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Armadillo is a settlement in Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Red Dead Online in the Cholla Springs region of the State of New Austin.

Description

Armadillo is depicted as one of the few remaining boomtowns of the American West that's under developing seemingly hasn't progressed from the 1880s, in contrast to the modern industrialized northern settlements characterized by the city of Blackwater. Armadillo is a common hangout for Walton's Gang members, who continue to bring violence and chaos to the town. Duels are common, making it a place where danger is ubiquitous.

By 1911, Leigh Johnson is the acting Marshal and legal authority of Armadillo, along with local lawmen, and is well known by the local residents, although most of them have a very low opinion of him. He is assisted by the young deputies Jonah and Eli. According to Johnson, the arrival of railroads to Armadillo led to the decline of its regional rival, the old decaying frontier town of Tumbleweed, reducing the latter to being an abandoned ghost town at the time of Red Dead Redemption.

Herbert Moon, the general store shopkeeper, refers to himself as Armadillo's first citizen. It's unknown if he means the most important citizen, or was literally one of the founders of Armadillo, which is certainly possible given his age.

History

Background

The history of Armadillo during the late 19th and 20th centuries is plagued with disease outbreaks, with many of them causing near-wipeouts of the town's population. In 1897, Leigh Johnson was appointed district marshal of the town.

Events of Red Dead Redemption 2

In 1898, Armadillo experienced an outbreak of Scarlet Fever, which caused much of the town to flee, with the remainder becoming heavily ill, with many fatalities. It is unknown when this plague ended, but it was sometime between 1899 and 1907.^[1]

After the Scarlet fever outbreak, the town would be plagued again by the desert plague, and then a typhus outbreak would occur afterwards. When exactly these outbreaks occurred is unknown, but it would have been between 1899 and 1907.

In 1907, Armadillo and the nearby area seems to be suffering from a cholera plague and most of its inhabitants are either dead or have moved away. Furthermore, multiple fires can be seen throughout the village, mummified bodies can be found from time to another and a handful of Del Lobo thugs make their way to town, occasionally.

During the cholera outbreak, the saloon in Armadillo is active, although it only serves drinks. Additionally, Herbert Moon is still in the town, and the player can visit his general store. There is also a town crier, with pamphlets warning people about the cholera, with many of the townsfolk seen to be either dead or gravely ill. Temperatures in Armadillo are high; it will often reach the mid-ninties (Fahrenheit) during the day.

Events of Red Dead Redemption

By 1911 the town recovered from its series of plague and life in the town had returned to normal once again. Armadillo is the heart of New Austin. Despite the general decay of the region, it provides good services and goods to this day. Recently, Walton's Gang have been terrorizing the townsfolk of Armadillo and have infested the saloon. Three or four members of Walton's Gang occasionally ride through town, dragging a civilian behind them, and firing their guns. It is also common for Herbert Moon's General Store to be robbed, or for a random prostitute to be attacked by an angry punter (and killed if nothing is done). The only type of shop that the area does not possess is a tailor, but because interaction with tailors is not particularly common (only to buy outfit scraps or a bandana), this is not a problem.

A small portion of "Exodus in America" takes place in the saloon. Bonnie MacFarlane's mission "This is Armadillo, USA" ends at this location. Every mission in the Leigh Johnson strand except "The Assault on Fort Mercer" begins at this location, in his office. The mission "Old Swindler Blues" ends here and leads directly to the beginning of "You Shall Not Give False Testimony, Except for Profit". The introduction of Irish also takes place here in the mission "A Frenchman, a Welshman and an Irishman".

All three segments of the Stranger side-mission "American Appetites" begin in front of the Armadillo Sheriff's Office. The Stranger side-mission "California" ends in the Armadillo Telegraph Office. A portion of the Stranger side-mission "Let No Man Put Asunder" takes place in the Armadillo Saloon. The first segment of the Stranger side-mission "Lights, Camera, Action" also begins and ends in the Cinema.

Mission appearances

Red Dead Redemption

• "Exodus in America"
• "This is Armadillo, USA"
• "Political Realities in Armadillo"
• "Justice in Pike's Basin"
• "Old Swindler Blues"
• "Spare the Rod, Spoil the Bandit"
• "Hanging Bonnie MacFarlane"
• "You Shall Not Give False Testimony, Except for Profit"
• "A Frenchman, a Welshman and an Irishman"

Red Dead Redemption 2

• "An Honest Day's Labors"

Events of Undead Nightmare

In the Undead Nightmare DLC pack, this is one of 23 locations that must be cleared of the Undead and then protected from re-infestation thereafter.

