Red Dead Redemption

51 Achievements

Steam

Master Exploder

Complete the Explosive Rifle Challenge.

3.6%

How to unlock the Master Exploder achievement in Red Dead Redemption - Definitive Guide

JCKellner

TrueAchievements

03 Oct 2010 13:20

****This solution is for the DLC only. If you have purchased or rent the Undead Nightmare Disc, please see the solution provided by either The Recluse or osubluejacket.****

There are 5 ranks for the Explosive Rifle in single player.

Rank 1 - Obtain Explosive Rifle from gunsmith in Blackwater, be sure to buy max ammo available at the gunsmith for the rifle, you may need it. Cost of the rifle depends on your honor. Lower $15,000, middle $10,000, high $5,000 as confirmed by Rusty Nail zh. If you don't have high honor and don't want to spend 10k or more for the rifle you may want to start duels with people and just disarm them to move your honor up.

Rank 2 - Use the Explosive Rifle to kill 5 people in cover - I went to the Twin Rocks gang hideout, didn't actually get all 5 in the first time, but, finished it after setting up camp to save to respawn the hideout. You could probably go to other hideouts that have more enemies to complete this faster than I did.

Rank 3 - Kill 3 Criminals in 1 shot using the Explosive Rifle. I used what GreenBeretBrown suggested, went to Fort Mercer, hogtied 4 criminals (I did 4 just in case) and shot into the pile.

Rank 4 - Kill 2 animals with one shot with the Explosive Rifle. After I cleared Fort Mercer and the vultures are flying overhead, used dead eye to target one of the vultures when it flew next to a 2nd Vulture. I tried it without dead eye, but, I couldn't get it to auto aim on a vulture. Others have mentioned using bait to do this part and shooting the ground between 2 animals once the bait lures them in.

Rank 5 - Obtain or change into the US Army Uniform and kill an enemy.
If you have access to the US Army uniform already, you may want to change into it before starting on these challenges. Went to a safe house and changed into the uniform and there was an active bounty on the bounty board, accepted it and killed the first enemy using the explosive rifle. By completing this challenge you get a 50% discount on explosive rifle ammo and the achievement.

141

03 Oct 2010 13:20

25 Comments

EL K4RLIT0's rank 4 method worked for me :)

By ChrisL475 on 20 Dec 2010 23:47

Nice guide, gonna start on this game again after Halo legendary solo.

By Hyp3rNova NL on 04 Oct 2010 11:02

why does the explosive rifle cost $15,000?

By JJFinch1987 on 04 Oct 2010 15:33

Can anyone else with lower than the highest honor confirm that the explosive rifle costs $15,000.00? I finished the game with highest honor and only paid $5000.00 for it. I didn't know that your honor could affect how much you paid for the explosive rifle.

By JCKellner on 05 Oct 2010 00:49

it cost $15,000 for me and my honor is low

By JJFinch1987 on 05 Oct 2010 04:45

for the 2 wild animal challenge i believe you can use bait and then get loads with 1 shot

By Elk4rlit0 on 16 Oct 2010 00:54

@ all: Price of Explosive rifle: 15'000 when honor is in the bad part; 10'000 when honor is in the middle part and 5000 when honor is in the good part.
If you tried to do the 500 mounted weapon achievement and your honor is low, simply wear the elegant suit and cheat in poker. In the duel, shoot the hand of your opponent --> gives you 200 honor. Rinse and repeat. If there aren't any players, go saving and cheat again. Location: McFarlane's Ranch is the best to do this. Hope this helps...

By Rusty Nail zh on 20 Oct 2010 22:11

I went to blackwater to buy the gun but he don't sell it, then i fort i got the undead disc with the DLC on it, and am playing single player off the normal red dead disc so how would i get these achievements?

By I TheRecluse I on 08 Jan 2011 01:57

Just thought I would post that I had this glitch were the ammo doesn't show in the store. It is there in the bottom right but you can't see it. Strange stuff!

