Red Dead Redemption 2 has a tragic and complicated story woven around several characters, each with their own role. The main character, Arthur Morgan, is a member of the Van der Linde gang and they are constantly on the run to escape the law and rival gangs.
Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place at a pivotal time in American history, as the era of outlaws draws to a close. Yet gangs like Van der Linde wreak havoc across the country and evade law enforcement by any means necessary. Ultimately, criminal organizations come into conflict with their rivals, and the Van der Linde gang was no different. They often argued with others Red Dead Redemption 2 gangs like the Del Lobo guys, the Murfree Brood, and Lemoyne Raiders. The Van der Linde gang’s bitterest rivals, however, are the O’Driscolls.
Origins of The Van der Linde Gang and O’Driscolls Feud
The O’Driscolls are arguably the fiercest enemies of the Van der Linde gang, and the rivalry between the two groups begins before the events of the game. They are the first opponents the player encounters in Red Dead Redemption 2, shortly after, the gang finds a resting place in the Grizzlies. Little is described in Red Dead Redemption 2 about why the two criminal groups hate each other, but some hints were given about their backstory.
Dialogues from older Van der Linde gang members such as Dutch, Hosea and Arthur suggest that the two gangs have an unpleasant histories dating back years. Some dialogues even suggest that Dutch and Colm O’Driscoll, the leader of the rival gang, were once allies and teamed up to achieve their criminal goals. Somewhere along the way, the two gang leaders got into an argument and they’ve been at each other’s throats ever since.
In the words of Arthur Morgan, the two individuals go way back and have a real Blood Feud. More information about this battle between Dutch and Colm O’Driscoll will be revealed during an early mission in Red Dead Redemption 2 called ‘Old Friends’. Arthur and Dutch drive to an O’Driscoll camp in the mountains, where Arthur tells Dutch to put the conflict to rest. They talk further about their problems when it is revealed that Dutch has murdered Colm’s brother in the past, who had killed Annabelle, Dutch’s lover. Since then, the two Red Dead Redemption 2 Gangs have grabbed each other’s throats and wanted to destroy their opponent every chance they got.
Red Dead 2: Dutch vs. Colm
The O’Driscolls are first seen during the very first mission in Red Dead Redemption 2, called ‘Foreigners from the West’. The people of Van der Linde find shelter from heavy snowfall in an old abandoned mining town when Dutch, Arthur and Micah find a home in search of supplies. This house belongs to Sadie Adler and her husband, who was murdered by the O’Driscolls who have taken its place. A small firefight ensues and Van der Linde’s gang members emerge victorious.
The next mission in which O’Driscolls appear is ‘Old Friends’, where more information is revealed about the history of the two gangs. Dutch, Arthur, Bill, Lenny, Javier and Micah head to the O’Driscoll camp to follow up their plans to rob a train in Red Dead Redemption 2. After the mission, the gang members encounter Kieran Duffy, an escaping O’Driscoll Boy. The Van der Linde gang eventually threatens Kieran in the next mission to reveal Colm’s location, which he claims is the Six Point Cabin.
Unfortunately, Colm is nowhere to be found and Arthur is ambushed by an O’Driscoll, who kills Kieran and saves Arthur’s life. After this, players will move to the New Hanover region, where O’Driscolls can be seen more often, especially around Valentine. They often set traps around bridges and try to ambush Arthur every chance they get. Additionally, players will discover many O’Driscoll shelters and camps as they progress through the events of the game.
O’Driscolls will exhibit hostile behavior towards Arthur and are easily identified by their unusual clothing or long, gray coats. In addition, they have thick Irish accents and names like Seamus and Patrick. This suggests that many of them could be Irish immigrants. In addition, O’Driscolls always seem to have numerical superiority but are poorly trained with insufficient equipment.
They appear in the mission ‘Blessed Are The Meek’ where Arthur releases Micah from prison in Strawberry. On their way back to camp, they are ambushed by dozens of O’Driscoll gang members who flee when confronted by Micah and Arthur’s resistance. They both have another encounter with the rival gang in the mission, ‘An American Pastoral Scene’.
Most importantly though Red Dead Redemption 2 mission from the point of view of gang rivalry is ‘Blessed Are The Peacemakers’. Colm O’Dricsoll finally appears in this mission and offers to negotiate with the Van der Linde gang. The Van der Linde gang suspects it may be a trap, but they go anyway. The two gang leaders are first seen face to face during the main story of Red Dead Redemption 2.
The interaction between Dutch and Colm is very important as it reveals many essential details. First, Dutch apologizes to Colm for killing his brother, to which Colm replies that he didn’t like him that way. This indicates that the feud did not start because of the death of Colm’s brother and peace was not an option. Furthermore, Colm also says that the law offered him money to provide information about Dutch, suggesting that he had better political connections.
How the feud between the Van der Linde gang and the O’Driscolls ends
The O’Driscolls appear in a few missions where they attack the Van der Linde gang in the Saint-Denis camp. In the end, Colm is arrested by the law and sentenced to death. His hanging takes place during the “Goodbye, Dear Friend” mission, where he initially has plans to escape. Arthur, Dutch and Sadie disguise themselves as police officers to witness the execution and also foil Colm’s plans to avoid death.
Colm is eventually executed as planned, but Sadie loses her cool and kills a bunch of O’Driscoll boys and police officers. Colm’s death ended his feud with Dutch, but Sadie Adler was still seeking revenge for her husband’s murder. ‘Mrs. Sadie Adler, Widow,” is the last mission where O’Driscolls are seen. Sadie avenges her husband’s death by killing his killer, Tom, who had become the leader of the O’Driscoll gang.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is now available for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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