This recap page takes into account some optional events. In addition, for the sake of convenience, the recap is written as though the player has made honorable decisions throughout, so your experience with the story may vary.
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Chapter 1: Colter
America, 1899: the age of gunslingers and the lawless Wild West has entered its twilight.
As a sign of the times, a gang of robbers, thieves, and other dregs of society led by Dutch van der Linde has been forced to retreat from Blackwater after a riverboat heist gone horrifically awry. Forced to leave behind a sizeable score with the Pinkerton Detective Agency on their trail, they trek through the frigid mountains of the north. It is a hard time for the gang: some have succumbed to their wounds and the elements, and others are suffering from a lack of shelter and food. They catch a break in the form of an abandoned mining town, Colter, where they can hold up for the time being.
Arthur Morgan, a member of the gang and one of Dutch's most trusted confidants, sets out with Dutch and newcomer Micah Bell III for supplies. They come across a homestead that appear to be holding a party, only to find that the homestead is housing members of the O'Driscoll gang, vicious blood enemies of the gang led by Dutch's nemesis Colm O'Driscoll. After rooting out the O'Driscolls, they find a woman inside the homestead: Sadie Adler, whom the O'Driscolls had widowed and assaulted. The homestead is accidentally set alight by Micah so Dutch brings Sadie into the gang, providing her with protection from the O'Driscolls. Shortly thereafter, at the behest of Abigail Roberts, Arthur and Javier Escuella set out to find fellow gang member and the father of her son, John Marston, who was separated from the rest of the Van der Lindes during the escape from Blackwater. They manage to locate John in the mountains, exhausted and injured by wolves but alive, and bring him back to camp.
Dutch discusses the gang's next course of action with co-founder Hosea Matthews; Dutch wants to return to Blackwater to retrieve the money from the heist while Hosea insists on exercising caution and continuing eastward. While Dutch would prefer to head west as part of his master plan to find land on the frontier to create a paradise for the gang, he concedes to Hosea's judgment. They would still need money, however, so Dutch and Hosea concoct a plan to rob a passing train carrying thousands of dollars in rail bonds. Arthur participates in the heist and, while not all goes to plan, succeeds in relieving the patron of the train, business magnate Leviticus Cornwall, of his bonds.
The bonds would be a great financial boon to the gang, but they would need to be careful in how they sell them, lest they attract the attention of the law once more. Thankfully, the wicked snowstorm that had been blowing through the mountains has subsided, and the snow has begun to thaw, providing the gang with a window to make their way further east. They eventually settle in the state of New Hanover, on a hill in the idyllic Horseshoe Overlook, a short ride away from the town of Valentine.
As a sign of the times, a gang of robbers, thieves, and other dregs of society led by Dutch van der Linde has been forced to retreat from Blackwater after a riverboat heist gone horrifically awry. Forced to leave behind a sizeable score with the Pinkerton Detective Agency on their trail, they trek through the frigid mountains of the north. It is a hard time for the gang: some have succumbed to their wounds and the elements, and others are suffering from a lack of shelter and food. They catch a break in the form of an abandoned mining town, Colter, where they can hold up for the time being.
Arthur Morgan, a member of the gang and one of Dutch's most trusted confidants, sets out with Dutch and newcomer Micah Bell III for supplies. They come across a homestead that appear to be holding a party, only to find that the homestead is housing members of the O'Driscoll gang, vicious blood enemies of the gang led by Dutch's nemesis Colm O'Driscoll. After rooting out the O'Driscolls, they find a woman inside the homestead: Sadie Adler, whom the O'Driscolls had widowed and assaulted. The homestead is accidentally set alight by Micah so Dutch brings Sadie into the gang, providing her with protection from the O'Driscolls. Shortly thereafter, at the behest of Abigail Roberts, Arthur and Javier Escuella set out to find fellow gang member and the father of her son, John Marston, who was separated from the rest of the Van der Lindes during the escape from Blackwater. They manage to locate John in the mountains, exhausted and injured by wolves but alive, and bring him back to camp.
Dutch discusses the gang's next course of action with co-founder Hosea Matthews; Dutch wants to return to Blackwater to retrieve the money from the heist while Hosea insists on exercising caution and continuing eastward. While Dutch would prefer to head west as part of his master plan to find land on the frontier to create a paradise for the gang, he concedes to Hosea's judgment. They would still need money, however, so Dutch and Hosea concoct a plan to rob a passing train carrying thousands of dollars in rail bonds. Arthur participates in the heist and, while not all goes to plan, succeeds in relieving the patron of the train, business magnate Leviticus Cornwall, of his bonds.
