RDR2 Story Arc Guide: The Cornwall Problem (Chapter 2, Part 2)
Dutch's escalating war with oil magnate Leviticus Cornwall — covering the oil wagon raids, the Flatneck Station robbery, and the mission that sets up Chapter 3. Full walkthroughs and gold medal requirements for each mission.
Xbox button notation is used throughout this guide: LT/RT (triggers), LB/RB (bumpers), LS/RS (stick clicks), A/B/X/Y (face buttons). PC players using a controller will see these same prompts in-game. Keyboard/mouse players: check Settings → Key Bindings for your equivalents.
Dutch's Big Score Plan
After settling into Horseshoe Overlook, Dutch becomes obsessed with hurting Leviticus Cornwall — the wealthy industrialist whose train the gang robbed in Chapter 1. The plan is to destabilize Cornwall's operations to force him to move his fortune, then steal it.
This arc covers:
- Pouring Forth Oil I–IV (harassing Cornwall's oil wagons)
- Sodom? Back to Gomorrah (robbing the Flatneck Station)
- Paying a Social Call (wiping out an O'Driscoll hideout)
- The Spines of America (supply run with Pearson and Josiah)
- We Loved Once and True (Arthur's past catches up with him)
Pouring Forth Oil I–IV
These four missions form a sequence of increasingly ambitious raids on Cornwall's oil operations along the railroad near Flatneck Station. The early ones are stealthy hit-and-run; the later ones turn into full battles.
Pouring Forth Oil I: You and Lenny ride out to intercept a Cornwall oil wagon. Simple ambush — block the road, deal with the guards, push the wagon to a ravine. Stay in cover during the initial stop; the guards react fast.
Pouring Forth Oil II: Now you're hitting multiple wagons simultaneously. Split with Lenny — take the eastern wagon while he takes the west. Timing matters; if you take too long, Cornwall's reinforcements arrive before you're done.
Pouring Forth Oil III: A night raid on a larger convoy. Use the darkness to approach before alerting anyone. Eagle Eye reveals guard positions in the dark.
Pouring Forth Oil IV: This escalates. Cornwall himself arrives at the station. You'll fight through a heavily defended railyard. Work through methodically — don't rush across open ground.
Gold Medal across all four: Most share requirements of completing without dying + using Dead Eye kills. The IV variant adds a "complete within X minutes" restriction — don't get pinned down at the station entrance.
Between oil missions, rob a train yourself. From Chapter 2 onward you can stop and rob any train on the map independently. Board from horseback, walk through carriages collecting cash and valuables, then escape before the law arrives. A single train can net $80–$150 and takes about 5 minutes. It's one of the best early money-makers.
Paying a Social Call — Clearing the O'Driscoll Camp
The gang learns about an O'Driscoll base at Hanging Dog Ranch. Dutch wants it cleaned out.
This is a dense combat mission. The ranch has multiple buildings, second-floor shooters, and flanking enemies.
Recommended approach:
1. Start by taking the left flank — there are fewer guards here and you can get elevation on the main courtyard
2. Clear the barn first (it hides a gunman who will flank you constantly if left alive)
3. Push the main house from two sides; use dynamite (if you have it) on the clustered enemies by the porch
4. The mission ends after a specific O'Driscoll is interrogated — push to him aggressively once the yard is clear
Gold Medal: Kill 3 enemies with fire bottles and complete without dying. Craft fire bottles at camp (Wild Feverfew + Moonshine) or buy them from a fence. Throw them at grouped enemies in the courtyard.
Sodom? Back to Gomorrah — Robbing Flatneck Station
The gang robs the Flatneck Station on a busy day. This is a medium-difficulty bank-style mission with a hairy escape.
Phase 1 — The robbery: Enter the station naturally (no masks needed at first). When Dutch gives the signal, draw your weapon. Intimidate the station workers quickly — the longer they stall, the earlier the law arrives.
Phase 2 — The safe: Bill knows how to crack it but takes time. Cover the entrance while he works. Enemies will breach from the front and from the roof — watch for the rooftop sniper.
Phase 3 — The escape: A the bridge north of the station on horseback. The bridge bottlenecks the pursuing lawmen — one well-placed dynamite stick on the bridge itself clears the route.
Gold Medal: Get 70% accuracy and kill 3 lawmen with headshots while on horseback. The horseback kills require activating Dead Eye while riding — shoot pursuers before they can flank you.
We Loved Once and True — Mary Linton Returns
A quieter mission between the big action pieces. Arthur's former sweetheart Mary Linton reaches out for help — her brother Jamie has fallen in with a cult (the Chelonians). Arthur can choose to help or refuse.
If you help: You'll ride to Flatneck Station and track Jamie. This involves following the cult on horseback without being spotted, then a tense confrontation at a camp. This is one of several optional Mary missions and each contributes to a bittersweet side story.
Gold Medal: Complete within 17 minutes and don't lose more than 5 members during crowd interactions. Mary missions run on timers more than combat — move quickly between objective markers and skip lingering conversations.
This mission, and the Mary arc in general, is easier to complete on a high honor playthrough — certain dialogue options and outcomes are locked behind good standing with Arthur's character.