Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer has bows and arrows, after years of requests

Rockstar brings back the weapon from Red Dead Revolver

Good news for Red Dead Redemption fans: Red Dead Redemption 2 will let players use bows and arrows, a weapon type that was sorely missing from the previous game. Red Dead Redemption 2’s new story trailer shows off hero Arthur Morgan drawing an arrow while hunting in the Wild West, something we never got to see John Marston do in the previous game.

This may seem like a small addition for those unfamiliar with the series, but diehard fans of the earlier game have reason to be excited. The bow and arrow was a popular choice for players of Red Dead Revolver, the 2004 action Western that went on to inspired Red Dead Redemption and its follow-up. When Red Dead Redemption launched and lacked the weapon, it left some who were into it disappointed.

As recently as last fall, members of the Red Dead Redemption subreddit and other forumsvoiced their hopes that the bow and arrow would return for the game’s sequel. It would be a great choice for hunting, they wrote, even if it wasn’t the most efficient method to do so for cowboys back then.

“Outlaws and cowboys wouldn't have used bows,” wrote one user in a thread advocating for the return of bows and arrows. “But it's one of those things where the devs need to venture off the historically accurate path and just add them in. Or find a way to make it seem legit, like play as a Native American.”

Rockstar hasn’t given us any word on that Native American front, with the new story trailer instead focusing on Morgan and his gang. But bows and arrows are an encouraging step forward, especially for those who got into fighting with them in other recent open-world action games.