Fleeting Joy
Dutch van der Linde
Arthur is reunited with the gang at Lakay. Milton arrives with his Pinkertons, and attacks the camp.
- Mission giver
- Dutch van der Linde
- Playable
- Not stated
- Location
- Lakay, Bayou Nwa, Lemoyne
- Target
- Not stated
- Unlocked by
- Not stated
- Unlocks
- Not stated
Player notes
Arthur Morgan reaches the gang's refuge at Lakay and is welcomed back after the disaster in Saint Denis. Sadie Adler tells him that John Marston was captured after the bank robbery and sent to Sisika Penitentiary, where he is being held in a chain gang. The others provide Arthur with food and drink as he returns to the people who escaped.
Later, Micah Bell and Javier Escuella arrive, followed by Dutch van der Linde. Leopold Strauss credits Sadie with helping the gang survive while Arthur and Dutch were gone. Abigail Roberts says that Hosea Matthews and Lenny Summers were recovered from the morgue and buried. Bill Williamson then arrives, angry that he had to ask around for the gang's location.
The reunion ends when Agent Milton and the Pinkertons surround Lakay and order the gang to surrender. Milton opens fire with a machine gun. Arthur follows Sadie through a trapdoor beneath another building, emerging behind the attackers as the Pinkertons set the settlement ablaze. They fight their way through the village with Bill's support until Arthur takes control of the enemy machine gun and drives the Pinkertons away.
Dutch thanks Arthur after the attack and notices his worsening cough, but Arthur dismisses it. Pressed about John, Dutch says that a rescue will have to wait despite Abigail's fear that John will be hanged. Abigail asks Arthur and Sadie to act instead. They agree to free John, and Sadie says she will prepare a plan before Arthur meets her in Saint Denis. Arthur remains with the gang at Lakay.
Trivia
- โAlthough this mission takes place at a hideout, Mary-Beth Gaskill, Karen Jones and Jack Marston are absent. They are unlikely to be on the floor above, due to it being such a small space, unless they are all huddled in the corner that cannot be seen. It's impossible to tell since the ladders are not usable. As they aren't seen in a cutscene either, is possible that Mary-Beth, Karen and Jack were out of camp during the mission shopping or scouting.
- โMolly O'Shea and Josiah Trelawny are also absent, though this is presumably intentional due to Molly having been drinking in Saint Denis and Trelawny usually traveling away from the gang.
- โAt the end of the mission, Micah can be seen subtly killing an injured Pinkerton agent with a knife. Given how Micah is later revealed as the Pinkertons' informant who almost certainly gave the Pinkertons the location of the hideout, it is likely that he did so in order to stop the Pinkerton from revealing anything.
- โIf the player alerts the Pinkertons before going through the trapdoor of the other house with Sadie, Dutch will shout for Bill and Micah to "get out there and help them", and their markers on the mini map can be seen going out to fight. Despite this, the mission fails immediately afterwards.
- โDead Eye Targeting's fatal region highlights unlock when Arthur initiates combat.
- โArthur's eyes become swollen following this mission, a sign of his tuberculosis. They remain like this for the rest of his playthrough.
- โIn the gameplay trailer, Arthur has a more healthy appearance rather than a sick and underweight appearance. This was presumably done to avoid any spoilers.
Mission data from Red Dead Wiki, CC BY-SA. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games.
Last verified September 14, 2026