Each of the four roles available on Red Dead Online offers something unique, which one is right for you?

Making money and finding some structure in RDO was a little troublesome for a while, however, the four roles now offer plenty of both. Roles are like jobs and provide both thrilling missions and money-making opportunities for the player. Which role is best will ultimately be the one that suits what you enjoy doing in the game. 

It is important that you choose carefully what role you would like to pursue. Like any business, roles require investment to start and grow. In order to help your selection here are the best roles in RDO and what they entail.

4. Trader 

Trader HQ is in your camp once you’ve purchased the crafting table 

If you love hunting and making money then the trader role is the right one for you. The Trader role is unlocked by purchasing a crafting table which will be where you take your animal products (carcasses, hides, antlers, etc) instead of the butcher. After dropping off your supplies, Cripps will go to work to prepare a shipment which you will then take to a delivery point and get paid. This role allows for you to get more utility out of both hunting and Cripps.    

Best Part of being a Trader

• This is a hunting role, so if you like hunting this is an opportunity to make more money from it
• This role can make some serious money: $500 for a local delivery or $650 for a distant delivery every few hours

Worst parts of being a Trader

• While somewhat passive this role does require that you keep hunting and running errands for Cripps, it can feel a little grindy at times 
• There are some bugs with camp spawning which can make this role very frustrating, you need a camp for Cribbs to work
• Animal spawns were nerfed some time ago and it can be shockingly hard to find animals to hunt from time to time

Progression

• There are 20 ranks in the Trader role and 4 stages (Novice, Promising, Established, and Distinguished)
• Each rank and stage unlocks unique cosmetics, skills, items, and attire specific to the Trader role
• You will need to purchase the Work Table to start this role, it costs 15 Gold Bars
• At the Novice stage, you get a small delivery wagon which will hold 25 items that sell for $62 on a local delivery
• At each rank and stage, you will need to either periodically pay Cripps for special material or do a resupply mission
• At the Promising stage, you can get a Medium Delivery Wagon that holds 50 items that sell for $150 on a local delivery, it costs $500
• At the Established stage, you can get a large delivery wagon that holds 100 items that sell for $500 on a local delivery, it costs $750 and requires you to have purchased the Medium Delivery Wagon
• At the Established stage, you can also unlock the Hunting Wagon which can replace your horse and holds more animal carcasses, it costs $875 (This is by no means a necessity)

Tips

• Do resupply missions rather than paying, it will keep your earnings much higher over the long run 
• Turn in carcasses that you have not skinned, they yield the most animal material 
• Don’t waste your time on big game, 3-star deer and especially buck carcasses are the best with the exception of 3-star cougars (though they are very hard to find) 
• If you buy the hunting wagon don’t hunt on it, instead dismiss your horse (aim at it and tell it to flee) after a kill then call out the wagon with the stable menu and put the carcass in it, then dismiss the wagon and call your horse to continue hunting

3. Collector 

Collector HQ is Madame Nazar’s cart which moves from time to time

If you like to get lost in the scenic landscape this game offers and really explore every mountain peak and hidden village, the Collector role is for you. The Collector role asks you to find unique items hidden throughout the map and turn them in for money. I’m sure that in your travels you have encountered a glowing, gold bloom in eagle eye that leads to a tarot card, flower, or bird eggs. Well, these are just some examples of the items which are only part of a set that you can collect in this role.

Best Part of being a Collector

• You get to explore all over the map and make money while you're doing it
• You probably have already collected some of the items that you will sell in sets
• Rewards for turning in completed sets vary between $75 (for herbs) and $540 (for coins) 

Worst parts of being a Collector

• In terms of earning it is less predictable than the Trader or Moonshiner roles
• DIfficult to find some items until you unlock the Metal Detector at the Promising stage and Potential skill at rank 9

Progression

• There are 20 ranks in the Collector role and 4 stages (Novice, Promising, Established, and Distinguished)
• Each rank and stage unlocks unique cosmetics, skills, items, and attire specific to the Collector role
• You must purchase the Collector’s Bag to unlock the role, it costs 15 Gold Bars
• At all ranks and stages, you purchase maps which will lead you to items from a specific set, the cost of these maps vary (usually between $10 and $20)
• At the Novice stage, you can purchase the Pennington Field Shovel to dig up buried items, it costs $350 
• At the Promising stage, you can buy the Metal Detector to help speed up your searches, it costs $700  

Tips 

• Once you use a map to mark locations for items do not open another map or it will unmark the previously marked items and you will lose the previously used map, so one at a time
• Do not sell found items individually, you get a substantial bonus for selling items in sets
• You can mail in the item sets you want to sell rather than trying to find Madame Nazar and selling the items in person 

2. Bounty Hunter 

Bounty Hunter HQs are the wanted boards all over the map and sheriff/police stations where you turn in bounties

RDO has so much to offer including awesome combat. The Bounty Hunter role is for those that live by their six-shooters. As a Bounty Hunter, you will have to blast your way through piles of NPCs and either capture or kill specific targets. You receive missions from any number of posters with bounties on them throughout the world (don’t worry they are marked on the map). Some of these bounties have multiple targets and can be pretty challenging so this role is best performed in a posse (though it is not required).  

