You're riding through the Heartlands, maybe chasing a 3-star buck or just enjoying the way the light hits the grass, when you stumble upon a massive ribcage sticking out of the dirt. It isn't a cow. It’s way too big for that. This is usually how most players first encounter the Stranger mission A Test of Faith RDR2, triggered by meeting Deborah MacGuiness in the middle of nowhere. She’s an amateur paleontologist with a lot of energy and a very specific request: find all 30 dinosaur bone locations scattered across the massive map of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Honestly? It’s a slog.
It is arguably one of the most time-consuming collectathons in the game, right up there with the Dreamcatchers or those elusive Rock Carvings. But there’s a reason completionists obsess over it beyond just getting that 100% checkmark on the progress menu.
Finding the Bones Without Losing Your Mind
Let’s be real. If you try to find all 30 locations without a guide, you are going to be playing this game until 2030. Rockstar hid these things with a level of cruelty that borders on impressive. Some are tucked away on high mountain ridges in Ambarino where one wrong step sends Arthur (or John) tumbling to a ragdoll death. Others are inside dark caves or at the bottom of dried-up creek beds that look like every other creek bed in New Austin.
The mission officially starts when you chat with Deborah northeast of Flatneck Station. She's convinced she's going to rewrite history. You, being the helpful outlaw you are, agree to mail her the coordinates of every bone you find.
One of the easiest ones to snag early is in the Heartlands, specifically at Oil Derrick. You’ll find a bone at the bottom of a well. It’s simple. You just climb down the ladder. But then you have the bones in Gaptooth Ridge or Rio Bravo. Those are a different story entirely. Because of the way the game is structured, a significant chunk of these bones—eight of them, to be exact—are located in New Austin.
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That means if you’re playing as Arthur Morgan, you technically can't finish this quest until the Epilogue. Unless, of course, you use the "Buggy Method" to hide Arthur’s head from the invisible sniper in Great Plains, but that’s a level of sweatiness most casual players aren't looking for. For the rest of us, A Test of Faith RDR2 is a long-term investment that spans the entire narrative arc of the game.
Why the Rewards Actually Matter
Most people think you just get a pat on the back and maybe a trophy. Not quite. Rockstar actually baked some decent utility into this questline.
After mailing the first bone location, Deborah sends you a Quartz Shard. Don't sell this to a fence immediately! You need that shard to craft the Bear Claw Talon Trinket. This is huge because that trinket permanently decreases your Health Core drain speed by 10%. In a game where keeping your cores full determines how long you can survive a shootout in Saint Denis, that 10% makes a noticeable difference.
Once you hit 15 bones, you get a Skull Statue. It’s worth some cash, sure, but it’s mostly a milestone marker. The real "prize" comes at 30 bones. Once you've mailed the final coordinates, you’ll receive an invitation to Deborah’s ranch in Firwood Rise, Cumberland Forest.
The reveal is... well, it’s peak Rockstar humor.
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Deborah has "reconstructed" the skeleton. It’s a monstrosity. She’s taken bones from various species and mashed them together to create a creature that never existed, claiming she’s discovered the "missing link." It’s a jab at early, real-world paleontology where scientists were basically guessing (and often lying) about how these massive lizards looked. For your trouble, she gives you the Deborah MacGuiness Invitation and, eventually, the Jawbone Knife.
The knife is the real flex. It’s a unique melee weapon made from a fossilized jaw with a serrated edge. It doesn't do more damage than your standard hunting knife, but it looks incredible during a cinematic execution.
The Frustration of New Austin
The biggest hurdle for A Test of Faith RDR2 is the geographical lockdown.
Arthur Morgan can't step foot in Blackwater or New Austin without being swarmed by lawmen or shot by a "map sniper." This feels like a missed opportunity for many who wanted to finish Arthur's journal completely. The bones in the desert are some of the hardest to spot because they blend into the tan, rocky environment.
Take the Rio Bravo bone, for instance. It’s located on a plateau overlooking the San Luis River. If you aren't using Eagle Eye constantly, you’ll ride right past it. The game expects you to be a scout. It wants you to look at the silhouettes of the land.
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Expert Tips for Hunting Fossils
- Eagle Eye is your best friend. When you trigger Eagle Eye (L3 + R3), dinosaur bones emit a yellow "scent" or "glow" similar to legendary animal tracks, but it's much smaller.
- Mail them in batches. You don't have to visit a post office after every single bone. Find five, then mail them. It saves time.
- Check the mountains last. The Ambarino bones are the most dangerous. Use a sturdy horse like a Turkoman or an Arabian that won't buck you off the moment it sees a cliff edge or a wolf.
- Wait for the Epilogue. Seriously. Don't stress about the New Austin bones while playing as Arthur. Enjoy the story. The quest will be waiting for John Marston, and it feels more natural to explore the desert during that phase of the game anyway.
The Real-World Connection
Rockstar didn't just pull this quest out of thin air. It’s a direct reference to the "Bone Wars" of the late 19th century. Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh were two paleontologists who basically had a decades-long temper tantrum, trying to outdo each other by finding more fossils. They used bribery, theft, and even dynamite to destroy bones so the other couldn't have them.
Deborah MacGuiness is a caricature of that era’s desperate, often misguided ambition. When you look at her "completed" dinosaur at the end of the quest, it’s a nod to the fact that early paleontology was basically a messy, expensive hobby for eccentric people.
The quest name itself, A Test of Faith, is a double entendre. It refers to Deborah’s "faith" in her scientific discovery, but it’s also a test of the player’s patience. Can you stay committed to finding 30 tiny spots on a map that is over 75 square miles?
Wrapping It Up
By the time you get that Jawbone Knife, you've likely seen every corner of the map. You've seen the snowy peaks of Colter and the dusty plains of Tumbleweed. That’s the real secret of these collection quests—they aren't about the item you get at the end. They are a disguised tour of the most beautiful digital environment ever created.
If you're going for the "Best in the West" trophy, you have no choice. You're doing this. But even if you aren't a trophy hunter, getting that Quartz Shard early is worth the effort for the health buff alone.
To make the most of your hunt, prioritize the Heartlands and Scarlett Meadows bones first. These are the most accessible and can be knocked out in a single afternoon of gameplay. Once you move into the grizzlies, bring plenty of Winter Green Core items; the weather is as much an enemy as the terrain. For the New Austin leg, wait until the sun is high in the game world, as the shadows in the canyons can make the fossils nearly invisible during dawn or dusk. Stick to the high ridges first, then work your way down into the basins to avoid backtracking through the steep cliffs.
Next Steps for Players:
Start by visiting the Oil Derrick in the Heartlands to grab your first bone and the Quartz Shard. Mail the coordinates immediately to get the crafting material for your Bear Claw Talon Trinket at any Fence. Save the New Austin locations for the Epilogue to avoid the "invisible sniper" mechanic that plagues Arthur Morgan's attempts to explore the southern map.