RDR2 100% Completion: Full Best in the West Checklist

100% does not mean doing everything in RDR2.

Rockstar gives you the checklist:

Pause → Progress → Total Completion

Complete every box there and you reach Total Completion.

Complete every box there and you unlock:

Best in the West.

Most cleanup can be done after finishing the story.

Quick checklist

Missions and Events

• Complete all 107 story missions.
• Complete 10 Stranger mission strands.
• Complete 5 Bounty Hunter missions.
• Complete 25 Chance Encounters.
• Survive a gang ambush.
• Clear 6 gang hideouts.

Collectibles

• Find 1 Point of Interest.
• Visit all 9 graves.
• Collect 1 complete Cigarette Card set.
• Complete A Test of Faith.
• Complete A Fisher of Fish.
• Complete Duchesses and Other Animals.
• Complete Geology for Beginners.
• Complete A Better World, A New Friend.
• Complete 1 Treasure Hunt chain.
• Find all 20 Dreamcatchers.

Compendium

• Discover 50 animals.
• Obtain 10 pieces of Equipment.
• Discover 10 fish species.
• Discover all 6 gangs.
• Discover 10 horse breeds.
• Discover 20 plants.
• Discover 48 weapons.

Player

• Reach Level 10 Health.
• Reach Level 10 Stamina.
• Reach Level 10 Dead Eye.
• Reach Level 4 bonding with a horse.
• Complete all 90 Challenges.

Miscellaneous

• Investigate 5 shacks.
• Kill 5 Legendary Animals.
• Play every table game.
• Interact with 5 special characters.
• Take a bath.
• Watch a show.
• Watch a live theater show.
• Craft 1 recipe from 6 different categories.
• Complete a Home Robbery.
• Complete a Shop Robbery.
• Complete a Coach Robbery.
• Complete a Train Robbery.

That is the official checklist.

Missions and Events

Complete all 107 story missions

Finish the campaign and Epilogue.

Gold medals are not required.

For Total Completion:

finished is enough.

Complete 10 Stranger mission strands

You do not need every Stranger.

You need 10 complete strands.

Many Strangers have several missions.

Finish the full strand for it to count.

Complete 5 Bounty Hunter missions

Five bounty jobs.

You do not need every bounty poster in the game.

Complete 25 Chance Encounters

These are the spontaneous events you see while travelling.

If you explore normally, 25 usually arrives without deliberate farming.

Survive a gang ambush

A gang attacks you unexpectedly.

Survive it.

Done.

Clear 6 gang hideouts

Four are handled through story progression:

• Six Point Cabin;
• Shady Belle;
• Beaver Hollow;
• Hanging Dog Ranch.

The other two Standard Edition hideouts are in New Austin:

• Thieves’ Landing;
• Fort Mercer.

Collectibles

Find one Point of Interest

One is enough.

When your character examines the site and adds it to the journal, the requirement is done.

Visit all nine graves

This is post-story cleanup.

You cannot complete the full grave requirement before finishing the campaign.

There are nine.

There are 144 Cigarette Cards. Total Completion needs one complete set of 12.

Buying Premium Cigarettes and discarding packs can speed this up if you only care about finishing a set.

A Test of Faith

Complete the Dinosaur Bone strand.

That means finding all 30 Dinosaur Bones and finishing the quest with Deborah MacGuiness.

A Fisher of Fish

Complete the Legendary Fish questline.

Catch and mail the required fish, then finish the strand.

Duchesses and Other Animals

Complete Algernon Wasp’s Exotic requests.

You will need orchids, feathers and several successive lists.

Geology for Beginners

Find all 10 Rock Carvings and finish Francis Sinclair’s strand.

A Better World, A New Friend

Complete the Hunting Requests.

The perfect small carcasses are usually the part that requires the most preparation.

Complete a Treasure Hunt

Finish one full treasure-hunt chain.

Jack Hall Gang, Poisonous Trail, High Stakes or another valid chain works.

Find all 20 Dreamcatchers

Find all twenty.

Then follow the pattern they reveal to finish the related discovery.

Compendium

This is where players often create extra work for themselves.

Total Completion does not require a full Compendium.

Animals

178 animals exist. Total Completion needs 50.

Equipment

Required:

10.

Fish

Required:

10 species.

Gangs

This category does require:

6 of 6.

Horses

Discover:

10 breeds.

You do not need every coat.

Plants

Collect:

20 of 43.

Herbalist progression will take you far beyond that.

Weapons

Discover:

48.

