Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
Buried around Red Dead Redemption 2 are 30 dinosaur bones and fossils for players to find and collect as part of the Stranger mission, A Test of Faith. Locating all 30 dinosaur bones is no easy feat, as they can be quite difficult to spot, but the reward is worth the time spent wandering around.
To start the A Test of Faith mission, players will need to find Miss Deborah MacGuiness, a palaeontologist who is located on a hill northeast of Flatneck Station. This hill is in New Hanover, below the “H” in The Heartlands. Approach Miss MacGuiness and speak with her about what she’s doing. At the end of the conversation, players will be directed to find the 30 dinosaur bones and mail the coordinates to Mss MacGuiness.
Once a dinosaur bone is found, players can head to the nearest post office and choose the “send mail” option. Players can either send along the coordinates one at a time or save them all up and do it in one sweep. However, it’s a good idea to send the first dinosaur bone coordinate off, as the reward is a Quartz Chunk, an item needed to create one of the powerful talismans in Red Dead Redemption 2.
There are several dinosaur bones and fossils in each of the major areas of Red Dead Redemption 2 and that includes down in Blackwater and beyond. Because Blackwater is a hostile location early in the game, it’s unlikely that players will be able to collect all of the dinosaur bones before finishing the campaign.
It can be a good idea to collect whatever dinosaur bones are available and send off the coordinates to Deborah MacGuiness for the two rewards at 1 and 15 dinosaur bones collected.
Original map credit:Powerpyx
This dinosaur bone is found in New Hanover, below the “R” in The Heartlands. Look for an old oil derrick, climb its ladder into the ground to find the dinosaur bone.
This dinosaur bone can be found in The Heartlands of New Hanover, a short way from the old oil derrick below the “A” and “R”. Follow the dry river bed toward the cliff, and before reaching the top, look for the big rock in the ground, the bones are beside the rock.
This dinosaur bone can be found along the southern train track in New Hanover, between the Flatneck Station and the border to Lemoyne. The dinosaur bone will be out in the open on the grass, just up the hill from the small elevated section of the track. Look for the ribcage sticking out of the ground.
A dinosaur bone can be found in Lemoyne, directly below the “L”. Follow Dewberry Creek south into Scarlett Meadows and look for the little bay area that juts off to the side of the main creek bed.
Another dinosaur bone can be found west of Dewberry Creek in Lemoyne, before the train track. Look toward the riverbank to spot the ribcage sticking out of the mud.
This dinosaur bone is right above the “O” in New Hanover, outside a small cabin near the road. Look near the gravel beside the house to spot the dinosaur bone.
The dinosaur bone found by the Kamassa River south of Annesburg in New Hanover can only be reached by approaching the river from the west. The bone is found on an outcropping of the cliff and requires players work their way down the cliff face to collect it.
This dinosaur bone is a bit tricky to spot, as there are no discernable landmarks nearby. To find it, head north west of Van horn Trading Post in New Hanover and slightly south west of the nearby stables. Cross the train tracks and head into the forest. There is a slight clearing where the dinosaur bone can be found on the ground.
Another dinosaur bone can be found north of Annesburg in New Hanover on one of the roads along the Roanoke Ridge. Head toward the “A” in Roanokae and look for the waterfall. With the waterfall visible in the distance, go off the track and follow the cliff along. There is a half-buried dinosaur hip bone overlooking the path.
This dinosaur bone is found on the border between the Grizzlies East in Ambarino and Annesburg in New Hanover. South the railway track, and on the border, is a rocky region with several plateaus. The first flat rock across the road from the train tracks is where this dinosaur jaw bone is found.
This dinosaur bone is located between the “A” and “S” in Grizzlies East in Ambarino. To find this dinosaur bone, start at O’Creagh’s Run in Ambarino and head west and approach the area from the north. Coming from the south is next to impossible, as the loose shale will make it too difficult to climb the mountain. Find a path to the top of the rocks to find the dinosaur bone on the ridge.
Another dinosaur bone can be found in the north of Ambarino, along the northern most track toward the Annesburg border above the “O” in Ambarino. South of the Fairwale Shanty is a road, and south of that is a grassy hill. Climb the hill and look by the bushes at the top to find the dinosaur bone.
These dinosaur bones can be found near the “I” in Ambarino. Head up the hill toward the red rocks and look for the grey boulders that don’t match the red of the mountain. The foot or hand bones of a dinosaur are embedded in the red rock.
