How to Use Dead Eye in Red Dead Redemption 2

The term “dead-eye” refers to someone who is a skilled marksman, presumably because they possess exceptional eyesight. As such, it should come as no surprise to learn that Dead Eye is a core mechanic of the Red Dead series that lets players slow down time so that they can target more enemies with more precision than otherwise possible. Once released, the result is a number of bullets that will speed outwards to strike the targets in short succession. As such, the Dead Eye mechanic is very useful for a wide range of missions under a wide range of circumstances, thus making it something that interested individuals should master sooner rather than later.

How Can You Use Dead Eye?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the use of Dead Eye is simple and straightforward. In short, players need to be aiming. After which, they can press in the right stick to enter Dead Eye mode and then press in the right stick a second time to exit Dead Eye mode.

Having said that, there are some things that interested individuals should keep in mind when using Dead Eye. For starters, the use of Dead Eye is governed by a Dead Eye core as well as a Dead Eye ring, which is very similar to health and stamina. So long as the Dead Eye core remains full, interested individuals can kill enemies to recharge their Dead Eye ring, which in turn, will enable them to kill even more enemies in an even more efficient manner than otherwise possible. Unfortunately, there are a couple of things that can cause the Dead Eye core to drain out. One would be the continuing use of Dead Eye. Meanwhile, the other would be the simple passage of time. As such, interested individuals will need to keep their Dead Eye core topped out if they want to be able to continue using Dead Eye mode.

Fortunately, players have plenty of options by which to keep their Dead Eye core topped up. For instance, sleep is one of the most effective methods. However, other options include alcohol, chewing tobacco, and even eating the right kinds of food. Generally speaking, if players want to keep their Dead Eye core topped up, they should keep themselves stocked in chewing tobacco as well as the various kinds of miracle tonic. They will pick up some of these items by just gun-fighting their way through the game, but chances are good that they are also going to have to spend some time shopping as well as engaging in other ways to get their hands on these items.

Besides this, it is worth mentioning that Dead Eye can be separated into five levels. However, there is no special trick for progressing through these five levels. Instead, interested individuals will have to play through the game to unlock each of the five levels on certain missions. First, they can unlock the first level of Dead Eye by just playing through Chapter 1 “Old Friends.” This level will let interested individuals slow down time before dragging the red x over their enemies, thus auto-targeting them. Second, they can unlock the second level of Dead Eye in Chapter 2 “Pouring Forth Oil IV.” This level comes with a very neat upgrade, which is that interested individuals can now do the targeting on their own rather than be forced into auto-targeting. Third, they can unlock the third level of Dead Eye in Chapter 4 “Urban Pleasures.” This level lets the player remain in Dead Eye mode upon firing even without having marked their target beforehand. Moving on, the fourth level will be unlocked with Chapter 5 “Fleeting Joy” while the fifth level will be unlocked with Chapter 6 “Goodbye, Dear Friend.” As for why interested individuals would want them, the fourth level lets them see the head as well as the heart while the fifth level lets them see the lung as well as the stomach. Suffice to say that each one of these locations is a vital organ, thus making them points of interest for those seeking to make good progress through their enemies.

Besides the aforementioned information, there are some other things that interested individuals might like to know:

You Can Still Take Damage in Dead Eye Mode

One of the changes from Red Dead Redemption is that the player can still take damage even when they are in Dead Shot mode. As a result, if interested individuals are counting on Dead Eye mode to keep themselves safe in a shootout because of a leftover assumption from Red Dead Redemption, they might want to train themselves out of that habit. On the whole, this isn’t a particularly serious issue, but it is nonetheless something that interested individuals should keep in mind.

You Can Still Miss in Dead Eye Mode

Speaking of which, it is important to note that Dead Eye mode doesn’t actually guarantee hits on the intended targets. Yes, the bullets will go where the player has determined that they should go. However, there are still a couple of ways for the targets to escape their imminent doom. One, weapons have limited ranged, meaning that Dead Eye mode can’t help it if a bullet falls short of its intended target. Two, while this isn’t very common, it is still possible for the targets to save themselves by moving into cover from the bullets aimed at them.

You Can Increase the Number of Dead Eye Rings

It is possible for interested individuals to spend more time in Dead Eye mode by increasing the number of Dead Eye rings. There are a number of ways for interested individuals to increase the number of Dead Eye rings by earning Dead Eye experience. For example, they can earn Dead Eye experience by landing headshots on their enemies, which is something that makes a fair amount of sense. Likewise, they can earn Dead Eye experience by completing the various challenges that are related to their weapons as well as their shooting. On top of this, interested individuals can earn a lot of Dead Eye experience by just playing through the game as normal, though chances are good that this won’t produce results as good as focused effort.