The bonds would be a great financial boon to the gang, but they would need to be careful in how they sell them, lest they attract the attention of the law once more. Thankfully, the wicked snowstorm that had been blowing through the mountains has subsided, and the snow has begun to thaw, providing the gang with a window to make their way further east. They eventually settle in the state of New Hanover, on a hill in the idyllic Horseshoe Overlook, a short ride away from the town of Valentine.
Chapter 2: Horseshoe Overlook
While Horseshoe Overlook is a breath of fresh air for the gang, there is little time to rest. Dutch concocts a cover story for the gang, describing them as itinerant workers looking for new jobs after a factory in the north was shut down, and sends members out to make money while gathering information on potentially lucrative heists. At the same time, the gang's bookkeeper, Herr Leopold Strauss, enlists Arthur's aid in collecting on loans he had given to a number of clients. In the course of collecting from one such client, Thomas Downes, Arthur is coughed upon by the sickly Downes...
One day, while John is doing work for the gang in Valentine, Abigail asks Arthur to take her son, Jack, to go fishing. During what should've been a quiet and uneventful fishing trip, Arthur is approached by Pinkertons, led by Agent Andrew Milton and his assistant, Agent Edgar Ross. Milton offers Arthur mercy in exchange for turning in Dutch, but Arthur refuses. To this, Milton warns Arthur that he would be well served to pack up camp and flee. When Arthur reports on his encounters with the Pinkertons to Dutch, Dutch advises not making any rash decisions, as the Pinkertons may be trying to frighten them into making a mistake. For now, he advises staying where they are.
Afterwards, John ropes Arthur in to help with a sheep rustling scheme. The scheme seems to go to plan (save for an unscrupulous rancher managing to coax a hefty bribe for his silence), but the situation takes a turn for the worst when Leviticus Cornwall has the Pinkertons take John and Strauss hostage. Arthur manages to rescue them, and the gang manages to escape from Valentine, but staying in New Hanover is no longer an option. Once more, the gang is forced to take flight, this time to the south-east into the state of Lemoyne.
One day, while John is doing work for the gang in Valentine, Abigail asks Arthur to take her son, Jack, to go fishing. During what should've been a quiet and uneventful fishing trip, Arthur is approached by Pinkertons, led by Agent Andrew Milton and his assistant, Agent Edgar Ross. Milton offers Arthur mercy in exchange for turning in Dutch, but Arthur refuses. To this, Milton warns Arthur that he would be well served to pack up camp and flee. When Arthur reports on his encounters with the Pinkertons to Dutch, Dutch advises not making any rash decisions, as the Pinkertons may be trying to frighten them into making a mistake. For now, he advises staying where they are.
Afterwards, John ropes Arthur in to help with a sheep rustling scheme. The scheme seems to go to plan (save for an unscrupulous rancher managing to coax a hefty bribe for his silence), but the situation takes a turn for the worst when Leviticus Cornwall has the Pinkertons take John and Strauss hostage. Arthur manages to rescue them, and the gang manages to escape from Valentine, but staying in New Hanover is no longer an option. Once more, the gang is forced to take flight, this time to the south-east into the state of Lemoyne.
Chapter 3: Clemens Point
On the riverside, in a new camp on Clemens Point, the gang sets up shop once more. The nearby town of Rhodes becomes the focus of their attention. Rhodes is home to two families caught up in a viscious blood feud: the Grays, pillars of the community who have a hand in the town's law enforcement; and the Braithwaites, disreputable curs who were forced to turn to bootlegging moonshine after the Civil War. Rumor has it that gold lies at the center of this feud: one of the families allegedly stole gold from the other, but it's impossible to know who stole what since the feud has raged on for so long that no one can remember exactly why it started. Regardless, Dutch sees potential in making a massive profit from playing the two against each other, and to that end, gets himself and Arthur deputized by Sheriff Leigh Gray to help them better infiltrate their ranks.
Over the next several days, the gang sabotage the industries of both the Grays and the Braithwaites, while also carrying out a bank robbery in Valentine for some quick and easy money. At the same time, Sadie begins to demand playing a more proactive role in the gang's operations beyond domestic tasks, driven by a desire for vengeance against the O'Driscolls.
