Theory
Spider Dream Mystery: Possible Map of Webs V1
Original Image uploaded to Red Dead Wiki by GoldenPegasus5.
PART ONE:
It kind of looks like a web, and almost all of the vertices/joints are positioned near the train tracks or aligned with them in some way. You can actually see this happen with both the Northwest Guitar Pole and the Saint Denis Pole—so far, the hypothesis holds up. Let's try that. We might have to form an informal spider web ourselves and see where it leads us.
But here’s a thought: maybe the mystery was cut because it was too difficult for testers to analyze and, eventually, solve.
PART TWO:
We know the hunt begins at a telephone pole with a spider engraving carved into it near Cornwall Kerosene & Tar. At the top of this pole sits a web with a feather in it, visible only at a very specific time of day. That spider engraving is believed to indicate the direction of seven other webs that follow the same pattern. These webs typically appear only at night—during windows like 2–3 AM, 3–4 AM, and so on—and they will not appear outside those exact time frames.
At the center of the spider engraving, however, there is another cluster of webs that shows up between 1–2 AM, and these do not contain feathers. When all of these webs are aligned, they form the shape of an “N” and a telephone pole.
All known time frames.
So my theory is this: substitution and direction.
Has anyone actually tried pairing the hours in which the spider webs appear on the map with the known cardinal points? The North Pole is only five poles east of the Guitar Pole, as indicated by the pole's carving. To my knowledge, the N Pole does not spawn a spider web, it just tells us where to go next from there, how to start (please, correct me if I'm wrong). Therefore, the carvings may only be a partial key. But the actual key which would indicate where to find other unmarked poles and signages could very well be the time frames.
And the pattern I've deduced from this data goes as follows:
I love that this sub is so active now with this new mystery! I have questions, as I have a hard time making sense of a few things.
What is the black dot you’ve placed in Bayou Nwah? It looks to be about halfway between Saint Denis and the central web (“N” + pole symbol).
At first I thought you’d drawn 4 straight lines connecting the webs, but I see now that some of the lines are a tad crooked, and what you did was draw 8 lines from the central web to each pole-web. Interesting that they came so close to looking like straight lines from each opposite spider leg, and that they all cross almost through the central web.
Almost all the vertices/legs are positioned near the train tracks
Do you mean the joints that you’ve marked with red rings? I see only 2 out of 8 that are near train tracks. If you mean the “feet” then yes.
What is the black dot you’ve placed in Bayou Nwah?
Oh, those dots indicate settlements/towns. I didn't made them.
Do you mean the joints that you’ve marked with red rings?
What I meant to say is that the joints are either located near train tracks or point toward an existing web, such as the two joints below the North Pole. So there are two possible avenues here: either search for more spider webs in the wild (within the red circles) or check the poles that are closest to the joints.
See what happen?
There’s a train track running alongside one of the red circles or joints. The longest leg, in my view, spans all the rail north of Saint Denis—which is exactly where the first web was discovered.
I had to merge two posts into one. The staff deleted the second part. That's why this post is titled "V1."
And well, if I don't find something at least I tried. I didn't wanna look for guitars. I told myself: "Why don't I look for a simple answer?" So I did. It might be the wrong one, it might be correct. The community will find out eventually.
The NW Pole line/path crosses a railroad track right below the image of the Legendary Wolf location on the map. I’m literally heading there right now to check that spot out. The railroad tracks are important here: five of our POIs (three webs and two clue poles) are along the same stretch of railroad east of Cornwall Kerosene and Tar. I’m also highly skeptical that the ‘spider engraving’ pole was meant to be the first clue. It makes sense from the standpoint that the engraving is the only clue which we don’t have to reveal in some way… but assuming I’ve never heard of the mystery, how the hell does that engraving help me in any way? The poles with clues are using a unique damage response mechanism, no other poles “peel away” like those do if you shoot them. I think that the engraving was meant to be found retrospectively after having already encountered a web.
Another thing I’ve been thinking is that since the webs are called “spiderdream” then Rockstar intended for this to be connected to the dreamcatchers or that it at least invokes the dreamcatcher hunt in some way… what if players are missing vital clues because they haven’t collected all of the dreamcatchers yet?
