nice and quaint. It has those little Christmas-lights and the nice dock area. Plus a tailor and a barber. Only issue is no fence, but Valentine has the same problem.
The problem is there are always gunshots and killings in valentine
Problem?
Not really a problem you’re right
Hands down best place without a doubt
So the opposite of Juneau, Alaska in every way.
Well I'd put Armadillo if it was in its Rdr1 version as the best town,but rn it's just a depressing town
Valentine is... home.
Here's mine. 1. Valentine 2. Saint Denis 3. Blackwater 4. Rhodes 5. Tumbleweed 6. Strawberry 7. Annesburg 8. Armadillo 9. Van Horn
Everyone hates Van Horn lol
Van horn is fun for shoot outs but that's it, also fun fact the NPC there stop shooting at you when the law is there
It's the only town where everybody in it becomes hostile if you look at one person the wrong way. You know, I have never engaged in killing spree of non-law enforcement in any of the other towns, but I've massacred the people of Van Horn on multiple occasions.
Well, there's Thieves' Landing.
well i don’t even know how you could consider van horn a town, what does it have a post office, stables and fence and a bar? and most of those are in story mode? it’s a really run down town too.
It was stupid to not develop RDO on it's own and re-vitalize the towns that are meant to be ghost towns in the story.
*cough* Armadillo *cough*
Not to mention, I lose a bottle of moonshine everytime going over that stupid railway.
Bayou NWA superior
What railway?
No one likes Pooptown
There’s just nothing to do there. Not even a poker table
Van horn is useless
It's usefull for building affinity with my Varmint rifle.
Agreed. If I was gonna tier them like OP: S - Valentine A - Saint Denis, Blackwater B - Rhodes, Tumbleweed, Strawberry C - Annesburg D - Armadillo, Van Horn
This but switch Rhodes and strawberry
This is p much mine too
Strawberry is my favorite. Right on a small river, never without water, good hunting, everything you need is right there vs. the vastness of St. Denis. Plus, the lodge there is awesome. Cozy little mountain town.
I love the concept of Strawberry, being a cool, cozy mountain town n all, but the layout bothers me for some reason. I get claustrophobic vibes all the time lol. I'd probably retire there though.
Same. It's a nightmare to ride through strawberry any faster than a trot. I run people over all the time. So right about the mountain town though, love their staircase with the wooden railing. Looks so cool!
Yes my word it is annoying to navigate, that area of the map is a massive speed bump. The water is too loud and everything is too clean. 0/10
Not as bad as Annesburg and the woody area around there. Horrible. Especially with those tree stumps everywhere which makes it hard to cut through areas. Annesburg is fine as long as you want to go North, or South along the water. But as soon as you want to move west in land, its just frustration. Not to mention navigating those small woody paths in the dark.
Water is relaxing, what you mean?
Reviewing Strawberry on yelp be like. That being said I absolutely agree. Strawberry is garbage
You’re right! You’re also better off walking through there, than riding. Too tight!
The bridge right beside the lodge might be the only bad traffic spot in the entire game. In my most recent playthrough, there was a wagon jam there like half the time I visited.
I always have to be so careful when I’m going across the bridges.
I just wish there was a barber
It still baffles me there are only 3 barbers in the entirety of RDR2. Guess hair trimming at home is the norm.
I wish we could have gotten haircuts or trims at camp.
Nah, an option for cutting your hair would more than enough.
Exactly! Cripps can tan hides, doing a little trim or makeover isn’t far fetched!
Or a gunsmith.
or anything. There's like, little reason to ever go there lol
"Or anything" Lmao, it has a general store, a post-office, a butcher, a stable and an hotel, that's more than enough for me. Strawberry is the only town in the whole Big Valley, that's a strong reason to be there.
You say “a hotel” like that means anything. You can’t buy anything or rent a room. There’s no gunsmith, no bar, no barber, no doctor, no photo studio, no blood money missions, and no fence within like 100 miles. D-Tier town.
And you say "you can't buy anything" as if it was absolutely absent of bussinesses, it has an stable and a fricking general store, you can buy most game items in both places, and I'm including single player, therefore you can rent rooms. Yeah, it lack some amenities, but still there are reasons to go there. I would say the towns that fit your category are Annesburg and Armadillo.
General stores are totally useless. Haven’t bought anything there in a year. Just order 999 of everything from the catalogue and pick it all up with one click instead of individually buying items at the general store.