This dinosaur bone is in a precarious spot along the cliffs east of Window Rock in Ambarino. Players should approach the cliff from the train track as using the path down to the river results in being far below the bone. Walk to the cliff and use the small path to down to the ledge to find the dinosaur bone.
To find this dinosaur bone, players need to head north east of Fort Wallace toward Bacchus Station. There is a rocky plateau that can be climbed before reaching the train track. On the plateau is a pointed rock, below which is the dinosaur bone.
To find this dinosaur bone, head to the Cumberland Forest in New Hanover and then head south from the “C” in Cumberland. Go through the treeline and approach the cliff to spot the dinosaur bone right on the edge.
Another dinosaur bone can be found north of Valentine, directly north of the “L”. Approach the Dakota River from the south and before reaching the cliff’s edge, look on the ground for a green, half-submerged dinosaur bone.
A dinosaur bone can be found along the Dakota River north of Valentine. Cross to the northern side of the river and search the cliff face below the Dakota River marking. The dinosaur hand bones are embedded into the cliff face.
This dinosaur bone can be found buried in the cliff face down by the bend in the Daokta River below Downes Ranch in New Hanover. From the bend in the road, look for the path leading between to rocks that leads to the cliff face. Approach the cliff to see the dinosaur arm bone.
Another dinosaur bone can be found in a cave north of Wallace Station and south of the Grizzlies West in West Elizabeth. Look for the cave off the road and along track, the dinosaur bone is at the back of the cave.
Another dinosaur bone can be found in West Elizabeth, in the Big Valley area. The dinosaur spine bone can be found between the “W” and “E” in West Elizabeth, right in the middle of the track that leads out to the main road.
This dinosaur bone can be found along the Mount Shann path in West Elizabeth. Follow the track from the “S” in West down south to the S-bend in the path. Stop by the outcropping to spot the dinosaur bone buried in the rocks.
The following dinosaur bones are only available once Blackwater and beyond is accessible. Though these images do not contain any overt spoilers, I figured I'd put this here just in case.
This dinosuar bone can be found in New Austin down near Hennigan's Stead. Head through the winding canyon and located the raised section below the Ns. The dinosaur ribcage can be seen sticking out of the ground on the raised path on the western side of the canyon.
Another dinosaur bone can be found by the San Luis River in New Austin. Head to the river's edge across from the small island and walk up the inlet, the dinosaur ribcage is on the western side nearby a cactus.
This dinosaur bone can be found at the Rio Del Lobo Rock in New Austin. Approach Rio Del Lobo Rock from the north and follow the thin track to an outcropping looking over the water. A dinosaur tail fin bone can be spotted on the ground.
Another dinosaur bone can be found south of Fort Mercer at Rio Bravo, New Austin. Climb the rocky plateau south of Fort Mercer to find the antler bones beside the top layer of the plateau.
To find this dinosaur bone, head north of Mercer Station in New Austin, but stop before reaching Jorge's Gap. The dinosaur bone is located at the top of the hill, near a cactus. This dinosaur bone can be difficult to spot so look out for giant trilobite, flattened ribcage-looking bones.
Another dinosaur bone can be found north of Cholla Spring, right along the northern edge of New Austin. Head slightly west of Rattlesnake Hollow to find a couple of small caves, the dinosaur bone is left of the caves and embedded in a small rock wall.
This dinosaur bone can be found on the plateau at Gaptooth Ridge in New Austin. Head to the large rocky plateau near the word "RIDGE" and climb to the top of the eastern side of the canyon. The dinosaur bone can be found relatively close to the edge of the canyon, out in the open with some large rocks nearby.
The last dinosaur bone can be found on the rocky plateau to the south of Tumbleweed in New Austin. Climb the plateau and just below the "L" and look out over the desert plains to spot a prong-like dinosaur bone buried at the edge of the cliff.
After collecting all 30 dinosaur bones, send their locations off to Deborah MacGuiness and wait a couple of days to receive your rewards. It's up to you whether you want to mail the dinosaur bone fossil coordinates one at a time, send them off in groups, or wait to the last one is found. With all the dinosaur bones and fossils found, you'll be one step closer to fully clearing Red Dead 2! Be sure to swing by the Shacknews Red Dead Redemption 2 walkthrough and guide for more collectible guides!