In the midst of the apocalyptic invasion of the Undead, Armadillo has been besieged constantly by the hordes of undead. Everyone is running for their lives and survivors are holed up in the buildings and on the rooftops as the town descends into chaos. Marshal Johnson is desperately trying to defend the town in the name of the law. Everett Knox, Tobias Weldon, Alden Renshaw, Adrienne Lachance, Kittie Crenshaw and Jessie Hargrove are the only survivors that can be found defending the town. Herbert Moon is also present but does not assist in the town's defense.

The side-mission "Dinner for Two" begins and ends here.

This is also the location of Adrienne Lachance, the tenth and final missing person to be rescued in the Fort Mercer segment of the Missing Souls Side-missions.

The town is overrun when approached, and survivors have taken refuge on the roofs of shops as well as the saloon. Marshal Leigh Johnson is residing in his office, pondering a way to clear out the Undead, and awaiting the return of his two deputies. He claims that the Undead have been constantly attacking for some time, and tend to "just disappear" after a while, only to attack again later. He then requests Marston's help in finding his deputies and clearing the town.

Layout

Red Dead Redemption

Armadillo has an active railway station with a Telegraph Office, where the player can pay off his bounties with either cash or a pardon letter. There is also an animal pen along the railroad where livestock such as sheep are kept and are tended to by the local farmers. Lawmen post wanted posters of criminals on the south wall of the station. The town's newspaper salesman, Clay Willet also sells newspapers outside the station. Five Finger Fillet is played here, and Marston can join in for some competition.

Across the street from the Telegraph Office and Railway Station, is the Armadillo Saloon; The most popular establishment in town. Residents of Armadillo, weary travelers, ranchers, outlaws and brooding cowboys come from all over to drink, socialize, gamble or find a place to rest. Local criminals, like gang members, prostitutes, and drunkards are also common. The saloon has a large room with three tables for visitors stacked with chairs, a wall telephone where one can call their loved ones, a bar for drinks, a oven for cooking food, a piano player playing music, a bathroom with a bathtub, the bartender's bedroom, and a private poker room where you can buy into a game of Texas hold'em for $250. Upstairs is a mezzanine hall with paintings and deer antlers and a sitting area where rooms and sofas are available for travelers to have a rest or be entertained by the resident ladies. Marston can purchase a safehouse for $50 here. There is also a large accessible balcony upstairs.

Across the main street from the saloon, is the freight station which contains a post office and an area where stagecoach services are found. Next to that is the General Store, owned by Herbert Moon. Right around it, is a small private market stand owned by Dewey Alcock. The player can purchase their most basic needs from his store - campsites, maps, horses, etc. - as well as being able to sell their goods for money.

Next door to the saloon resides gunsmith Jeb Murphy, where the player can purchase weapons, hunting bait, and ammo. As well as being able to sell provisions here for instant cash. Further along, is an inaccessible barber's shop and dentist, and neighboring that is the town's doctor Nathanial Johnston, who helps John Marston after his first encounter with Bill Williamson at Fort Mercer and can sell Medicine to Marston, and similar supplies throughout the story. Likewise, Marston can sell his provisions here.

Across the street from the Doctor's Office is the Bank of Armadillo, where large sums of money are secured in the safes inside. Marston can rob the bank to gain money, but at the cost of retaliation from the law and penalties to honor. Down the street is a row of two-story residential buildings and right across them the undertaker's building. On the far side of town are the Sheriff's office and jail, more houses, and a former schoolhouse used as a movie theater where Marston can watch a short film for $2.

To the rear of the town, behind the saloon and gunsmith, is the livery. Here, livestock such as cattle and cows are kept in a large pen outside. There is another, smaller pen and a barn for horses, as well as a chicken coop outside the blacksmith's large shed which is found in the center of the area. There is also a small shooting range, where players are free to shoot at the targets, but this may frighten some nearby residents or make them jumpy.

