I CANNOT FIND A SINGLE MOOSE
BUT OF COURSE THERES ELK BEHIND EVERY ATOM OF GRASS

Slight overreaction

Found this randomly on the road.

I've been looking deeper into the names of the states in Red Dead Redemption 2, and I think some of them have more interesting meanings and connections than what you see on the surface. These are my own interpretations after looking into the historical, linguistic, and geographical roots of each name, rather than claims about what Rockstar necessarily intended. I like names with double meanings or multiple layers of interpretation, and I think the names of these states are particularly interesting when you look at how their meanings fit the places themselves.

New Austin

New Austin is obviously a reference to Austin, Texas, which was named after Stephen F. Austin, the “Father of Texas.” New Austin itself draws heavily from Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, and the “New” in its name could possibly reflect the New Mexico connection as well.

But looking deeper, the name Austin is also commonly associated with meanings like “great,” “magnificent,” and “majestic,” ultimately deriving from the Latin name Augustine and its connection to Augustus.

Taking this interpretation literally, New Austin could mean “a new great, magnificent, and majestic land.” I personally prefer this interpretation because it fits the vast, imposing desert landscapes of the state, and both the historical reference and the poetic meaning can coexist.

West Elizabeth

West Elizabeth is another name that can be interpreted in multiple ways. Elizabeth obviously brings Queen Elizabeth I to mind, which connects it to Virginia, named in her honor in reference to her reputation as the “Virgin Queen.” This also creates an interesting parallel with West Virginia, since both names follow the same “West + Elizabeth/Virginia” structure.

The mention of North Elizabeth in the game even leaves room for the interpretation that there could also be an eastern counterpart to West Elizabeth somewhere off the map, although I prefer to interpret “West” literally, as a land in the West that doesn't necessarily need an eastern counterpart.

What's also interesting is that West Elizabeth is officially the Commonwealth of West Elizabeth, despite being inspired by western states like Colorado, California, and Oregon, along with the Great Plains. The only real U.S. states officially titled as commonwealths are Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Virginia, giving us another connection to Virginia.

Looking deeper into the name Elizabeth, its Hebrew roots are traditionally interpreted as “my God is an oath,” with “my God is abundance” also appearing as an alternative interpretation. Taking the latter meaning poetically, West Elizabeth could mean “a western land of divine abundance,” which fits its fertile valleys, lush forests, and rich grasslands surprisingly well.

Ambarino

Ambarino takes a simpler approach on the surface, with the Spanish word "ámbar" meaning amber and "ambarino" relating to something amber-colored or made of amber. This seems like a direct parallel to Colorado, whose name comes from Spanish "colorado", meaning reddish or colored red.

Ambarino is based on the Rocky Mountain states, particularly Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, with Wyoming seemingly having the greatest influence on its landscapes. Even Cotorra Springs, directly influenced by Yellowstone's geothermal hot springs, reinforces the amber association through its vibrant yellow, orange, and amber-colored borders, created in part by heat-loving microorganisms.

However, the word "amber" also refers to a fossilized tree resin, known for preserving ancient insects, plants, and other traces of prehistoric life. This gives the name a much deeper meaning to me. Ambarino becomes a metaphor for an untouched, frozen capsule of the ancient, wild frontier, preserved while the rest of the world moves toward modernity. The territory is entirely devoid of major towns, industry, and extensive paved infrastructure. To me, Ambarino is the land that time forgot, a surviving fragment of an older world.

New Hanover

New Hanover, to me, is the state that most strongly reinforces the idea that Red Dead's map is an abstract representation of Americana rather than a collection of accurate real-life counterparts. Its two major regions, the Heartlands and Roanoke Ridge, draw from very different parts of the United States: the Heartlands resemble the Midwest, particularly Nebraska and Kansas, while Roanoke Ridge takes inspiration from Appalachia, with further influences from the Ozarks and the Ohio River Valley.

The name Hanover refers to the German city of Hanover, which connects nicely to the large waves of German immigrants who settled throughout the Midwest and Appalachia. This heritage is particularly noticeable in Annesburg, where some buildings feature German architectural influences, including a closed saloon with the extremely German name "Mitternachtsbierhalle".

The name also evokes the House of Hanover, which supplied Britain's monarchs from 1714 to 1837 and influenced colonial-era naming conventions. New Hanover is also the only state in the game with a known establishment date, 1796, which fittingly falls within that period. Interestingly, its name has similarities to the Province of New Brunswick in Canada, since Hanover and Brunswick-Lüneburg are connected through their broader dynastic history.

