Summary
Red Dead Onlineis the wild west version ofGTA Online.Players are immersed in a beautiful activity-filledworldset in 1898 where industrial innovation is about to reach its peak. With the absence of cars, outlaws ride the mountains and river valleys in awe of a much simpler time. Rockstar added roles toRed Dead Online– The Trader, The Collector, The Bounty Hunter, and recently, The Moonshiner.
The roles are a good source of cash and gold for players who want to earn quick money. The Moonshiner is fascinating; being the only role with a set of storymissions. TheMoonshiner roleis slow-paced and rewards patient outlaws who stop and smell the flowers. Developing the right strategy, picking the right upgrades, waiting for the right customer, and maximizing profit are the characteristics of a successful Moonshiner. Here are 10 tips every Moonshiner should know.
Updated on May 23, 2025, by Gerardo Molina:Red Dead Redemption 2 is already great, but with the addition of Red Dead Online, things have been taken to another level. The online version of this title is just as extensive if not more than the non-offline game, which makes it fascinating and attractive for players who have fallen in love with the franchise over the years. The Moonshiner role in Red Dead Online is really fun to play as it allows those who are interested in bootlegging liquor to both create their own product and go across the American Wild West to sell it to eager customers looking for an interesting experience.
17Ride Carefully
It’s Better To Arrive With Undamaged Goods Than To Arrive As Quickly As Possible
The art of selling moonshine is not just about getting the right ingredients for a good recipe. As they sell their product to their customers, players will also have to be very careful during transportation since goods can be damaged, which represents considerable losses and unhappy customers. To ensure that their moonshine arrives to its destination unscathed, players will have to make sure that they take roads that are not bumpy.
Planning a delivery trip beforehand is crucial to mapping out the best route. Getting to players’ destinations is important, but riding carefully takes more precedence. After all, it’s better to arrive with undamaged goods, than to arrive as quickly as possible with a bunch of broken products.
16Sell To Bert Higgins During Tough Times
He Pays A Lower Price, But Is Always Up For Buying Moonshine
Although he’s just a minor character inRed Dead Online,Bert Higginscan be a lifesaver when times are tough. He’s part of the customer list of the moonshine business. However, unlike other patrons, he’s more than willing to buy any kind of moonshine players produce, regardless of the flavor or the quality of it. Granted, he will pay a lower price than other patrons for the product, but if players are looking for a reliable customer who’s always up to get a few drinks, Bert is the way to go.
Whether Bert’s habits are healthy or not is up for debate, but it’s undeniable that he can get players out of a tough spot at any time. A fun fact is that he’s almost always holding a bottle of moonshine upon delivery, which means that he has not run out from previous deliveries and instead simply prefers to keep his moonshine inventory well stocked.
15Don’t Change Flavors
Consistency Is Key For Customers
Gamers can assign a flavor to their moonshine while it is being distilled. People will, of course, want to choose the most profitable flavor if the ingredients are available. However, there are no mixed flavors of moonshine.Selecting a different flavor will replace the initial flavorthat was chosen. If the new flavor is worthless, players will miss out on a decent amount of cash when they sell the batch. Additionally, the ingredients for the initial flavor will be lost. Once a flavor is selected, it is best to stick with it.
There’s a total of 10 different Moonshine recipes inRed Dead Online, which are:
Naturally, each one requires different ingredients and some will also task players with obtaining certain ranks in the Moonshiner role to unlock.
14Go To Madam Nazar For Herbs
Cheap Herbs For More Profit
Madam Nazar is a one-stop-shopfor all of the Moonshiner herbs. All of the herbs for sale are only one dollar each. Considering how much moonshine sells for, that is not a bad deal. Gamers will want to pick up as many free herbs as they can while traversing the map, but Madam Nazar is always there just in case.It will often be worth the priceto avoid having to fast travel, ride to the location of the herb, and search for it.
Madam Nazar’s location changes every day. Here are the most common places where players can find her:
As stated earlier, buying herbs from her is a lot easier than searching for them in the wilderness, but if players are having trouble finding her, it might be the only choice left.
13Stronger Is Better
Customers Prefer Stronger Beverages
In life and inRDO, stronger is better. The stronger the brew, the more money players will net with each sale. As people rank up in the role, they will have the opportunity to brew stronger batches quicker with the Master Distiller skill. Stronger moonshine takes longer to distill, but pays a lot more. On the other hand, weak moonshine is quicker and grants more XP. After reaching rank 15, there is no reason to brew the weaker stuff.
12Best Shack Locations
Choosing a good location for the shack is important because moonshine can be damaged during transport. Places like the Grizzlies have too many bumps and winds on the roads, and product will be damaged along the route.Tall Trees and The Heartlands have the flattest roads, making deliveries a lot easier. Bayou Nwa is a great location too, although the foggy bayou is not exactly the most aesthetically pleasing location inRDO.
11Play Moonshiner Solo
This Means More Work, But Also Higher Profits
The Moonshiner business is a lot less profitable when playing with friends.Anyone helping the Moonshiner will only receive 20%of the proceeds from a sale. Also, players will receive only half of the experience when completing deliveries or distilling.
There are plenty of roles in the game that are better suited for co-op play. WhileRDOis more fun with a posse, theRDR2 Moonshiner roleis a solo gig. Those completing Moonshiner tasks with friends are wasting their time.
10Become Familiar With The Trader Role
Both Roles Complement Each Other
TheRDO Moonshiner roleis very similar to the Trader role. A prerequisite to becoming a Moonshiner is to be aTraderfirst. Upon reaching Trader Level 5, or completing a sell mission, the player is given the option to start Moonshining.
A useful tip to becoming a successful Moonshiner is becoming familiar with the Trader role since there are not many differences between the two. Just like trading, the player collects ingredients and invests in materials to churn out some goods. Once the goods are done, they are sold to a buyer. Some would say that moonshining is easier than trading.
9Become Familiar With The Location
Delivering and making a sale is an important part of moonshining. To make a sale, the player drives a delicate wagon that loses goods when damaged.Driving carefully and making hasteis of the essence, but Revenue Agent Checkpoints and rocky terrain are major obstacles in making a sale.
If the player is lucky, the Checkpoints would let them pass, avoiding the collateral exchange of bullets. The terrain would still be challenging, however, so in order to make haste without damaging the wagon, a good Moonshiner must know the shortcuts and the best paths to take.
8Don’t Purchase Mash for Full Price
Focus On Bootlegger And Moonshiner Missions To Drop The Price
No Trader would ever purchase materials for $20. He loses the chance to earn XP and wastes money on something he can do for free. The same rule applies to Moonshiners. Mash required to produce Moonshine costs $50, but it could go all the way down to $10.
By doing Bootlegger Missions and Moonshiner Story Missions, the original price of the mash gets cut by $20 each mission the player does. The player is allowed to do one Bootlegger and one Story mission tolower the price of the mash. Not only does this increase profits for the sale, but it grants XP as well.
