Red Dead Redemption 2 dinosaur bone locations and rewards

As you travel across the open plains of Red Dead Redemption 2, you might run across Deborah MacGuiness, a paleontologist digging up some bones next to her wagon. You can find her near a rock on a hill just northeast of Flatneck Station or directly under the “H” in Heartlands on your map.

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After speaking with her, she’ll give you a mission called, “A Test of Faith.” She asks you to travel around to discover 30 dinosaur bones hidden across the map. In addition to working toward the completion of a quest and its rewards, each bone found gives you +5 Dead Eye XP, which will help you upgrade that skill.

How to find and redeem Red Dead Redemption 2 bones

Bones will be scattered across the map hidden among the foliage, on cliff faces and more.

After Arthur finds a bone, he’ll jot down the location. To redeem your rewards from MacGuiness, you need to head to a Post Office and mail her each location you find. Upon returning one location, you can pick up a Quartz Chunk, an item you can use for crafting at a Fence, the next day at the Post Office. After dropping off 15 locations, she’ll send you back a Skull Statue, which is a unique valuable you can sell. After finding them all, she’ll invite you to see the fruits of your labor as well as offer you a special Knife.

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Finding the bones is easy enough if you know where to look, but sometimes they can still be tricky to find. If you activate Eagle Eye, the bones will glow, making them much easier to find.

Red Dead Redemption 2 bone locations 1-22

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There are 30 bones hidden across the map, and this guide will show you how to find them all. The first part of this guide will cover the first 22. The remaining eight dinosaur bones are only available very late in Red Dead Redemption 2. They’re below, past an image that warns you of spoilers.

You can tackle them in any order, but we recommend the order listed here as it’ll make your trek easier. Here’s how we’ve organized this Red Dead Redemption 2 bone location guide to make finding them all as easy as possible:

• We’ve grouped bones together by location, in four groups of five, except for the last group, which has seven.
• In each gallery, there are two images for each bone. The first shows its location on the map, while the second shows the bone.
• We’ve written some text to help you better locate each bone.
• The numbers in the map and above correspond to the numbers on the images in the galleries, and the numbers in the text below also match the numbers in the galleries.

Bones 1-5

Grid View

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• Rockstar Games via Polygon
• Rockstar Games via Polygon

1. Near the “A” in Heartlands is an old oil derrick. Climb the ladder below the rig to find the bones in the hole.

2. Southeast of the first bone, just sitting in the middle of the dirt before you reach the rock face.

3. In The Heartlands directly east of of Flatneck Station is a ribcage overlooking the train tracks in the south.

4. Near the “L” in Lemoyne at the lower part of the dried out Dewberry Creek.

5. North of the fourth bone, located closer to the end of the dried out Dewberry Creek.

Bones 6-10

Grid View

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• Rockstar Games via Polygon

6. Above the “O” in Hanover, you’ll find the bone in the grass near the abandoned home.

7. On a cliff overlooking the Kamassa River, southeast of a small camp.

8. Directly between the Van Horn Trading Post and the “R” in Hanover. Hidden among the trees.

9. On a cliff on the Roanoke Ridge.

10. On top of a small rocky ridge near the train tracks in the Grizzlies East.

Bones 11-15

Grid View

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• Rockstar Games via Polygon

11. On a mountaintop near the “S” in Grizzlies East. Approach the mountain from the north for the easiest trip up. It’ll require a lot of slow walking and it’s entirely possible to fall off the mountain and die getting this one. Be careful!

12. Above the “O” in Ambarino, south of the path, hidden in the grass.

13. Near the “I” in Ambarino, you’ll find a bone claw in the rock face.

14. Southwest of Bacchus Station is a cliff best approach from its southend. Climb up it until you find a triangular rock with the bone next to it.

15. Head south from Cotorra Spring, you’ll find this bone if you drop off a cliff onto a ledge below it.

Bones 16-22

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• Rockstar Games via Polygon

16. South of the “C” in Cumberland Forest you’ll find the bone hanging out near the cliff edge.

17. On the other side of the Dakota River north of Valentine is a bone hidden against the rock face.

18. North of Valentine is a a cliff that overlooks the Dakota River facing the train tracks ahead. Approach the cliff from the south and find the bone at the edge.

19. Southwest of Valentine is a rock face that lies north of the Dakota River. You’ll find the bone near the scratched up rock face.

20. Northwest of Wallace Station is a well-lit cave. Enter it and find the bone in the back.

21. In West Elizabeth near Mount Shawn, you’ll find a bone right near a bend close to Beryl’s Dream.

22. Directly north of the last bone, you’ll find another sitting in the middle of the trail in the northwest part of Big Valley.

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New Austin dinosaur bone locations (bones 23-30)

The final eight dinosaur bones are southwest of Blackwater. This area, New Austin, is a place you won’t visit until the endgame or the Epilogue.

Grid View

• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon
• RDR2 New Austin dinosaur bones location maps Rockstar Games via Polygon

23. Hennigan’s Stead Luis Rover Bone Location. Follow the San Luis River southwest from Blackwater. There are several small islands off of the riverbank. This dinosaur bone is on an island that appears south of the I and the N written on the map in “Austin.”

24. Hennigan’s Stead Pike’s Basin Bone Location. You’ll find this dinosaur bone northwest of MacFarlane’s Ranch, south of the first N in “Hennigan’s Stead” written on the map. It’s in a canyon. You’ll need to be on the upper level of the canyon — the same level as the rope bridge. Check out the image above to orient yourself.

25. Rio Bravo Del Lobo Rock Bone Location. This is in the area marked as “Rio Del Lobo Rock” on the map, just southeast of the K in Rock.

26. Rio Bravo San Luis Rover Bone Location. This dinosaur bone is southwest of Fort Mercer, just south of the B in “Rio Bravo” written on your map.

27. Cholla Springs Jorge’s Gap Bone Location. This dinosaur bone is north of Fort Mercer, just west of Jorge’s Gap (which is like a miniature canyon), roughly halfway between the A and U in “New Austin” written on your map.

28. Cholla Springs High Desert Bone Location. At the far northern edge of the map, northwest of Armadillo, you’ll find this dinosaur bone. It’s roughly north of the S in “Cholla Springs” written on your map. It’s also north of Pleasance House and west of Rattlesnake Hollow, which you’ll write on your map if you explore the area.

29. Gaptooth Ridge North Tumbleweed Bone Location. This dinosaur bone is north of Tumbleweed, about halfway between the D and G in “Captooth Ridge” written on your map.

30. Gaptooth Ridge South Tumbleweed Bone Location. This dinosaur bone is on the outskirts of Tumbleweed, just south of the L in “Tumbleweed” written on your map.