What happens if I don’t complete the optional honor missions?

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the optional honor missions play a significant role in shaping Arthur Morgan''s moral compass and ultimately influence the game''s ending. These missions are tied to the honor system, which tracks your actions as either honorable or dishonorable. If you choose not to complete the optional honor missions, you will miss out on key character development moments and may lock yourself into a lower honor path, which affects the story''s conclusion.\n\nHonor missions are marked with white icons on the map and often involve helping strangers or making moral decisions. For example, in Chapter 2, you can encounter a mission in Valentine where you help a debtor escape from a loan shark. Completing this mission increases your honor, while ignoring it leaves your honor unchanged. Skipping these missions means you miss opportunities to build Arthur''s reputation as a good or bad person, which directly impacts the ending.\n\nThe game has four possible endings, divided into two main categories: high honor and low honor. Each category has two variations based on a final decision Arthur makes in the epilogue. If you skip the optional honor missions, it becomes harder to achieve high honor, as these missions provide significant honor boosts. Without completing them, you may find yourself stuck with low honor, leading to a darker, more tragic ending for Arthur.\n\nTo avoid this, prioritize completing honor missions whenever they appear. For instance, in Chapter 6, you can help Sister Calderón in Saint Denis by assisting her with charitable work. This mission not only increases your honor but also provides deeper insight into Arthur''s character. If you skip it, you miss a chance to reflect on Arthur''s redemption arc, which is central to the story.\n\nGame mechanics also play a role in how honor is gained or lost. Actions like helping strangers, donating to camp, or sparing enemies increase honor, while robbing, killing innocents, or neglecting camp duties decrease it. If you skip honor missions, you’ll need to rely on these smaller actions to build honor, which can be time-consuming and less impactful.\n\nFor players aiming for the high honor endings, here’s a practical tip: always check your map for white mission icons and prioritize them over other activities. Additionally, engage in honorable actions like greeting townsfolk, fishing, and hunting to supplement your honor gains. If you’re struggling to raise your honor, revisit areas like Saint Denis or Valentine, where many honor missions are located.\n\nIn summary, skipping optional honor missions limits your ability to shape Arthur’s story and can lock you into a low honor ending. To experience the full narrative depth and achieve the best possible ending, complete these missions and make choices that reflect the kind of Arthur you want to portray.