Red Dead Online adds major perks for Collectors and one reason to log on ASAP

Red Dead Online has seen quite a few changes in the year since its launch, with Rockstar's consistent updates urging players to return to the critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption 2's robust online mode. As another Tuesday has rolled around, a new update for Red Dead Online has hit the servers with major perks for anyone looking to play in the Collector specialist role.

In a Tuesday blog post dubbed "Collector's Take Notice," Rockstar outlined everything added in this week's update, and while almost everything is geared towards Collectors, there's also one incentive for anyone to log on ASAP — even if they only play for a few minutes.

Some bonus items and club XP are all that make it worth it to log on just once this week. Without doing much in-game, those who log in will get 5 ranks of Outlaw Pass-applicable Club XP. If you have Twitch Prime, you can also claim the Collector's Bag and Polished Copper Moonshine Still upgrade for free, and PS Plus players will get three mash refills and trader resupplies. Those are all fairly minute weekly gameplay bonuses though.

To get the most out of this February 25 update, you'll want to be playing the role of a Collector.

The Collector's Bag item allows players to get started with this role, and it has been discounted by a whopping 5 gold bars for all players in this week's update. Even better, Twitch Prime subscribers will get that bag for free. After players are equipped with that, they will also find that other important items like the Pennington Field Shovel, Metal Detector, Refined Binoculars, and collector's maps are discounted by up to 50 percent. Once that treasure is found, it can then been turned in so players can reap significant Role XP boosts.

If you play the Collector or have been looking to try out this role, then this week gives you the perfect opportunity to do so.

The Collector is one of Red Dead Online's four Specialist roles. As Rockstar's take on classes, each of these roles gives a slightly different gameplay experience and path for progressions. The official description for the Collector boasts that players "will be able to explore the world finding valuable treasures, whether they’re discarded Tarot cards in abandoned camps, buried treasures unearthed with your trusty shovel, hidden family heirlooms and more." The role ultimately unlocks skills and items for players that make finding and retrieving collectibles that can be sold for gold easier.

The Inverse Analysis

This week's Red Dead Online update is really only worth it for those who looking to get a quick XP boost, are already playing Collector, or are looking to try out that role. This week's boosts and discounts focus on everything that's important to the Collector, so anyone who isn't interested in or has already maxed out that role doesn't have much to sink their teeth into. The Red Dead Online community also seems to be feeling that way, as many are voicing frustration with the lack of any real new content in response to Rockstar's tweet highlighting the update.

If you don't care as much about romping around Red Dead Online's large world as a Collector, you'll still get some welcome progression and items by simply logging on for a short period this week. Overall, February has been a fairly quiet period for Red Dead Online, so hopefully we will get some more robust updates or new content in March.