Red Dead Redemption 2 - Tips to Stop Weapons Degrading

Posted in rdr2

The vast majority of weapons in Red Redemption 2 will degrade over time, requiring you to clean them to restore the weapons to their former glory. In this guide I discuss the ways to prevent your weapon degrading and the possible side effects of the degradation process.

Each weapon has six main stats in the game, which generally speaking determine it's efficiency in battle. The first five are your basic weapon stats such as damage, range, fire rate, reload and accuracy. The final sixth stat is called Condition and this is the one that can adversely impact all others.

Weapons gradually deteriorate in condition due to usage and the environment they are subjected to. Allowing your weapon to accidentally go rusty or dirty will lead to lower damage, longer reloads etc. It's a sorry state of affairs.

Note, if you find "worn" weapons from dead enemies, these are well past their usable state and as such cannot be repaired or cleaned to their former glory. You can clean to a limit but cannot go beyond that marker.

Weapon stats

Condition bar

The Condition bar is present below all of your weapon stats. You can check the condition status from the weapon wheel itself. Initially the Condition bar is fully white, but over time the end of the bar goes gray to signify that the degradation process has started. The weapon will also show signs of wear during this stage.

Hidden degradation stats

Unknown to the player there are actually three degradation stats for each of your weapons. They are:

Soot - every time you shoot your weapon it degrades slightly. A weapon will eventually go from best to worst condition as it's fired over time. Roughly speaking it takes 300 shots for the Revolver, Pistol and Repeater to go from best to worst condition. It's only 200 shots for Rifles and 150 for shotguns.
Rust - rust appears when the weapon is subjected to water and snow, even if holstered. It takes roughly 5 minutes to fully degrade a weapon due to Rust.
Dirt - similar to Rust, when a weapon is subjected to deep mud it will get dirty. It takes around 5 minutes to go from best to worst condition when covered in mud.

How to prevent weapons degrading

There are three ways to prevent weapons degrading as fast:

Store your weapon on horse when it's not essential

If you know you're going to encounter deep water, mud or snow then store your weapon away on your horse. Unlike your holster, weapons are protected when inside the horse storage inventory. Instead, take a lighter side arm that you care less about for the trip.

Cleaning

This won't prevent the degradation process but it will repair your weapons back to full efficiency. There are two methods for cleaning your weapon: manual cleaning, or using a Gunsmith. To clean a weapon yourself you'll need gun oil (a consumable item) which can be bought at most shops. If you prefer to use a Gunsmith you can pay for the weapon to be cleaned for a small fee.

Using special equipment

Certain equipment such as accessories, Trinkets and Talisman will help to slow down the degradation process. These items are listed below:

Item	Type	Degradation reduction	How to get
Weapon Trap	Component	10%	Bought from a Gunsmith. Can only be used on repeaters, rifles and shotguns
Upgraded Holster	Accessory	10% / 20%	Bought from Gunsmith, OR complete the related Challenge and craft from a Trapper
Reinforced Off-Hand Holster	Accessory	10%	Complete the related Challenge and craft from a Trapper
Beaver Tooth Trinket	Trinket	10%	Crafted at a Fence
Raven Claw Talisman	Talisman	20%	Complete "Geology for Beginners" quest
Legend of the East	Outfit	10%	Secret outfit for completing all Challenges