Red Dead Redemption 2 is a dauntingly gigantic adventure, so it’s natural if you feel a tad overwhelmed with it all. So whether you’re still struggling to come to grips with the game’s many systems or a newcomer to the series, here’s a few tips that should make your journey a little easer.

Be careful where you point that weapon

Having your weapon out and ready makes a lot of sense when in the thick of combat, but when exploring the game’s many towns – not so much. Accidentally point a gun at the wrong person and they can respond with violence or call for the lawmen, so keep firearms holstered to stay on the safe side.

Carry a horse revival

Gotten your accidental steed killed in the line of duty? We’ve all been there, but if you don’t want to start from scratch or have gotten a little to invested, keeping a horse revival in your back pocket should prevent any unnecessary tears.

Dead eye is your friend in hunting

Trying to take down some of Red Dead’s smaller or speedier critters can be maddening, so why not make the most of your Dead Eye for the task? Just be mindful about how many shots you’re taking – especially if you’re planning on selling the animal later on.

Watch Red Dead Redemption 2‘s launch trailer

Praise be to manual saves

Like most modern games, your progress will be saved via the game’s auto-save functionality, but that doesn’t mean you have to solely rely on it. Saving regularly or semi-regularly is also a good idea in case a trip into town goes sideways, or you accidentally kill your favourite horse. It’s always good to have options.

Clean your guns

There’s a lot of general maintenance in Rockstar’s world – ranging from eating food to keep your cores in check, to ensuring your beard doesn’t become too unruly, but the most essential is keeping your gun in good shape. Ignore the upkeep and you’ll notice a dip in their functionality and reliability.

Enable ‘toggle to run’

If you’re anything like us, continuously tapping the run button is painfully annoying. Head into the control settings, however, and you’ll find ‘toggle to run’ – requiring you to only press a single button to send Arthur into a sprint. You can thank us later.

Remember, it’s not a race

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a very, very large game. Most people that buy it won’t even come close to seeing the credits roll, so to avoid burning out, just take things at your own pace and tackle each challenge in the order you like. The fact that most missions can be completed once you wrap the main narrative should also help.

And when all else fails, there’s cheats:

The following can be entered from the start menu (just head into settings and you’ll see the button prompt at the bottom of the screen), but it’s worth pointing out that you once you activate a cheat, you will no longer be able to save your progress or earn trophies/achievements.