Unfortunately, the plan to play the two feuding clans against each other goes sideways as the Grays, realizing the gang had been playing them, lure them into a trap, killing Sean MacGuire and forcing Arthur and his compatriots to wipe out the Grays in self-defense. The bad news keeps coming as, upon returning to the camp, they learn that the Braithwaites have abducted young Jack Marston! The gang's most able gunmen ride out to the Braithwaite manor to rescue Jack, only to find that he had been given over to Angelo Bronte, a powerful criminal in Saint Denis. In the ensuing conflict, the gang exterminates the entire Braithwaite clan, save for matriarch Catherine, who is forced to watch as her mansion is put to flames before driving herself to suicide inside the burning mansion.
Over the next several days, the gang sabotage the industries of both the Grays and the Braithwaites, while also carrying out a bank robbery in Valentine for some quick and easy money. At the same time, Sadie begins to demand playing a more proactive role in the gang's operations beyond domestic tasks, driven by a desire for vengeance against the O'Driscolls.
Unfortunately, the plan to play the two feuding clans against each other goes sideways as the Grays, realizing the gang had been playing them, lure them into a trap, killing Sean MacGuire and forcing Arthur and his compatriots to wipe out the Grays in self-defense. The bad news keeps coming as, upon returning to the camp, they learn that the Braithwaites have abducted young Jack Marston! The gang's most able gunmen ride out to the Braithwaite manor to rescue Jack, only to find that he had been given over to Angelo Bronte, a powerful criminal in Saint Denis. In the ensuing conflict, the gang exterminates the entire Braithwaite clan, save for matriarch Catherine, who is forced to watch as her mansion is put to flames before driving herself to suicide inside the burning mansion.
Chapter 4: Saint Denis
Trouble continues to find the gang as, upon their return to camp, they find the Pinkertons waiting for them, demanding their surrender and threatening to exterminate them if they refuse. With the attention brought to them by the shootout in Rhodes and the Pinkertons hot on their trail, the gang is forced to move once more. In the hopes of finding Jack, the gang sets up shop once more in an old mansion in Shady Belle, placing them in close proximity to Saint Denis: a bastion of modern civilization, and a monument to everything Dutch, Arthur, and their ilk are struggling against.
Dutch, Arthur, and John manage to find and confront Angelo Bronte in his mansion home. Thankfully, Bronte appears to be a reasonable man who offers to release Jack in exchange for some help from Arthur and John in clearing out some grave robbers. True to his word, the two return from the job to find Jack released back into their custody, unharmed. The gang celebrates Jack's safe return, and morale is given a major boost as John promises to try to be a better father to his son. Unfortunately, this doesn't last long before the O'Driscolls send them the body of Kieran Duffy, who had been the gang's newest member, and attack the camp, though the van der Linde gang manages to emerge victorious in the fight.
After running some odd jobs, Dutch puts into action a plan to make all the money the gang will need to finally escape from civilization: a pair of robberies, one at a trolley station and another at a bank. With these, and the money they would earn from them eclipsing their score from Blackwater, they would never want for money ever again. The gang starts with the trolley station robbery, using information given to Dutch by Bronte. Unfortunately, the station has nothing worth taking, and Dutch, Arthur, and their fellow gang member Lenny Summers find themselves under attack by law enforcement. The three manage to escape via a trolley, but the trolley crashes, leaving the three shaken — and Dutch, in particular, severely concussed.
Enraged at being lied to by Bronte, Dutch arranges for the gang to lay siege to his mansion in retribution. At the end of the siege, Dutch takes a captive Bronte and drowns him in the bayou, leaving his corpse behind to feed to the alligators. The gang is shocked at this sudden show of violence by Dutch. John, in particular, is taken aback. While Arthur advises him to keep believing in Dutch, he, too, is gravely troubled...
With the trolley station job failing to pan out, the gang hedges all of their bets on the bank robbery. The robbery seems to go smoothly at first, but the Pinkertons arrive in very short order. John is captured, Hosea and Lenny are killed, and Arthur, along with Dutch, Micah, Javier, Bill Williamson, and Charles Smith, are forced to retreat.
When night falls, the gang sneaks onto a ship bound for Cuba, with Charles providing a distraction while the rest make their way onto the ship. The plan now is to bide time outside of the US for a few weeks, then return and concoct a new plan.
Unfortunately, there is a storm brewing...
