Cores are a feature in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online that are an extension of player attributes, kicking in when the corresponding attribute has been completely depleted. Core icons are located inside their associated attribute meters.

The level of the core will also reflect how quickly players will recover those attributes; i.e. the higher the level of the core, the quicker that attribute will replenish. Health and Stamina replenish naturally over time, but Dead Eye is dependent upon kills.

Cores naturally drain slowly over time, taking a full 90 minutes to deplete completely. Adverse conditions will affect this rate of decay, including weather and fighting. Actions that counter fatigue and hunger will counteract this, such as eating and sleeping.

The state of cores will negatively affect the player if they are empty. If the health bar is depleted while the Health core is empty the player will die, while the character will look exhausted, looking down and hunched. If the Stamina core is empty the player's character will be visibly tired, yawning, and their vision will get blurry and distorted if they overexert them. If they are swimming in this state the Health Bar will start draining and eventually drown (Except John, he will almost instantly drown because he can't swim). If Dead Eye core is empty, the character will be touching their eyes and try to stay alert, while their accuracy will be worse when aiming, and significantly worse should the player use Dead Eye.

Draining

Golden Cores

Fortified cores have many positive benefits. A golden core will stop them from draining over time and it'll stay full for a short time. Higher tiers will grant a stronger and longer lasting golden core. If its ring bar is fully depleted yet draining, the golden core will drain much quicker, meaning it will lose time before it goes back to normal.

Tiers

• I = 12 minutes
• II = 24 minutes
• III = 36 minutes
• IV = 48 minutes (1 In-game day)
• Cripps' Special = 144 minutes (3 In-game days)

Gold Core Benefits

Health Core

• Bonus Health (Take more damage before dying)
• Negates extreme temperature conditions.

Stamina Core

• Allows the use of actions that costs stamina after bar is depleted.

Dead Eye Core

• Increased aiming accuracy.
• Dead Eye bar can slowly regenerate. In Red Dead Online, this doesn't apply in Superior Quality Stew from the stew pot.

Tips

• One of the quickest way to refill cores is by eating meat, specially seasoned variants of Big Game which give a golden core for a whole in-game day. Sleeping will also refill all cores, with the chance of giving a golden core for stamina.
• Alternative ways to acquire golden cores is by eating the more expensive meals in saloons or from the camp stew pot. In Red Dead Online, after due improvements, a stew pot meal can render all cores golden during three in-game days (144 minutes).
• Certain perks from trinkets can affect the drain rate of cores, such as the Bear Claw Talisman, which will permanently slow health core drain by 10%.
• Always have outfits ready for extreme temperatures on your horse, one for cold and one for hot weather.
• Positive effects of core draining can stack. For instance, if the player has perfect weight and is mounting a horse, their drain rate will lower by 40%.
• Likewise, negative effects can also stack, such as if Arthur is under the effect of extreme temperatures and has been bitten by a snake, or is very sick (Neither John or the RDO protagonist can get sick).
• Maintaining a perfect weight can be difficult if you don't eat enough or don't sleep enough. Make sure to always eat something before sleeping.
• In Red Dead Online it is even harder to lose or gain weight, as you cannot sleep there. But your weight will always change when you start a mission or a bounty. In 2019, the Naturalist update now provides players a much easier but expensive way to change their weight using unique weight tonics.

Notes

• In Red Dead Online, the player can equip certain ability cards that can allow Dead Eye to regenerate.

Related

• Provisions in Redemption 2
• Tonics in Redemption 2
• Talismans & Trinkets
• Red Dead Online Ability Cards

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