New Red Dead Redemption 2 mystery takes an ominous turn with a previously unnoticed mountain carving I can't believe it's taken over 7 years to spot, and it feels like the answer's getting closer

Update: Shortly after this article was originally published, Red Dead Redemption 2 sleuth Strange Man shared another update with what they believe is the next and potentially the final step towards solving the great spider web mystery.

In a new video, Strange Man shows that after following the newly discovered bird carvings toward the Giant's cave, there's something on the horizon: a question mark, carved into the mountains. Once you see it, it's blatantly obvious, and it's honestly pretty amazing it's taken this long for anyone to spot it.

This seems like a strong indicator people are moving in the right direction and the possibilities for what comes next are whittling down. There's just one problem, the peak itself is out of bounds of the map. You can actually hike up there yourself.

That's tricky, but it seems like the solution will be in the area, and probably in line of sight of that stone carving, creating some useful parameters. It sure seems like some sort of ending is imminent, but what it'll reveal is anyone’s guess. Watch this space.

Original story:

The plot thickens on an elusive and recently discovered mystery in Red Dead Redemption 2. After following obtuse directions from spider webs, feathers and guitars, the latest wrinkle involves bird carvings, but the next step remains unclear.

To catch you up a little bit, players managed to find some mysterious spider webs that appeared at particular intervals on telegraph poles in Rockstar's open-world Western. Through some powers of deduction, these lead to the discovery of a pair of guitars in Fort Wallace, just laying dormant, waiting to be found.

For a minute, these acoustic instruments stumped the community, but I'm sure you know Red Dead 2 fans well enough by now to understand this roadblock wouldn't exist for long. Sure enough, someone managed to figure out the next step in this increasingly Twin Peaks-esque venture, by climbing onto the roof of where the guitars are kept, to find a pair of bird carvings.

Two Bird Carvings - Next Step of the Spider Web Mystery FOUND (RDR2) - YouTube

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Datamining reveals these aren't an accident, but they're the most indirect clue yet. Red Dead YouTuber Strange Man has been summarizing this escapade, and so far the only lead is that these carvings point in the direction of the Giant's cave. A flock of birds do live nearby, but the trail goes cold at this point.

A compelling suggestion is two crows who can be found in the New Austin area. One commenter claims to have found another potential clue near them involving a hatchet, but that's not been verified just yet.

Wherever this leads, I can tell you one thing: Rockstar better be prepared for just how granular people are going to go with GTA 6. It looks like this'll get sorted first, and just in time, too.

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