Just finished the last heist opportunity in RDO, which for me was the Ember of the East. The Annesburg mine played host to the ruby and the healthy smattering of dickheads guarding it; many of whom seemed to share a proclivity for headshots. Big difference from the Il Sovrano diamond where a distraction and some patient observations were enough. Here the layout made stealthing a tall order on Ruthless from what I could tell, especially when the ruby’s location is randomized. So after nabbing the keys to the foreman’s and sheriff’s offices I said fuggit and hung back with my bolt action loaded with express rounds, popping off anyone who stumbled into view to clear the way. The runners who managed to get within throwing distance of my cover were met with dual wielded Navy revolvers.
Once the herd was thinned out I headed to the foreman’s office. No luck. Then I nearly get taken out by some bastard who found his way to a Gatling gun and proceeded shooting as I passed by the windows looting the place. So I ran around back down to where I started by the docks and flanked him easily enough with all the random viewpoint obstructions the area affords.
Maybe fifteen to twenty minutes in and dozens of rounds of ammo later the whole place seemed vacant and silent enough to proceed to the sheriff’s office, which contained the coveted chest and then some. I made the mistake of getting greedy though, because soon reinforcements arrived before I could book it out of there. By now I was running low on ammo and health tonics, and there was really no cover in the tiny room. Suffice to say things got hairy as the law was anxious to blitz me to death in there, and I had to switch ammo types in between their individual attempts after running out of express rounds in the middle of it all. It was feeling like my own personal take on the infamous last stand in any number of westerns, and I’m thinking there was no way I’m going down after maybe a dozen failed stealth attempts followed up with a couple dozen minutes of gunning through everyone the hard way.
When the gunshots dissipated enough, I whistled my horse for a quick getaway but quickly realized I’d be on my own making a break for him down by the docks where he’s perfectly content away from the action. So I make a run for it and book it across the tracks towards the nearest building and around the corner see my horse just chillin like it’s a lazy Sunday afternoon. What happened is the game switched out my Hungarian Halfbred for my Red Arabian because I was on what’s technically a story mission, and I never reassigned my latest horse to those. The Arabian is built for speed but certainly not war. At least he made for a quick getaway to the drop point which had me taking the backwoods to avoid any more unwanted attention.
Also finished the railroad contract missions, which were far easier and more varied. For someone who isn’t playing constantly I feel like the Blood Money update is plenty, as I’ve yet to try most of the other crimes. The Quick Draw passes go very quickly is too, and the loot is more than I’ll ever use. Also haven’t tried the Call to Arms mode yet, but might do so tonight as it yields triple rewards this week. First I’ll need to finish restocking ammo and tonics though. I also finally bought the pamphlet for crafting multiple items, along the stew pot. Not sure how many recipes there are, but right off the bat I had a good one for chocolate game chili stew, which I later found out is one of Cripp’s daily specials. I just hope it’s still on the menu when I go back on tonight, because I ended up buying a shitton of kidney beans and chocolate bars for it.