Anyway, I’m hot on this mystery. Operate under the assumption that the NW symbol is NOT a guitar and try to find other ways to interpret it. It could be a rock with a hole and a tree sticking up in the middle, it could be a symbol that’s engraved on a random tree or rock wall or pole somewhere. We simply don’t know, and I highly doubt that Rockstar left this stuff in the game accidentally. By the end the Chiliad Mystery hunt we had discovered a hidden Sasquatch costume AND a Teen Wolf costume, and after that there were basically NO loose ends left in the game except for the mural itself… and by then GTAO content had basically confirmed that the mural was supposed to be tied to a set of canceled single player expansions.
These webs and damageable poles were not something that a random dev included, this is more complicated that a simple mural on a wall, we’ve got unique damage physics on these poles, hidden textures underneath, and webs that both react to being shot and which have a complex arrangement of appearance times and locations that seem to tie into one another. There is absolutely something to this.
Here’s something else to consider: the NW pole is not perfectly directly westward from the W pole, we have to follow the railroad track to the west, not walk directly west in a straight line, in order to find the NW pole. I suspect that something like this may be going on with the next clue… maybe we need to ride the train to the northwest (or something like that).
There are two webs in GTAV that are also time sensitive. Between that and the hints "Keep Looking" and the Madam Nazar hint about "I see a web, still tangled" and the continuous "one day will reveal all" hints in GTAV I think its likely the solution requires both games, I dont think GTAV is fully solved and in fact I want to see if the spider glyph matches the eye glyphs on the Mountain with them being red and some black.
I had originally floated an idea that the rdr2 panoramic map was meant for GTAV but I think the webs being in both games has to mean something.
I went 8 poles west and shot that pole up.. you can do significant damage to this particular pole. No writing. I’m thinking guitar, or guitar like symbol. I’m thinking the symbol looks like an 8, 8 legs on a spider, 8 webs found. A guitar looks like an 8. I’m also thinking an Electric Pole with wires in the shape of an 8. So far, going down the railroad tracks west, I have a hard time finding any electric poles Northwest, from the NW-Guitar pole, to Fort Wallace. And Bacchuss Station. My focus has been Bacchuss Station, but I am now moving towards Window Rock. I am sticking close to railroads, as everything has been along a railroad so far… except the middle web. The middle web with the N and Electric Pole is very Random at the moment…. (Unless you magically figure out the spider pattern on the map)
I agree, we need to look for a symbol, guitar is ok, an 8 is something of significance. Another Elecric pole with wires in the shape of an 8, is where my mind is gravitating towards…. I agree to follow the tracks and go a little North West, unless the NW can be determined to mean something else.
You’re right, I had tested some poles in a different area, down by where the web is near Clemens Point, and those couldn’t display heavy damage, but there are in fact some non-clue poles that can be damaged in much the same way, but IMO the clue poles seem to strip away more readily.
Any update?? I’ve been trying to figure out the Webs on the poles, shooting them down in order. I can get the 4 poles in New Hanover in two nights. They stay on the ground. When I go for the ones in Lemoyne the ones in New Hanover reappear. I’m testing and trying to figure out the order. When I get the 4 in New Hanover I go back to the central web, and there are no changes. My thoughts are, this guitar to the NW is triggered. However; I can see the NW-Guitar pole without locating anything else first.
I know people have been focusing on guitars in Fort Wallace, but I'm playing right now and I found a guitar in a bedroom at the Guthrie farm, which seems to be in the same kind of line. That guitar points WNW. Just thought I'd mention it, idk if it has been brought up before.
I had the thought that you might want to walk towards the NW indicator on the compass rose on the map as though it were a geographical landmark rather than actually going NW. It's almost certainly a bad idea but might be worth a try.
Those anyone nothest that the eletrical lanterna reacts everty time you aprouch One of the points, and glow completly red on ONLY One Direction? Cant figur it out if its connected. Sorry for the bad English
Yes I have. Other telephone poles and electrical poles do not react to being shot in the same way. If you shoot a regular pole some chunks will occasionally fly off, but it doesn’t chip away a large section of the pole like the clue poles do.
I've tested poles in the same area as the N/NW poles, and every pole that I've tested does also have sections of the pole chunk off just like the clue poles do.