Dutch, Arthur, and John manage to find and confront Angelo Bronte in his mansion home. Thankfully, Bronte appears to be a reasonable man who offers to release Jack in exchange for some help from Arthur and John in clearing out some grave robbers. True to his word, the two return from the job to find Jack released back into their custody, unharmed. The gang celebrates Jack's safe return, and morale is given a major boost as John promises to try to be a better father to his son. Unfortunately, this doesn't last long before the O'Driscolls send them the body of Kieran Duffy, who had been the gang's newest member, and attack the camp, though the van der Linde gang manages to emerge victorious in the fight.
After running some odd jobs, Dutch puts into action a plan to make all the money the gang will need to finally escape from civilization: a pair of robberies, one at a trolley station and another at a bank. With these, and the money they would earn from them eclipsing their score from Blackwater, they would never want for money ever again. The gang starts with the trolley station robbery, using information given to Dutch by Bronte. Unfortunately, the station has nothing worth taking, and Dutch, Arthur, and their fellow gang member Lenny Summers find themselves under attack by law enforcement. The three manage to escape via a trolley, but the trolley crashes, leaving the three shaken — and Dutch, in particular, severely concussed.
Enraged at being lied to by Bronte, Dutch arranges for the gang to lay siege to his mansion in retribution. At the end of the siege, Dutch takes a captive Bronte and drowns him in the bayou, leaving his corpse behind to feed to the alligators. The gang is shocked at this sudden show of violence by Dutch. John, in particular, is taken aback. While Arthur advises him to keep believing in Dutch, he, too, is gravely troubled...
With the trolley station job failing to pan out, the gang hedges all of their bets on the bank robbery. The robbery seems to go smoothly at first, but the Pinkertons arrive in very short order. John is captured, Hosea and Lenny are killed, and Arthur, along with Dutch, Micah, Javier, Bill Williamson, and Charles Smith, are forced to retreat.
When night falls, the gang sneaks onto a ship bound for Cuba, with Charles providing a distraction while the rest make their way onto the ship. The plan now is to bide time outside of the US for a few weeks, then return and concoct a new plan.
Unfortunately, there is a storm brewing...
Chapter 5: Guarma
A sudden thunderstorm sinks the ship, with Arthur forced to leap overboard to avoid being dragged down into the depths of the sea. He awakens on a shore, and manages to find Dutch, Bill, Javier, and Micah nearby. Unfortunately, Arthur is not the only ones who find them: the five are captured and taken into the custody of Levi Simon, the right-hand man of local sugar baron and dictator Alberto Fussar. From Simon, they learn that they are on Guarma, an island off the coast of Cuba that is home to a massive sugar plantation. Thankfully, they are saved by Hercule Fontaine, the leader of a local resistance group. Together, Dutch, Arthur, and Hercule organize a massive assault on Fussar, killing him and Simon, and escaping from the island on a ship bound back for America.
When Arthur returns to Shady Belle, he finds the camp abandoned and Pinkertons snooping around. Thankfully, the gang left behind a coded letter that guides Arthur to their new camp in Lakay. The rest of the gang reunite shortly after...with the Pinkertons in tow, seemingly having followed Bill Williamson. After another bloody shootout that sees the Pinkertons routed, Sadie looks for a way to save John from incarceration, while Arthur sets out with Charles to find a new place to set up camp: some mountainous caves in Beaver Hollow.
While the gang sets up camp once more, Arthur finds the gang in turmoil as Molly O'Shea, Dutch's lover, returns, drunk and belligerent. She says that she'd been informing the Pinkertons of the gang's movements. Dutch, his paranoia and violent tendencies having become more apparent since Saint Denis, prepares to shoot her for her betrayal, but Arthur stays his hand...only for Susan Grimshaw, another senior member of the gang, to execute Molly instead and order the body burned.
When Arthur returns to Shady Belle, he finds the camp abandoned and Pinkertons snooping around. Thankfully, the gang left behind a coded letter that guides Arthur to their new camp in Lakay. The rest of the gang reunite shortly after...with the Pinkertons in tow, seemingly having followed Bill Williamson. After another bloody shootout that sees the Pinkertons routed, Sadie looks for a way to save John from incarceration, while Arthur sets out with Charles to find a new place to set up camp: some mountainous caves in Beaver Hollow.
While the gang sets up camp once more, Arthur finds the gang in turmoil as Molly O'Shea, Dutch's lover, returns, drunk and belligerent. She says that she'd been informing the Pinkertons of the gang's movements. Dutch, his paranoia and violent tendencies having become more apparent since Saint Denis, prepares to shoot her for her betrayal, but Arthur stays his hand...only for Susan Grimshaw, another senior member of the gang, to execute Molly instead and order the body burned.
