Red Dead Redemption 2 - How to Unlock Reinforced Equipment and Set Bonuses

Posted in rdr2

Reinforced Equipment sets offer powerful perks in Red Dead Redemption 2. In this guide you'll find instructions for unlocking Reinforced Equipment and details regarding the effects and set bonuses for unlocking complete sets.

Hopefully by now you should have located the Trapper. This NPC will offer the Reinforced Equipment menu option when approached. Early in the game, many of the items in this menu will be greyed out with a lock symbol by their side. You must meet certain conditions before each of the Reinforced Equipment items are unlocked for purchase. If you don't know about the Trapper, see the unlocking outfits guide.

How to unlock Reinforced Equipment

Before we look at Reinforced Equipment in detail, we must first understand Challenges in RDR2. In total there are 90 Challenges in the game, sub divided into 9 different categories. The categories are:

Bandit
Explorer
Gambler
Herbalist
Horseman
Master Hunter
Sharpshooter
Survivalist
Weapons Expert

As the names suggest, the Challenges within each category pertain to a particular element of the game. For example, the Bandit challenges all relate to stealing or robbing people whilst the Master Hunter challenges are for hunting animals in various ways. Each category has 10 Ranks and Reinforced Equipment is unlocked at certain ranks.

Some good examples of Challenges are:

Master Hunter (Rank 3): Track 10 different animals using your binoculars
Sharpshooter (Rank 4): Kill an enemy at least 80 feet away with a Tomahawk
Survivalist (Rank 10): Catch one of each type of fish throughout the world
Weapons Expert (Rank 10): Kill a grizzly bear without taking damage, using only throwing knives

Reinforced Equipment unlock levels

Within each Challenge category there are 10 Ranks. A new piece of Reinforced Equipment always unlocks at Challenge Rank 1, 3, 7 and the final piece at Rank 10. Therefore making up a complete set of four pieces of equipment per Challenge category.

So for example, at Bandit Rank 1 you will unlock the Bandit Bandolier. At Bandit Rank 3 you will unlock the Bandit Holster. Rank 7 is the Bandit Off-Hand Holster and finally at Rank 10 is the Bandit Gun Belt.

It's not always unlocked in that order within each category but by reaching Rank 10 you will have a complete set of Reinforced Equipment.

Perks

Individual perks

Each piece of Reinforced Equipment offers a permanent perk which is superior to the one offered at a Gunsmith. They are:

Bandolier - ammo capacity for longarm weapons +100%
Gun Belt - ammo capacity for sidearm weapons +100%
Holster - weapon degradation rate -20% (stacks)
Off-Hand Holster - weapon degradation rate -10% (stacks)

Set bonuses

Completing an entire set is a tough ask but the rewards are well worth it. Successfully completing an entire set (Bandolier, Gun Belt, Holster and Off-Hand Holster) from the same Challenge category (e.g Bandit) will grant a permanent bonus tank to your attributes. This tank relates to either Health, Stamina or Dead Eye - depending on the set in question. The 1st Bonus Tank column in the table below illustrates this.

Complete three "related" sets to also gain a second bonus attribute tank. See the 2nd Bonus Tank column in the table below for this. For example, complete the Horseman, Sharpshooter and Weapons Expert sets for a Health tank attribute.

Attribute	Set names	1st Bonus Tank	2nd Bonus Tank
Health	Horseman Sharpshooter Weapons Expert	Obtain all four pieces of one of these sets	Complete all of these sets
Stamina	Bandit Gambler Master Hunter	Obtain all four pieces of one of these sets	Complete all of these sets
Dead Eye	Explorer Herbalist Survivalist	Obtain all four pieces of one of these sets	Complete all of these sets