Best Saddles in RDR2 Online: Best And Worst Saddles Ranked

Red Dead Redemption 2 Online takes things to the next level by providing excessive choices when it comes to selecting Gear for your horse. Therefore, it becomes crucial for players to pair the best rd2 Saddles and Stirrups with their horse to achieve the optimum results. Worry not, as this article not only involves the brief guide of the Saddles in RDR2 Online but also the detailed comparison that solves the case of two saddles with ambiguous stats.

Best Saddles in RDR2 Online

Listing all the best saddles in the form of ranks is not a child’s play. This is due to the dazzling details of characteristics provided by each saddle. Nonetheless, the following section contains the list of RDR2 saddles ranked according to their pros and cons in different aspects such as attribute statistics, price, appearance, etc.

Special Saddles

Special saddles are complete saddles that can be purchased from Trapper’s shop only. They are the most Unique saddles and are mostly preferred by RDR2 Online players due to their Aesthetics. For instance, the Panther Trail saddle comes with a skin of Mountain Panther.

Rattlesnake Vaquero saddle is made up of the skin of American Rattlesnake. You can see a distinct pattern of scales on the saddle as shown in the screenshot below.

Similarly, the Bear Dakota saddle is the only saddle with an eye-catching Fur on its top hanging sideways as represented in the following picture.

The only good thing about Special saddles is their aesthetics and unique appearance. Apart from that, they are ordinary saddles that don’t offer the best stats. Most of the Role saddles provide better stats. Another reason why we have listed Special saddles in the last is that you have to spend Gold to purchase them. This isn’t recommended in most cases. Additionally, they can’t be upgraded.

Foxmore Saddle

Foxmore saddle is a comparably newer saddle for players who have adopted the Naturalist role introduced in the new update. It offers nominal statistics and a better stamina regeneration rate as compared to the Ivers saddle.

It is the most expensive at a price of 570$ after the Upland saddle and doesn’t provide value for money if you haven’t adopted the role of Naturalist when it comes to statistics as Ivers saddle offers less core drain levels at a cheaper price.

Statistics

Ivers Saddle

Ivers saddle is a decent saddle that grants favorable stats for your horse builds. It is the best Moonshiner saddle and is the best choice for players with this role because Nacogdoches saddle unlocks at a higher level and is relatively expensive.

It is comparatively expensive, comes at a hefty cost of 550$ which is cheaper as compared to the Foxmore saddle but offers the second least stamina regeneration out of all the role saddles so you have to invest extra bucks in Hooded stirrups.

Statistics

Fletcher Saddle

It is the second-best choice after the Nacogdoches for players who have selected the Trader role. It offers an increased reduction in core drains as compared to the Delgado saddle at the same price.

Stamina regeneration is the main drawback of this horse as the Delgado saddle offers better stamina regeneration at the same cost. Delgado saddle takes the lead when it comes to overall appearance as well.

Statistics

Delgado Saddle

It is the best-looking Role saddles in the game especially if you have a horse with a slightly dark skin color like Steel Gray, Black, and Red Chestnut, etc. Your horse will have one of the best stamina regeneration rates for 525$. Delgado saddle can be the third best choice for Bounty Hunters if paired with Hooded stirrups.

Core drains is the area where the main flaw of this saddle lies as it offers only a 22% reduction in core drain rates only. This is the least as compared to all role saddles.

Statistics

McKinney saddle

It is one of the good-looking Role saddles due to its ancient Egyptian appearance. This saddle is considered as the second priority of players that choose the Collector role. McKinney saddle grants the best numbers when it comes to core drains thereby decreasing their rates by 34%. It also comes at an attractive price of 525$ only.

When it comes to stamina regeneration, the McKinney saddle offers the least value of 20% out of all the Role saddles. However, this issue can be tackled which is explained in the latter section of this guide.

Statistics

Upland Saddle

Now many RDR2 Online players have extremely different opinions regarding the Best Saddle in RDR2 online. The main reason is the pretentious stats offered by Upland Saddle as explained later. It gives the best base-level reduction in Stamina drain rate. It is the 2nd best option for Bounty Hunters. You can buy it from the stables for 625$.

The main imperfection lies in the misleading stats associated with this saddle. These statistics are explained in detail in the later section of this article.

Statistics

Nacogdoches saddle

This saddle is still hands-down the Best Saddle in RDR2 online, transforming your horse into an untiring machine with insanely enhanced stamina attributes. Apparently, it offers worse stats as compared to the Upland saddle but it can be upgraded using Hooded stirrups that enhance the overall attributes of your horse tremendously.

It unlocks at a higher level and is the most expensive saddle when Hooded stirrups are added. However, if you are running short of money,  don’t worry as our RDR2 Quick Money guide will make things easier for you.

Statistics

Detailed Comparison of Nacogdoches and Upland saddle

Now with the recent addition of the Upland saddle, you will notice vastly mixed opinions about the Saddle in RDR2 Online. You will also see several clickbait videos and articles on the internet that declare the Upland saddle as the Best Saddle in RDR2 Online primarily due to the evasive details related to its statistics.
However, this section tackles all the issues and conflicts related to the perplexing stats offered by Nacogdoches and Upland saddle. Like I proclaimed earlier Nachogdoches saddle is still the number one choice due to the following reasons:

Mandatory Requirements

Unlike Nacogdoches saddle, the Upland saddle is not for everyone. Players who have selected the role of Bounty Hunter and have a Bounty Hunter Expansion license can purchase this saddle. Likewise, the Nacogdoches saddle can be unlocked at level 35 but is available for all the players.