Best Part of being a Bounty Hunter

• This is a very fun role that centers on PvE
• It becomes exceptionally more fun if you are in a posse
• The Legendary Bounties are pretty elaborate and well crafted
•  You earn gold as part of your payment 

Worst parts of being a Bounty Hunter

• It does not make as much money as the other roles 
• Some of the higher quality bounties require you to capture multiple targets and this is really tough without a posse 

Progression

• There are 20 ranks in the Bounty Hunter role and 4 stages (Novice, Promising, Established, and Distinguished)
• Each rank and stage unlocks unique cosmetics, skills, items, and attire specific to the Bounty Hunter
• You must purchase the Bounty Hunter License to start this role, it costs 15 Gold Bars
• At all ranks and stages, you can access any posted bounty around the map to capture criminals and turn them into a sheriffs office for a reward
• At the Novice stage you can purchase the Reinforced Lasso which increases the time it takes for an NPC (or other players if your feeling mischievous) to escape from being hogtied, it costs $350
• At the Established stage, you can purchase the Bolas which allow you to temporarily tie up an enemy at range, it costs $30 for 3 (this is a consumable item)
• At the Established stage, you can purchase the Bounty Wagon which allows you to stow captured fugitives together before taking them all to the sheriff, it costs $875

Tips

• Turning bounties in alive will make more money
•  Even a hogtied bounty can escape, so keep your wits about you
• You will have more fun and be more effective in a posse

1. Moonshiner 

Moonshiner HQ is a moonshine shack you can purchase in various locations

Get rich or drunk trying. The Moonshiner is a new role that can make some serious money and offers some more story missions to dig into. This role asks you to do a little of everything: killing, brawling, sneaking, farming (like actually grabbing plants), and driving. In the end, after all the initial investments, you just end up periodically paying a little money to make a lot of money after a quick delivery. What could be better?  

Best Part of being a Moonshiner

• Makes a lot of money but less demanding than the Trader role
• You get to own your own bar if you want, you can actually add a bar and band section and turn your dusty moonshine still into a booming speakeasy 
• Has its own fun story missions
• The Bootlegger Missions are pretty unique and fun as well

Worst parts of being a Moonshiner

• This new role has a few kinks that need to get worked out (unlimited load screen after missions)
• The Bootlegger Missions (side missions not story missions) can actually be a little difficult to do solo, the ones were you have to eliminate roadblocks actually pit you against numerous and tough NPCs

Progression

• There are 20 ranks in the Moonshiner role and 4 stages (Novice, Promising, Established, and Distinguished)
• Each stage and rank unlocks unique cosmetics, skills, items, and attire specific to the Moonshiner role
• To start you need Cripps to introduce you to Maggie Fike, you will then buy a Moonshine Shack from her for 25 Gold Bars to start this role
• Initially, you will need to do a story mission to hire the cook that will be making your moonshine
• At all ranks and stages, you will need to buy sour mash to make every batch of moonshine, this costs $50 unless you do a Bootlegger MIssion which will reduce the price to either $30 or $40
• At the Novice stage, you make moonshine that can earn you about 90$ depending on the flavor you choose
• At the Promising stage, you can purchase the Condenser Upgrade for $825 to make medium-strength moonshine which can sell for around $150 depending on the flavor you choose
• At the Established stage, you can purchase the Polished Copper Condenser for $875 and make strong moonshine which can sell for around $240 depending on the flavor you choose

Tips 

• Drive the delivery wagon carefully, if you hit bumps hard or turn too quickly the moonshine bottles inside can break and your income plummets 
•  Flavoring the moonshine adds value so make sure you stock up on the ingredients
•  Doing bootlegger missions will reduce the price of sour mash by up to $20 

Here are some great articles on the best roles in RDO

Red Dead Online: How to Make the Most Money with all Three Roles

Red Dead Online Roles: How Does the Moonshiner Role Work, and What are the Best Specialist Roles

Red Dead Online: How Specialty Roles Work in Frontier Pursuits