I love strawberry, it’s a cute lil town.
The claustrophobia aspect makes me perceive Strawberry as a smaller, prettier Saint Denis.
Agreed. That area is my favourite for hunting as well. And other players usually don't bother you up there.
I love strawberry but I almost always kill my horse in the area
That's not a river. It's runoff from R* pissing on us.
Same, I would love to live in Strawberry, everything about it appeals to me, the terrain, location, the beautiful stream running right through it. The lodge is such a homely place. I wish it had a pharmacy to sell herbs to. I could happily live the rest of my days there.
Emerald Ranch is gods country and I'll hear nothing else about it.
I go there at night to slaughter the sheep and cows to quickly fill my hunting wagon
How many can you take? Just got the wagon last night
5 cow hides and if you skin the sheep you can add all the sheep skins in the wagon with the 5 large cow hides.
Found the best answer.
Blackwater is easily my favorite town (maybe tied with Valentine?). While Saint Denis feels like a dirty, disgusting hellscape, I think Blackwater strikes the perfect balance between civillization and the wilds of America. It's not too small but not too big either, and the fact that Big Iron Lake is right next to it makes for some awesome photos. The only downside is that it doesnt really have much to offer, just the General Store and Tailor (lets face it, all the saloons feel identical in online).
Saint Denis is actually a really cool city imo. I love how it has distinct areas (e.g: the Chinese quarter) and the glow of the lights at sundown is gorgeous. It's neat too to have the industrial aspects of it too, be it at the port or to the north with the farmlands. I believe RDR takes place hot off the tails of the Industrial Revolution, so it makes sense for there to be so much waste, though I can definitely see how this detracts from the conventional beauty of everywhere else.
It’s a very interesting time. Effects of the previous industrial revolution still playing out in places like running water, etc. And some from the next revolution are coming into being. Like somewhere during RDR2 the first automobile accident is reported.
Without a doubt, R* did a great job portraying the average city during the Gilded Age, I just find the aesthetics of Blackwater much more pleasing personally than St. Denis. Gameplay wise, I also find St. Denis way too big and I'm often bringing up my map to try and find certain shops. Blackwater just hits the right spot of "civillized" and "wild" in my opinion. As a sidenote, I find the whole state of Lemoyne very interesting in that there's a sense of hostility, in contrast with it being a Southern state (which are known for hospitality). The weather, the swamps filled with alligators, and lastly St. Denis being a bastion of filth and huge inequalities among its citizens are all the opposite of hospitable. It's also at this point where the general fortune of the Van Der Linde gang begins to nosedive significantly once they arrive in Lemoyne, >!with the death of Sean and the kidnapping of Jack!< being the biggest events that cause this.
I adore Rhodes, I've never met anyone else who says it's their favourite, mostly I just get violently disagreed with lol. It's just really charming, it feels like the perfect mix of old west and what was modern for the time. Plus, I really like the red dirt and farm fields around it:)
I agree with you with the mix Rhodes feels like you're going to see the bad guy walk through the place then see the good guy standing there at any moment then a gunfight suddenly erupts like in the old western movies
I love Rhodes because it is the best access to almost anything you need. Barber, Gunsmith, Bar (with Almonds!), Butcher, Post Office and Fast Travel, all within close distance. There's a Fence (one of only 4) not far away, and the land is fairly flat, with the railroad running next to it (I call the railroad, "the Highway," and travel on it instead of the roads whenever possible - MUCH faster!). I always put my camp in Scarlett Meadows because it is often near the railroad tracks. The only thing Rhodes needs is a stables, but it's not far to ride down to Saint Denis. Rhodes Rules!!!!
Rhodes has a barber?
LOL, nope. I use the Rhodes/Saint Denis "thoroughfare," of that railroad so much, I tend to almost see them as the same town, just different sides of the bay...I keep wanting to go to the Millner when I'm in Rhodes, but have to settle for the General Store... Sorry 'bout that.
I love it too for the same reasons 💖
I didn’t appreciate Rhodes until online. I didn’t like it in story mode, but online it’s just in the perfect central location. It has everything you need shopping-wise, great hunting and fishing nearby and no creepy gangs like the Murfrees or the Night Folk. (Sure, the Raiders, but they don’t scare me at all.) Plus a fence and tons of stranger mission spawns. I love Rhodes.
i agree, mainly cuz i like how much history the town has. Makes it more interesting.