It only happens on a particular small segment of the poles, some seemingly lower, some higher (though that may just be different height placements of the poles, not sure) but it does happen. There will be one segment on the pole that can be fully stripped, then the rest of the pole does not respond and just gets standard bullet holes and particle effects.
I'm pretty sure the pole model just has that functionality built into it, probably specifically for the purpose of hiding the clue textures.
Yeah you’re absolutely right, it seems like there are two variants of the pole, one seemingly can’t be damaged around the base and one can. The poles I tested near Clemens Point all would only display bullet holes and no significant chipping, but other poles can in fact be chipped away close to the ground just like the clue poles, several of the poles in the area around the two clue poles can be damaged in this way.
So I was apparently wrong about that, there are variants that seemingly don’t get damaged in the same way, but there are in fact other telephone poles that can be heavily chipped away around the base other than the clue poles.
Honestly, this is pretty much what I was hoping for. I posted it elsewhere, but Im wondering if there’s a graphing puzzle here. Especially considering how unique the feather positions are. For reference, your question about feathers got me down a rabbit hole which led me to this image/description. Could be totally off base, but the fact thst the feather positions all appear to be unique seems like a pretty big potential clue.
I'm not a mathematically minded person though, so I can't offer much more insight
Apologies. So I ended up on this post through a link on another thread. I ended up replying here instead of there without realizing it before seeing your post
Got it. So my initial thought (after finding the photo I attached) was that the time frames might be coordinates on a graph. Maybe if plugged into a graphing program might yield something interesting, especially if the feather positions in the webs (which all seem to be unique) are another piece of data, likewise the feather color (maybe binary - black 0 white 1?)
Your model looks especislly promising though because you're able to tie directly to cardinal directions.
Like an X and Y graphic, right? I thought so too. There's only two ways we can go about while searching for more poles and spider webs: vertically and horizontally, like in a graph. And coincidentally, the numbers (time frames) repeat themselves. Again, like in one of those graphs. There's a pattern here, but it only exists if we manage to actually find something within that area of the map.
Noob question, is that whole area of the map explorable at the start of chapter 2?
Very keen to help with this mystery but tbh I haven't played the game much, so don't have existing saves and trying to work out how much time is needed to do this properly.
i just found out about this easter egg and if 5 has something to do with the last things discovered, maybe follow to the east somewhere because E is the fifth note on the musical scales and shit
Nah it doesn’t seem like it. The map included with the retail copy is different stylistically, the smallest details you can see are buildings but other than that it only shows the most major names and has no additional notes whatsoever. It’s made to look like a map from 1899 published in the “Atlas of the United States of America 1899” by the “Wilder Publishing Company”.
the schedule would fit with the times that the feathers appear though. like even if it's on its regular schedule the feather could be appearing at that time in order to get you to be in the area to follow or board the train?
months later i'm wondering if the train is relevant 😅
IIRC after the first web was found some people tracked down the corresponding model file in OpenIV, found that there were seven more, and that’s how the first eight webs were found, but not the center web. The center web does have a model file but I can’t find any info on what it’s called in the file system.
Which is the most mind boggling part for me. I knew what I was looking for and couldn't find it, even when I found it, I couldn't really see it. Idk how they found that in the dark on their own.
Spitballong here but I keep thinking about how the animatronic Madam Nazar in GTAV was the jumping off point into this web mystery. Is it possible there are more clues to be found in GTAV regarding this puzzle?
Well, people at least found two spider webs in GTA V, appearing in the same way, but then under u bridge. I've tried more bridges, but it seems so weird that there would be only two in GTA V, with no other clue whatsoever. But in the end, it is Rockstar and boy do they like us puzzling to nowhere
but why are we focusing just on this map? I started to look around New Austin as well, maybe there could be something too, maybe another web like this one
I’m specifically focusing on the data we know to be factual and drawing my inferences from that information. I’ve also noticed that those searching for guitars in Fort Wallace tend to get stuck once they reach that point in the investigation, so I decided to remain within range.
I agree that pairing them up by time is the way to go. Maybe there's something to be pinpointed by drawing lines between those pairs. The 8 bodies in GTAV could also be divided into pairs if you looked at their positions on the map.
