Red Dead Redemption 2 Online's Moonshiners Update Is Out Now; Here's What's Included

You can now peddle white lightning as a black-market bootlegger in Moonshiners, the latest frontier pursuit for Red Dead Redemption 2’s online mode. Purchase the new Shack property and team up with an infamous distiller to start your own Moonshining business–provided you’ve already cut your teeth as a trader.

You can purchase one of five different Moonshining Shacks. Once you’ve sourced your cook and equipment, Maggie Fike–an old hand in the bootlegging business–will maintain the homestead’s front upstairs while the illegal distillation takes place downstairs. The basement also has room for a bar, a space for a band and dancefloor, and you can even upgrade your moonshining equipment.

Once you’ve sourced all of the ingredients and produced the goods, you’ll have to learn the demands of the market and time your shipments so that they align with the tastes of your buyers. Because of this, Moonshining requires you to have attained at least rank five as a Trader, or completed one Trader Sell mission. Once all of that is out of the way, you can get the operation up and running.

There are new story missions you can take on solo or with your Posse, as Maggie helps to build your business and enact a little revenge of her own along the way. Completing missions will earn benefits that expand your business, as you eliminate rivals, learn new recipes, and establish a steady list of clientele. You can also develop different blends to distribute across the five states, and serve patrons and friends directly with your own bar.

Much like every other Specialist Role in Red Dead Online, the Moonshiner features a unique progression path that unlocks bespoke apparel and accessories, equipment upgrades, new weapons like a Flammable Moonshine Jug, new horse breeds, and more.

On top of this, the Outlaw Pass is returning with another 100 ranks of rewards to earn, including new clothing and accessories, Role XP boosts during the Club Membership period, and Gold gifts up to 40 Gold Bars. In addition, the free Wheeler, Rawson and Co. Club Membership entitles you to select perks as you accumulate XP up until March 10, 2020. Every Red Dead Online player is automatically enrolled in the Wheeler, Rawson and Co. Club just by playing the game.

Elsewhere, Offers and Rewards is a new feature you can find on the Benefits page in the pause menu. Here you’ll find a collection of gifts, discounts, and promotions that can be applied to a range of goods. Rewards include gifts like Gold Bars, refills on Trader and Moonshiner business supplies, clothing items and accessories, and other complimentary gifts.

The latest update to Red Dead Online also features new clothing items, including Bandoliers and Corsets, the powerful Navy Revolver, and plenty of gameplay improvements and enhancements. You can find out more on Rockstar’s blog.

Here are some of the improvements added in the latest update:

• The ability to quick-swap weapons in the heat of battle–simply assign a “Quick Select” firearm within the Weapon Wheel, then tap L1/LB/Tab during gameplay to quickly switch between this and your currently-equipped weapon (you can still holster your weapon with a double tap of L1/LB/Tab or by selecting Unarmed in the Weapon Wheel)
• Ability Card rebalancing on certain cards, and limits on Tonic use to ensure a level playing field for all players
• Accessibility improvements for fishing, allowing players to reel in a catch by holding a button rather than circling the analogue stick
• Increased stability for Horses, making your steed slightly less likely to fall down after a collision and quicker to get back up after a fall or revival

Moonshiners is available now in Red Dead Online for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and is coming to Google Stadia later this month.