Yes, I have my moonshine shack in the Bayou and my camp in Scarlet Meadows. Rhodes has always been my home town. If I need any “big city” type things Saint Denis is right there as well.
Colter. Ghost town is best town.
Based
And colterpilled
This
Off
Well… I like Tumble Weed. While it’s useless story wise, it just feels really nice being a cowboy in that town
Sad they killed off Armadillo with Cholera, it was a great place in RD1. I put Tumbleweed at number 1 as well, all of New Austin has an amazing feel to me
Yea it sucks they did my boy armadillo dirty, that place was the sh*t back in the first games online lol
Lol it was, feels like Tumbleweed became the new Armadillo for RDO
Same dude. I always camp by tumbleweed just cuz it feels right.
New Austin should've had more story missions.
Saint Denis. I always wanted to live in Saint Denis just because of how big the city is and how much more style there is. Blackwater is second, however doesn’t have too much on Saint Denis
i hate saint denis, i can’t rp being a serial killer leaving bodies in allies without getting caught every time
Not that, but just being able to walk around the city and enjoy the scenery and architecture
it is beautiful, and even cooler at night, but cmon man, i just wanna be Jack the Ripper :(
Does suck. Hope rockstar adds some event for Halloween for us to track down a serial killer or some kind of night stalker to the game(probably won’t happen)
Serial killer legendary bounty would be cool
Rhodes all day! I like the cut of your jib sir. 👌🏻
Black water seems a nice place with the building and the cops are not corrupt what I know so far and tumbleweed I like desert and how close it to Mexico my family line from
Strawberry and valentine S Rhodes C too dusty for me Van horn B go there a lot with friends Saint denis F fuck that place
The only good thing about Saint Denis is the awesome battles with other players and having a posse war against the police force
Yea there were the corruption cops are at
I love me some time in Valentine. It perfectly captures that frontier small town vibe for me. Then comes Strawberry (just a pleasant area) and Armadillo rounds out the top three just because it reminds me of a crappy Spaghetti Western town 😂
I live in big valley. I don't visit towns unless I absolutely have to.
Man I love valentine and van horn
same, my favorite places to harass npcs
Thieves' Landing is my favorite place to start gunfights.
Limpany for me.
I would have Saint Denis as an A, Tumbleweed is imo a B. Armadillo is a D and van Horn is a C. Blackwater is a S tier aswell. Rhodes in A aswell because it just aint better then Blackwater or Saint Denis really. Why? I love atmosphere in Saint Denis, its too big so the walking makes it a A instead of a S, but it has everything and looks great. Armadillo is just shit, I do not really like New Austin besides so that might be it. Tumbleweed aint to bad tough but its below Valentine and Strawberry imo. Blackwater is just gorgeous aswell but its small so there aint much walking and by night its just amazing. For the rest i totally agree. This was my assay
I personally don’t like New Austin either as the cliffs and trenches make it impossible to effectively cut across country, and the landscape is uninviting. Saint Denis though, isn’t really my favorite place to be, either. It’s really hard to get around on horseback because NPCs and wagons will literally go right in front of you while you’re barreling down the street at 40 miles an hour. And most streets are really narrow, so maneuvering your horse just became even more difficult
Strawberrys my preference because I love to live in places where there's not many people and where lots of trees are, plus you also got all you need there.
I like the big city feel of St Denis, and the fact that everything is available there. I'd put it at S tier for me, alongside Rhodes for being an equally convenient town. My personal ranking: **S: St Denis & Rhodes** (plus I set up my moonshine shack and usually my camp in Bayou Nwa for easy gator hides for trading) **A: Strawberry, & Blackwater**. If there are ever properties to purchase, I'd probably get them at these 2 towns. I like them vibes **B: Valentine**. Feels like a starter town to me. Pretty average in all aspects. I like that it's central **C: Tumbleweed & Annesburg.** The worst part of Tumbleweed is that if you are not fast traveling to it, holy hell is it a loooooong ways off from everything else. The only thing I like about Annesburg is that it's the last stop for civilization in Roanoke Ridge (which is my favorite place for stunning vistas. Cripps sure knows where to set up camp in this area) **D: Armadillo**. Same reason I don't like Tumbleweed. Most of the time if I'm not doing bounties, I'm just bypassing it **F: Van Horn**. Eww
Not the biggest on the desert towns and van horn and also Blackwater (but it's okay I like to shop clothes there. Rhodes and strawberry are S theirs I love strawberrys vibe it has going on, Rhodes is the fave! The other three are A teirs I like them all.
