[Top 10] Best Ability Cards in Red Dead Online (2024)

Which Ability Cards Will Help You Dominate the Frontier?

One way that you can improve your character in RDO is by unlocking, purchasing, and equipping ability cards. There are two types of cards that you can equip: Dead Eye Ability Cards and Passive Ability Cards. You can only have one Dead Eye Ability Card selected at a time, and it determines what effects you get when you activate dead eye. You can have three Passive Ability Cards selected at one time, and they modify your gameplay without needing to be triggered or activated. There are three categories of Passive Ability Cards: Combat Ability Cards, Recovery Ability Cards, and Defense Ability Cards

Each ability card can be upgraded three times to make them increasingly more effective. Ability cards can be purchased, upgraded, and selected under the “Abilities” section of the menu.

Much like choosing a gun, the “best” cards will be those that suit your play style. Nevertheless, there are some that are just exceptionally helpful. Many of these cards have effects that can work with the effects of other cards to create unique and useful “builds” for your character. It is a lot of fun to experiment with your options. Here are some of the best ability cards in RDO that you will want to check out.

10. Eye for an Eye (Passive Ability Card)

What makes the Eye for an Eye card great

• It is a good way to keep your Dead Eye ability active
• It rewards you for landing headshots

Card details

• Headshots refill Dead Eye
• Recovery Ability Card
• Unlocks at Rank 28
• Costs $50 for level 1, $350 for level 2, and $500 for level 3

9. Winning Streak (Passive Ability Card)

What makes the Winning Streak card great

• A convenient way to increase your damage
• A good option for those that struggle with headshots

Card details

• Hitting consecutive shots increases your damage
• Combat Ability Card
• Unlocks at Rank 48
• Costs $50 for level 1, $350 for level 2, and $500 for level 3

8. Iron Lung (Passive Ability Card)

What makes the Iron Lung card great

• This is a good ability to help you eat a fair amount of damage
• Good for players that like to exchange fire from range

Card details

• Stamina regenerates faster
• The higher your stamina, the less damage you take
• Recovery Ability Card
• Unlocks at Rank 1
• Costs $50 for level 1, $350 for level 2, and $500 for level 3

7. Never Without One (Passive Ability Card)

What makes the Never Without One card great

• As long as you have a hat, you are going to be tough to bring down
• Even though it was nerfed it is still effective against headshots from behind

Card details

• Your hat will absorb a headshot and then fall off (if they hit your face, it will not work)
• You take less damage while wearing a hat
• Defense Ability Card
• Unlocks at Rank 46
• Costs $50 for level 1, $350 for level 2, and $500 for level 3

6. Peak Condition (Passive Ability Card)

What makes the Peak Condition card great

• Easy way to increase your damage
• It rewards you for being lazy

Card details

• Sprinting consumes less stamina
• You do more damage if you have more than 75% stamina
• Recovery Ability Card
• Unlocks at Rank 14
• Costs $50 for level 1, $350 for level 2, and $500 for level 3

5. The Unblinking Eye (Passive Ability Card)

What makes the Unblinking Eye card great

• Great way to get more out of your Dead Eye Ability Cards
• Its benefits are not conditional

Card details

• Dead Eye and Eagle Eye run longer
• Defense Ability Card
• Unlocks at Rank 26
• Costs $50 for level 1, $350 for level 2, and $500 for level 3

4. Strange Medicine (Passive Ability Card)

What makes the Strange Medicine card great

• Can give you a little more longevity in gunfights
• Health regeneration is slow enough that its negative side is really minimal and can be avoided with tonics

Card details

• You regain a little health whenever you inflict damage
• Your health regenerates at half the normal rate
• Recovery Ability Card
• Unlocks at Rank 32
• Costs $50 for level 1, $350 for level 2, and $500 for level 3

3. Slippery Bastard (Dead Eye Ability Card)

What makes the Slippery Bastard card great

• Slippery Bastard can help you take advantage of people that rely on the locking aim mechanic
• Great for mobile gameplay if you are good at free aim

Card details

• Enemy players cannot lock onto you and you cannot lock onto them
• NPCs are less accurate when shooting at you
• Increased dead eye drain rate
• Unlocks at Rank 50
• Costs $50 for level 1, $350 for level 2, and $500 for level 3

Build suggestion for close-quarters combat: Slippery Bastard, Winning Streak, To Fight Another Day, The Unblinking Eye

2. Slow and Steady (Dead Eye Ability Card)

What makes the Slow and Steady card great

• This is the foundation of a tank build
• Great way to soak up damage in a gunfight
• Can survive a headshot

Card details

• You take less damage and can survive some headshots
• You cannot sprint while dead eye is active
• Unlocks at Rank 24
• Costs $50 for level 1, $350 for level 2, and $500 for level 3

Build suggestion for a tanking: Slow and Steady, Iron Lung, Never Without One, Strange Medicine

1. Paint it Black (Dead Eye Ability Card)

What makes the Paint it Black card great

• Great way to ensure that you land the shots that you need to land
• A way to counteract the inaccuracy of rapid-fire

Card details

• You can paint targets on enemies while aiming at them in dead eye
• Shoots fired from dead eye will hit marked targets unless they go behind cover
• Every shot empties some dead eye
• Unlocks at Rank 1
• Costs $50 for level 1, $350 for level 2, and $500 for level 3

Build suggestion for sniping: Paint it Black, Eye for an Eye, Peak Condition, The Unblinking Eye

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