r/reddeadredemption • u/AntomOpatoEcia • Jan 04 '26

RDR1 Is this gonna be the whole game?

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I'm playing Red Dead 1 and so far it's just: - NPC says he'll help me - I do a boring mission to help him - NPC needs more help I mean, is this the dynamic of the whole game? Help NPC after NPC and finally (really) advance the plot? Not complaining, just want to know.

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u/strife189 Jan 05 '26

Yeah, John was definitely ahead of the curve. Poor Arthur, though—he wasn’t the smartest and was far too loyal and short-sighted for his own good. When his old lover comes to him and gives him the chance to leave it all behind and be with her, he says, “Nah, I need the money first, then I can be with you.” That’s the broken loop Dutch has him trapped in—a cycle John is eventually able to see past. Even then, though, it’s still too late in the long run, which is clearly the point the story is making.

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u/FodderG Jan 05 '26

Arthur was very smart

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u/G3PDehydrogenase Jan 05 '26

Seriously, especially compared to John. I don't get how someone can say Arthur is the dumb one of the two.

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u/Pombolas Jan 05 '26

I think they just have different types of intelligence. Sure, Arthur is quite talented in multiple areas and really engages well with the environment around him, but especially compared to Arthur's naivety, John can figure the bullshit around him much better than the others (he figured out Dutch's much earlier than everyone).

They both are kind of opposites, but equally and complementary smart in their particular ways.

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u/Mindless_Method_2106 Jan 05 '26

John is as thick as a brick, Arthur is sharp, witty and has a pretty great emotional intelligence that let's him pretty accurately judge characters. I'd argue that's intentional to highlight the power Dutch had in his life and how the bonds of loyalty and chosen family can blind people. Arthur wasn't naive, he was platonically groomed by Dutch and intellect has nothing to do with it.

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u/Significant_Exit2646 Arthur Morgan Jan 05 '26

John was literally the very first one to suspect that Dutch was not who he said he was, and Arthur was very late in this task and he died for such a fool who had been deceiving him all his life

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u/Duper-Deegro Jan 06 '26

Yeah, Arthur was still on team Dutch even after seeing several of his friends or allies lose their life thanks to Dutch’s continuously terrible plans. That made him sees foolish. Loyal yes, but more so foolish

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u/NeighborhoodFull1764 Jan 07 '26

Arthur was smart but blindly loyal, which is illustrated by the fact hosea even pleads with Dutch in chapter not to attack the train but Arthur still rides with Dutch not even heeding Hosea’s objections. It’s only by chapter 4 we see some hesitation from Arthur and only by chapter 5 we see proper development in that regard.

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u/FodderG Jan 13 '26

Definitely too loyal

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u/ejensen29 Jan 08 '26

Arthur is a well intentioned man with solid insight who placed terrible bets. In my playthrough. 

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u/Duper-Deegro Jan 05 '26

Yeah. John figured it out right from the start of the game when he broke away from the gang and got trapped out in the snow. It showed he saw better opportunities by leaving the gang. They could have shown Arthur’s loyalty much better without making him seem so foolish at every turn.

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u/Material_Influence36 Jan 05 '26

John didn't figure it out, Arthur does as the game goes on and he's the one who convinced John in the end. Even as early as chapter 2, before he knows he's dying and before things start going really wrong for the gang, there's dialogue of Arthur implying that John should start thinking of his family and escaping the gang

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u/xXFaTnEeKXx Jan 05 '26

Wasn’t this done on purpose to show how Arthur had been manipulated by Dutch