Chapter 6: Beaver Hollow
While on his way to find Sadie, Arthur begins to suffer from a coughing fit in Saint Denis. This wasn't the first coughing fit he'd had but was the worst one yet. He is left doubled over on the ground and clinging to consciousness as he hacks up blood. Thankfully, a good Samaritan helps him get to a doctor, where he receives terrible news: he has active tuberculosis, an infectious disease that has no cure and proves fatal for 70% of its sufferers within two years. After recovering a little, he finally meets up with Sadie.
Together, Arthur and Sadie mount a rescue for John, saving him from being hanged. While most in the gang are relieved to see John safe, Dutch snaps at Arthur and Sadie for their reckless actions. Morale among the gang takes a nosedive, as the combination of fear from the increasingly unstable Dutch and suspicions of other traitors in their midst remain at the forefront of everyone's minds. Eventually, lines in the sand are drawn between those who remain loyal to Dutch, including Micah, Bill, and Javier; and those who fear that Dutch is no longer fit to lead, including Arthur, John, and Sadie. The ranks of the gang thin as a result of several members quietly leaving at various times throughout the chapter, including Reverend Orville Swanson, Josiah Trelawny, Mary-Beth Gaskill, Uncle, Simon Pearson, and Karen Jones. Leopold Strauss, meanwhile, is exiled by Arthur after an encounter with a few more of the notorious moneylender's victims, including the widow and son of Thomas Downes, who were forced into prostitution and coal mining, respectively.
Still, despite this tension within the gang, Dutch, Arthur, and Sadie do work together when Colm O'Driscoll is captured by the law, preventing his cronies from rescuing him and ensuring that he is successfully hanged for his crimes. Later, following another run-in with Leviticus Cornwall in Annesburg, one that leaves Cornwall dead by Dutch's hand, the gang comes across information about Cornwall's oil refinery, which was built on land stolen from Indigenous Americans. With this, Dutch hatches a bold new plan: to rally the natives and declare war on the US government, providing the gang with an opportunity to escape the country by boat in the chaos. Dutch manages to recruit some younger Indigenous Americans from a nearby reservation to his cause, including Eagle Flies, the son of the pacifistic tribe leader Rains Fall.
Eventually, Dutch rallies the gang and a small army of Indigenous rebels to raid a Cornwall refinery for its bonds. The raid is fraught with difficulty as the US Army descends on the gang, but Arthur manages to find the bonds in the refinery. When attempting to escape, however, a pipe bursts, and the explosion stuns Arthur. Dutch witnesses this, but rather than take a moment to help Arthur, abandons him. Thankfully, Arthur is saved from certain death by Eagle Flies, who gets shot by the leader of the soldiers attacking the gang, Col. Henry Favours. Arthur kills Favours in turn, but is unable to save Eagle Flies, who dies from his wounds. Arthur and most of the gang return to camp, while Charles breaks off from the gang to help Rains Fall and his tribe.
With tensions escalating and most of the gang having left, Dutch concocts a plan to rob a train carrying US Army payrolls. Arthur, doubting whether he should continue to follow Dutch, advises John that, after the job is done, he should take Abigail and Jack and flee. During the assault, John is shot and falls from the train. Dutch and Micah fall back, ostensibly to aid him, but later claim after the job is done that John is dead.
Their troubles continue to get worse, as one of the few remaining women in the gang, Tilly Jackson, reveals to Dutch that the Pinkertons have abducted Abigail. Even with Jack nearby, Dutch refuses to do anything to help her, writing off Jack's mother as a lost cause. This is the final straw for Arthur and Sadie, who defy Dutch and mount a rescue for Abigail while having Tilly flee from the gang with Jack until the latter can be reunited with his mother. When confronted by Agent Milton, the sadistic Pinkerton reveals that it wasn't Molly O'Shea who betrayed Dutch's gang, but Micah Bell, whom he's been in contact with for several months. In the struggle, Arthur's strength begins to fail him, but Abigail manages to save him by shooting Milton.
Arthur sends Abigail and Sadie away to meet up with Jack and Tilly, but not before Abigail reveals that she knows where Dutch has hidden the money from the Blackwater heist and gives Arthur the key for it that she stole from Dutch. Arthur returns to the gang as they are packing up the camp and preparing to leave. He reveals to Dutch that Micah was the traitor, but Micah lies and professes his innocence. Shortly after, John Marston returns to the gang, heavily injured but very much alive, and accuses Dutch of leaving him for dead.