Hanover's name in German may derive from meanings such as “on the high bank” or “the high ridge.” This gives New Hanover a poetic root interpretation of “a new land on the high ridge,” which seems to fit Roanoke Ridge especially well. I like to imagine that the name might originally have applied to the eastern region before expanding westward into the Heartlands, where the cliffs and elevated terrain also fit the interpretation.

Lemoyne

Lemoyne is named after Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, the French colonial administrator who founded New Orleans in 1718. The City of Saint Denis is directly based on New Orleans, so this is another example of a state name connecting to a historical figure associated with its real-life inspiration, much like New Austin and Stephen F. Austin.

But looking deeper, the French word "le moine" means “the monk,” traditionally referring to a man who dedicates his life to religious service and renounces worldly possessions and distractions. This becomes especially interesting when paired with the name Saint Denis, which refers to Saint Denis of Paris, a third-century Christian martyr and bishop. According to Catholic tradition, after being beheaded for his faith, he miraculously picked up his own head and walked for miles while continuing to preach.

The religious associations of both names fit together beautifully, yet ironically, Lemoyne and Saint Denis are portrayed as places deeply entangled in worldly ambition, corruption, materialism, violence, and social inequality. The monk represents renunciation of worldly attachments, while the saint represents unwavering devotion even in the face of death. To me, the contrast between these spiritual ideals and the reality makes the names especially interesting.

These are just my interpretations after looking deeper into the names, and I find it interesting how much more meaning they can take on when you look beyond their most obvious real-world references. I think these names add another layer to the worldbuilding of RDR2. What I love most is how the game's map feels less like a direct copy of real American geography and more like an abstract representation of Americana, blending different regions, histories, cultures, and meanings into one fictional world.

I've been playing alot after finishing the games story,and i've been seeing this npc that looks alot like epilogue Micah...

What do you think?

Or am i just going crazy :D

Probably a dumb question but had that in mind since I first saw the positive honour symbol showed up, does anyone else think that this little cowboy figure looks kinda like Nicolas Cage? I never could unsee the resemblance.

I swear to God, someone got fired from the RDR2 development team, and as his final act of revenge, he created this character and these goddamn missions.

Man really said, “You can fire me, but I’m taking the players down with me.” 💀

Seriously, I don't understand how Dutch could be more suspicious of Arthur and John than Micah, especially Dutch of all people. I know that calling Arthur and John his sons was part of his manipulation, but still, how could he trust Micah more than them?

I can somewhat understand John. He left the gang for a while, and he wasn't loyal to either his "wife" or his son. But even so, the problems didn't start when John came back. And there's nothing to say about Arthur. He practically made it rain for the gang his entire life, right up until he was nearly dying.

Micah was relatively new, nobody liked him, he provoked everyone, literally tried to hit on the only woman in the gang who was somewhat involved with someone, and he was racist on top of that. ​I think Bill and Javier suspecting Arthur and John had more to do with them being jealous of the two, especially since they weren't even close to Micah either.

Sometimes it feels like Dutch only trusted Micah because he was the only one who never said anything when Dutch made a bad decision. On a slightly different note, it's so annoying how every time Arthur so much as questions Dutch, Dutch says something like, "Have you lost faith in me?"

Made using art my friends have made, that i then printed on an empty Lego figure, the hat is 3d printed

May I stand unshaken to post again to add more show-and-tell-photos on top of what I have on "platinuming" the game in another RDR2 subreddit.

Biggest lesson from this character is that a person's "Integrity" is truly an aggregation of the choices they make no matter if you strayed here and there.

The community was a great source of help towards this worthwhile but tedious journey, to which I am grateful. However, to the members posting with no spoiler tags or whatnot, may Uncle visit you in your sleep.

Would love to see plat photos from other folks in this thread too!

I just realized that if you go back for the money with high honor Micah stabs Arthur with his own knife but Arthur survives the fight and later slash Micah's eye off with the same knife before succumbing to TB. Moreover they fight at very close proximity and Arthur even bites Micah's hand so his saliva definitely came in contact with his blood too. So shouldn't Micah also have gotten TB?

I prefer more subtle outfits in contrast to more rough ones earlier on in chapter 2. Nothing too fancy though.

Saw some posts of people playing with Dutch and Doc Holiday so I thought I’d share this

There’s a book in his cave that contains a bit of backstory, but the moment I tried to pick it up, it literally despawned right in front of me… :(

I was so excited because i’ve been trying to find him for ages. I have encountered him before, but he got away.