Naturalist (Red Dead Online) - Wots The Verdict

The Naturalist is one of the five Specialist Roles available in Red Dead Online.

Description

The Naturalist role in Red Dead Online allows players to explore, track, and study wildlife across the frontier. It focuses on observing animals in their natural habitats and learning about the many creatures that live throughout the game world.

Naturalists act as wildlife researchers, collecting samples and information about animals. These samples and discoveries can then be exchanged for rewards and role progression.

To begin working as a Naturalist, players must purchase a Sample Kit from Harriet Davenport. The kit normally costs 25 Gold Bars.

Task

As a Naturalist in Red Dead Online, the player’s goal is to track, hunt, and observe animals across the frontier while encountering rare Legendary Animals.

Players can choose how they approach the role. Some prefer to study animals and learn new abilities, while others may focus on using animal resources for profit.

Harriet Davenport, a conservationist, pays players to locate animals and collect samples. This is usually done by sedating animals and taking blood samples, or by photographing them safely from a distance.

However, retired hunter Gus Macmillan has a very different view. He rewards players for killing those same animals and bringing their pelts and hides to his shop so they can be turned into clothing.

Harriet’s behavior toward the player depends on how they treat animals. If the player has recently killed wildlife, she may criticize or scold them. If the player continues killing animals frequently, Harriet may spray them with a hallucinogenic substance that causes them to faint. After this happens, she refuses to trade with the player for a short time.

Animal Field Guide

Once the player becomes a Naturalist in Red Dead Online, they receive an Animal Field Guide. This book acts as a record of all animal species found across the different environments of the frontier.

Tracking, photographing, sedating, and sampling animals adds information to the guide and helps the player advance in the Naturalist role.

To reach 100% completion for any animal entry, the player must perform several actions at least once, including:

Tracking the animal
Killing it
Skinning it
Studying it
Sedating it
Taking a sample
Photographing it

Types of Habitats

Animals in the field guide are grouped by the environments where they are usually found:

Farmland Habitats
Covers domesticated animals commonly found on farms, ranches, and rural settlements.

Desert Habitats
Focuses on creatures adapted to survive in harsh desert conditions.

Wetland Habitats
Includes animals living in swamps, marshes, bayous, and areas with long grass.

Mountains and Grassland Habitats
Studies species found across open plains, hills, and rocky mountain regions.

Forest and River Habitats
Documents animals living in dense forests or near rivers and streams.

Common Critters
A category dedicated to smaller creatures that can appear both in wilderness areas and near towns.

Legendary Animals

Legendary Animals are rare versions of regular animals that can be discovered throughout the frontier in Red Dead Online. They may appear during Free Roam exploration or through Animal Sighting missions given by Harriet.

Using the Legendary Animal Map, players can locate the areas where these animals are most likely to live. The Animal Field Guide also provides clues about how to find them.

Once located, the player must decide what to do:

Take samples and deliver them to Harriet for rewards
Hunt and skin the animal, then sell the pelt to Gus for clothing items

However, there is an important limitation. If the player takes a sample first, Gus will not accept the pelt afterward. Because of this, players often need to encounter the same Legendary Animal twice in order to fully complete its entry.

Killing a Legendary Animal—or killing one after sedating it—results in a loss of Honor.

Animals that are badly damaged by fire, explosions, or similar effects cannot be sampled or skinned.

In total, there are 14 species with three Legendary variants each, giving 42 Legendary Animals overall. Usually two versions appear in Free Roam, while the third is available only through Harriet’s missions.

For example, the cougar species includes:

Legendary Iguga Cougar (Free Roam)
Legendary Maza Cougar (Free Roam)
Legendary Sapa Cougar (Harriet mission)

Legendary Animals: Dark

Examples of darker-colored Legendary Animals include:

Legendary Animals: Light

Examples include:

Legendary Animals: Patterned

Examples include:

Legendary Animals: Red and Blond

Examples include:

Animals marked with * only appear in Harriet’s missions after reaching Rank 5 in the Naturalist role.

Harrietum Officinalis

After reaching Rank 5, Harriet tells the player about a special plant called Harrietum Officinalis. These plants appear as purple and red flowers and allow players to temporarily transform into animals.

This transformation is activated using the Vitalism Studies pamphlet, titled Field Diary and Notes by Harriet Davenport, which Harriet provides after the introduction cutscene.

Different transformations require different numbers of Harrietum plants:

3 Harrietum – Rabbit or Opossum transformation
5 Harrietum – Buck or Boar transformation

Naturalist Skills and Level Rewards

Progressing through the Naturalist role unlocks various abilities and equipment, including:

Naturalist Variant Varmint Rifle – A special visual variant for the Varmint Rifle
Wilderness Camp – A temporary camp where players can cook, craft, and rest
Wilderness Fast Travel – Can be unlocked through a Fence after obtaining the Wilderness Camp
Legendary Eagle Eye – Helps identify trails left by Legendary Animals
Animal Attraction – Increases the chances of encountering Legendary Animals
Sedative Varmint Cartridge Pamphlet – Allows crafting of sedative ammunition
Mercy Kill – Enables quick killing of animals that are fatally wounded
Animal Focus – Narrows down the search area when hunting Legendary Animals
Legendary Animal Pheromones Pamphlet – Craft pheromones that help reveal Legendary Animals
Blending Tonic Pamphlet – Allows crafting tonics that make players harder for animals to detect
Animal Reviver Pamphlet – Enables crafting items that revive sedated animals
Tonics Satchel Upgrade – Expands storage for tonic items
The Kennewick Outfit – A rugged outfit designed for dedicated Naturalists

To be continued…

This is post 2, of 5 of the specialist roles available in Red Dead Online. The previous post was The Trader, and the next post is The Bounty Hunter.