It doesn’t take much time playing Red Dead Redemption 2 to realize that map traversal is really, really slow. Yeah, faster horses help a bit, but the map is pretty damn big, and looking for any kind of fast travel method quickly makes it seem almost non-existent.
Now I will preface this by saying that the game has a high feeling of immersion which is great, however… after just a few hours of play, it begins to feel sluggish and repetitive. Sure, enjoy the view and smell the flowers along the way, but that only works for so long in my experience.
It turns out that there are a couple different forms of fast travel built into the game, though they’re all limited quite a bit, and one in particular isn’t really explained at all in the game. I would have played all the way through without figuring it out I think if I hadn’t looked it up.
Fast Travel via Trains and Stagecoaches
This one may seem like a given, but you can pay to travel via train and stagecoach to major towns on the map.
It’s not the most economical considering money is pretty limited early in the game, but something to keep in mind.
You also have the limitation of not being able to travel to camp this way, however if you’re a LONG way from camp, you can simply travel to the town closest to your camp and travel by horse the rest of the way. It’s somewhat annoying, but it’s an option.
Fast Travel via Camp Upgrade
Once you reach Chapter 2 and complete the mission “Money Lending And Other Sins” from Strauss, you’ll unlock the camp ledger. The ledger will allow you to purchase upgrades for the camp using a combination of camp funds, and your own funds.
It isn’t exactly spelled out in the ledger, however one of these upgrades gives you access to a map in the camp that allows you to fast travel to areas you have already discovered.
To unlock this feature, first purchase the First Things First upgrade (which costs $220) and then the Next In Line upgrade (which costs $325). Next In Line is the upgrade that provides the map near Arthur’s tent.
As I said previously however, you can only fast travel to previously discovered areas, and since you can only access this method through the map in camp, you can’t use it to fast travel back to camp.
Fast Travel via Cinematic View (Kinda?)
This final method of fast travel is the one I was referring to that is pretty much hidden within the game mechanics. It’s also not exactly fast travel, as you’ll watch Arthur ride his horse to the destination, but it’s a touch better than doing it manually, at least in my opinion.
First set a waypoint on your map, but make sure it’s on or near a destination with access to a road. While on your horse, start riding in the direction of the waypoint, and while still holding the run/walk button, go into the Cinematic View.
When you let go of the run/walk button, your horse will keep navigating toward the destination, at least most of the time. Pathing can get a little goofy, so expect your horse to do odd things sometimes. Honestly, your horse getting off track and running into a tree can be pretty amusing.
Keep in mind that you can be attacked by bandits, or gangs, or anything else while in this view, so don’t set it to travel and then leave the room.