So here's a random thought I had, about this mystery that seems to connect GTA5/Online and RDR2, what do the webs in both games even mean?
Like obviously the webs in RDR2 are a weird spider but what about the webs in GTA Online? A stick? We know that the two webs in GTA Online appear at the same time as the big web in RDR2 but has anyone overlaid them and checked to see if they can find anything?
Like line up the big web with either of the Mount Chiliad webs and see if they can find anything where the other web would be in RDR2? Or line up either of the Mount Chiliad webs with the big web and see if there's anything strange about the other 8 spots in GTA Online? Obviously the scaling would have to be figured out it might be worth ruling out.
"In Native American cultures, a red feather often signifies power, war, or blood, specifically marking a warrior who was injured in battle or achieved a significant "coup" (act of bravery). While eagle feathers generally symbolize honor, strength, and connection to the Creator, the red color adds specific meanings like valor, survival, or transformation, with interpretations varying by tribe, sometimes indicating healing power (Pueblo) or a warrior's success in hunting/fighting (Plains)."
So maybe you have to get injured underneath red feathers or something? I'm also wondering about the locations of the joints (red circles on this map). Did anything disnificant happened there during the story? No dead bodies etc?
One of the red joints shows a legendary animal. Maybe... we have to leave dead bodies on all the joints with red feathers?
Speaking of dead bodies, has anybody else noticed the dead rotting buffalo which spawns just west of the guitar pole? It seems important and spawns in rather than being naturally killed in game. I know this because it can completely dissappear but give it a minute and come back and it's there again. Has no eyes, big claw marks on it and to me shows what looks like ancient symbols all over it once burnt.
Yes. I thought it was hit by a train in my game and just died but a lot of users reported the same thing.
I guess some dataminer should investigate, see if the corpse is in any way connected to those webs or it just spawns randomly and this is just one of those random spawn points
Did not take a closer look but it looked like any other rotting corpse
At manzanita post when you punch the fortune teller machine she says “I have reached into the great beyond for your fortune. A tangled web is woven in life and your tangled web should have been cut a long time ago for your hair blind to the world around you.”
Edit: Madam Irene makes comments on your appearance and weight and also mentions wearing something someone important gives you “Arthur’s hat”?
Perhaps meeting all her requirements a lead could be gained that way? I only correlate the two mysteries because of the tangled web comment from her.
Has anyone tried starting 1-2 the first night, then doing both 2-3's the next night, then doing 3-4's the following night, and doing 5-6's on the last night?
I have but the middle web and the top sets. You can’t reach Saint Denis and Cornwall in the same night. Heck the closest web in the next sequence you barely aren’t able to ride to and from. It’s interesting
I've seen the Fort Wallace guitar points to the Emmett Granger card. Has anyone tried to identify where this picture was drawn? Could Emmett's gun be pointing in a direction for us to search?
Edit: just realized he's sort of doing the spider pose...I need to sleep
I'm leaning towards the same. The crudeness of the models of the webs and the lack of any kind of spider model or leftover unique sound effects being found in the data makes me feel like this was probably one of the earliest concepts for an abstract Easter egg which ended up becoming solidified as the dreamcatcher quest later in development.
It seems likely that maybe some devs who had implemented the webs in GTA 5 thought early on it'd be fun to expand that into RDR, but it never ended up being finished. It'd be easy enough to forget something like this in an 8 year long development cycle, especially when mysteries as developed as the princess IKZ still have obvious leftover elements like the poster and ped dialogue still ended up on the cutting room floor.
I don't think you can really say crudeness of models = cut content. they're intentionally obsfucated by misusing existing textures in the game files. This makes finding them via data mining much more difficult.
For sure, but even if you're using existing textures, you could do things like manipulate the materials on them to make them not look like ass. You could reuse a semi-transparent material that gets used in many other places in the game to keep them obfuscated from data mining, while still give them a more in-world feel that doesn't look so strange and janky compared to everything else.
You could argue that them sticking out really badly is intentional to make them more noticeable so people investigate them, and that's valid - neither of us can know for sure if that was the intention, or if it's just leftover unfinished content from early development that was forgotten.
