Dynamite — reddead

For the Red Dead Redemption 2 variant, see Dynamite (RDR 2).

“Single stick of dynamite. To time the blast, hold it while the fuse burns. Watch the sparks; don't let the fuse burn long.”

–In-game description.

Dynamite is a weapon featured in Red Dead Revolver and Red Dead Redemption.

Characteristics

It is a versatile tool in the late period of the American west, and a powerful weapon in Red Dead Redemption. Used in demolition and mining, dynamite has also found much use among outlaws who create improvised explosive weapons to cause carnage and chaos among enemies.

Marston can use dynamite as a weapon against groups of foes, to ambush stagecoaches and armed convoys and to assault enemy positions. He can only hold a maximum of 8 sticks of dynamite at a time.

Acquisition

Single Player

The player can purchase dynamite from gunsmiths after completing the mission "Mexican Caesar".
The player can get it in the mission "The Great Mexican Train Robbery".
The player can also pick it up from a crate in the mission "Father Abraham".
The player can also pick up dynamite at the Nosalida gang hideout.
The player can also pick it up during the mission "Civilization, at any Price", after shooting one of the dynamite throwers before they throw. They are on foot about to throw dynamite at the train. They are on the left side of the train tracks in the second group of enemies the player encounters during that mission, the player can then ride over the bodies and pick up the unused dynamite, that is if the player has not unlocked the fire bottle yet. If you have, then it will show them using fire bottles instead.
The player can also obtain it by the dynamite camp random event.

Undead Nightmare

Rewarded to the player after clearing either Gaptooth Breach or Agave Viejo of the undead hordes.
There is also a chance that the player will receive some when looting the Undead.

Multiplayer

The Dynamite is unlocked into the player's regular inventory upon reaching rank 15.
- The "DYN-O-MITE" and "DYN-O-MITE DEM-O-LI-TION" weapon challenges are unlocked at the same level. Completion of these challenges turns the weapon golden for the player.
Dynamite is used when planting bombs at Gang Hideouts. This is not taken from the player's inventory, however, it is just part of the Gang Hideout activity.

Combat

Dynamite is used as a thrown weapon in both Red Dead Revolver and Red Dead Redemption. Due to its powerful explosion, it is best to throw from a certain distance or from behind cover to ensure that you are not injured or killed from the blast. It will take 5 seconds to explode once the fuse has been lit. This can be used to time the throw to make it explode at different distances, or to do a suicide run near an enemy. The fuse will be reset once the player stops aiming. An interesting way to use dynamite is to activate dead-eye targeting in single-player and mark the target in the center of the screen. The dynamite will be thrown as usual by Marston, but will hone in on its target, appearing to be thrown normally, but when about a foot off the ground it will then fly towards its chosen target. However, the fuse will continue to shorten even during Dead Eye, so one needs to watch out or they might accidently kill themselves.

If a player hits an enemy in the head with a stick of dynamite, they will die instantly.

Dynamite Chests

Dynamite chests are present in certain Gang Hideouts, settlements, multiplayer competitive maps, and co-op missions. These will explode when shot with a firearm and can therefore be used to take out nearby enemies. Conversely, the player must be cautious to avoid the vicinity of these chests when enemies are around.

Trivia

When a player dies by Dynamite in multiplayer, the kill feed sometimes says "Player met a Nobel end". This is a reference to the inventor of Dynamite, Alfred Nobel.
Dead Eye Targeting for dynamite is extremely lethal, turning it into a homing missile and exploding on impact. To properly use it during dead-eye, the player should aim as if there were still a targeting reticule, and fire. An effective way to accomplish this is to equip another weapon with a reticule, aim it, and then place a small piece of tape on the screen over the reticule, to use as a reference when trying to aim the dynamite. It will home in on whatever it's tagged, including birds.
Players cannot use Dead Eye with dynamite in multiplayer.
Dynamite is the most powerful of the four thrown weapons (Fire Bottles, Throwing Knives, Dynamite, and Tomahawks).
A random encounter in single-player consists of a campsite full of Dynamite and a chest. The player can get free Dynamite from these campsites and then open the chest. Once the chest is opened, one of the men will light a cigar, thus lighting a fuse of dynamite. At this point, the player should run away, wait for the explosion, and loot the bodies.
The only animal that cannot be killed with a single stick of dynamite is an uninjured bear, with or without Dead Eye Targeting.
The character Pig Josh in Red Dead Revolver uses dynamite exclusively. In Red Dead Redemption multiplayer, this same character is the subject of an achievement/trophy involving dynamite, as noted below.
In multiplayer, if a player is holding dynamite in their hand and someone shoots it, it will explode.
The player can disarm a enemy in multiplayer by throwing a stick at a enemy's hand.

Notes

Using dynamite against a train driver while on board will result in the screen "whiting out", Marston recovering on either the ground beside the train or in the train cab, and the driver being killed, the driver's body can be seen on the radar, but cannot be seen. This is either a glitch or a deliberate occurrence.
In multiplayer, if the player dies before their stick of dynamite explodes, and it kills someone, it will count as that person committing suicide.
If throwing Dynamite around a corner whilst in cover, whether blind or aimed, the stick tends to fall directly down or to bounce off the cover and land very close to the player. This appears to be a glitch in the aiming system and will likely kill the player, therefore it is advised to exit cover after lighting the fuse, aim, and then quickly duck back in after the stick is thrown. The player should beware, however, as they will likely take massive amounts of fire whilst aiming.
There is a bug in the game that if the player uses dynamite, the weapon will disappear and the animation for holding the lasso will appear.
The Dynamite is not considered used if it detonates in Marston's hand.

Note: If the player is using the Invincibility cheat, this can be an effective and comical way to kill characters; it functions as a sort of "suicide-bomb" strategy, despite the player not being able to die.