The recently added Naturalist role appears to be turning in to a monkey’s paw wish for Red Dead Online players that were hungry for some kind of content update. Not only is this new Frontier Pursuit adding more animals to hunt, it’s also added more animals that hunt players.
Up to this point, finding game to take down was generally pretty thin, but since the Naturalist role is all about tracking and hunting animals, that meant animal spawns of all types have been increased across the board. That, of course, includes cougars and bears, which are reportedly taking several players by surprise; a simple ride through the wilds and the forests is turning into a murdering spree.
Exacerbating the issue is the antics of one of the game’s NPCs, a conservationist named Harriet Davenport who wants players to study and protect the wildlife in RDO and will absolutely douse you with tranquilizer gas if you approach her after having harmed an animal. Apparently, this isn’t just for when players hunt an animal to get its pelt; this also is a reaction when players either kill predatory creatures in self-defense or run over a rabbit via happenstance.
Another NPC, Gus Macmillan, encourages players to hunt creatures and wear them for fashion, which means players either have the choice of being left to their own animal killing devices or being nailed in the face with drugs whenever harm befalls a ravening cougar. Which isn’t a choice at all for many.