Redemption Multiplayer

• It is the location of Gang Matches and Free For All's.
• It is the final destination in the Outlaws to the End Co-op mission "The Herd".
• This is one of seven locations that has a Land Grab game available. The post to start the game is located on the second floor of the saloon.
• With the addition of the Myths and Mavericks DLC, a Stronghold match can be played in this location.

Amenities

Red Dead Redemption 2

• General Store, owned and operated by Herbert Moon. Usable Wardrobe in backroom.
• Saloon
• Stagecoach
• Post Office (only in Red Dead Online.)

Red Dead Redemption

• Bank of Armadillo, operated by Baxter Deaton.
• Cinema, in the town schoolhouse, operated by Pericles Tenerton.
• Doctor's Office, owned and operated by Dr. Nathanial Johnston.
• General Store, owned and operated by Herbert Moon.
• Gunsmith, owned and operated by Jeb Murphy.
• Newspapers are sold and operated by Clay Willet, can be purchased next to the Train Station.
• Safehouse, located on the 2nd floor of the saloon, purchase for $50.
• Saloon, operated by Dewey Greenwood and helped by Tobias Finkelstein, provides Marston with drinks and poker.
• Sheriff's Office, operated by Marshal Leigh Johnson and deputies Jonah and Eli.
• Stagecoach, found behind the freight station.
• Freight station, owned by Warren Dillard.
• Train Station, provides travel via trains, also contains a telegraph office where Marston can pay off his bounties.
• Undertaker service, owned and operated by Eldin Grubb.
• Wanted Posters can be found onto a board on the south side of the train station.

Activities

These following information only pertains to Red Dead Redemption.

• Five Finger Fillet next to the Train station.
• Poker with a $25 buy-in in the back room of the Saloon.

Notes

These following information only pertains to Red Dead Redemption 2.

• Through a hole in the blacksmith's front door and on the floor is the Cigarette Card for the Hungarian Half-bred. The blacksmith is in the north end of town.
• On a barrel inside the pig pen on the west side of town is the Cigarette Card for Armadillo.
• Due east of the General Store, behind the house that faces the undertaker, is the Cigarette Card for Landon Ricketts.
• To the southwest of Armadillo can be found the Donkey Lady point of interest. Slightly southwest of there are ruins of Two Crow's farmstead. Under the broken table inside is a lockbox containing money and a small jewelry bag.
• South-southeast of Armadillo is Venter's Place farmstead. On the table is the Cigarette Card for The Grizzlies. This can only be acquired after accepting the "Smoking and Other Hobbies" mission.
• Taking the eastern road out of town, follow the road that branches off to the south At the end of the road is a church. On a barrel outside is Ginseng Elixir.
• To the north-northeast of Armadillo is an abandoned campsite where a dead Chinese man called Zhou Yi (who is wearing the Chinese Skull Cap hat) can be found, surrounded by cacti. A lockbox behind the tent contains Herbivore Bait and Valerian Root.
• If you use mods or exploits to get inside the post office you will find two money clips each containing $12.10.

Trivia

General

• The town's name appears to be a play on the real-world location of Amarillo, Texas.

Red Dead Redemption 2

• In 1907, Armadillo suffers from an outbreak of Cholera; according to a newspaper article^[2], the town is described as being like a "ghost town" and travelers are dissuaded from visiting.
  • Armadillo's cholera outbreak is possibly based on the numerous cholera outbreaks that occurred throughout the American West in the 19th century.
• Armadillo is the only small town in Red Dead Redemption 2 where no wanted level is given to the player after killing people, as there is no sheriff present in the area due to the cholera outbreak and the sheriff either being shot or resigning his post upon the player's arrival. Oddly enough, there have been cases of bounty hunters attacking players without a bounty in New Austin, but whether these two are related is unknown. It most likely has to do with players glitching to New Austin as Arthur where sometimes lawmen can be encountered on roads in spite of players not having committed any crimes in the area.
• If the law is brought into town, the wanted system will work like it does in any other settlement in the game, with waves of lawmen coming at the player, including local vigilantes that don't appear as lawmen on the mini-map.
• John cannot catch the plague that's ravaging the town. If glitches are used to take Arthur to the town, the same applies to him.
• Mercy killing dying citizens results in the usual honor loss.
• The bank has a fully rendered interior, yet it is never accessible without exploits.^[3]
• The theater has an unfinished interior.^[4]
• There is an unused PED model for the Post Office clerk, suggesting that the Train Station was initially supposed to have been fully functioning but was cut in development.
• When the player interacts with the NPCs in Armadillo and asks how they are doing, they will always respond that they are not good.

