The Fine Art of Conversation is the 82nd main story mission in Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2). This walkthrough will guide you through all objectives of The Fine Art of Conversation Main Quest including all Gold Medals for 100% completion.
The Fine Art of Conversation is unlocked after completing Honor, Amongst Thieves.
Quest Giver: Trelawny
Chapter: 6
Region: New Hanover
Gold Medal Requirements:
- Kill a pursuers horse during the escape
- Complete within 9 minutes 30 seconds
- Complete with at least 75% accuracy
- Complete the mission without taking any health items
Starting Location: Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover
Talk to Trelawny
- GOLD MEDAL: Complete within 9 minutes 30 seconds
- GOLD MEDAL: Complete the mission without taking any health items
Skip the opening cinematic. Say your goodbyes to Trelawny, and then you will meet with Charles and Rains Fall who need your help. Rains Fall seems optimistic that a peace can be brokered with Colonel Favours, and he would like you to to ensure that the peace is kept since none of his men will be allowed to carry weapons.
Get on your horse and follow Charles to the negotiation site.
Accompany Rains Fall to the table, where Colonel Favours and Captain Monroe await you.
During the discussion, Arthur will suffer a severe coughing fit and will be taken to the medical tent where he can lie down and rest.
Arthur will be left alone to rest, and will overhear a conversation being had outside at the back of his tent. Press 
to get up.
When prompted, press again to peek out.
Arthur will find out the truth, that Captain Monroe is about to be tried and executed for treason so that Favours can continue to take advantage of the Wapiti.
When the conversation is over, Arthur will return to the cot to consider his next move.
The soldier will return after a moment and lead you back to the talks.
The discussion will immediately break down, leading to Monroe’s arrest.
Knowing the truth, Arthur takes a hostage and gets Monroe out of the camp. Back away from the camp towards your horse, keeping your hostage between you and the soldiers.
Once you reach your horse, you will automatically shove your human shield away. Get on your horse and get out of there immediately! Follow Monroe up the hill, and get ready for pursuit.
- GOLD MEDAL: Kill a pursuers horse during the escape
- GOLD MEDAL: Complete with at least 75% accuracy
With no requirements for kills or headshots, all you need to be concerned with is making sure that you hit what you’re shooting at. Make sure that you kill one of your pursuers horses with a easy headshot to its vulnerable region in the nose area.
Karma is a bitch however, as someone returns the favor and kills Captain Monroe’s horse. Dismount and take up a position near Monroe in the trees.
Monroe can’t bring himself to fire on his own men, so it will be up to you and Charles to pick up the slack.
There will be a number of soldiers that will arrive on horseback or by covered wagon. Just make sure that when you’re fighting them off that you don’t wander too far from Monroe or the quest will fail.
Once you eliminate all of the soldiers, you will be directed to mount your horse. Move over to Monroe and help him up on the saddle behind you.
Follow Charles, as more pursuers start to pick up your trail. Use Dead Eye if you have any left to maintain your accuracy and eliminate any mounted soldiers following you.
Drop Monroe off at the train and skip the ending cinematic to complete the mission.
This finishes The Fine Art of Conversation main mission in Red Dead Redemption 2. Now the next quest Mrs. Sadie Adler, Widow – II starts.
Next Up: Mrs. Sadie Adler, Widow – II
For more Walkthroughs with all gold medals, check out the complete Red Dead Redemption 2 Story Walkthrough.
PoisonJam says
It’s not possible to do this in 9:30. Absolutely 100% impossible. By the time you actually get to do any fighting, the timer is already at 8:30. And if you’re super unlucky, you’ll be forced to stop in front of the train tracks while the train stops at the station. It’ll be well over 10, almost 11 minutes by the time you finish with the stupid unskippable scene with the nun.
So yeah, f*** rockstar and f*** their ridiculous time limits that clearly were never playtested.
djayard says
I think the timer for this mission bugs if you skip any cutscene. (I think there’s one other mission that has this issue.)
Otherwise, if your playing the mission as part of the main story, use a bolt action rifle or carbine repeater with express ammo for quick kills.
Sigzi says
I just did it easily. The trick is at the end when you have those 3 riders show after you take care of the wagon and need to go to the train. You need to kill two and leave one alive. This will enable your horse to gallop closer to town since the enemy is giving chase. Charles will eventually kill him.
If you were like me and killed all 3 as soon as they appear you’re horse will only go as fast as a trot, eating up your time.
Pulling my hair out says
Just popped Gold Rush! My seventy first gold mission ended on The Fine Art of Conversation. Thanks to all those fine people at Powerpyx! I couldn’t have achieved this with out your hard work and determination. I can imagine the hell that you all endured. Thanks to all the posters and the posts that updated or tipped me off to a gold mission. A big F-U to Who the Hell is Leviticus Cornwall? Twenty four attempts to get a gold that I didn’t save so then went seven more time for a grand total of thirty one attempts on the mission. I laughed when Dutch gut shot him like a coward. Died by the hands of a varmint, that’s who Cornwall is.
Pulling my hair out says
Also found a nasty glitch in the mission that will wreck you and took me three times to figure out. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SWITCH WEAPONS WHEN ESCAPING ON HORSEBACK, till you get to the trail after releasing the hostage in the camp. If you do this as you mount or a step or three in then your horse will glitch to a trot. This will just destroy three to four minutes of insufferable dialogue listening and give you headaches.
Jojolet1 says
You’re right. It’s just not possible without some sort of cheat code or purchased advantage maybe. I’ve said forget it after 12 attempts with a stopwatch. The best time I made was 10:45. There is just no way anybody can shave a full 1:15 off that time unless there’s some advantage they’re not admitting to.
Jojolet1 says
I should mention that’s 12 attempts that I actually timed. In 3 times playing through the story I bet I’ve tried this mission 35-40 times with every weapon in the arsenal, the best horses including the rose grey Arabian, dynamite into the wagon, little or no dead eye slow motion, and every trick I could find on various guides. It has to be a trick. Don’t waste as much time as I have and settle for the silver.
Al says
Got gold using a time saving glitch mentioned by someone in a YouTube guide. Start mission, skip first cinematic, on the ride out select fire bottle and throw it aimed slightly to the side of your horse’s head so that you just ride over the blast. If done right it will immediately skip to next riding cinematic. Took me a few tries, you will know if it worked as it cuts immediately as opposed to dying by setting yourself on fire…
Butt Soup says
The fact that that’s what you had to do in order to meet the time limit means this games is absolutely fucked
CafeRacer says
After countless try doing it normally, tried this method and it still works. Just for anyone else, throw you fire bottle aiming right just next to your horse.
Linus says
In order to get gold, I put three things into practice:
1. don’t waste time looking for headshots (which are not required), but using a shotgun that causes a lot of damage kill the enemies by hitting them in the body (easier and faster). The only headshot you have to do is to hit the first horse, from there hit in the body where it is easier;
2. when the cart with four enemies on board arrives at the end of the conflict you must have prepared the bow with the arrows with dynamite. Launch one of these arrows against the cart and in a few seconds you will have solved this problem, saving you time.
3. after the conflict, on the road, towards the train station, do not kill all three enemies who arrive, leave at least one alive. Your horses will continue to run faster.
The first time I put these three things into practice I got gold (it was my third total attempt).