Red Dead 2's Online Battle Royale-Esque Mode And Free Roam Activities Outlined

With Red Dead Redemption 2's multiplayer mode, Red Dead Online, launching today, Rockstar has provided new details--really, some of the first--regarding what to expect. Specifically, it's outlined two key activities in Red Dead Online's open world.

The first of these is Free Roam Missions, which appear as Stranger icons and can be embarked on either alone or with a Posse. Rockstar teases that these will involve "familiar faces" and that the way things play out will depend on your Honor level.

"For example, an honorable gunslinger may be asked to help escort a convoy, defending it from attacking gangs or even other players' Posses, whereas a dishonorable outlaw may be asked to help spring a felon from the law," Rockstar explained.

A Land of Opportunities, meanwhile, is described as a "deeper cooperative strand for two to four players" that Rockstar intends to continually expand. This is "a multi-part series of missions, with some parts changing as your honor changes on a larger journey to seek truth and justice, or revenge."

For those with a competitive edge, the online world will also have an assortment of competitive player-versus-player modes. At launch, Red Dead Online has five modes that are part of "a larger series of Showdowns," which seem to be playlists. Matchmaking is used to put players into these modes, including one that sounds a lot like battle royale called Make It Count:

• Shootout & Team Shootout -- Classic gunfight modes with unlimited lives. Compete to rack up the most kills before the timer runs out. Sudden death will trigger in the event of a tie: whoever gets the first kill wins.
• Make it Count -- A true test of resourcefulness in two game modes: use nothing but a bow and a handful of arrows or throwing knives to be the last one standing. With a gradually shrinking player area, there’s nowhere to run.
• Most Wanted -- A tactical race to the top. Every kill pushes you up the scoreboard, but watch out: the closer to the top you are, the more points everyone else gets for killing you.
• Hostile Territory -- Work in teams to control the land. Capture a territory to start racking up points: the team with most points wins - or you can win outright by capturing every territory.
• Name your Weapon -- Demonstrate your personal specialty in this free-for-all or team based match: the trickier the weapon you use to land the killing blow, the more points you get.

Red Dead Online is now available on PS4 and Xbox One in beta for select players. Availability will open up over the course of the week, culminating in a full release of the beta on Friday, November 30. You can check out when Red Dead Online unlocks in our detailed schedule.