A completely filled weapons Compendium is not required.

Player

Level 10 Health, Stamina and Dead Eye

Normal progression takes the base stats to Level 8.

The final two levels are tied to reinforced Challenge gear.

Complete Challenges.

Buy the relevant reinforced gear from the Trapper.

Reach Level 10.

Level 4 horse bonding

You only need one horse at Bonding Level 4.

Ride it.

Feed it.

Brush it.

Calm it.

This comes naturally if you keep the same horse for a while.

Complete all 90 Challenges

The nine sets are:

• Bandit;
• Explorer;
• Gambler;
• Herbalist;
• Horseman;
• Master Hunter;
• Sharpshooter;
• Survivalist;
• Weapons Expert.

Ten ranks each.

90 total.

This is one of the longest parts of the 100% run.

Miscellaneous

Investigate five shacks

Only five.

Explore cabins as you find them.

Kill five Legendary Animals

Any five qualifying Legendary Animals.

Players doing hunting, Trapper gear and Master Hunter work usually finish this naturally.

Play every table game

Play:

• Poker;
• Blackjack;
• Dominoes;
• Five Finger Fillet.

You do not need to win for this Total Completion box.

Interact with five special characters

These are recurring unusual characters found around the world.

Interact with five that count in the game’s special-character category.

They are separate from Stranger mission strands.

Take a bath

Use a hotel with bath service.

Pay.

Take the bath.

Done.

Watch a show

Attend one of the game’s shows until it registers.

Watch a live theater show

Go to a theater offering a live performance.

Saint Denis is the obvious place.

Stay for the show.

Craft across six categories

Craft at least one recipe from six different recipe categories.

Check the Total Completion menu before making random items.

You may already have several categories done.

Complete all four robbery types

Do one:

• Home Robbery;
• Shop Robbery;
• Coach Robbery;
• Train Robbery.

Bandit Challenge progress overlaps heavily with these.

What you do NOT need for 100%

You can reach 100% without:

• filling the entire Compendium;
• studying all 178 animals;
• collecting all 144 Cigarette Cards;
• discovering every weapon;
• earning gold medals on every mission;
• completing every companion activity;
• completing every camp request;
• seeing every Chance Encounter;
• buying every piece of clothing;
• finding every document;
• collecting every hat;
• discovering every possible item.

Those belong to a broader completionist run.

Rockstar’s 100% counter asks for the checklist above.

Is official 100% missable?

You can finish Total Completion after the story. A truly complete save is a different goal.

Some scenes, requests, items and other content can still be missed.

Scenes, requests, documents, items and some Guarma content can be missed if you want a truly complete save.

Those are separate from official 100%.

During the story

Progress naturally through:

• Chance Encounters;
• Strangers;
• hunting;
• plants;
• Challenges;
• treasure hunts;
• collectibles.

Before finishing story chapters

If you care about more than official 100%, check the missables and Guarma guides.

After the story

Clean up:

• graves;
• New Austin;
• remaining gang hideouts;
• collectibles;
• Challenges;
• minimum Compendium requirements;
• Level 10 stats;
• Miscellaneous tasks.

Stuck at 99%?

Open:

Pause → Progress → Total Completion

Do not guess.

Find the unchecked line.

Common leftovers include:

• one grave;
• a crafting category;
• a special character;
• a robbery type;
• a shack;
• a Challenge;
• an unfinished collectible strand.

Follow the unchecked category.

What happens at 100%?

The game records full Total Completion.

You unlock:

Best in the West

and a short exclusive moment tied to the end of the journey.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to do everything in RDR2 for 100%?

No.

Only the Total Completion checklist.

Do I need all 178 animals?

No.

You need 50.

Do I need all 144 Cigarette Cards?

No.

One complete set of 12.

Are all 90 Challenges required?

Yes.

Are gold medals required?

No.

Can I reach 100% after the story?

Yes.

The nine graves actually require post-story access.

Can Guarma block official 100%?

No.

Guarma-exclusive animals matter to a full Compendium, not the official Total Completion requirement.

Where can I see what I am missing?

Pause → Progress → Total Completion.

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More RDR2 guides

RDR2 Compendium

Every Missable in RDR2

What to Do in Guarma Before Leaving

All 90 RDR2 Challenges

Legend of the East as Arthur

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Sources

Red Dead Redemption 2 — Progress > Total Completion.

GameFAQs — Total Completion checklist.

PowerPyx — RDR2 100% Guide & Checklist.

Last verified: October 5, 2026.

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