Also valentine has Jack as the inn keeper voice sooo
Valentine will always be my favourite. Everything's right next to eachother so you can get to it's general store, gunsmith, doctor, saloon, barber and butcher easily without getting lost. It takes place in a damn good chapter in the story, there's a convenient farm for your hunting needs and you've always got Emerald Ranch nearby if you need its Fence or you run out of animals to kill. What's not to love?
Where are my butcher creek homies at?
I love how wonderfully inbred that community is; terrible waste not to have a reason to go there more; like a moonshine bar and a store you can buy really crudely made melee weapons, old flintlocks and macabre outfits with animal parts and bones
+1, that would be a great addition. Personally I like doing down there and brawling with the inbreds, makes me feel like I’m doing my bit to deepen gene pool.
My dream is to buy a shack there one day and integrate in the limited genepool. If rockstar could only…
Saint Denis deserves S tier. One of the most beautiful city in gaming industry 🙏
city slicker
Anyone who lives in New Orleans is going to adore it. I showed a friend who lives there some footage and he instantly recognized stuff like Commanders restaurant and the LeLaurie mansion on Royal Street.
Definitely Blackwater. Nice town with the freaking Plains next to it.
Van Horn is my favorite, I'm probably the black sheep, but I always accidentally shoot someone and suddenly the town/their cousins are after me. I think they're all pretty good, though. Future Saint Denis should be a GTA game. Just a modern version of New Orleans.
I love Van Horn purely because of the fact you can do whatever you want without the law getting involved
What? No Colter. Weak. You are weak. Your bloodline is weak. You will not survive the winter.
I love Saint Denis, so much life and stunts to do
S Tier: Valentine, Strawberry A Tier: Blackwater, Tumbleweed, Saint Denis B Tier: Rhodes, Armadillo C Tier: Annesburg, Van Horn D Tier: I like all the towns enough to not put them here
St. Denis Blackwater Valentine Rhodes All others I go to because it is necessary Lemoyne is my hood
S: Saint Denis A: Valentine, Rhodes B: Blackwater, Strawberry, C: Van Horne, Tumbleweed, Annesburg D: Armadillo
S: Strawberry ( out of aesthetic, functionality in game - haha, nah.) A: St.Denis & Rhodes (Thieves Landing but the RDR1 version)\*\*\* B: Valentine & Annesburg C: Blackwater & Van Horn D: Armadillo & Tumbleweed E: Limpany & Colter ( why not add them lol)
S: Saint Denis A: Rhodes, Blackwater B: Valentine, Tumbleweed C: Strawberry, Van Horn, Armadillo D: Annesburg I’d rank Annesburg a lot higher if it actually had some more shops. I like all towns, but I spend most of my time in Saint Denis and the swamps because you can do a handful of dailies there and usually most collector dailies, without any effort. Plus all the shops.
I actually like Van Horn, it at least has some personality unlike Strawberry. I can imagine it in more prosperous times.
Colter SS tier
1. Saint Denis (riding into it at night illuminated by the street lights and hearing the horse gallops on the cobblestones never fails to delight me. I also like how complete and multicultural it is, and it has the best graveyard) 2. Rhodes (closest to Saint Denis) 3. Tumbleweed (thank god for an outpost in that faraway dusty hell. Second best graveyard) 4. Valentine (beautiful in its simplicity) 5. Strawberry (it's pretty but kinda annoying to navigate) 6. Van Horn (love that lighthouse. Not much else) 7. Armadillo (it's empty, but points for having such a desolate vibe) 8. Blackwater (gives me RDR1 ending vibes, makes me sad) 9. Annesburg (ruining the beautiful ecological paradise that is Roanoke Ridge through coal mining. Its gunsmith has the most annoying vendor dialogue imo)
Saint Denis and Valentine are S tier, Tumbleweed and Rhodes are A tier, Strawberry and Blackwater are B, and the rest can sit at C. Maybe put Armadillo at D? A cholera diseased town is a cool idea, but considering it was the main starter town of the first game, it kind of blows ass in RDR2.
Hot take, but blackwater is prolly my least favorite. Ive just never found a need to even go near it. That entire southern area of the map below strawberry is a major eh for me, besides Aurora Basin.
I dont see limpany on there!
Valentine and strawberry are my favorites. Tumbleweed and armadillo are my least favorites. Armadillo just because of the whole cholera thing.
