Stranger missions are optional side jobs from people you meet across the map. Each strand starts with a question mark, and the Journal tracks every step from there. Some strands ask you to come back later, so the Journal is where you check what's next.
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New Austin
New Austin has most of the waiting. Funny Man's later visits each need six in-game hours, and California needs about two in-game days between visits, so work those strands around the clock rather than back to back.
Nuevo Paraíso
Aztec Gold is a loop. Its map pieces sit at Sidewinder Gulch, a ruin at Primera Quebrada and Alta Cabeza, and the full map goes back to El Matadero. Daedalus and Son's cliff sits southwest of Casa Madrugada, where Eva in Peril starts, but its Beaver Furs may need access to West Elizabeth first.
West Elizabeth
Every strand here starts in Blackwater, so one trip covers all the starts. Time matters more than distance: The Wronged Woman's first contact only appears at night, from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m., and the American Lobbyist bank is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
When Each Strand Unlocks
Each strand starts with one contact at a fixed spot, and its question mark only appears once the strand unlocks. Most strands unlock after a story mission. The Prohibitionist opens after The Wronged Woman, and Love is the Opiate waits on Empty Promises and Poppycock.
A few story missions open more than one strand, so check these first:
- Political Realities in Armadillo opens American Appetites and Water and Honesty.
- An Appointed Time opens American Lobbyist and The Wronged Woman. It also gates later steps in Lights, Camera, Action and I Know You.
Later steps usually wait on another story mission or some in-game time. The next question mark can show up at a different marker or a purple search area, so a strand isn't stuck just because the old marker is gone.
Which Strands Count Toward 100%
Every strand except I Know You counts toward 100%. I Know You is optional, and every required strand can still be finished in free roam after the story.
Strands Tied to the End of the Story (Late-Story Spoilers)
Remember My Family is the only strand that waits for the main story to end. Its unnamed contact waits at Blackwater Train Station, and it counts toward 100%. I Know You works the other way. It's only available until The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed, the final story mission, so finish it before then.
Rewards and the Choices That Change Them
Flowers for a Lady pays $20 to $25, +50 Fame and +100 Honor. Its steps don't offer a choice.
These rewards change with your choices or how you finish the strand:
- Remember My Family pays up to $410, plus Fame and Honor.
- I Know You pays up to $315 across the strand, with up to 50 Fame and up to 50 Honor. Your choices decide how much you collect.
- Poppycock's $1,000 belongs to Tollets until you return it at the mayor's office. Your final choice changes how much cash you keep and how much Honor you earn.
- Water and Honesty's paid route returns $220 after the $200 purchase. Taking the deed by force pays $15 instead.
- The Prohibitionist pays up to $25, and its Fame and Honor depend on the final choice.
- The Wronged Woman's $200 goes to Clara. The strand's own reward is up to 100 Fame.
Easy-to-Miss Steps
- In Lights, Camera, Action, disarm Spatchcock during the duel. The strand asks you not to kill him.
- The Wronged Woman's duel won't end with a disarm. Win it, then loot the opponent for the $200 Clara needs.
- Remember My Family's up-to-$410 only comes if you loot the final opponent.
- Eva in Peril's $200 comes back only after you loot the final opponent.
- Spoiler: The Prohibitionist's final choice is to warn Abner or kill him. Either way the price change lasts, so buy any unowned safehouses before you choose.
FAQ
What do I need to bring to these strands?
A few strands need items first. Jenny's Faith wants one Medicine, which you can buy from the Armadillo doctor. Love is the Opiate needs a white Hungarian Half-bred stallion. Daedalus and Son asks for 20 feathers of any kind, 5 Beaver Furs and 10 Red Sage. Flowers for a Lady needs 3 each of Wild Feverfew, Red Sage and Desert Sage.
Which strands cost money to start?
Eva in Peril starts with a $200 payment to Mario. Water and Honesty's deed costs $200 if you buy it, or you can take it by force. Lights, Camera, Action needs a $200 ante for the Liar's Dice game at Thieves' Landing. Paying Nathan $5 is one way through Let No Man Put Asunder, and helping with his Rose request is the other. I Know You costs $15 to encourage the man by the Thieves' Landing saloon and $10 to donate to the nun.
Do the outfit scraps need bonus content?
Yes, the Deadly Assassin, Expert Hunter and Savvy Merchant scraps depend on bonus outfit content. Deadly Assassin was a preorder bonus that later came as DLC and in the Game of the Year edition. Expert Hunter and Savvy Merchant came with the Hunting and Trading Outfits Pack. Recent releases include all of them, so if a scrap doesn't show up, check whether your copy has that content.
Does Undead Nightmare have its own Stranger missions?
Not these. Undead Nightmare runs its own side jobs; see Undead Nightmare Survivor Missions.
Can I do the strands in any order?
Within a strand, the steps mostly run in order. Lights, Camera, Action is the exception: Steps 2 and 3 can be done in either order. Across strands, the story missions set the pace.