Red Dead Redemption 2continues Rockstar’s exploration of the Old West, as the Van der Linde gang survives the harsh frontier with their outlaw ways. One of the main ways thatRed Dead Redemption 2drives home the danger of this period in American history is through the rival O’Driscoll Boys.
The O’Driscolls are led by their namesake, Colm O’Driscoll, and they serve as the antithesis of everything the Van der Linde gang stands for. Where the Van der Linde gang is a small, tight-knit group of well-seasoned outlaws, the O’Driscolls have low standards and a general lack of moral compass. This makes them a strong adversary againstDutch Van der Linde and his men. The Van der Linde gang may be outlaws, but they boast a lot of character and loyalty. However, there is one gang that is arguably far worse than the O’Driscolls: the Lemoyne Raiders.
A Group With Practically No Redeeming Quality
The combination of Confederate veterans and purposeless men who have been swallowed up by anger makesthe Lemoyne Raidersa truly horrifying group of people to encounter inRed Dead Redemption 2. This militia quickly gained a reputation for being racist, violent, and strongly against the government, as the group was fueled by a desire to take vengeance against the Northern states.
Even more terrifying, Lemoyne Raiders will ambush players, making predicting them incredibly difficult. Going head-to-head with any gang in the Wild West is a challenging task, but going up against violence-hungry militia members with a lack of any morality is definitely stiffcompetition against the O’Driscolls. The O’Driscolls may stand against what the Van der Linde gang stands for, but the Lemoyne Raiders essentially stand against human decency in general.
Red Dead Redemption 2can be unforgiving, and the Lemoyne Raiders are a strong example of just how violent and debaucherous the landscape of this time is.The legacy of the Van der Linde gangmakes them feel like folk heroes by the end of the story, but the Lemoyne Raiders are straight out of a nightmare.
The Lemoyne Raiders are also extremely territorial and are known to terrorize law-abiding citizens they disagree with.
Since this period of time feels so far removed now, it’s easy to forget that the classic image ofthe American cowboycame from an incredibly harsh and unforgiving environment. If it wasn’t the gangs that killed someone, it could simply have been the weather or an attack from an animal, andRed Dead Redemption 2excels at showing the harsh reality of the era. A lot of life in the Old West seemed more luck-driven than anything, and running into the likes of a group like the Lemoyne Raiders was indeed a very unlucky day.
The Van der Linde gang may be outlaws, but they boast a lot of character and loyalty.
The future of theRed Dead Redemptionfranchiseis a big mystery at the moment. Once Rockstar launchesGTA 6, there will hopefully be word on the nextRed Dead Redemptionchapter, but only time will tell. If a third chapter is ever brought to life, there are bound to be even more gangs waiting on the horizon for which players will need to be on the lookout. Until then, there is only room for speculation, but it’s terrifying to think of groups that are more dangerous than the gangs ofRed Dead Redemption 2.
