Red Dead Redemption 2 gunslinger mission and weapons

By the time you first go to the town of Valentine in Red Dead Redemption 2, you might’ve stopped by the smaller, second saloon in town. If you do, you’ll meet a writer and a drunk gunslinger. Unfortunately for the writer, the gunslinger is too drunk to offer him any choice quotes, so he enlists Arthur to meet other legendary gunslingers and help him flesh out his book.

The mission, “The Noblest of Men, and a Woman” will have you tracking down four gunslingers across the map. The quest is straightforward: Just find them, ask them about their wild pasts, and grab a quote and a photograph while you’re at it. Of course, it won’t be as simple as that. For your troubles, you’ll get the chance to square off against them and even get your hands on some unique guns in the process.

Once you accept the mission, four locations will appear on your map for Black Belle, Emmet Granger, Flaco Hernandez and Billy Midnight. You can complete them in any order, but you won’t get to complete the mission until after Chapter 4.

Black Belle

Rockstar Games via Polygon

To meet up with Black Belle, head over to Bluewater Marsh.

You’ll find her home hidden in the swamp at the map marker. After a brief chat, follow her lead and blow up the explosive and fight off the waves of bounty hunters coming after her. To make the fight easier, take out the gatling gun right away and pay attention when Belle tells you someone else is trying to man the weapon.

The fight is pretty straightforward if you duck for cover on the porch. After you clear the bounty hunters, Belle will take her leave. Snap a photo of her, and don’t forget to loot the bodies of all the bounty hunters you took out. You can also loot her home for a cigarette card.

Emmet Granger

Rockstar Games via Polygon

Follow the map marker for Emmet Granger right next to Flat Iron Lake.

Unfortunately upon meeting him, he will be a bit tight-lipped. To get him to talk, you’ll have to tend to his pigs. Upon taking care of them, he still won’t be very helpful and you’ll have to take matters into your own hands. Doing so will eventually lead you into a duel.

Emmet and the remaining gunslingers will all force you into a duel at some point. If you haven’t had a duel yet, these famous gunslingers will take you out with ease. Here’s a tip that’ll make winning duels easier: As soon as the encounter begins, an on screen prompt will tell you to slowly press the “draw” button. The longer you hold it down, the more slowed down time you’ll have to take a shot at your opponent.

Keep in mind if you hold it down too long, these gunslingers will take you out immediately and you’ll have to restart the duel. Depending on how good you are at aiming, press the trigger down right away to draw your weapon fully any point after you’ve filled the gauge 40 percent or more. It’s also important to know that the slowed down effects of the draw mechanic looks like you’re aiming in Dead Eye, but you are not. You’ll have to manually fire shots at your enemy to take them out.

The gunslingers are fast and they may still take you out even if you pay attention to them.

Granger is sneaky, opting for a throwing knife instead of a gun during the duel. Keep an eye on his hands. After successfully taking out Granger, you’ll have to snap a photo of his body to complete this step in the quest. Before leaving his farm for the next cowboy, be sure to loot his pistol. Once you do, Granger’s Pistol will show up in your inventory.

Flaco Hernandez and The Del Lobo Gang

Flaco Hernandez and his gang are hiding out in The Grizzlies.

Once you make it up to the frozen lake where he’s located, you’ll first have to deal with The Del Lobo Gang, the group of outlaws he is a part of. Once you dispose of the gang that has set up camp outside of his cabin, you can confront the gunslinger.

As you draw him out of his cabin, Hernandez will also challenge you to a duel after a bit of talking. Hernandez plays a bit dirty and he’ll dive off to the side before pulling the trigger. After you’ve defeated him, snap his photo and loot his cabin for a Cigarette Card, Poisonous Trail Treasure map and of course, Flaco’s Pistol can be found on his body.

Billy Midnight

Rockstar Games via Polygon

To encounter Billy Midnight, you’ll have to head to the train station near Rhodes.

Upon talking to the clerk, a train will pull up with Midnight as a passenger. Enter anywhere you like and make your way to the first car. After you speak to him, Midnight will dash off and you’ll have to chase him to the back of the train. Once you’ve caught up, you’ll have to duel him.

Billy is very quick on the draw, so keep that in mind. Once you’ve bested him, you’ll pick up the very unique looking Midnight’s Pistol. To safely get off the moving train, press the jump button and while in mid-air, then press the mount button to land on your horse.