Random encounters in Red Dead Redemption 2 are taken straight out of the GTA V playbook and seamlessly translated into the Wild West environment players love the series for. While Arthur Morgan's captivating, emotional story is certainly worth playing the game on its own, it is the random events that truly bring Rockstar's open world to life.
Out of the many rival gangs to be found in RDR2, the Lemoyne Raiders are certainly one of the most interesting and well-organized ones. Players can expect to be ambushed by them, as well as come across the Raiders doing some dastardly things to the local populace, such as abducting policemen and setting city halls on fire.
10 Saint Denis City Hall Vandals
This one is for those who like to play vigilante. It's the least dangerous encounter with the Lemoyne gang, as the thugs will be too occupied fleeing their crime scene to attack the player.
They can be found throwing fire bottles at the city hall building in Saint Denis, shouting anti-government slogans. Nearby policemen will take notice of it and start chasing the Raiders. Should players choose to go after them, too, they can kill the criminals without increasing their wanted level.
9 The Abductions
When riding around Lemoyne, players can come across the Raiders kidnapping members of the local communities, more particularly policemen and tax collectors. These random encounters are very low-risk since it's possible to ignore them altogether.
Should the player choose to save the people in peril, they're in for a brief gunfight with the Lemoyne. There are usually two gang members to take care of, and a small reward at the end of the fight (aside from the usual loot from the criminals' bodies, that is).
8 Rhodes Parlour House Fight
Inside the Rhodes Parlour House, players are bound to come across a heated argument between two Lemoyne Raiders and some of the other patrons present at the bar. The situation quickly escalates into a proper brawl, and the players can easily join in the chaos and beat up the thugs (all the while risking getting their backside kicked, too).
Another Lemoyne encounter in the Rhodes Parlour House vicinity can occur just outside of the bar, where a single Lemoyne Gang Member will be waiting for the player with a knife. While these encounters are not particularly dangerous for adept RDR2 fans, they can prove to be quite annoying, especially if they happen right after each other.
7 Wagon Deals
These random encounters can occur all across the Lemoyne state, and while they can play out differently, players can expect to gain some cash and items from the chests at the back of the wagons.
Each wagon deal scenario entails two Lemoyne Raiders trading with two businessmen. If the Lemoyne are happy with the products, they ride away, and the player can then kill them and loot the chest. If they complain about the quality of what they've bought, they'll kill the businessmen and attack the player on sight. Once the threat is dealt with, the chest is free for the taking.
6 Revenge For Shady Belle
Right after the beginning of Chapter 4, players will almost certainly run into a group of Lemoyne Raiders in Saint Denis, who will recognize them as members of the group that took over Shady Belle.
The vengeful thugs will attack immediately. The exact number of gang members to defeat may vary, but the fight can prove to be a deadly one, especially if it's prolonged and more Raiders stumble upon the scene and decide to help their comrades out.
5 The Prison Wagon
When exploring the Lemoyne area, players may come across a prison wagon that got ambushed by a few Lemoyne Raiders who are trying to help one of their own escape. Here, just like in many other random encounters, the choice of whether to engage or not is entirely up to the players.
Should they choose to ignore the thugs' warning remarks and fight them off, they can not only get some sweet loot off of the gangsters' bodies but also turn in the Lemoyne prisoner to a nearby sheriff for a sizeable reward.
4 Train Robbery
Train robberies are the bread and butter of most Wild West tales. It should come as no surprise then, that the Lemoyne Raiders would seek profits that way, as well. In RDR2, players can find a held up train somewhere along the Rhodes tracks.
Saving the train from getting robbed by the Lemoyne gang will require taking out several of the gang members, and the whole situation is made even trickier by the fact that the thugs are holding quite a few civilians at gunpoint. Making a wrong move can the deaths of innocents and a loss of Honor.
3 Hill Haven Ranch Ambush
Experienced Red Dead Redemption players know very well that fighting enemies who are on horseback can be quite a hassle. When there's more than five of them, the ordeal can get near-impossible without some seriously good reflexes.
In the random encounter that is often triggered nearby Hill Haven Ranch, a group of eight to twelve mounted gangsters ambush the players, leaving them with no option but to viciously fight for their lives.
2 Exploding Ambush
On a road just west of Rhodes, there is a wagon that the Lemoyne Raiders have rigged with explosives. When the player gets near it, it blows up, knocking Arthur off his horse. At that very moment, a group of gangsters come out of hiding and start shooting towards him.
Not only is this random encounter difficult because it puts players in a situation where they're surrounded by enemies, but it also starts out with knocking them off their horse, meaning that within the time it takes them to get back up, they can lose quite a bit of health, making the fight all the more challenging.
1 Gatling Gun Ambush
Red Dead Redemption 2 fans should be particularly careful when riding towards Catfish Jacksons, as it is where a horde of Lemoyne Raiders set up a trap involving a number of thugs and a Gatling gun.
The encounter can be dealt with fairly easily provided that players spot the Gatling quickly and kill its operator as soon as possible, which is not all that easy. Otherwise, the machine gun can kill them almost instantly. Even after dealing with that threat, killing all the thugs can prove to be quite the challenge in and of itself.