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Freedom251 › Blog › 100% completion

New Austin Collectibles and Challenges Checklist for Red Dead Redemption 2

By Freedom251 Team · · 7 min read

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Use the in-game Total Completion screen as your authority, then treat New Austin as a regional cleanup area rather than a separate 100% list. Open Pause Menu > Progress > Total Completion to see the five completion categories. The currently supported New Austin objectives in the reviewed checklists are the Thieves’ Landing and Fort Mercer gang hideouts, plus plant-gathering examples that can help with the sequential Herbalist challenges.

No reliable source in the material reviewed establishes an exhaustive, location-by-location New Austin collectible route. The checklist below therefore separates confirmed objectives from planning guidance and game-wide requirements that are often mistaken for New Austin-only targets.

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What counts toward completion in New Austin?

New Austin is one region inside Red Dead Redemption 2’s larger single-player completion system. You do not receive a separate New Austin percentage that replaces the game’s 100% tracker. Instead, regional activities feed into the categories shown on the Total Completion screen:

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  • Missions and Events
  • Collectibles
  • Compendium
  • Player
  • Miscellaneous

PowerPyx’s completion checklist says the remaining work can be finished after the story. That makes a post-story sweep practical: finish the narrative, open the tracker, and use the category entries to decide what still matters rather than assuming every object visible on a regional map is required.

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  • Covers a huge range of 19th century American landscapes
  • Play as Arthur Morgan, lead enforcer in the notorious Van der Linde gang
  • Interact with every character in the world with more than just your gun;Engage in conversation with people you meet. Your actions influence Arthur's honour;Horses are a cowboy's best friend, both transport and personal companion;Bond with your horse as you ride together to unlock new abilities

A New Austin checklist is useful for organizing travel, but it is not the same thing as the complete game-wide 100% checklist. If a third-party route claims to list every New Austin collectible, compare its entries with the in-game categories before treating it as authoritative.

Start with the Total Completion tracker

  1. Pause the game.
  2. Select Progress.
  3. Open Total Completion.
  4. Inspect each of the five categories and note the remaining entries.
  5. Record whether the outstanding item is a fixed-location activity, a challenge step, a compendium entry, or a broader game-wide requirement.

This order prevents a common mistake: clearing a visible New Austin object and expecting the overall percentage to rise when that object is not part of the required checklist. Use an external list as a travel aid, then verify the result in the menu.

Confirmed New Austin gang hideouts

The PowerPyx checklist identifies two New Austin hideouts as the final two of the game’s six gang hideouts. Both are post-story objectives in the reviewed guide.

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Hideout Region Availability described by the checklist
Thieves’ Landing New Austin Accessible after the story
Fort Mercer New Austin Accessible after the story

Thieves’ Landing

Travel to Thieves’ Landing after the story and clear the gang hideout activity. Once the encounter is complete, return to Progress > Total Completion and check the relevant Missions and Events or Miscellaneous entry. The menu, not the visual state of the settlement, is the confirmation that the activity registered.

Fort Mercer

Fort Mercer is the other New Austin hideout named in the checklist. Approach it during your post-story cleanup, complete the hideout encounter, and verify the tracker afterward. If the entry does not change, leave the area, make a manual save, reload, and check again before repeating the activity.

Herbalist challenges: how the sequence works

Herbalist is one of eight challenge tracks described by RDR2.org. Each track contains ten objectives, and the objectives must be completed in order. Finding a plant early does not automatically complete a later Herbalist requirement; the current numbered challenge must call for that action.

Plan by challenge number

  1. Open the Challenges section and identify the active Herbalist objective.
  2. Read the exact requirement, including any quantity, crafting action, or foraging condition.
  3. Travel to New Austin only when the active step can use the trip.
  4. Complete the action and wait for the challenge notification.
  5. Confirm that the next numbered Herbalist objective is unlocked before changing routes.

This sequence matters because the guide covers several kinds of Herbalist tasks, including gathering plants, crafting items, and foraging. A route built only around plant names can leave the challenge chain out of order.

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New Austin plant examples

The Herbalist guide gives the following New Austin examples:

  • Blackcurrant: reported in Gaptooth Ridge and Cholla Springs.
  • Desert sage: reported in western Gaptooth Ridge.
  • Red sage: reported near Rio Bravo.

These are location examples, not proof that every one is required at every stage. Check the current in-game challenge text and map before making a dedicated trip. Plant spawns can be easy to miss in bright desert terrain, so use the mini-map, slow your horse near likely vegetation, and search both sides of a route instead of riding past at full speed.

Regional cleanup versus the full 100% checklist

Several totals commonly appear in 100% guides. They describe the entire game, not the number of items located in New Austin.

Game-wide requirement Total cited by PowerPyx How to interpret it
Dinosaur Bones 30 Overall game count, not a New Austin-only total
Rock Carvings 10 Overall game count, not a New Austin-only total
Dreamcatchers 20 Overall game count, not a New Austin-only total
Cigarette Cards 144 cards in 12 sets; one set is sufficient for the cited checklist Game-wide collection target, not a regional New Austin count
Legendary Fish 13 Overall game count, not a New Austin-only total

PowerPyx published these figures on October 25, 2018. They are useful when checking the broad completion target, but they should not be copied into a New Austin route as though all 30 bones, 20 dreamcatchers, or 13 legendary fish were in that region.