By LAFTA on 16 Feb 2011 16:37

Great great guide. Just wanted to mention that I was able to do the majority of the achievement in 2 run throughs of Twin Rocks. Half way through my second run completed Rank 2, and I was able to use the lasso method you mentioned with 3 of the enemies still left. After clearing it, there were plenty of buzzards and I was easily able to kill 2 in one shot. Had a random encounter on the way back to Armadillo and finished there. Took me less than 10 minutes total. Great guide man!

By PBreezey on 18 May 2011 03:58

Wondering if anyone can help... I actually got this achievement, but at the time I got it I was using a cheap flash drive for my save game. Somehow the file was corrupted and I lost the achievement right after I got it, but it still shows I finished the Challenge. Is there a way to reset the Explosive rifle challenge without starting the game over???? HELP!!!

By xZombies8MyCATx on 07 Jul 2011 20:22

Used the honor trick. So the rifle is now 5k. Whats the best method to get money. Currently at 1k, But its taking forever to go up :/

By Reabo on 18 Jul 2011 00:26

Probably the best -honest- way to get money is hunting, and herb collecting with the Survivalist Map. Rare animals and a ton of herbs will have you over $5K pretty soon. However, the ammo is also expensive. Bounties returned alive are worth twice the posted amount, but I found Bounties to be quite nerve-wracking compared to picking flowers.

By Chronovore on 21 Jul 2011 12:04

Can you do this in the dlc as i have in Undead Nightmare but cant afford it in the normal game.

By RadiantMist on 11 Aug 2011 19:29

Dont know if its posted here anywhere, but for the 3 kills at once. Go to armadillo, sleep until night and kill the guys at the Poker (?) Table. They are all criminals and most of the time, its 3-4 of them.

By o0ArA0o on 07 Dec 2011 03:58

For those who don't want to spend time hunting and herb collecting, try to get the savvy merchant outfit. When you wear it, gunsmiths will charge you half price on their goods. I bought the explosion rifle for only 2500.

By DeepFreeZz95 on 17 Oct 2012 16:51

How do you get so much money?

By monkeyboy3009 on 30 Apr 2013 21:01

Hunting and Gathering really. Hunt animals and skin them to get furs and parts to sell to Merchants. Gather herbs/flowers throughout the area and sell those to merchants.

By JCKellner on 01 May 2013 16:10

o0ArA0o's method is the simplest. I didn't have to mess with hogtying anyone. Blew up everyone at the poker table but got a passerby too because I was inpatient. I rode out of town, came pack and paid off my $10 bounty and was done with this challenge.

By MrZombieChicken on 13 Sep 2021 21:20

I got the money by combing hunting all 20 buffalo and all 10 gold bars. That along with high honour meant $5500 was needed for the rifle and ammo.

By WiliamsL1805 on 07 Feb 2022 17:39

Don't be like me, and sink your perfect honour for a couple achievements before buying the explosive rifle. Now I have 5 grand, but my honour is sunk so bad it costs 15k, so I'm just doing bounties and bringing them back alive so I can bring up my honour and make a few hundred bucks.

By Friggin Grease on 15 Nov 2022 00:41

You can get the uniform only when you reach the last missions, see https://reddead.fandom.com/wiki/Master_Exploder and https://reddead.fandom.com/wiki/US_Army_Uniform

By Moe GZ on 21 Feb 2024 23:32

Great guide, found it very useful!

For Rank 4 though, I definitely agree that using bait is your best bait, and shoot at the ground in between two animals. It would also be worth adding details about the price of the rifle for a perfect guide *hint hint* ;)

By zigs00 on 26 Dec 2010 20:27

I didn't know honor had anything to do with the price of this rifle so when I completed the story, I went on a killing spree so now I had to keep doing bounty missions(I found armadillo ones to be easier than others). Doing those and duels and helping out anyone who came along and just now got the price down to $5,000 so achievement here I come!

By M3ALLISTER on 09 Mar 2011 01:23

This method worked great for me, although on rank 3 where you have to get three kills in one shot, it glitched first time round. I was at Pikes Basin, hogtied 3 people outside and killed everyone else EXCEPT the guy inside (so the mission wouldnt end). I then shot and killed all 3 people in 1 shot, but it didnt "rank up".

