Fleeting Joy is a mission in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Mission overview

Arthur is reunited with the gang at Lakay. Milton arrives with his Pinkertons, and attacks the camp.


After Arthur finds the letter from Sadie at Shady Belle, he heads to the location described in the letter near Lakay. Upon arrival, he is greeted by the others and given a drink. Sometime later, Micah Bell and Javier Escuella arrive off screen, followed by Dutch, shocking the rest of the gang, with Abigail immediately telling him that John had been arrested and sentenced to hang. She also tells him that they stole the bodies of Hosea and Lenny from the morgue and buried them, while Strauss says that it is mostly due to Sadie that the rest of the gang managed to survive the ordeal. Finally, Bill Williamson bursts in, frustrated and saying how he asked everywhere.

Almost immediately afterwards, the reunion is cut short as the Pinkertons descend upon the camp, with Agent Milton telling the gang to surrender, and then deciding to fire a machine gun at the hut anyway. To combat this, Sadie tells Arthur to follow her, saying that there is a trapdoor somewhere that they can use to flank the Pinkertons. The pair do so, and begin a counterattack on the Pinkertons, who set fire to the village. During the fighting, Bill helps Arthur and Sadie fend off the attack, while Arthur eventually mans the machine gun, swirling it around and gunning down the Pinkerton attackers, eventually causing a Pinkerton retreat.

Afterwards, Dutch thanks Arthur for his help in fending off the attack and expresses concern over Arthur's coughing, while the latter dismisses it as nothing. Abigail reminds Dutch that John is in prison, only to get a flustered response from Dutch, who says that it isn't the right time. Realizing that Dutch doesn’t want to help, Abigail turns to Arthur and Sadie, begging them to rescue John instead. The pair agree, and Sadie asks Arthur to meet her in Saint Denis in the near future.

Gold Medal Objectives

  • Kill 2 Pinkertons during the Dead Eye ambush.
  • Get 5 headshots with the Gatling Gun.
  • Get at least 70% accuracy with the Gatling Gun.
  • Complete the mission without taking any health items.


Video walkthrough

Red Dead Redemption 2 - Mission 64 - Fleeting Joy Gold Medal

Red Dead Redemption 2 - Mission 64 - Fleeting Joy Gold Medal


  • Although this mission takes place at a hideout, Mary-Beth Gaskill, Karen Jones, Josiah Trelawny and Jack Marston are absent. They are unlikely to be on the floor above, due to it being such a small space, unless they are all huddled in the corner that cannot be seen. It's impossible to tell since the ladders are not usable.
  • At the end of the mission, Micah can be seen subtly killing an injured Pinkerton agent with a knife. Given how Micah is later revealed as the Pinkertons' informant who almost certainly gave the Pinkertons the location of the hideout, it is likely that he did so in order to stop the Pinkerton from revealing anything.
  • If the player alerts the Pinkertons before going through the trapdoor of the other house with Sadie, Dutch will shout for Bill and Micah to "get out there and help them," and their markers on the mini map can be seen going out to fight. Despite this, the mission fails immediately afterwards.
  • This mission's soundtrack features Colin Stetson playing the saxophone.
  • Dead Eye Targeting's fatal region highlights unlock when Arthur initiates combat.
  • Arthur's eyes become swollen following this mission, and remain that way for the rest of his missions.


Red Dead Redemption 2 mission walkthroughs
Chapter 5: Guarma
"Welcome to the New World""A Kind and Benevolent Despot""Savagery Unleashed""Hell Hath No Fury""Paradise Mercifully Departed""Dear Uncle Tacitus""Fleeting Joy""Icarus and Friends""A Fork in the Road""That's Murfree Country"
Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 6Epilogue, Part 1Epilogue, Part 2