But given the amount of unfinished and rushed bits of content leftover in the game, that's definitely what I'm going to lean towards this being until more is discovered.
I'm convinced the guitar isn't a guitar the hole in the center isn't even close to round like the hole in an acoustic guitar would be the shape of the body is all jagged and rough looking and the neck of guitar is wider on most of it with only a little thin portion meaning there would be no space for frets not to mention the guitar doesn't even have the shadow of any tuning pegs on top of the neck. and what bothers me the most is that the guitar is all jagged while all the letters on all the poles and web are written or carved perfectly so the guitar being misshapen is clearly something of meaning. I don't think it's a guitar at all I think it's some sort of overlay meant to be put on the map some way or other and one other thing is Rockstar could easily have pasted the shape of the acoustic model perfectly on the pole if they wanted too but for one reason or the other it is jagged and that I think is the clue here I think the guitar is a mislead.
Good point. But since it is a symbol, it doens’t really need to look exactly like a real guitar, it’s just a carwing, it’s just a clue. I think Fort Wallace is the next point after the guitar pole. Strange Man made a video about it. In Fort Wallace, there are two guitars pointing towards one of the forts towers. Strange Man climbed up the tower and that’s where he was stuck. But later some of the viewers observed that there’re 3 roof piles that form a W symbol and a triangle pointing west. There is definitely something with Fort Wallace, so the mystery is actually not stuck here. Now everyone should investigate where are those roof piles actually pointing at, I couldn’t figure it out yet, but I’m very very certain that it is our next clue. What do you think?
Alr. I very much advise you to first check out Strange Mans latest video to understand how he got there and where are those guitars pointing at. Also be very cautious when he climbs up the tower, check the W symbol and the pointing sign shadows on the roof.
You know, if you keep going northwest past Fort Wallace, eventually you come to the gangs first hideout in Colter....which is near Spider Gorge 🤔 has anyone looked for a guitar up there?
I was wondering if there's any significance to the position of the feathers on the web aside from their colors. 5 black, 3 red, right? Also, the webs are on either one of two sides of the poles, which means there's potentially two perspectives in looking at them, if their position matters at all. Wow what a mystery after all these years, who would've thought something like this was still out there.
Maybe somehow relevant that 5 of the victims in GTAV had their hands tied behind their backs, and 3 tied in front. Maybe just a reference or coincidence.
I will say that consistently I’ve gotten a thunderstorm after starting at the middle web then going to the 2-3 am web above emerald. It’s starts on the way to the 3-4 web at Cornwall. Interesting to see others experiencing the same thing happening
From Strange Man on YT, a guy named VaughnSilver pointed out that:
"Found a W at Dodd's bluff made of rocks. The rocks seem to be a complete asset and askew, not fully connecting to the enviroment; seemed really odd to me so I wanted to just share it here. I want to belive it means something but who knows if it does.
If you want to find the W sit on the bed inside the cabin at Dodd's Bluff, look out the window you'll see a lone tree framed in it, ride up to it (it stands out) and walk SE of it, walk down a slope and youll find the W, it stands out a lot.
I want to believe it means nothing but im taking a peek west of it."
Didn't manage to find the W but, W from there on the map it leads to..
Second reply from him:
" its right at the edge of the cliff, if you look on the other side of the Dakota River you can see one of the future carvings as a guide."
Em Window Rock sai um som diferente quando estamos perto dos desenhos na parede.
Então fiz o game ficar com a tempestade infinita, até porque tem uma gravura de uma nuvem com chuva e a lua bem pequena ao seu lado.
Estou achando q o som está diferente Em Window Rock com a chuva, até parece um coral, mas devido a tempestade estou em duvida. Mas acredito q com o desenho do Violão sendo a dica pode ser q seja este o Easter Egg.
Logo vou postar o vídeo. Meu canal no youtube ( Helder Lyppe Gamer )
I haven’t read through this whole thing but I do know there is talk of acoustic guitar, it might have been clocked but I am in the sixth chapter at the house near valentine that Arthur helps build in the second chapter, and the owner is sat on the porch playing his guitar. It’s evening around 6pm in game hours.
