Jobs are the side money in Red Dead Redemption's Story Mode, and they're easy to forget until you're chasing 100%. Horsebreaking and Nightwatch look nothing alike: one is a daytime ride on a wild horse, the other a night patrol behind a watchdog.
0 of 5 completed · 0% complete
Horsebreaking
Horsebreaking is a daytime job. Both locations use the same steps: lasso the horse, keep John balanced until it's broken, then ride it to the stable. Push the movement control opposite John's lean to stay balanced.
Nightwatch
Nightwatch starts after dark, and every location runs the same way. Follow the watchdog to each incident, handle it, then return to the marked reward point. Each job can be repeated after 24 in-game hours.
Where and When Each Job Opens
Horsebreaking unlocks after you finish Wild Horses, Tamed Passions and get the Lasso. Ridgewood Farm's job starts at the yellow cross at the corral in New Austin. Chuparosa's starts at the corral just outside town, but Chuparosa sits in Nuevo Paraíso, so Story Mode has to take you there first.
Nightwatch opens after New Friends, Old Problems, and it only starts at night. MacFarlane's Ranch is in New Austin, so that mission is all it needs. Chuparosa's starts in front of the bank in Nuevo Paraíso, and Blackwater's starts at the post office at the south end of town in West Elizabeth. Those two regions open through Story Mode, so their jobs show up as the story reaches them. Find the mission names in the story missions.
What Counts Toward 100%
Each job location counts once, and every location is worth 0.5% toward Story Mode 100%. A repeat at one town doesn't count for another, so each town needs its own run.
Ridgewood Farm's Horsebreaking counts in every release of the base game. Its Walton's Gang scrap isn't in the original Xbox 360 release, though, so you won't get that scrap there.
How Much Jobs Pay
Horsebreaking pays about $7 to $10 per job at both spots. Nightwatch pays more and changes from shift to shift: about $30 to $60 at MacFarlane's Ranch, about $100 at Chuparosa and about $120 at Blackwater. The incidents that pop up and how you deal with the criminals decide where in that range you land.
Captured criminals pay more. Hogtying them takes the Lasso, so the Lasso is the key to the better Nightwatch money.
At Honest Joe or higher in Honor, job pay doubles, and higher Honor perks stack on top. The figures above don't say which Honor rank they assume, so they aren't doubled here.
Mistakes That Cost You Time
- Starting Nightwatch before you have the Lasso. The shifts still run, but you can't hogtie criminals for the higher pay.
- Heading to Chuparosa or Blackwater before Story Mode opens those regions. The job isn't there until the story takes you.
FAQ
Does Undead Nightmare count toward 100%?
No. These jobs come from the base game's Story Mode. Undead Nightmare is a separate campaign, and its content doesn't count here.
Do I need Horsebreaking before Nightwatch?
No. Each job type opens from its own mission, so Nightwatch doesn't wait on Horsebreaking.