After that I went over to Fort Mercer, hogtied FOUR enemies up top (I ended up having to tie one up on the lower level and carry him up!!), shot into the pile and worked :) Just thought I would mention in case anyone else has similar issues.

The two birds worked at Fort Mercer as well immediately after, and as I was wearing the right uniform already I was then able to just find a random bandit at a camp on my way back to town and got rank 5 :)

By UKGN Luke on 21 Jun 2012 14:51

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The15minkid

TrueAchievements

08 Dec 2010 21:05

For the kill three enemies at once part. Go to Armadillo at night, go to the bar when it is busy with people playing cards, they are all criminals, so just shoot a table full of them and done and done. Works for the last part as well, just change into your army outfit, and shoot someone playing cards.

08 Dec 2010 21:05

9 Comments

That's a lot easier

By ch1cag0steve on 10 Dec 2010 01:34

Worked perfectly for me too. Thumbs up :)

By ChrisL475 on 20 Dec 2010 23:46

I had to shoot at normal armadillo bar table since at poker there was always the general store man, but easier than hogtie, which did not work for me

By MikeBugslayer on 11 Jan 2011 22:38

Very good tip, worked a treat, I then did the same thing again for rank 5

By kevthejedi on 01 Feb 2011 20:54

Worked really well, Did take a couple tries but since the save point is so close didn't take more than 5 mins

By JammieDodger#829 on 05 Mar 2011 16:11

perfect solution =)

By II PenanCe on 08 Mar 2011 14:21

very good mate

By BRAVEHEART PL on 06 Mar 2015 06:41

Top solution for sure

By Wazowskii Time on 26 Nov 2023 14:19

If you're having trouble getting three of Walton's gang around 1 table like I did, then you can hogtie them one at a time and take them outside, then when they are all together, shoot them.

By godsandm0nsters on 02 May 2011 14:09

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I TheRecluse I

TrueAchievements

09 Jan 2011 01:03

This is the guide for the Undead Nightmare DISC Version Of The Game for the Achievement Master Exploder

Rank 1:-

Complete Rathskeller Fork to make it safe and you will be given the gun Explosive Rifle & have completed Rank 1

Rank 2:-

Kill one of each of the 4 undead types with the explosice rifle
Bruisers (Big Fat Changing Zombies)
Retchers (Green Radioactive Zombies That Spit)
Bolters (Run On All Fours And Skinny)
Normal Undead (Casual Looking Undead)

Rank 3:-

Kill 3 zombies In 1 shot with the Explosive Rifle

Quite easy just look for a large group of zombies and shoot

Rank 4:-

Kill 2 zombie animals in 1 shot with the Explosive Rifle

Best place to look is in tall trees or in New Austin & Mexico in the middle of no where because wolf's or couger's will end up chasing you

Rank 5:-

Obtain & Change Into the US Army Uniform and then kill a zombie with the Explosive Rifle while wearing the US Army Uniform.

Now I've only just started this game today and i got to Rank 5 and i do not have the Uniform yet but am told that you get it in a story mission along the lines of play so just keep playing till you get it, then change into it, shoot a zombie and pop theirs your achievement. (will update when i find out what mission it is, or if someone comments it)

09 Jan 2011 01:03

16 Comments

I completed Rathskeller fork and was given the explosive rifle but when I look at my challenges there isnt one for the explosive rifle. I have done the first level of the challenge in the main game, maybe that is why?

By Jesticulator on 15 Jan 2011 16:25

do you have the disc or DLC?

By I TheRecluse I on 16 Jan 2011 11:48

I have the dlc and it is the same for me. I have the explosive rifle only in the dlc, not the main story line, and there are no challeneges for the explosive rifle. I do have challenges in the main story line tho.

By BShick07 on 27 Jan 2011 02:54

thats because this guide is for the Disc version and not the DLC use the other guide at the top for the DLC version

By I TheRecluse I on 27 Jan 2011 17:47

wild horses work, but broken horses don't, so if you can find a group of horses, blast away to get rank 4

By echris1 on 06 Feb 2011 21:56

u get the US army uniform (undead nightmare) after the last (W) mission & u have to either help the US army killing zombies or take it by force & risk getting killed by the army.

