How much is 1 gold worth in RDR2 Online?
Each gold bar in Red Dead Online is worth $500 in-game dollars. This makes gold bars a very valuable currency that can be used to purchase a variety of weapons, equipment, cosmetics, rolls, and more.
With the value of a single gold bar established, let‘s dive into everything you need to know about maximizing your gold bar income and spending them wisely in Red Dead Online.
How To Get Gold Bars
There are two primary methods of obtaining gold bars – purchasing them with real-world money through microtransactions or earning them for free by playing the game.
Here is an overview of different ways to earn gold bars for free in Red Dead Online:
Complete Story Missions
Most story missions pay out between 0.16-0.24 gold bars upon completion. Replaying story missions is a reliable way to accumulate some starter gold.
Daily Challenges
Completing daily challenges earns you 0.2-0.3 gold bars per challenge. There are 7 daily challenges per day, so completing all of them can net you over 2 gold bars daily.
Based on analysis by players, completing at least 1 daily challenge per day for a week earns you 5 gold bars on average.
Stranger Missions
These open world missions that you can initiate with various NPC strangers pay out between 0.08-0.24 gold bars upon completion.
According to tests by players, stranger missions that take at least 10 minutes to complete pay out the most gold. The longer you take, the more gold you earn.
Bounty Hunts
Taking on bounty hunts and capturing or killing wanted targets earns gold bars depending on difficulty.
- 1-star bounties pay 0.08-0.16 gold
- 2-star bounties pay 0.16-0.24 gold
- 3-star bounties pay 0.24-0.32 gold
- Legendary bounties pay 0.32-0.48 gold
Legendary bounties are by far the most lucrative, earning up to 0.48 gold bars.
Treasure Maps
Looting enemies or purchasing maps from fences can yield treasure maps that lead to buried treasure. The treasure usually contains cash, jewelry, tonics…and occasionally gold bars! Each treasure map has a chance of rewarding 1 gold bar.
Looting & Exploring
Searching in lockboxes, looting bodies, and exploring in general has a small chance of finding single gold bars at random. There are also 20-30 gold bar spawn locations in the open world that can be collected.
This table summarizes the major free roam activities for earning gold bars:
| Activity | Gold Bar Payout |
|---|---|
| Story Missions | 0.16-0.24 gold bars |
| Daily Challenges | 0.2-0.3 gold bars |
| Stranger Missions | 0.08-0.24 gold bars |
| Bounties | 0.08-0.48 gold bars |
| Treasure Maps | Chance of 1 gold bar |
| Looting & Exploring | Chance of 1 gold bar |
Maximizing Gold Bar Income
For players focused on optimizing their gold bar income, these tips can help:
- Complete as many daily challenges as possible – They are a reliable source of 0.2-0.3 gold per challenge.
- Take on legendary bounties – These pay out the most per bounty at 0.32-0.48 gold bars.
- Do treasure maps – Each has a chance of yielding 1 gold bar upon reveal.
- Go for longer stranger missions – The longer a stranger mission takes, the more gold it pays out, up to 0.24 gold.
- Coordinate with your posse – Having a coordinated group makes missions more efficient and lucrative.
- Don‘t forget about one-time open world gold bars – There are 20-30 one-time collectibles across the map.
With the tricks above, dedicated players can earn over 5 gold bars daily on average, without having to spend real money.
What To Spend Gold Bars On
Once you‘ve stockpiled some gold bars, what are the best ways to spend them? Here are the most popular gold bar expenditures:
- Unlock roles – Roles like Bounty Hunter and Collector cost 10-15 gold to unlock before leveling them up.
- Improve ability cards – Gold is needed to upgrade each ability card beyond rank 3.
- Purchase role items – Later role upgrades, skills, and items cost gold.
- Get special cosmetics – Unique cosmetics, decor, etc. often cost gold bars.
- Buy horses – Elite horses can cost up to 95 gold bars.
- Refill ammo – Gold can be used to refill ammo during missions.
Here is a breakdown of popular items and their gold bar cost
| Item | Gold Bar Cost |
|---|---|
| Bounty Hunter Role | 15 gold bars |
| Collector Role | 15 gold bars |
| Moonshiner Role | 25 gold bars |
| Trader Role | 15 gold bars |
| Ability Card Upgrade | 1-2 gold bars |
| Cosmetic Clothing | 1-3 gold bars |
| Elite Horse | 60-95 gold bars |
| Camp Upgrade | 5-10 gold bars |
Is Buying Gold Bars Worth It?
While real money can be exchanged for gold bars via microtransactions, is it worth it?
For the average player, buying modest amounts of gold to unlock roles faster or get a desired cosmetic item may be worthwhile if they are impatient.
However, buying large stacks of gold bars (over 50+) may not be worth it. Dedicated players can earn over 5 gold bars daily for free, meaning 50+ bars could be earned in 1-2 weeks of regular play.
The exception is for very casual players who only play a few hours a week. For them, buying larger gold bundles can make sense to accelerate unlocks.
In summary – buying a small amount of gold to accelerate a desired unlock is convenient, but anything above 50+ bars is hard to justify with regular play.
Gold Bar Strategy Tips
To maximize your gold bar income and spending efficiency, keep these tips in mind:
- Focus on daily challenges and legendary bounties for free gold
- Save gold to unlock roles before fancy cosmetics
- Be selective in purchasing ability upgrades
- Work with a posse to complete missions faster
- Check the map periodically for free gold bar pickups
- Avoid buying more than 50 gold bars – earn them instead!
Conclusion
With each gold bar worth $500 in Red Dead Online, they are a valuable currency. Buy small amounts strategically, but maximize free earnings through smart play. Spend gold to unlock roles, then continue earning gold through activities to minimize real money needs. With the right strategy, you can amass a fortune in gold bars!