Stamina Regeneration

30% Stamina regeneration offered by Upland saddle as compared to 20% Stamina regeneration provided by Nacogdoches saddle seems like a pretty solid lead. I hate to disappoint you but it isn’t as it’s the regeneration rate when you are riding without acceleration. Additionally, the time difference to regenerate stamina is hardly 6%. Similarly, you can successfully regenerate your stamina by patting your horse instead of focussing on other useless details.

Core Drain Rates

The Upland saddle has better stats in Core Drain rates. For instance, the Upland saddle offers a Stamina core drain rate of -30% compared to -20% offered by the Nacogdoches saddle. Similarly, the Upland saddle reduces the Health core drain rate by 24%. Nacogdoches saddle, however, provides an 18% reduction only. However, this marked difference is exaggerated as you can regenerate the Core Health and Stamina simply by feeding your horse.

Stamina Drain Rates

Stamina Drain rate is the standard through which you can judge which saddle is better than the other. It also makes the above-mentioned attribute useless as the horse with decreased stamina drain rates will never run out of stamina in the first place. The Upland saddle decreases the stamina drain rate by 65% as compared to the Nacogdoches saddle which offers a 35% reduction only. However, unlike the Upland saddle, the Nacogdoches saddle can be upgraded by adding Hooded stirrups that will add a -50% stamina drain rate to the already offered -35% drain rate thereby providing a total of -85% stamina drain rate.

Testing the Difference in Stamina Drain Rates

This 20% difference in reduction of stamina drain rates is the core characteristic that makes the Nacogdoches saddle superior to the Upland saddle. We tested this attribute for both saddles in detail by riding from Saint Denis to Armadillo on the same horse with the same bonding level. The horse with Upland saddle can ride for 6 minutes and 17 seconds constantly but cannot reach Armadillo at this time which is good. Nonetheless, the same horse with Nacogdoches saddle paired with Hooded stirrups can not only run constantly from Saint Denis to Armadillo but also has 23% stamina left which makes this saddle ridiculously broken.

Unlockable Stamina and Health Bars

The Nacogdoches saddle is the only saddle that can unlock three additional bars in the Stamina and Health attribute. All other saddles including the Upland saddle can provide two additional unlockable bars only.

Available Upgrades

Nacogdoches saddle can be modified. For instance, you can change the color of the saddle. You can upgrade saddlebags that will allow you to carry seven outfits. You can modify stirrups, bedrolls, and saddle horns as well. This is, however, not true for the Upland saddle as it can’t be upgraded. Likewise, it provides space for five outfits only.

These points are more than enough to clear all the misconceptions related to these two saddles. It also throws light on the baffling statistics offered by these two saddles.

Similar RDR2 guide: All RDR2 Gang Hideout Locations

Saddles and Stirrups are of prime importance when it comes to determining the speed, acceleration, core drains, stamina regeneration, and drain. That’s why they are preferred over Horse Breeds. The best-looking Role saddles are the Delgado, McKinney, and Fletcher saddle yet the unique aesthetics are offered by Special saddles such as Rattle Snake Vaquero saddle, Bear Dakota saddle, and Panther Trail saddle. Nacogdoches saddle retains its rank but the Upland saddle can be a good alternative as well.

Importance of Horse Breed and Horse Gear In RD2

Before diving into the explanation of various choices affiliated with the RD2 Saddles, you must know the effect of particular Breed and Gear of horse on various attributes of the horse. These attributes or characteristics will in turn affect the particular role adopted by you thereby determining your survival in the world of RDR2 Online.

As for now, there are five different roles in RDR2 Online which include: Bounty Hunter, Moonshiner, Trader, Naturalist, and Collector. You will have varying lifestyles depending upon the role that you have adopted. So you have to select Horse Breed and Gear accordingly. The following section emphasizes the relevant influence of Horse Breed and Gear on different traits of horses.

Horse Breed

The importance of Horse Breed lies in the fact that the best breed can be paired with Best Saddle in RDR2 Online to achieve the unanticipated outcomes. The attributes like Handling, Speed, Acceleration, Health, and Stamina Cores depend on the particular horse breed. Horse Breeds are further available in categories depending upon the specified job they perform like: Riding, Work, Race, Draft, War, Superior, and Multi that can be bought from stables marked by a U-shaped icon on the map.

Generally speaking, Multi can be the safest bet for a good horse if you are new to the game and don’t want to entangle in perplexing details.

Horse Gear

Horse Gear, on the other hand, involves Saddles, Saddlebags, Saddle Horns, Blankets, Bedrolls, and Stirrups. However, Saddles and Stirrups are the prime factors that can remarkably change certain attributes of your horse. In most cases, choosing the correct combination of Saddles and Stirrups is more important than the selection of the best horse. Thereupon, you can choose any good-looking horse with decent stats because in the end Saddles and Stirrups will enhance the overall statistics.

Saddles are of two types: Stable saddles and Special Saddles. We will be discussing Stable saddles in detail  as they can change certain attributes notably. All Stable saddles decrease the Core Health and Core Stamina drain rates as well as increase the Stamina Regeneration rates except for the Upland Saddle and the Nacogdoches Saddle. 

The Upland saddle and Nacogdoches saddles additionally decrease the Stamina drain rates as well.

Stirrups, on the other hand, are of several types that once again affect three prime characteristics extraordinarily. They can add additional bars to the Acceleration and Stamina attribute as well as decrease the Stamina Drain Rate. Hooded Stirrups are the best stirrups that can add two bars to your Stamina, Acceleration attributes, and reduce the overall Stamina Drain Rate by 50%.

There is again an exception with Nacogdoches saddle where Hooded stirrups will add three bars to Acceleration and Speed attributes.

Another guide that can change your gameplay experience dramatically-Best RDR2 settings for High Fps and Performance.