Red Dead Redemption 2 How to Get Talismans

Red Dead Redemption 2 has 6 Talismans that are a type of upgrade and award your character special perks. One of the six talismans is only available for owners of the Special Edition or Ultimate Edition. Their names are: Alligator Tooth Talisman, Bear Claw Talisman, Bison Horn Talisman, Boar Tusk Talisman, Eagle Talon Talisman, Raven Claw Talisman.

To Get Talismans:

1. Find the Talisman Crafting Materials
2. Go to a Fence Vendor and build the Talisman from their Crafting Menu

Once crafted, the Talisman gets added to your inventory automatically and grants you passive effects. You don’t have to equip it actively anywhere. You can carry all Talismans at the same time in your inventory to receive all their benefits.

None of them are missable. You can start collecting their parts as soon as you’ve reached chapter 2 but a few crafting parts are tied to Stranger Missions which take additional game progress. Each one of them requires you to hunt down a legendary animal and get a unique item found in the world or given as a quest reward. This guide explains exactly where to find all Talisman crafting materials in RDR2.

Once you have all materials, the talisman can be crafted at any Fence. Go to a fence and press (PS4) / (XB1) to open the upgrade menu. You can also stack these with the Trinkets.

All Talisman Locations

Alligator Tooth Talisman

Effect: +10% Dead Eye Core (More Dead Eye)

Crafting Materials:

• Vintage Civil War Handcuffs: Start the Stranger Mission Smoking and other Hobbies, it’s a collectible quest that requires you to find 144 cigarette cards. Mail a full set consisting of 12 cards to the quest giver via the post office. 1-2 days later you will receive the Vintage Civil War Handcuffs in your mailbox as a reward. See All Cigarette Card Locations.
• Gold Jointed Bracelet: Random loot from dead bodies and can be found in huts and houses.
• Legendary Alligator Tooth: From skinning the Legendary Alligator.

Bear Claw Talisman

Effect: +10% Health Core (More Health)

Crafting Materials:

• Quartz Chunk: Start Stranger Mission A Test of Faith, it’s a collectible mission that requires you to find 30 dinosaur bones. To get the Quartz Chunk you must find only 1 of 30 dinosaur bones, go to the post office, and mail its coordinates back to the quest giver. After 1-2 days you’ll receive the Quartz Chunk in your mail as a reward. See All Dinosaur Bone Locations.
• Silver Chain Bracelet: Random loot from dead bodies and can be found in huts and houses.
• Legendary Bear Claw: From skinning the Legendary Bear.

Bison Horn Talisman

Effect: +10% Stamina Core (More Stamina)

Crafting Materials:

• Abalone Shell Fragment: You find the Abalone Shell Fragment in a house in the town of Rhodes.
  
• Silver Earring: Random loot from dead bodies and can be found in huts and houses.
• Legendary Bison Horn: From skinning the Legendary Bisons.

Boar Tusk Talisman

Effect: +10% Horse Health & +10% Horse Stamina

Crafting Materials:

• Cobalt Petrified Wood: In the snowy starting region, in the north-western part of the map. There’s a lake called “Lake Isabella”. To the top left of it there’s a little cave at the foot of a mountain. There you find a wooden cart with a lockbox on it that contains this item.
  
• Gold Earring: Random loot from dead bodies and can be found in huts and houses.
• Legendary Boar Tusk: From skinning the Legendary Boar.

Eagle Talon Talisman

Effect: +5 seconds Eagle Eye Duration

Bonus Talisman: Reward for owners of the Special Edition / Ultimate Edition of Red Dead Redemption 2. Not available in Standard Edition of the game!

Raven Claw Talisman

Effect: -20% Weapon deterioration (Weapons Stay in better condition for longer)

Crafting Materials:

• Old Brass Compass: Start the Stranger Mission Geology for Beginners, it’s a collectible quest that requires you to find 10 rock carvings. Find all 10, then go to the post office to mail their coordinates to the quest giver. After 2 days (in-game time) you receive an invitation to the quest giver’s cabin in your mailbox. Read it and sleep a few hours to advance time so his quest icon shows up at the cabin. You can then get the Old Brass Compass from the quest giver’s hut. See All Rock Carving Locations.

These are all the Talismans in RDR2, their crafting components, and how to craft them. They get added to your inventory automatically and the effects are passive, no need to select them anywhere. For more RDR2 guides check out our full Red Dead Redemption 2 Wiki & Strategy Guide.