What to Avoid After Arthur Gets Sick

Major spoilers ahead for Red Dead Redemption 2!

The ending of Red Dead Redemption 2’s fifth chapter has Arthur Morgan diagnosed with tuberculosis, a disease with no cure that he transmitted after a fight with the rancher Thomas Downes all the way back in chapter 2. As Arthur faces his own sickness and his own mortality, it’s time for him to rethink how he lives his life if he’s to push on for a little longer.

There are a few things players should avoid in Red Dead Redemption 2 after Arthur is diagnosed with tuberculosis, as TB is not a pretty sight, and those now with it will want to ensure Arthur is of the best health possible so he can try and survive and get the Van der Linde gang away from the Pinkertons in the wake of so much death and pain.

8

Smoking Cigarettes & Cigars

Arthur Will Cough Heavily After Inhaling All That Smoke

Arthur might indulge in the tobacco craze of 1899 by sucking up a few cigarettes now and then, especially since it refills his Dead Eye cores. However, after his diagnosis, cigarettes will make him violently cough, and sometimes, even have him enter into an uncontrolled coughing fit that shows just how sick he is.

Arthur’s Dead Eye core may drain 20% faster now that he has tuberculosis, but that’s no reason to go around and chain-smoke cigarettes just to try and get a rare cigarette card from a packet. Arthur’s sickness cannot be cured by tobacco, and pushing him into coughing fits doesn’t help him.

7

Excessive Sprinting

Arthur Tires Easily, and Sprinting Leads to Exhaustion

With a core drain speed of +20%, Arthur is going to see his sprinting occur in shorter bursts, and after every mild sprint, he’s definitely going to be wheezing and feel the burn of the exercise. Arthur is far weaker now than he was before his diagnosis, so running around everywhere is only going to make him feel worse, so try to stay close to your trusty horse.

Riding on a horse is a lot faster than sprinting anyway, and it’s far safer for Arthur to be riding a horse than it is to be running as fast as he can with his own legs. Excessive sprinting will drain his cores and tire him out, leading to exhausted moments of rest.

6

Consuming Too Much Food

Gluttony Won’t Provide Additional Benefits

Now that Arthur is sick, he’s going to see less benefits from food and drink. This means his cores will not fully replenish, and his weight will constantly worsen. There are no more opportunities for Arthur to have a stocky perfect weight or even an obese weight, as he will drop pounds like flies as his body slowly starts to eat at him and make him weaker and skinnier.

As such, don’t force food down Arthur’s throat, as it isn’t going to make him put on weight, and it’s just going to result in further coughing fits as players try to shovel hot and dry food into his mouth with sharp alcoholic liquids. While players should eat to refill their cores, they shouldn’t overindulge, as there’s no benefit from it anymore.

5

Refusing to Bathe

Staying Clean Grants Increased Stamina and a Moment of Calm

Just because Arthur is sick, doesn’t mean he shouldn’t take care of himself. A bath in 1899 is only 25 cents, and if Arthur doesn’t bathe, NPCs might make an odd comment on his smell, and even Susan Grimshaw will slap and force Arthur to freshen up. Arthur Morgan can bathe at any of the following locations:

• Saints Hotel, Valentine
• Welcome Center, Strawberry
• Rhodes Parlour House, Rhodes
• Bastille Saloon, Saint Denis
• Van Horn Depot, Van Horn Trading Post
• Gunsmith, Annesburg

Bathing isn’t just a great way to keep the dirt and blood off of Arthur’s face, but it also allows him to enjoy a temporary increase in stamina once he is scrubbed clean. Besides the health benefit, Arthur deserves a moment of rest where he can enjoy the clearing of his sinuses and the heated waters of peace.

4

Failing to Let Arthur Rest

While Sick, Arthur Needs Plenty of Rest to Keep His Health

Since cores drain faster with Arthur’s sickness, and he is far more exhausted and tired from the energy he drains in his daily activities as an outlaw, it’s probably a good idea to not go around Bluewater Marsh and ride late into the night and into the early hours of the morning. Instead, let Arthur rest some.

Arthur can sleep practically anywhere with the right camp set up, and sleeping allows Arthur to regain some of his core as he will become well rested. On top of the gameplay aspects, it’s nice to let Arthur go to sleep instead of staying awake for days on end, which surely isn’t good for his health.

3

Searching For A Cure

In 1899, There Was No Cure for Tuberculosis

Arthur Morgan cannot be cured of tuberculosis in Red Dead Redemption 2, and as such, it’s time to listen to Arthur’s own words: We can’t change what’s done, we can only move on. Arthur is dying – he knows it, the gang knows it, and sadly, you need to know it too. As such, there’s no point in attempting to waste time in finding a cure that simply does not exist, and Arthur isn’t going to have 40+ years to wait for the cure.

While players can drink healthy tonics to reap some benefits to their cores, it’s not going to cure them completely, and Arthur is still going to get sicker as each day passes by. Let Arthur enjoy the time he has left instead of worrying about a cure that doesn’t come into play until the 1940s.

2

Acting Bitter & Refusing to Accept What’s Happened

Picking Random Fights and Refusing the Road to Redemption Isn’t Arthur Morgan

Sure, Arthur Morgan is a bad man who has done some terrible things. A robber, a killer, and an outlaw for life – Arthur Morgan knows he isn’t going to make it to Heaven, and he’s known for years that he’s walking this Earth as a doomed soul waiting for damnation. However, just because Arthur’s life is going to be taken by an illness instead of a bullet, doesn’t mean he has to take his anger out on the innocent.

Arthur can still be a bad and greedy man who cares about money, but why bother with the stress and mayhem that come with shooting and fighting innocent folk? Instead, players should help Arthur help others with the time he has left, and perhaps discover that he can indeed be a good man at the end of it all.

1

Battling Against Harsh Climates

Harsh Cold and Sweltering Heat is Bad for the Health

Being overdressed or underdressed for certain climates is a death sentence already without tuberculosis, especially when the snowy mountains of Ambarino reach below zero, and Arthur will need a thick coat to get him through a day in the wild. The same can be said for the hot regions of the South in Lemoyne, where just a shirt and pants are enough to make Arthur sweat.

With such hot or cold weather, the fluctuating temperatures are no good for Arthur’s illness, so players (if they want to roleplay more accurately) should avoid sending Arthur out to these regions equipped with the wrong clothes, or, they should stop heading out there altogether.