This is the breaking point for Dutch van der Linde's gang, and an armed standoff ensues between Dutch and his loyalists (Micah, Javier, and Bill) against Arthur, John, and Miss Grimshaw. To make matters worse, the Pinkertons, led by Agent Ross, arrive and assault the fractured gang, and Micah murders Miss Grimshaw during this distraction. When the two have breathing room, Arthur realizes that the score from the last train heist was still in a cave at the old campsite. John, however, is unwilling to go back: he is determined to reunite with his family and escape, money be damned.
In the end, Arthur decides to damn the money and help John escape with the last of his strength. From atop a mountain, Arthur fights off the advancing Pinkertons, giving John the chance he needs to break away and escape. Afterwards, Micah attacks Arthur, determined to kill him and John's entire family. Arthur holds his own against Micah when the two come to blows, but eventually, the last of his strength fails him, and Arthur collapses to the ground, but not before pistol-whipping Micah with his revolver and losing his grip on it in the process. He crawls for this sidearm, but is stopped by Dutch.
"John made it," Arthur gasps with his last breaths. "He's the only one. Rest of us... no. But.. I tried. In the end, I did."
These words leave Dutch stunned. Micah urges Dutch to come with him and get the money, but he can do naught but walk away. Micah, enraged, runs off as well, leaving Arthur to die alone.
With nothing but light from the rising sun to keep him company in the end, Arthur Morgan's passing draws another bloody chapter in the history of the American Wild West to a close.
Arthur is later buried on the hilltop facing the setting sun, his gravestone bearing the words of this epitaph: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
As for the rest of Dutch van der Linde's gang...
Together, Arthur and Sadie mount a rescue for John, saving him from being hanged. While most in the gang are relieved to see John safe, Dutch snaps at Arthur and Sadie for their reckless actions. Morale among the gang takes a nosedive, as the combination of fear from the increasingly unstable Dutch and suspicions of other traitors in their midst remain at the forefront of everyone's minds. Eventually, lines in the sand are drawn between those who remain loyal to Dutch, including Micah, Bill, and Javier; and those who fear that Dutch is no longer fit to lead, including Arthur, John, and Sadie. The ranks of the gang thin as a result of several members quietly leaving at various times throughout the chapter, including Reverend Orville Swanson, Josiah Trelawny, Mary-Beth Gaskill, Uncle, Simon Pearson, and Karen Jones. Leopold Strauss, meanwhile, is exiled by Arthur after an encounter with a few more of the notorious moneylender's victims, including the widow and son of Thomas Downes, who were forced into prostitution and coal mining, respectively.
Still, despite this tension within the gang, Dutch, Arthur, and Sadie do work together when Colm O'Driscoll is captured by the law, preventing his cronies from rescuing him and ensuring that he is successfully hanged for his crimes. Later, following another run-in with Leviticus Cornwall in Annesburg, one that leaves Cornwall dead by Dutch's hand, the gang comes across information about Cornwall's oil refinery, which was built on land stolen from Indigenous Americans. With this, Dutch hatches a bold new plan: to rally the natives and declare war on the US government, providing the gang with an opportunity to escape the country by boat in the chaos. Dutch manages to recruit some younger Indigenous Americans from a nearby reservation to his cause, including Eagle Flies, the son of the pacifistic tribe leader Rains Fall.
Eventually, Dutch rallies the gang and a small army of Indigenous rebels to raid a Cornwall refinery for its bonds. The raid is fraught with difficulty as the US Army descends on the gang, but Arthur manages to find the bonds in the refinery. When attempting to escape, however, a pipe bursts, and the explosion stuns Arthur. Dutch witnesses this, but rather than take a moment to help Arthur, abandons him. Thankfully, Arthur is saved from certain death by Eagle Flies, who gets shot by the leader of the soldiers attacking the gang, Col. Henry Favours. Arthur kills Favours in turn, but is unable to save Eagle Flies, who dies from his wounds. Arthur and most of the gang return to camp, while Charles breaks off from the gang to help Rains Fall and his tribe.
With tensions escalating and most of the gang having left, Dutch concocts a plan to rob a train carrying US Army payrolls. Arthur, doubting whether he should continue to follow Dutch, advises John that, after the job is done, he should take Abigail and Jack and flee. During the assault, John is shot and falls from the train. Dutch and Micah fall back, ostensibly to aid him, but later claim after the job is done that John is dead.
