Red Dead Online best ability cards: PvE, PvP and hunting loadouts

In Red Dead Online, what separates a player who holds a siege from one who drops at the first shot isn't just their gun: it's their Ability Cards. They change your Dead Eye, your toughness, your regeneration and your damage. Here's how they work and which loadouts to build for the way you play.

How ability cards work

• Four slots. One Dead Eye card, active only during Dead Eye, and three passive cards, always active.
• Slots open with rank. The Dead Eye card is available from the start of your progression, then passive slots open at ranks 10, 20 and 40.
• Unlock, then buy. Ranking up makes new cards available, but you still have to buy them: a card costs $50.
• Three tiers per card. Each card goes from tier I to III, with a stronger effect at each level. Tiers unlock with XP and are bought with cash, or earlier with gold bars.
• Swap any time. You change your loadout from the Abilities section of the pause menu, or straight from the weapon wheel. Nothing stops you from running one set for missions and another for PvP.

Key point: online, Dead Eye doesn't slow down time like it does in Story Mode. Everything depends on the card you slot in. It's a neat bit of adaptation from Rockstar: the same power as in the story, rethought so PvP stays fair.

The cards worth knowing

Cards listed at rank 10 become usable with your first passive slot, at rank 10.

Which Dead Eye card to pick

Paint It Black is the default choice. It brings back the target marking from Story Mode: you paint targets during Dead Eye, then one shot hits them all. Each shot drains your meter a little. With a fast weapon like the Semi-Automatic Pistol or the Semi-Auto Shotgun, it's devastating.

Slow and Steady (rank 24) is the survivor's card. During Dead Eye, you soak more damage and a headshot no longer kills you outright. In exchange, you can't run. It shines in PvP and against enemies who aim well.

Focus Fire and Quite an Inspiration (rank 44) are posse cards: the first boosts the group's damage, the second heals it. Slippery Bastard (rank 50) stops players from locking on to you, but you can't lock on either and your meter melts fast: only for players comfortable with free aim.

The beginner loadout (ranks 10 to 40)

• Rank 10: Paint It Black + Come Back Stronger. You recover faster between firefights, which forgives mistakes.
• Rank 20: add Hunker Down if you mostly play missions, where you spend a lot of time in cover, or Strength in Numbers if you play with a posse.
• Ranks 28 to 36: gradually swap in Eye for an Eye, then Cold Blooded, two cards that reward efficient play.

If you're unsure what else to spend on, our what to buy at every rank guide helps you split your cash.

PvE and missions loadout

Paint It Black + Eye for an Eye + Cold Blooded + The Unblinking Eye.

It's a virtuous circle: your headshots refill Dead Eye, every kill heals you, and your meter drains more slowly. Against waves of NPCs in missions or on a bounty, you stay in the fight for a long time without touching your tonics. If you'd rather tank, swap The Unblinking Eye for Hunker Down.

Variant for big shootouts: Strange Medicine instead of Cold Blooded. You heal with every hit you land, which is very effective when targets are plentiful, but your natural regeneration is halved. That makes it a poor match for a regeneration card like Come Back Stronger.

PvP loadout

Slow and Steady + Never Without One + Cold Blooded + Peak Condition.

The goal is not to die to a single shot. Slow and Steady protects you from headshots during Dead Eye, Never Without One blocks a bullet to the head as long as you wear a hat, and Cold Blooded patches you up after each win. Peak Condition adds damage while your Stamina stays high.

Dual-wield variant: Paint It Black + Winning Streak + Never Without One + Gunslinger's Choice (more damage and accuracy while dual-wielding). Use fast-firing guns, like the Mauser Pistol, to make the most of Winning Streak. To pick your guns, check our guide to the best weapons in Red Dead Online.

Hunting, bounties and roles

• Hunting and Naturalist: The Unblinking Eye is the hunter's hidden gem, since it also slows Eagle Eye drain, handy for following a trail. Add Sharpshooter if you hunt with a scope.
• Bounties on horseback: Paint It Black + Horseman + Ride Like the Wind + Friends for Life. More damage on horseback, a share of damage taken or dealt passed on as Health and Stamina to your horse, and less damage for both of you. Ideal for intercepting a convoy.

To see which roles to make money with using these builds, check our roles farming guide.

Playing solo

Solo, nobody's coming to revive you. Go for self-sufficiency: Paint It Black + Cold Blooded + Eye for an Eye + Hunker Down. You heal by getting kills, refill Dead Eye with headshots and limit the damage from cover. Skip cards built for groups like Strength in Numbers or Take the Pain Away (rank 34, which protects you after a revive): without allies, they do nothing.

Go further

• The best weapons in Red Dead Online by rank
• What to buy at every rank in Red Dead Online
• Red Dead Online beginner guide: roles, gold and progress
• Red Dead Online roles farming guide
• Find all our Red Dead Redemption 2 guides

FAQ

What is the best Dead Eye card in Red Dead Online?

Paint It Black for most players: you mark several targets and hit them in one go. If headshots keep killing you, switch to Slow and Steady, unlocked at rank 24.

At what ranks do ability card slots unlock?

The Dead Eye card is available from the start. The three passive slots open at ranks 10, 20 and 40.

How do you upgrade an ability card?

Each card has three tiers. They unlock with XP and are then bought with cash, or earlier with gold bars. XP comes far more easily than gold.