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You can stare down bears to prevent them attacking in Red Dead Redemption 2

One of the brilliant things about Rockstar’s games is that crazy attention to detail, likely only possible for a studio that puts out one full game per generation.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is stuffed full of little touches you might not immediately notice, like how a horse’s balls shrink in the cold and swing about on a sunny day, or how Arthur Morgan’s beard grows in real-time, even developing its own physics as it grows longer.

Then there are the animals, each of which is modelled after the behaviour of their real world counterparts. Check out this video of Red Dead Redemption 2’s animals compared to the real things for an in-depth look at that.

Another little thing I never noticed when playing, mostly because bears are f**king terrifying in this game, is that you can actually stare down a bear to stop it from attacking you. All you need to do is stand your ground when it approaches and wait for it to wander off.

According to players, this occasionally doesn’t work - I suppose it depends on the bear - but it’s a valid tactic more often than not. May I stand unshaken?

Here’s a video showing the interaction:

Watch on YouTube

Players on Reddit have been doing the same:

Been trying for so long to successfully pull this off and I finally did it today, never felt like such a badass in all my years of gaming. from r/RedDeadOnline

It’s testament to the developers at Rockstar that people are still figuring things out so long after launch. It was only the other day we found out about “vomit roping”, an unintended mechanic that allows Red Dead Redemption 2 players to fall from great heights without taking damage.

Want more help with animals? Here's how to get perfect pelts in Red Dead Redemption 2.

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In this article

Red Dead Online

Video Game

Red Dead Redemption

PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch

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Red Dead Redemption 2

PS4, Xbox One, PC

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About the Author
Kirk McKeand avatar

Kirk McKeand

Former Deputy Editor

Kirk is an award-winning writer from the UK's Lincoln, and has written for the likes of IGN, Vice, Eurogamer, Edge, Playboy, and several other magazines, newspapers, and websites. For several years, Kirk also acted as the editor of VG247.
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