Their troubles continue to get worse, as one of the few remaining women in the gang, Tilly Jackson, reveals to Dutch that the Pinkertons have abducted Abigail. Even with Jack nearby, Dutch refuses to do anything to help her, writing off Jack's mother as a lost cause. This is the final straw for Arthur and Sadie, who defy Dutch and mount a rescue for Abigail while having Tilly flee from the gang with Jack until the latter can be reunited with his mother. When confronted by Agent Milton, the sadistic Pinkerton reveals that it wasn't Molly O'Shea who betrayed Dutch's gang, but Micah Bell, whom he's been in contact with for several months. In the struggle, Arthur's strength begins to fail him, but Abigail manages to save him by shooting Milton.
Arthur sends Abigail and Sadie away to meet up with Jack and Tilly, but not before Abigail reveals that she knows where Dutch has hidden the money from the Blackwater heist and gives Arthur the key for it that she stole from Dutch. Arthur returns to the gang as they are packing up the camp and preparing to leave. He reveals to Dutch that Micah was the traitor, but Micah lies and professes his innocence. Shortly after, John Marston returns to the gang, heavily injured but very much alive, and accuses Dutch of leaving him for dead.
This is the breaking point for Dutch van der Linde's gang, and an armed standoff ensues between Dutch and his loyalists (Micah, Javier, and Bill) against Arthur, John, and Miss Grimshaw. To make matters worse, the Pinkertons, led by Agent Ross, arrive and assault the fractured gang, and Micah murders Miss Grimshaw during this distraction. When the two have breathing room, Arthur realizes that the score from the last train heist was still in a cave at the old campsite. John, however, is unwilling to go back: he is determined to reunite with his family and escape, money be damned.
In the end, Arthur decides to damn the money and help John escape with the last of his strength. From atop a mountain, Arthur fights off the advancing Pinkertons, giving John the chance he needs to break away and escape. Afterwards, Micah attacks Arthur, determined to kill him and John's entire family. Arthur holds his own against Micah when the two come to blows, but eventually, the last of his strength fails him, and Arthur collapses to the ground, but not before pistol-whipping Micah with his revolver and losing his grip on it in the process. He crawls for this sidearm, but is stopped by Dutch.
"John made it," Arthur gasps with his last breaths. "He's the only one. Rest of us... no. But.. I tried. In the end, I did."
These words leave Dutch stunned. Micah urges Dutch to come with him and get the money, but he can do naught but walk away. Micah, enraged, runs off as well, leaving Arthur to die alone.
With nothing but light from the rising sun to keep him company in the end, Arthur Morgan's passing draws another bloody chapter in the history of the American Wild West to a close.
Arthur is later buried on the hilltop facing the setting sun, his gravestone bearing the words of this epitaph: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
As for the rest of Dutch van der Linde's gang...
- Mary-Beth Gaskill would become a semi-successful author of romance novels, writing under the pseudonym of "Leslie Dupont".
- Tilly Jackson would marry to a Haitian lawyer, having a child with him and living happily ever after.
- Karen Jones was never seen again. Based on a letter received by Tilly, she likely drank herself to death.
- Leopold Strauss was apprehended by the Pinkertons. Even after having been exiled from the gang, he never revealed anything to his captors, eventually dying in their custody.
- Josiah Trelawny, who helped arrange some of the gang's jobs, returned to his family in Saint Denis. He would still disappear for extended periods of time, however, much like he had when he ran with the gang.
- Javier Escuella and Bill Williamson both disappeared and would not be seen again for several years.
- Simon Pearson, the gang's butcher and chef, settled down in Rhodes. He would become happily married and eventually come to own the town's general store.
- Reverend Orville Swanson, having conquered his addictions to opium and alcohol, eventually made his way north to New York, founding a large and successful congregation of his own.
As for John Marston, Charles Smith, and Sadie Adler...
Epilogue, Part 1: Pronghorn Ranch
A few years after Dutch's gang collapsed, John Marston continues to wander the frontier with Abigail and Jack. Living under the assumed names of Jim, Agatha, and Lancelot Milton, the three stop in at Strawberry to find honest work that will allow them to live comfortable while staying in the confines of the law. While Abigail and Jack get some temp work at the local physicians, John gets a job delivering groceries to David Geddes, the owner of the nearby Pronghorn Ranch. There, John manages to get himself and his family more permanent employment and housing, with John learning the ropes of ranching.