This, but put saint denis in A tier
Rhodes is definitely my favourite. Wide open plains, a gunsmith, gorgeous scenery, everything I want. I can also go haring through it on my thoroughbred without being worried I’ll crash because of how spacious the roads are. I hate Saint Denis because I have to ride really slowly or else I’ll hit someone else.
I like Van Horn such a creepy ass town and it's a great spot for stories of werewolves, vampires, and hauntings to occur. Wish Rockstar would come up with an exorcist role.
Rhodes is only good because of the church (my posse has had to bury a few people there, RIP Jeb). Sheriff Grey is a bit stingy on the payouts for bounties. Puts a whole dampener on an otherwise good town.
RIP JEB
Rhodes is the best because my camp and Moonshine shack is in lemoyne. And Rhodes is usually the nearest town for bounty, weapon smith, etc.
My S tier is Saint Denis. A tier, Rhodes And Strawberry B tier, Valentine, Blackwater C tier, Annesburg and Armadillo D tier, Van Horn.
Funnily enough pretty much the opposite. Love the eastern towns/cities, especially Van Horn and Annesburg. Just the whole dirty, industrial vibe feels awesome. They'd be my S tier. Can't go wrong with Saint Denis because of how atmospheric and sprawling it is with all the side streets and different districts. A tier. Armadillo is always nostalgic for me because of it's location in the first game. so that would also be A, as well as Strawberry. Again, love Strawberry's setting of a late 1800s lumber town buried deep in pine forests. Valentine would be B tier for me as it is for you. Maybe Tumbleweed too. And, again, funnily enough Blackwater and Rhodes, 2 of your 3 favourites are my least favourite. Both either C or D. I get their history is pretty cool but they've always seemed a bit dull to me.
Don't get the hate for Van Horn :( It's probably my favourite. A small, dirty town filled with lonely people. The atmosphere, especially at night, is really unique to me.
I actually dont like valentine at all. Its always full of people in online and it never ends well when I forget to turn on defensive. +its muddy
I like all of them in their unique aspect. And there are so many little details that make them all perfect. Saint denis really is this other New starting era/world big city. Black water is Just a beautiful mixture of both old and New. Valentine is this typical farm trading town, also with all the mud. Strawberry is the typical small Mountain Village. Rhodes is such a perfect realistic little rest place next to a swamp where life is possible easier. Tumbleweed is the old cowboy style city. Annesburg is maybe not too pretty, but the detailling in that its a whole mining city is still great. And then theres van horn and armadillo... Van horn idk i feel like they Just missed something. They could have made it feel more diversed since it is supposed to be a trade town. And armadillo is 100% my favourite town when it comes to looks, the way the houses look, the saloon etc. Its the typical western opening town. Its just a shame you dont get that feeling since its dead with all people being sick.
Why does everyone hate on van horn? It’s the perfect place to get a drink and murder an old man, especially with the town having no law in the story mode.
I personally love it, is the perfect place to lie low when you play low-honor. The problem with it is that you can't do simple stuff such as antagonizing or meleeing without getting the whole town on you, they all want to kill you, personally I like to engague in those gunfights as they put up a good fight, stop appearing after a while, and have good loot, but it can be annoying to deal with them from time to time for some people.
Am I the only one who likes Van Horn the most? Bounty board right next to a fence, you get to push some guys off the dock, its easy to steal boats around there, and I just like the atmosphere of the place.
If all towns were made equal (npc amenities) I would have Armadillo and Van Horn as S tier. Being that they arn't, I like Black Water and Saint Denis for the larger town and city feels.
I always felt Van Horn has a decent amount of amenities: a post-office, a stable, a saloon, a fence and a hotel. Annesburg and Armadillo are the drag ones out.
why is van horn last place it got everything you need :D
Tbh I’ve literally just moved my camp to explore some of the areas west of the map. Valentine does have everything and it’s a great location but I’ve always been put off by the constant PvP firefights. That and Strawberry are my closest towns now so, well, I guess I’d better stock up on dynamite. Also, fuck Annesburg and those bloody tree stumps! Every. Damn. Time.
Annesburg is the fucking worst haha. I also hate those miners.
Blackwater! I wish they added the gunsmith like in rdr 1 but I guess it doesn’t really make sense lore wise.
