Stranger missions are optional missions that involve helping a variety of colorful characters. These missions are much shorter than regular story missions but provide an interesting diversion. In this guide, we take a look at The Veteran stranger mission.
Quest Initiation
The Veteran stranger mission is available right after completing Chapter 5. Hamish Sinclair can be found near O’Creagh’s Run, which is located to the west of Annesburg. Once meeting the man, you will learn that he is a veteran and that his horse Buell threw him off and ran away. Hamish cannot recover the horse himself, as the horse ran with his prosthetic leg still on it, so he asks Arthur for help.
Head toward the lake to find the horse. Approach it and calm the horse until you can pat him and lead him back to Hamish. The veteran will thank Arthur and invite him fishing later.
Part II
The second part of the mission becomes available after a single in-game day passes. You can just play the game normally or rest at camp for the required amount of time.
In this part of the mission, Hamish will bring you fishing. He is looking for a particularly big fish called the Tyrant, who will put up quite a big fight.
After the first cutscene is over, head to the marked spot on the map. Hamish will be thrown overboard, so help him as quickly as possible by rowing to his location.
Having lost his pole, Hamish asks Arthur to fish for the Tyrant. The fish will eventually take a bite, and you will have to reel it in. The Tyrant is as strong as any of the game’s Legendary Fishes, you will be for a long fight: just make sure to counter the direction of the fish when he is pulling and reel in when it’s tired.
After the Tyrant has been caught, you will head back to the cabin, Hamish will invite you hunting and this part of the mission will be complete.
Part III
The third part of The Veteran mission becomes available one in-game day after the second part has been completed. Hamish did extend an invitation to Arthur to go hunting, and this is precisely what you will be doing in this part of the mission. You will go after a huge female wolf that has been spotted in the area.
Once the cutscene is over, get on your horse and ride to the marked location on the map, which is the spot where the wolf was last seen. Investigate the deer carcass to make the wolf appear briefly, then activate Eagle Eye to highlight its tracks. Continue following it together with Hamish until you reach a spot with another wolf. Take that animal down and then get ready for a big fight with the real big bad wolf.
After killing the first wolf, more will appear from different sides. They can kill you easily, so make sure to use Dead Eye to kill them before they can get to you and Hamish. Once all of the wolves have been killed, the big wolf will finally appear, and she will pin Arthur to the ground.
Break free using the correct button as highlighted onscreen and activate Dead Eye to kill her for good. Watch the following cutscene and the third part of this mission will be complete.
Part IV
The fourth part of this stranger mission becomes available one full in-game day after the previous has been completed. You can play the game normally to make time pass or skip ahead by making camp and sleeping for the required amount of time.
Despite what happened with the wolf, Hamish hasn’t lost his taste for hunting. A huge boar has been roaming his property of late, and he wants to take it down.
After the cutscene is over, go after the boar and try to shoot it. The animal will then disappear, so use Eagle Eye to highlight its tracks. The tracks, however, will eventually split in two, and Hamish will propose that they follow them separately.
Proceed up the hill until you find a wolf carcass. Check it out to hear some gunshots coming from nearby. Hamish has found the boar, but things didn’t go well.
After arriving at the location marked on the map, you will see that Hamish has been badly wounded and he is soon going to die. The veteran asks only to take his horse Buell as his dying wish. There will be no time to mourn Hamish, however, as the boar appears soon after the man has died.
Activate Dead Eye and go for multiple headshots, as the animal is very resilient. Once the boar is dead, you can get a trophy from it. You can also take Buell with you: the horse is more than decent, and doing so will result in an increase in your current Honor rating.