Red Dead Redemption

• On the back of the banister in the Safehouse property, it reads "DON'T YOU LOOK FINE AND DANDY", which is a cheat code to unlock the Elegant Suit Outfit.
• The saloon balcony is one of the locations where the player can land on a horse. To do this the horse must be hitched and the player must vault over the hitching post. If done correctly, the player will land on the horse.
• The bank teller, Baxter Deaton, can be heard speaking ill of Marshal Leigh Johnson, with comments such as "I heard Marshal Johnson has buried stolen goods out in Río del Lobo", or "I heard the gang over by Twin Rocks are in cahoots with Marshal Johnson". He even claims Johnson beats women. Deaton also talks about a giant lion in Hennigan's Stead.
  • Likewise, Jeb Murphy, Herbert Moon, Mel Thaxton and Eldin Grubb can be heard complaining about the Marshal as well.
• If players look behind the bar, the painting hanging is a colored version of the nude woman that Ben Wade drew in 3:10 to Yuma right before his capture. It is also the same picture that hangs behind the bar of the Alhambra Saloon in the video game GUN.
• The main part of the Southwestern Railroad Company is located here. The company-owned stations are also located at Benedict Point and MacFarlane's Ranch.
• In the last newspaper, there is an ad for poker in Armadillo's saloon backroom that reads: "Private poker room at the Armadillo saloon in Cholla Springs. Daily games, free from the prying eyes of wives and mistresses." However, the poker room is available to the player already in 1911.
• Sometimes Herbert Moon can be seen on his porch scaring off raccoons with a broom that frequent his back alley, sometimes even shooting them with a Repeater Carbine.
• There is an extremely rare instance of a Walton's Gang member being drunk on the upper floor of the saloon, sometimes even falling over the balcony and crashing down on a table or on the bar smashing all the bottles. They may even get a wanted level for vandalism or die from the impact and can be looted for money.
• Even after the demise of their leader, Walton's Gang members continue to loiter in the saloon found in the town.
• As seen in the debut trailer for Red Dead Redemption, the train station originally did not exist.
• Dieter Frommel can always be encountered opening up the crates at the train station with a crowbar or stacking the decks.
• Cleveland Sharp can always be found picking up a bag of grain at the station and then carry it near the General Store.

Undead Nightmare

• A body can be found next to the Train Station with a screwdriver beside it.
• The movie theater is fully open and explorable.
• Armadillo is one of two settlements, the other being MacFarlane's Ranch, that does not provide a weapon for saving it.

Gallery

Red Dead Redemption

The notorious Armadillo Saloon.

Sheriff's Office.

The Southwestern Railroad Company.

The bank.

Armadillo Movie House.

A detail of the saloon interior.

Another detail of the saloon interior.

Duel in Armadillo.

Close up of the logo of Ostenhaus (Osterhaus?) Livery.

Red Dead Redemption 2

A poster you can get in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Armadillo, RDR2.

One of many Cholera notices around Armadillo during 1907.

A victim of Cholera.

Town Crier warning people of Cholera.

The Saloon in Armadillo, desolate due to the Cholera plague.

Cigarette Card of Armadillo

Armadillo Logo

Video

Red Dead Redemption 2 - Armadillo is unwell

Achievements/Trophies

Red Dead Redemption

The discovery of locations in Red Dead Redemption count towards the following Trophies/Achievements:

	ON THE TRAIL OF DE VACA 10 gamerscore Bronze bronze Uncover every location on the map in Single Player.

	REDEEMED 100 gamerscore Gold gold Attain 100% List in the single player game completion list.

Undead Nightmare

Keeping this location free of Undead infestation during the Undead Nightmare contributes toward the following Achievements/Trophies:

	SPINNING PLATES 10 gamerscore Bronze bronze Have every territory saved at the same time during the Undead Nightmare

Keeping the area free of Undead infestation and rescuing the missing person at this location also contribute toward the following Trophy/Achievement:

	ZED'S DEAD, BABY 40 gamerscore Silver silver Attain 100% Game Completion statistic in Undead Nightmare.

References

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