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In Red Dead Redemption 2, the dinosaur bone hunt is part of Deborah MacGuiness’s Stranger Mission, A Test of Faith. Find 30 bones, mail their locations to Deborah from a post office, then read her invitation and visit her at Firwood Rise to claim the final reward: the Jawbone Knife. Eight bones are in New Austin, so a first-time player will need to return to that region after the story opens it.
How to start and finish A Test of Faith
Deborah MacGuiness is an amateur paleontologist in the Heartlands of New Hanover. Look for the Stranger marker south of the “H” in the Heartlands map label and southeast of Horseshoe Overlook. Guides differ on the exact chapter trigger—one places it in Chapter 2, another says after Chapter 2—so use the in-game marker rather than relying on a precise chapter claim. RDR2.org’s guide covers the quest setup and follow-up.
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- Meet Deborah: Start A Test of Faith at her camp in the Heartlands. You can find bones before meeting her, but you must report their locations to complete the activity.
- Find bones: There are 30. Use Eagle Eye when you are near a bone; it can make small or partly obscured objects easier to spot.
- Mail the locations: Take the discoveries to any post office and mail them to Deborah. Mailing, rather than simply picking up all the bones, advances the quest and awards its milestones.
- Read the invitation: After mailing all 30 locations, allow about a day of in-game time to pass. Collect Deborah’s invitation at a post office, then open it in the satchel’s documents or invitations.
- Visit Deborah: Go to Firwood Rise in Cumberland Forest, near Valentine, to see the completed skeleton and receive the Jawbone Knife.
For a region-organized walkthrough, see IGN’s dinosaur-bone guide. The numbered landmarks below follow GTABase’s location list; use the in-game map and surrounding terrain to confirm each spot, since these labels describe landmarks rather than providing coordinates.
All 30 dinosaur bone locations
The list groups locations by the landmark names used in the guide. The last eight entries are the New Austin group; the rest can be collected earlier as access allows.
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- From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption
- The deepest and most complex world Rockstar Games has ever created
- Covers a huge range of 19th century American landscapes
- Play as Arthur Morgan, lead enforcer in the notorious Van der Linde gang
- Interact with every character in the world with more than just your gun;Engage in conversation with people you meet. Your actions influence Arthur's honour;Horses are a cowboy's best friend, both transport and personal companion;Bond with your horse as you ride together to unlock new abilities
Heartlands, Scarlett Meadows, and Big Valley
- Heartlands Oil Field: At the bottom of the well beneath the oil derrick.
- Heartlands Dewberry Creek: In the open ground west of Dewberry Creek.
- Scarlett Meadows Dewberry Creek: In the open south of Dewberry Creek.
- Heartlands Grassy Hill: On a grassy hill in the open.
- Big Valley Rocky Slope: On an exposed rocky hill.
- Heartlands Abandoned Shack: On the ground south of the cabin.
- Heartlands Cliff Face: At the base of a rock cliff.
- Heartlands Northern Boundary: At the top edge of a cliff.
- Heartlands Southern Gorge: Follow the dried riverbed near the oil derrick; the bone is near the top of the hill.
- Big Valley Beryl’s Dream Overlook: On rocky terrain about halfway up Mount Shann, where the trail bends in an S shape.
- Big Valley Northern Cave: Inside a cave at the bottom of Mount Hagen.
Cumberland Forest, Grizzlies, and Roanoke Ridge
- Grizzlies Rock Wall: At the base of a rock cliff.
- Cumberland Forest Six Point Overlook: At the upper edge of the cliff.
- Grizzlies Calumet Ravine: In a red rocky outcrop near the hilltop.
- Grizzlies Dakota River Ledge: On a small ledge below the top of the cliff.
- Grizzlies Northern Boundary: On a grassy hill in the open.
- Grizzlies O’Creagh’s Run Overlook: On the ridgeline west of O’Creagh’s Run.
- Ridge Overlook: On a rocky plateau south of the railway bridge.
- Cumberland Forest Bacchus: Beside a stone spike at the cliff top southwest of Bacchus Station.
- Roanoke Ridge Valley Overlook: On the cliff above the path descending toward Brandywine Drop.
- Roanoke Ridge Kamassa River: On an intermediate level of the cliffs along the river’s west side.
- Roanoke Ridge Van Horn: A thick bone on the ground at the edge of a clearing.
New Austin
- Cholla Springs High Desert: Inside a small rock wall at the base of a hill.
- Cholla Springs Jorge’s Gap: On a hill southwest of Jorge’s Gap, among bushes.
- Hennigan’s Stead Pike’s Basin: On a plateau west of the canyon.
- Hennigan’s Stead San Luis River: Above the river shore, north of a small islet.
- Rio Bravo Del Lobo Rock: On a small slope near the eastern top of Rio Del Lobo Rock.
- Rio Bravo San Luis River: On a large rock plateau overlooking Fort Mercer.
- Gaptooth Ridge North Tumbleweed: On the east-side cliff above the canyon.
- Gaptooth Ridge South Tumbleweed: On the southeast edge of the plateau overlooking Tumbleweed.
When you can collect the New Austin bones
RDR2.org and PowerPyx report that eight dinosaur bones are in New Austin and that ordinary access to the region for this hunt comes after the main story. Plan to collect the other bones as you explore, then return for the New Austin set when the story opens the area. PowerPyx says the bones are not missable, but notes that the activity does not count toward completion until its associated quest is finished. PowerPyx’s location guide includes the progression note and traversal advice.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Rewards for mailing dinosaur bone locations
| Locations mailed | Reward |
|---|---|
| First location | Quartz Chunk |
| 15 locations | Skull Statue; IGN also lists +5 Dead Eye XP at this milestone. |
| All 30 locations | Deborah’s invitation; after reading it and visiting her, the Jawbone Knife. |
PowerPyx reports that completing the quest adds 2% to total game completion. Treat that as a guide-reported gameplay figure, not an official Rockstar statistic. The guide describes the Jawbone Knife as made from genuine Stegosaurus bone. GTABase’s reward breakdown lists the item milestones.
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Rank #2
- From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption
- The deepest and most complex world Rockstar Games has ever created. 4K Ultra HD not available on Xbox One or Xbox One S consoles
- Covers a huge range of 19th century American landscapes
- Play as Arthur Morgan, lead enforcer in the notorious Van der Linde gang
- Interact with every character in the world with more than just your gun
Tips for bones that are hard to spot or reach
- Activate Eagle Eye nearby: Bones can blend into grass, dirt, or rock, and some are small or partly buried.
- Check vertical terrain: Several bones sit on cliff ledges, ridges, or slopes rather than on the obvious trail. Approach carefully and look for routes up or down instead of trying to reach them in a straight line.
- Take time at the San Luis River landmark: PowerPyx identifies bone 12 among the more difficult reaches and describes approaching by a mountain route, using a grassy patch and then descending toward the collectible. Use the guide’s map and images to identify the route before committing to a climb.
- Use landmarks as search areas: Names such as “Northern Boundary” and “Rocky Slope” are broad guide labels, not exact coordinates. Scan the nearby cliff line or terrain with Eagle Eye.
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