While John managed to find work and a home in Pronghorn Ranch, not all is well: the Laramie Gang, hired goons from a rival ranch, harass Geddes and his workers on a regular basis. Hostilities escalate until, one night, a large posse of Laramie Gang members descend upon the ranch to set it aflame. John takes up a gun once more and, with some fellow ranch-hands, strike back at the gang, wiping them out. Unfortunately, Abigail becomes so fearful of the danger John seems to put them in that she takes Jack and leaves. Deciding it best to try and settle down somewhere permanent, John asks Geddes to help him secure a loan from the bank so he can purchase land at Beecher's Hope...
While John managed to find work and a home in Pronghorn Ranch, not all is well: the Laramie Gang, hired goons from a rival ranch, harass Geddes and his workers on a regular basis. Hostilities escalate until, one night, a large posse of Laramie Gang members descend upon the ranch to set it aflame. John takes up a gun once more and, with some fellow ranch-hands, strike back at the gang, wiping them out. Unfortunately, Abigail becomes so fearful of the danger John seems to put them in that she takes Jack and leaves. Deciding it best to try and settle down somewhere permanent, John asks Geddes to help him secure a loan from the bank so he can purchase land at Beecher's Hope...
Epilogue, Part 2: Beecher's Hope
John learns from Uncle, another former member of Dutch's gang who helps out (poorly) on the ranch, that Charles Smith, another old friend, is still alive in Saint Denis. He manages to track down Charles to the city's slums, where he earns his keep as a street fighter. After watching one of Charles's bouts, John reconnects with him, the two talking about their time together in the gang and catching up on what happened to some of their old confederates. The two are soon forced to take flight when Charles's opponent ambushes them with a posse, escaping back to Beecher's Hope.
Some days after, Abigail and Jack return to John. Later, while shopping around for a barnhouse in town, John reconnects with another old friend: Sadie Adler, now a bounty huntress. Sadie has learned of the whereabouts of Micah Bell, the traitor who sold out the gang to the Pinkertons. Together, John, Sadie, and Charles form a posse to hunt down Micah and his gang at Mount Hagen. John and Sadie chase Micah down in his cabin, but they are subsequently confronted by Dutch. Sadie is shocked at his reappearance, giving Micah an opening to take her hostage. A three-way standoff ensues between John, Micah, and Dutch, with John begging Dutch to do the right thing. To everyone's surprise, Dutch shoots Micah, causing him to release his grip on Sadie. Micah tries to shoot back, but John is quicker on the draw, unloading his gun into him and putting him down for good and all.
As Dutch silently leaves, John and Sadie uncover a veritable treasure trove in the cabin: more money and gold than they could count, which may also include the long-lost score from Blackwater! With their financial future secure and their past demons laid to rest, John and his posse return home. John then finally weds Abigail, with Sadie and Charles witnessing their marriage before departing, Charles to Canada so he can settle down and raise a family of his own, and Sadie to South America to find her calling in life.
John has finally earned the happy life he had long sought. Unbeknownst to him, however, Edgar Ross, having left the Pinkertons for a new job with the Bureau of Investigation, has been keeping a close eye on him, intent on using him for his own purposes...
Some days after, Abigail and Jack return to John. Later, while shopping around for a barnhouse in town, John reconnects with another old friend: Sadie Adler, now a bounty huntress. Sadie has learned of the whereabouts of Micah Bell, the traitor who sold out the gang to the Pinkertons. Together, John, Sadie, and Charles form a posse to hunt down Micah and his gang at Mount Hagen. John and Sadie chase Micah down in his cabin, but they are subsequently confronted by Dutch. Sadie is shocked at his reappearance, giving Micah an opening to take her hostage. A three-way standoff ensues between John, Micah, and Dutch, with John begging Dutch to do the right thing. To everyone's surprise, Dutch shoots Micah, causing him to release his grip on Sadie. Micah tries to shoot back, but John is quicker on the draw, unloading his gun into him and putting him down for good and all.
As Dutch silently leaves, John and Sadie uncover a veritable treasure trove in the cabin: more money and gold than they could count, which may also include the long-lost score from Blackwater! With their financial future secure and their past demons laid to rest, John and his posse return home. John then finally weds Abigail, with Sadie and Charles witnessing their marriage before departing, Charles to Canada so he can settle down and raise a family of his own, and Sadie to South America to find her calling in life.
John has finally earned the happy life he had long sought. Unbeknownst to him, however, Edgar Ross, having left the Pinkertons for a new job with the Bureau of Investigation, has been keeping a close eye on him, intent on using him for his own purposes...