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Choose a progress-first or route-first method

Your preferred method depends on whether you want the game’s required percentage or a personal regional tour.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 - Playstation 4 (PS4) [video game]
  • From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption
  • The deepest and most complex world Rockstar Games has ever created
  • Covers a huge range of 19th century American landscapes
  • Play as Arthur Morgan, lead enforcer in the notorious Van der Linde gang
  • Please note that although this game is Region Free or Region Unlocked and will work on all systems, this is the international version and may differ from the local version in age rating, labeling or instructions.
Method Best for How to work Main trade-off
Progress-first cleanup Players pursuing the in-game 100% target Check Total Completion, complete the named item, then verify the category again Less sightseeing; you may skip optional regional discoveries
Route-first checklist Players who want to explore New Austin systematically Group destinations by area, carry the current challenge requirement, and mark each stop after visiting A printed or online route may include activities that do not affect the required percentage

For most completion runs, use progress-first as the control and route-first as the travel plan. That combination gives you a destination list without surrendering the in-game confirmation.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

A practical New Austin sweep

1. Finish or reach the post-story point

The reviewed checklist places both supported New Austin hideouts after the story. If an objective appears unavailable during the main narrative, do not assume the save is broken; continue to the point at which post-story exploration opens, then revisit the region.

2. Capture a baseline

Before riding into the desert, photograph or write down the five Total Completion categories and any visible counters. A baseline makes it easier to identify which action registered when several activities are completed in one session.

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3. Clear the two hideouts

Visit Thieves’ Landing and Fort Mercer in one expedition if convenient. Finish each hideout encounter rather than merely entering the location. Check the tracker after both are complete.

4. Match plants to the active Herbalist step

Read the challenge number first. If the requirement involves a plant represented in New Austin, plan a loop through the appropriate area: Gaptooth Ridge or Cholla Springs for blackcurrant, western Gaptooth Ridge for desert sage, or the Rio Bravo area for red sage. The plant examples support routing, but the challenge wording determines whether the pickup is relevant.

5. Separate regional discoveries from required counters

Mark optional discoveries in a personal notes list, but keep them separate from the counters that Total Completion actually displays. This prevents an attractive but non-required collectible from displacing a missing game-wide objective elsewhere on the map.

What an external checklist can and cannot tell you

A printed Red Dead Redemption 2 Collector’s Edition Guidebook can be a convenient companion if you prefer a physical reference while riding. It is optional, and the material reviewed does not verify a current edition, retailer stock, or a particular page numbering system. Treat any printed list as supplementary: the game’s own Total Completion screen remains the final check.

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External guides are strongest for grouping destinations, identifying approximate plant habitats, and reminding you of challenge order. They are weaker when they present a regional inventory without stating whether an item contributes to 100%. Keep a separate column in your notes for “counts toward Total Completion” and “optional discovery,” and only fill the first column after the in-game tracker confirms it.

Troubleshooting missed progress

The hideout is cleared but the percentage did not change

  • Confirm that the encounter was completed, not merely started.
  • Leave the area and allow the game to autosave, then check the Total Completion menu.
  • Reload a manual save if the entry still appears incomplete.
  • Check whether the activity is listed under a different category than expected.

A plant was collected but Herbalist did not advance

  • Read the active challenge number again; Herbalist objectives are sequential.
  • Verify that the requirement calls for that plant or action rather than a later step.
  • Collect the required quantity or perform the associated crafting or foraging action.
  • Wait for the completion notification before moving to the next destination.

A regional guide lists more items than the game requires

That is not necessarily an error. A regional guide may include compendium entries, scenic discoveries, challenge ingredients, or collectibles that are useful to a completion-minded player without being a separate New Austin percentage requirement. Use Total Completion to decide what is mandatory.

Limits of the available New Austin list

The supported material does not establish a complete New Austin-only inventory of dinosaur bones, rock carvings, dreamcatchers, cigarette cards, legendary fish, or every challenge interaction. It also does not establish story gates for every collectible or prove that each plant example is required by a particular Herbalist number. Avoid treating an unverified map as exhaustive.

When you need a truly item-by-item regional route, build it from a complete location source and test every entry against the game’s counters. Until then, the dependable checklist is narrower: use the tracker, clear Thieves’ Landing and Fort Mercer after the story, and apply the Herbalist examples only when they match the active sequential objective.

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Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
Red Dead Redemption 2 PS4 Brand New Factory Sealed
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From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption; The deepest and most complex world Rockstar Games has ever created
$23.80
Bestseller No. 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 - Playstation 4 (PS4) [video game]
Red Dead Redemption 2 - Playstation 4 (PS4) [video game]
From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption; The deepest and most complex world Rockstar Games has ever created
$25.79

Quick checklist

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

100% completioncollectiblesHerbalist challengesNew AustinRed Dead Redemption 2

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