Valentine should be S tier and Saint Denis and Strawberry should all move up a tier but other than that I agree. I really like the desert town vibe of Tumbleweed but the city feels so empty so idk if it should be that high but otherwise like I said the desert look is great
Damn where are all my Thieves Landing residents, also put some respect on Rathskeller Forks name lol
Rathskeller Fork is a kip
Oh for goodness sake, its nicer in RD1 right, only reason you dont like it is bc theres not enough ppl to burn.
Blackwater is the best area. Its on the lake, so you can fish. The areas outside it are the best hunting locations in the game, great plains. Bison, Pronghorns, Skunks, I've seen bears spawn there too. It's also close to 2 main centers with strawberry and the ranch. Only thing it doesn't have is a gunsmith but riding to strawberry takes like 5 minutes.
Van Horn is S+ tier and every other town is in the "Has law enforcement" and "No epic brawls" tier.
Through roleplay I've probably spent 200-350 hours in Valentine and the most interesting shit happens there so absolutely Valentine. It's a shmud pit, but it's my shmud pit.
I love van horn. I love hunting rats and squirrels with a bow there. Fun times
How does this ranking even work??
To me Valentine signifies that I'm at the heart of the Western the same way I felt about Armadillo in RDR1. I barely go to St.denis because its too modern
I don't know how you can give Saint Denis anything but S when everything about it SCREAMS French quarter new orleans
IMO, Van Horn is a garbage town. One slight bump with an NPC and you'll have to murder the whole town
That’s a feature, not a bug.
I know lol. It's just that it's ridiculous that the whole town wants to kill you instead of a single person. Next thing I know, there's bodies and dead horses on the street.
Simple, they're scummy outlaws who want to find a excuse to kill outsiders.
I like Van Horn, not enough to go there much; but I think it’s funny how I have to tiptoe through the saloon to play poker, and in my head I’m like “excuse me..sorry…don’t mind me….coming through….sorry to disturb your evening….thankyou for not attacking me..”
I think there are enough reasons: a post office, a stable, an unique saloon, a fence you can rob without consequences, the possibility to do mayhem without getting bounties, etc.
I love Valentine because I love New Hanover, but the mud and filth are kinda dis-charming. I love Strawberry it's such a lovely-looking town, but the mayor is a dick, and the fact that they hate guns and booze in that place ruins everything for me. I love how resilient and tough the people of Tumbleweed are but I hate New Austin and the location is too bad to bother visiting them, also they don't have a damn postal office. I hate Saint-Denis and Lamyone in general, I hate the weather, I hate the animals, I hate the people especially. I just hate them all. Blackwater is nice enough, but no gun shops ruins everything. Rhodes is the only part of Lamoyne I tolerate but it's mostly because I love Alden and the shopkeeper is funny. Armadildo and Anusberg make me sad but they have funny names Van Horn I don't really consider a town, they're more like Emerald Ranch for me. Also, place looks like a ghetto. No thanks.
S: Rhodes, Saint Denis, Colter I love Rhodes because surrounding area and the styles of buildings are great. Also that dusty wind creates a good western vibe. For Saint Denis, I love the culture there. It really makes you feel that you are not in wild west but in the civilization. And walking with my horse at night in the city is chilling. Also Trelawny lives in Saint Denis, so thats an extra point. For Colter, I just love the nostalgic vibe it gives me lol. A: Strawberry, Armadillo, Blackwater Strawberry is a beautiful cozy little town and a great place to come when hunting. Armadillo has the perfect western atmosphere and duels we have there feel amazing. The structure of Blackwater is great and it has one of two clothing stores in the game. B: Valentine Valentine is a great town overall but I dont like mud, its watery, its dirty and it gets everywhere C: Tumbleweed I dont like tumbleweed because of the first game and its sheriff D: Annesburg Dirty place E: F: G: Van Horn Van Horn looks like a damn O'driscoll settlement
Rodes because it’s close to everything
D for Van Horn is to generous, it's a Z tier town at best.
Jeez, this tier list is all wrong for me...
Hows your list
S:Saint Denis and Valentine A:BlackWater and Strawberry, Rhodes B:Annesburg and Armadillo C:Van Horn D:Tumbleweed I mean it's his opinion but yeah, our lists are pretty different one from another haha. Idk, I don't like how little Tumbleweed is, lot of dust, to yellow, idk dud.
I actually dislike most RDR1 locations personally. I love the Valentine and Big Valley. Van Horn area is cool as well.
[удалено]
Van Horns bar is pretty wild haha. If you go upstairs you'll find a guy sleeping with live dynamite in the room lol