Do Legendary Bounties Pay More? A Deep Dive into Red Dead Online Rewards
Yes, Legendary Bounties in Red Dead Online do pay more than regular bounties, offering a significantly greater reward for the increased challenge they present. However, the payout structure is complex and depends on several factors including difficulty level, completion time, and whether the target is brought in alive. This article delves into the intricacies of Legendary Bounty payouts, offering a comprehensive guide to maximizing your earnings in Red Dead Online.
What Makes Legendary Bounties Different?
Legendary Bounties are not your average “wanted dead or alive” scenarios. They feature more intricate gameplay, often involving multiple targets, unique environments, and higher-difficulty encounters. These bounties are designed to test your skills, requiring more planning and strategy than standard missions. You’ll need to utilize your full arsenal, possibly even requiring a Posse to tackle the more challenging variants. The increased difficulty comes with the promise of more substantial rewards, both in terms of cash and gold.
Key Differences from Regular Bounties:
- Higher Difficulty: Legendary Bounties offer a more challenging experience, escalating with each completed attempt.
- Unique Gameplay: Expect diverse mission objectives, varied environments, and unique enemy behaviors.
- Increased Rewards: Legendary Bounties provide significantly higher payouts in cash and gold compared to their standard counterparts.
- Prestigious License: Some Legendary Bounties are exclusive to players who have purchased the Prestigious Bounty Hunter License, offering even greater rewards.
The Payout Structure: Time, Difficulty, and the Alive Factor
Understanding how payouts are structured is crucial for maximizing your earnings from Legendary Bounties. The following factors greatly impact how much you’ll receive:
Time Efficiency
The amount of time spent on a Legendary Bounty significantly affects the payout. There’s a sweet spot for maximizing your gold and cash. Spending approximately 30 minutes on a mission typically yields the highest reward, with diminishing returns beyond that timeframe. A 12-minute run, for instance, provides a lower gold reward per minute, making the 30-minute mark the most efficient.
Difficulty Level
Each Legendary Bounty has five difficulty levels, denoted by stars. Higher difficulty levels mean greater challenge, but also more substantial payouts. Completing a Legendary Bounty at one difficulty level unlocks the next, gradually increasing the rewards you can earn for the same bounty.
The Alive vs. Dead Conundrum
The method of apprehending your target is also crucial. Bringing in the target alive typically yields greater rewards. In some cases, killing the target will result in mission failure and no reward at all. Thus, capturing them alive is the key to maximizing your earnings.
Top Paying Legendary Bounties
Several Legendary Bounties are known for their higher payouts. Some of the best options include:
- Etta Doyle: This bounty is known to yield a significant amount of both gold and cash, especially when completed on the 5-star difficulty level. A 30-minute run at 5-stars can net you approximately $225 and 0.48 gold.
- Red Ben Clempson: A notable option that can provide over $300 on the max difficulty.
- Tobin Winfield and ‘Shepherd’ Virgil Edwards: These bounties, unlocked with the Prestigious Bounty Hunter License, also offer substantial payouts.
- Owlhoot: While not the absolute highest, Owlhoot can provide decent payouts due to the time it takes to capture the four targets, usually around $160 and .36 gold on a 5-star run.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the best gold per time ratio for Legendary Bounties?
The sweet spot for maximizing gold is around 12 minutes which is 0.32 gold. However, the best payouts for gold and cash are generally achieved by extending the mission to around 30 minutes. After this mark, the returns diminish.
2. Do 5-star Legendary Bounties pay more?
Yes, 5-star Legendary Bounties pay significantly more than lower difficulty levels. Completing each level will unlock the next, increasing both the challenge and reward.
3. Is it better to bring the target in alive or dead?
Bringing the target in alive yields significantly greater rewards, both in terms of cash and sometimes mission completion itself. Some bounties require the target to be captured alive to be considered successful.
4. What is the cooldown time for Legendary Bounties?
The cooldown period between Legendary Bounties is currently 60 minutes. This means after completing one, you’ll need to wait an hour before starting another.
5. Can I replay Legendary Bounties?
Yes, you can replay Legendary Bounties, and each replay increases the difficulty of the encounter.
6. What is the Prestigious Bounty Hunter License?
The Prestigious Bounty Hunter License adds 10 new ranks of progression, new legendary bounties, unique weapon variants, and more, offering advanced content for bounty hunters.
7. How do I maximize my earnings from Legendary Bounties?
Focus on completing the bounty alive within approximately 30 minutes at the highest difficulty level you can manage.
8. Do Legendary Bounties have a refresh time?
Yes, if the bounty retreats or is defeated, the bounty board will get a new contract approximately 30 minutes after. However, each player can only take the mission in 60 minutes cooldown after each completion.
9. What other roles earn the most in Red Dead Online?
While Bounty Hunter can provide decent rewards, the Trader and Moonshiner roles are considered the most profitable over time, especially when combined with other activities like collecting.
10. Is it worth doing Legendary Bounties solo?
While it’s possible to do Legendary Bounties solo, bringing a Posse can make the higher difficulty levels more manageable and enjoyable.
11. Are there any Legendary Bounties that are easier than others?
The difficulty of Legendary Bounties is largely subjective, but some players find Etta Doyle to be a manageable option, especially when grinding for money and gold.
12. How does the difficulty of Legendary Bounties increase?
Each time you replay a Legendary Bounty, the enemies will become more aggressive, more accurate, and potentially arrive in greater numbers.
13. Can you fail a Legendary Bounty?
Yes, you can fail a Legendary Bounty if you kill a target when the mission requires them to be brought in alive or if you fail a specific objective.
14. What happens if the target escapes during a Legendary Bounty?
If the target escapes, you’ll have to restart the mission, losing any time you’ve spent.
15. How much is 0.48 gold worth?
0.48 gold is around 10$ in real life and is approximately the amount of gold you get when completing a 5-star legendary bounty in around 30 minutes.
Conclusion
Legendary Bounties are a rewarding and challenging aspect of Red Dead Online, providing a significant step up from regular bounty hunting. By understanding the payout structure, optimizing your timing, and mastering the challenges of higher difficulty levels, you can maximize your earnings and enjoy the thrilling gameplay these missions have to offer. While they may require more time, planning, and skill, the rewards make them a worthwhile pursuit for any aspiring bounty hunter. Always remember: alive is best and 30 minutes is the sweet spot!