Favored Sons is the 78th main story mission in Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2). This walkthrough will guide you through all objectives of Favored Sons Main Quest including all Gold Medals for 100% completion.
Favored Sons is unlocked after completing Goodbye, Dear Friend.
Quest Giver: Eagle Flies
Chapter: 6
Region: New Hanover
Gold Medal Requirements:
- Kill the soldier on the cannon within 45 seconds
- Get 35 headshots
- Complete the mission without taking any health items
Starting Location: Cumberland Forest, New Hanover
Talk to Eagle Flies
Meet up with Eagle Flies and Dutch, and take part in their incredibly shortsighted plan to ambush the US Army moving through a canyon. This seems like a terrible idea.
- GOLD MEDAL: Complete the mission without taking any health items
Follow Dutch down to the canyon floor.
Pick up the spool of wire and run it to each group of dynamite that Dutch plants.
There should be four groups in total to wire up. Then follow Dutch back up to the top of the canyon
Take your position near the plunger and wait for the troops to arrive.
When Dutch gives the word, detonate the dynamite.
Honestly, I’m not sure how four trees were supposed to block a platoon, but Dutch again gets you into a massive firefight.
- GOLD MEDAL: Get 35 headshots
Which is probably for the best actually, since you’re supposed to get a whopping 35 headshots for this gold medal requirement. Luckily there is a spot at the end of the level where enemies will spawn continuously so you can clean up any that you still need. Anyhow, for the time being pull out your sniper rifle and start popping soldiers in the head.
You will notice that they will mostly start running towards the path that leads to the top of the hill. Take out as many on the ground as you can before they close the distance.
Once the start reaching the top of the canyon, turn to your left and take them all out before they reach you.
Clean up any soldiers that remain on the canyon floor until Eagle Flies announces that they are running. Take out any fleeing soldiers upon which you have a good open headshot, using Dead Eye if necessary.
Dutch tells everyone to loot the bodies quickly. Run down to the canyon floor and pick up anything useful that you can within the yellow search zone.
After you have searched a few of the corpses, a cinematic will play which will announce the arrival of the cannon.
- GOLD MEDAL: Kill the soldier on the cannon within 45 seconds
Heading straight up the hill to confront the cannon immediately is fruitless, since there are at least ten men on the hilltop between you and it. Spend twenty seconds or so thinning out the field before trying to come at it sideways from the left or right. Its a tight timeline and a substantial meat shield in the way.
As soon as the cannoneer is killed, a cinematic will play. Reinforcements are coming, and the fort is now peppering the area with artillery fire.
Follow Dutch to your horses, then run for your life!
A short time later, Dutch will tell you to dismount. Continue to follow him on foot.
You will get ambushed by soldiers on the ridge. Get cover and take them out with headshots.
Once the coast is clear, Dutch will try to find a way out down a path. Follow him closely.
On your left you’ll encounter four soldiers. Take cover behind the log and clear them out with headshots.
Dutch will continue once the coast is clear, and start walking down a sloping path towards the bottom of a large ravine. It is from this point onward that enemies will continuously spawn, allowing you to get any additional headshots that you need.
It is better to get further down the path and use a scoped rifle than to try dealing with them at close range with a revolver. The soldiers can quickly overrun you with their numbers up close.
When you’re ready to run, follow the path to its end and you will start a cinematic where you’re surrounded and trapped. Don’t worry though, Dutch has a really, really bad plan.
When prompted, hit 
/ 
to surrender, then pull down on the left stick to start backing towards the cliff.
Finally, press 
/ 
to do your best Butch & Sundance impression and jump.
It worked out alright for those guys, right? Right?
Follow Dutch and swim for your life. Get close to him when he reaches the shore, and he will pull you out of the water. Watch the last cinematic to end the mission.
This finishes Favored Sons main mission in Red Dead Redemption 2. Now the next quest The Bridge to Nowhere starts.
Next Up: The Bridge to Nowhere
For more Walkthroughs with all gold medals, check out the complete Red Dead Redemption 2 Story Walkthrough.
Daniel Amini says
“Once the start reaching the top of the canyon” >> after “Once” it’s “they” not “the”.
LENNY!!! says
I would highly recommend anyone trying to gold medal this mission to try and do it on your first try because the gimped replay Arthur makes the 35 headshots exceedingly frustrating to attain. While this applies to pretty much every other mission it really is evident here. Even if you camp out at the end of mission and headshot every soldier there it won’t be enough to get 35 as the cutscene is forced on you after a few waves. You basically have to clear out the entire first regimen by yourself with headshots and level 2 or whatever shitty deadeye they give you in the replay just isn’t enough.
Not sure if R* just never used the replay function but the fact that Arthur is the same stats across every single chapter is a little asinine.
Kevin says
It’s so damn annoying!!!!
Marcio says
There’s a sweet spot to get the headshots:
bit.ly/30Dm47p
Instead of going down the final slopping path and user a sniper rifle as the post suggest you can clean up the enemies at the top first, then turn around and go back to the curve that led you to the slopping path/cliff area.
If you just sit there the enemies will keep coming and you can keep firing aiming for the headshots. I stayed there for almost 5 minutes, then I joined Dutch again and got my gold medal after this.
Orel says
I quite literally failed the mission, black screen and everything, because more enemies showed up while I was trying to farm headshots. I headshot every enemy that even existed and still didn’t have enough by the end, but no dice because the cavalry wasn’t ever supposed to find me?