By lowrida1987 on 23 Feb 2011 02:27

Hi, I'm at the rank 4 but I finished the bullet. We're I can found it? Because you can't buy it.
Thanks
Cheers

By DAC DevilDrunk on 29 Jun 2011 14:27

You should add that you should finish the last challenge before the end of the last mission. After that the US Army Uniform is no longer available.

By THRACE 462753 on 18 Aug 2011 22:32

This works for the Game of the Year edition as well.

By Mental Knight 5 on 11 Jan 2012 19:02

If you complete undead nightmare (losing the uniform) the 5th task becomes 'kill a zombie w/ explosive rifle as undead john marston' AKA the outfit requirement goes away. It worked for me just fine in the trench coat outfit (can't think of the name off hand)

By GatorFist on 21 May 2012 21:27

I'm using disc and I don't see the challenge for this or tomahawk

By j2kworld on 25 Jun 2014 23:14

The most recent update broke this challenge and the Axe Master achievement. You have to wait for another update, find a version for the regular Red Dead Redemption, or clear your cache and do it offline.

By Edward Hyena on 22 Jul 2014 04:49

how can I know which level am I for a gun? I mean... I only have 4 challenges and NO rifle challenge! I have the GOTY edition

By Draxler Knight7 on 16 Mar 2015 01:07

I have the Undead nightmare & multiplayer disc of the GOTY edition. I saved the town, got the rifle, but no challenge popped up in the journal. Anyone know what's going on?

By Zemidek on 03 Aug 2016 18:50

Can anyone confirm if the ARMY OF THE UNDEAD outfit will work for #5?

Also I've already completed the Undead Nightmare and wondering how long it takes for Zombies to retake Rathskeller and Manzanita after you've cleared them. Does anyone know?

By xMARCx on 16 Jan 2012 23:40

Still broken in 2019 for Undead Nightmare. And they'll probably never fix this. Shame on you Rockstar!
Like suggested before clear your system cache on 360 to delete the title update and play offline. Load your save. The challenge will appear in your journal automatically if you have already obtained the rifle in the game.

If you can only play on Xbox One (or care about timestamps on your achievements) you're screwed and can NOT get this achievement with the Undead Nightmare campaign!

Download the Liars & Cheats DLC (it's free by now) and play the main games campaign.
Follow JCKellner's solution and you'll get it that way.

By LeXXuz on 19 Jun 2019 15:57

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osubluejacket

TrueAchievements

05 Mar 2011 15:20

I just managed to pick up this achievement with the Undead Nightmare DLC disc. The top solution doesn't go into much depth on how to get it when working solely off of the Undead Nightmare DLC disc. Hopefully this solution will help those like me.

To achieve Rank 1 you need to save Rathskeller Fork. When entering, find the lead survivor (on top of one of the buildings). Next to him you'll find a Gatling Gun which will help mow down most of the undead. After saving the town, you'll receive the Explosive Rifle.

Getting Rank 2 is pretty easy, as all you have to do is kill one of each of the four undead types with the Explosive Rifle. Those types are:

Bruisers (These are the fat zombies that will charge.)
Retchers (The glowing zombies that spit green.)
Bolters (The zombies that run around on all fours.)
Normal Undead (These are your generic zombies.)

A good way to find all of them is to go to a town that needs to be saved, camp up high, and pick off one of each of them. I found that Gaptooth Breach (the next place I went when playing) was a good place to spot all of them.

Getting Rank 3 can be a little harder as you need to Kill three zombies with one shot with the Explosive Rifle. I believe the easiest way to do this is to go to a town that needs saved, camp up on top of a building, toss the Zombie Bait (obtained from Nigel Wes Dickens after the first part of "A Cure For Most of What Ails You"), wait for three zombies to cluster around, and shoot one of them. If the zombies are grouped close enough, the resulting explosion will take out all three.

Achieving Rank 4 requires you to kill two zombie animals with one shot with the Explosive Rifle. Your best bet for this is to roam around the Gaptooth Ridge or Rio Bravo area and look for either wolves or coyotes, as they travel in packs. Wait for two of them to get close together, enter Red Eye, and shoot one of them. The resulting explosion should knock two (or more) out.

