Fifty-fifty though Ruby Dead Redemption 2 was released almost half a year ago, the debate is yet raging amid fans about who makes the amend protagonist, Arthur Morgan or John Marston. John Marston was the original cowboy from the commencement game, but Arthur Morgan is an equal contender for best Red Dead protagonist thank you to the nuanced accept on his character.

Read on to learn about the major differences between what Morgan and Maston can practice in Red Dead Redemption two and Red Expressionless Redemption. Some are well-known and others are surprising but informative little details that will make the playthroughs all the more meaningful.

Updated Oct 21st, 2021 by Hodey Johns: Subsequently all of this time, people are still finding differences between Arthur and John. The two are remarkably similar considering players command them in the same game. They share equipment, outfits, achievements, and challenges. Side characters who speak to John will sometimes speak to him like he is Arthur. Yet, even after all of this time, there are yet differences between the two, varying from the of import to the infinitesimal, that the community continues to uncover. This list has been revised to showcase the nearly of import variations between the 2 characters and provide some caption as to when these differences can be observed.

12 Swim

Red Dead Redemption 2 Johns Marston Staring Off Of The Docks

In Cherry Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan can swim as long as his stamina holds out, which is a adequately long time. If John tries to take a dip in a lake, his stamina depletes almost instantly, and he chop-chop drowns. If anything makes players miss Arthur Morgan more, information technology's watching John Marston dice during a routine angling trek.

This is one reason it'due south important to explore with Arthur commencement. Visiting Dutch's mother'southward grave is nice and non-lethal for either grapheme, but treasure hunts on islands in lakes get virtually impossible tasks in one case switching over the John.

eleven Maintain The Aforementioned Eye Color

Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 John Marston Eye Color Changes

Arthur Morgan gets i upwards on John Marston only for remaining consistent in his appearance. Many players have noticed that Marston's eye color changed betwixt Red Expressionless Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2. In the offset game, Marston'southward optics are a dark brown.

In the 2d title, they are markedly lighter, appearing to be lite blueish or grey. Arthur Morgan's optics, on the other hand, remain dainty and blue for the entirety of the story. Maybe the blue eyes are better at finding gorilla Easter Eggs.

10 Get Sick

Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur Morgan Getting Diagnosed

Both Arthur and John will endure various weapons-related injuries. It's bound to happen when using equally many real-life-based guns every bit they exercise. John, miraculously, avoids getting sick while trapped and bleeding out in the snow for days.

While John doesn't even get and then much as the sniffles, Arthur isn't so lucky. Regrettably, Arthur contracts tuberculosis and has good days and bad days upwards until the bitter end.

9 Pull Off A Long Beard

Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur Morgan With A Freshly Trimmed Beard

Part of the liberty of Red Dead Redemption 2 comes from customizing Arthur Morgan. In that mode, no two Arthur Morgans will ever look the same. Gamers tin can have a bald Arthur, a clean-cut Arthur, or a bearded Arthur.

Eventually, John Marston gets the aforementioned freedom when players play as him in the epilogue. Withal, if there'south i affair gamers noticed when they reached the epilogue, information technology's that John Marston just tin't pull off a bristles the same way Arthur Morgan can. Information technology's an ugly thing and even one of the game'due south fancy outfits tin can't make it look any better.

8 Hum While Riding His Horse

Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur Riding A Horse On A Ridge

One of the biggest delights of Red Dead Redemption 2 comes from riding a horse across the scenic wilderness without shuttling from one objective to the next. The beautiful open world is a wonder simply to look upon and explore.

Arthur Morgan makes the feel a tad more enjoyable by contributing to the immersion. While galloping across an expanse, Morgan volition, on occasion, start bustling. He'southward tone-deaf, merely at least he tries. John, on the other hand, prefers to ride in silence.

seven Testify Growth As A Character

Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur Morgan's Face In The Trailer

With respect to John Marston, role of the story is virtually how he tries to change but can't exercise it. Time after time he tries to bond with Jack, but can't. He tries to listen to his wife, only tin't. And, until the finish, he tries to leave the violent life behind, just can't.

Arthur went from being an outlaw gang'due south bully to beingness a person who wanted to do right by people. Ultimately, Arthur decides to do something different, for motivations that accept completely transformed him. John Marston'due south character evolution comes nowhere near the excellence that is Arthur Morgan's.

6 Herd Sheep

Red Dead Redemption 2 Herding Sheep With John

We can't lay the blame for poor sheep-herding skills entirely on John Marston. The mechanics for herding in the offset Red Dead Redemption were difficult, to say the least. Reddish Dead Redemption ii smoothed out the "herding" process.

Those who call up herding in the first game probably still have nightmares almost it. Arthur, thankfully, has a much easier time of it thanks to improved game mechanics. Hey, at least nobody is request the characters to herd any of the game's mammoths.

v Decorate And Improve The Camp

Red Dead Redemption 2 Van Der Linde Gang In A Showdown

Throughout the entrada, players will notice that (if they take been contributing to the gang'due south camp fund regularly) Arthur is the principal provider for his fellows. Looking over the camp ledger shows how much each member contributes to bettering the camp as a whole.

John does provide a little merely nowhere near as much as Arthur does. Additionally, Arthur provides camp improvements and decorations that help the gang. John, on the other hand, can't be bothered to provide so much equally a thread of decor.

4 Be A Decent Male parent Effigy To Jack

Red Dead Redemption 2 Jack Marston Making A Flower Necklace While Fishing

Even though John Marston purportedly wanted to be a better begetter to Jack, he finds himself unable to exercise so. Including a few meager and half-hearted attempts, John Marston does non seem to know how or want to be a dad.

Without a doubt, he loves his family unit. But it's Arthur who is able to requite Jack the kind of love a child needs, expressing a jovial kindness to him and didactics him well-nigh what's important while shielding Jack from the cold realities of their electric current situation.

iii Avert Scarring

Red Dead Redemption 2 John Firing Two Revolvers

Get alee and try to tally up all of the times that Arthur gets mauled by a deport, chewed past a wolf, or fleck by a serpent. Arthur will bleed and demand a few days or a quick bath to become rid of the wounds, but eventually, he looks flawless afterward.

John can't say the same thing. After his incident with a wolf at the beginning of the events, John gets scars that seem to get more pronounced and worse with age.

2 Collect Debts

Red Dead Redemption 2 Dutch Having Arthur Scout Ahead

Leopold Strauss mentioned that the other gang members tried, merely Arthur is the only one capable of getting debtors to pay. Players are never permitted to encounter John's miserable attempts to collect money, just given his softer nature, it's understandable.

Arthur, on the other hand, is fantastic at collecting debts. He will, eventually, choose to quit the particular task with a bang-up deal of flair. But if he wanted to keep doing the work, zippo could have stopped him, and several characters certainly try.

1 Keep A Great Journal

Red Dead Redemption 2 Journal Entries Done By Arthur Morgan

Red Dead Redemption 2 plant lilliputian ways to make players miss Arthur Morgan just when they were recovering. 1 of those ways was past existence able to tell the deviation between Arthur and John's journal-keeping.

Arthur sketched scenes out wonderfully, and he actually had fantastic handwriting for an outlaw. John sketched things rather shoddily, and his handwriting was messier too. Looking back on sometime observations in the periodical is a fun, if tear-jerking, experience.

Cherry-red Expressionless Redemption 2 was released on October 26, 2018, and is available on PC, PlayStation four, and Xbox 1.

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