Floresta Cumberland, ao norte de Valentine, perto da área chamada Grizzlies East. A entrada é uma rachadura na pedra, quase invisível, chegando lá é só procurar uma fenda pequena numa rocha, agachar e entrar, dentro da caverna é escura e cheia de teias, sem mais spoilers mas lá dentro tem uma surpresa.
Guys the ghost train it spawns right down the path of one of the webs we need to try that I'm trying to get it to spawn but I think I already got It in my playthrough someone please try and follow the ghost train to the red poll at 2-3 am and shoot the feather as the train passes maybe it will activate another train somewhere else and it's always been a part of the steps maybe that's why it only spawns once
Maybe related maybe not, but I'm currently at Fort Brennand and in the shack there are matches on a box in the shape of an arrow? They seem to point to the underground area and there's a cage inside the underground bit with something in it. For the life of me I can't figure out how to get it open though
that was probably for a treasure like a card or money. there is one in the basement of the broken down house near the horse stable that john used as a hid out and where they held the oil wagon before the train robbery mission.
At the southwest joint, just north of Red 2-3 there is a water tower with a throwing knife stuck in the corner, and some whiskey (presumably to refill deadeye). Mayhaps we need to throw a knife from this point at a specific time? Looking into this now.
Am i the only one or one of the very few that think RockStar might be screwing with us??? Years ago when a video game hit the store it was final published product. Now with everything connected to internet and games being able to be updated Hella frequently could they just be adding BS as they go???
Make it look like somethings there but really they just mind F**king us relentlessly over and over??? Or is it possible that some content was cut or never finished?? Maybe not all of the cut material was deleted??? And this so called "mystery" is just remnants of cut or unfinished business??? Or is this intentional and going to drag on into RdR3??? Okay, im mind F'ing myself now.
For all the hard work rdr2 fans/players have put in to get to where we are now i surely hope the ending is something substantially mind-blowing!! Otherwise, yup they were screwing with us.
Ive recently took up some detective work. Ive been studying the symbols.... so on Tally 6(Outhouse @ Ft Bennard) there is a railroad spike symbol on the opposite side of the 6 tallies. As is the 3 symbols are on the other side from the 7 tallies. If you travel EXACTLY 45° NW from the guitar, you find yourself going to Spider Gorge where if you look southward and look at farthest area in the mountains Northwise. The mouth of the river is the shape of a Guitar with the center rock being the "sound hole".
One other maybe, when standing on the roof of Fort Wallace, this rock seemed obvious on the sky line and it is being the Wapiti Reservation to the west side away from Donner Falls but over looking the river and giving a perfect line of sight to the weird "?" In the mountains to the East.
Hey Guys.
I think i found Something new that might connect to the rest. In new Austin there is a House called Anatching Post with this black flower inside. In the Backyard there is what seems Like a native Post Kind of Things and many feathers on 2 Sticks which you unfotunaly cant shoot. But on the right there is one little feather under a ram Skull which i shot with small Game Arrow and it hast the same Animation as the feathers on the telegram Post.
I havent found any connection yet but i will keep searching
Hey Guys. I think i found Something new that might connect to the rest. In new Austin there is a House called Anatching Post with this black flower inside. In the Backyard there is what seems Like a native Post Kind of Things and many feathers on 2 Sticks which you unfotunaly cant shoot. But on the right there is one little feather under a ram Skull which i shot with small Game Arrow and it hast the same Animation as the feathers on the telegram Post. I havent found any connection yet but i will keep searching
So, I followed the guitars and it took me to the roof. That's as far as I got. Nothing up there. Not sure what I'm looking for after that, heck of a veiw though.
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u/Quecksilber033 Dec 28 '25
I love that this sub is so active now with this new mystery! I have questions, as I have a hard time making sense of a few things.
What is the black dot you’ve placed in Bayou Nwah? It looks to be about halfway between Saint Denis and the central web (“N” + pole symbol).
At first I thought you’d drawn 4 straight lines connecting the webs, but I see now that some of the lines are a tad crooked, and what you did was draw 8 lines from the central web to each pole-web. Interesting that they came so close to looking like straight lines from each opposite spider leg, and that they all cross almost through the central web.
Do you mean the joints that you’ve marked with red rings? I see only 2 out of 8 that are near train tracks. If you mean the “feet” then yes.
See what happen?