Summary
An observantRed Dead Redemption 2player has discovered an unsettling fact about the odor of Van der Linde Gang member Bill Williamson that allows the character to be tracked like in-game quarry. The unusual mechanic arose during one of manyRed Dead Redemption 2story missions.
Though the game is more than six years old at this pointand still native to the previous console generation,Red Dead Redemption 2continues to wow many players with the depth and scale of its open world. Even today, the game remains one of themost immersive open-world gamesever created, with a level of realism that, in spots, actually interferes with the game’s purpose as an entertainment product. At the same time, developer Rockstar’s stubborn devotion to verisimilitude makes for a game that can still surprise players with hundreds or even thousands of hours of play logged.
That was the case for player seriousBnana, who observed that during a party taking place in theRed Dead Redemption 2city of Saint Denis, Arthur could track his companion Bill Williamson solely by the trail of his scent. The use of that mechanic implies that Bill has a powerful and distinct body odor.
To track poor Bill, the player employed the same system used forRed Dead Redemption 2hunting, known as the “eagle eye.” At the touch of a button, players can enter an enhanced vision mode that represents the smells of nearby animals as visible trails that Arthur can follow. The screenshot showed a trail that was just labeled “Bill,” revealing that Arthur could smell the man so well that he could locate him like a quarry. No other NPCs in the scene gave off scent trails.
FellowRed Dead Redemption 2players were amused when seriousBnana shared their screenshot with the game’s Reddit community, cracking jokes about Bill being “stinky.” Others jokingly speculated about what the hair pomade Bill asks for in hisRed Dead Redemption 2companion requestmight’ve smelled like, if it was so potent it could be followed.
A few knowledgeable players did chime in to note that it’s not just Bill that can be tracked by scent. Other named characters in the Van der Linde gang also sprout scent trails if Arthur uses the eagle eye in the gang’s camp. Bill just happened to be the only gang member present during the scene. Upon reading the clarification, some commenters were impressed by the attention to detail, realizing that it would make sense that Arthur, in light of the hygiene levels of the time and the fact that he lives in close proximity to many of his gang members, would indeed know what his friends smell like.
Red Dead Redemption 2
WHERE TO PLAY
America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him. From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age.
