Red Dead Redemption 2 is a realistic and immersive game, but the invisible sniper that prevents Arthur Morgan from reaching New Austin stands out as a clunky mechanic. The sniper will relentlessly hound Arthur if he dares to step foot in New Austin, which only becomes explorable in the game's epilogue, once players assume the role of John Marston. While this is understandable, it would've been better for Rockstar to implement a more immersive method of discouraging Arthur from heading back to New Austin, as it would be more in keeping with the game's tone.
Red Dead Redemption 2 follows the story of Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang after their disastrous heist at Blackwater, which forces them to go east and keep their distance from the west. Unfortunately, because of this story reason, Rockstar does not allow players to roam New Austin as Arthur, preventing them from hunting all legendary animals in Red Dead Redemption 2, completing several stranger missions, and finishing every challenge as Arthur. Players will still explore the bulk of the game as Arthur, but the lack of New Austin missions for the character means that RDR2 locks one of its biggest open areas for most of its playtime.
RDR2 Could Have Used Lawmen To Keep Arthur Out Of New Austin
Instead of using the invisible sniper, there are better ways of stopping players from exploring New Austin as Arthur. For example, Rockstar could have increased the number and the frequency of lawmen pursuing Arthur if strayed too far into the state, which would protect the game's immersion and allow players to decide if checking out the new area was worth the trouble. The developer could also turn up the encounters' difficulty by giving faster horses to the lawmen, which meant that only players with the fastest horse in Red Dead Redemption 2 could escape. Arthur has no story reason to return to New Austin, but there would be more organic ways of keeping him out.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Should Have Let Arthur Explore New Austin
Another alternative was to remove the invisible sniper from Red Dead Redemption 2 and enable players to enter New Austin as Arthur unhindered. Players who wanted to hunt all of the legendary animals as Arthur, would then be able to do so without being rudely interrupted by the invisible sniper. Players could also finish some challenges as Arthur that would not be possible because the items were located in New Austin, such as the Herbalist 9 challenge.
Fortunately, for those on PC, players who want to enter New Austin as Arthur can turn to the modding community, which has created several mods which can turn off the invisible sniper and unlock all of RDR2’s open world. Console players still have to reach the epilogue and explore the west as John Marston, however. It's unlikely that Rockstar will implement this change, given its focus is now on GTA 6, but the option to explore New Austin as Arthur in Red Dead Redemption 2 would make for a nice change of pace.
Source: Rockstar Games/YouTube