Rank 5 can be a bit confusing if you're just starting Undead Nightmare, as it requires you to obtain and change into the US Army Uniform and kill any zombie. Obtaining the uniform requires some progression in the story. After finishing "A Cure For Most of What Ails You" you'll need to meet Nigel Wes Dickens at Solomon's Folly. There he will tell you that you'll need a US Army Uniform to get into Mexico and direct you to a camp of Army deserters to obtain it. The Army Deserter Camp is right near The Scratching Post. Once you arrive, you'll need to either fight off the zombies to aid the Army deserters, or you can steal the uniform from the chest and "risk the consequences". Once you obtain the uniform, simply find a zombie (I recommend going to Tumbleweed as it's close and always has some zombies.), shoot it with the Explosive Rifle and the achievement will pop.

05 Mar 2011 15:20

osubluejacket

TrueAchievements

05 Mar 2011 15:20

GothicMischief

TrueAchievements

13 May 2012 20:05

Rank 3 - 5

I did Nightwatch job in Chuparosa where there are about 5 gang members attacking a woman. One shot kills all of them and gets rank 3. It does -50 honor for killing the woman.

Ran out of town, shot a pack of wolves for 4.

Back to town, put on Army outfit, Nightwatch again got rank 5 by shooting one more criminal. You may need to save a few times to make the job show up again.

13 May 2012 20:05

DancingLucifer

TrueAchievements

15 Feb 2015 07:36

If you are like and are having trouble with the challenges showing up like i did. then clear your system cache. you have to do these offline as the title update broke the game.

15 Feb 2015 07:36

User has been removed

TrueAchievements

This solution is for earn some money to purchase the explosive rifle at blackwater.

1.- Go to armadillo.
2.-Sleep and wait to midday.
3.-Go to the bank of armadillo.
4.-Enters through the back of the bank.
5.-Enter in the jail and steal 2 chest ( 1 guy usually see you and you need pay 3 times to him because he will alert the marshalls if you dont pay him )
6.-When you steal the money change you zone go to cholla springs nort of armadillo and back to armadillo and repeat the process.

ENJOY

Fizzmatix, Sirius, x360a, Markolie, YUNDER

XboxAchievements

There are 5 challenges to complete for the Explosive Rifle. After you've finished all 5 challenges, the achievement will unlock. The challenges are as follows;

1. Purchase the Explosive Rifle
The Explosive Rifle can be bought from the Gunsmith in Blackwater. It's price will be one of three options;

$5,000
$10,000
$15,000

The price will depend on your fame. (Honor?) The higher your fame is, the lower the price of the gun is. Being negative in fame will cause the rifle to be $15,000. Somewhere around Neutral will cause the rifle to cost $10,000. Be extremely positive, and the rifle will cost $5,000. If you happen to have very low fame, and low money, try and bring your Fame up. You can do this by wearing the Elegant suit, cheating at Poker and shooting the gun out of your opponent's hand during the duel after being caught. If you play at MacFarlane's Ranch, the buy-in is only $10. Repeat this over and over until you are at high enough Fame where you can buy the rifle at $5,000.

2. Kill 5 Enemies while they are in cover
After you've purchased the Explosive Rifle, you'll need to kill 5 enemies while they are in cover. Traveling to the nearest hideout is the easiest way to find enemies. When an enemy is in cover, they'll be out of sight, and hiding behind something. This is when you must take your shot. Repeat 5 times, and the challenge should be complete.

3. Kill 3 Enemies With One Shot
Killing 3 enemies with one shot may seem like an improbable task, but it is much easier than it seems. Hog-tying 3 enemies and placing them within a spot where they're all next to each other, will do the trick. Shooting your enemies from a higher point may make the job easier, but that is down to personal preference.

4. Kill Two Wild Animals
Killing any type of wild animal will work. Vultures will spawn after you've completed a hideout, bait can attract different types of animals, and finding random spawning animals all work well. Be sure to use Dead Eye when you're trying to shoot a hard target.

5. Kill an Enemy While Wearing the US Army Outfit
First, you'll need to have unlocked the US Army Outfit. This outfit is tied to the Redeemed achievement. For information on how to unlock it, check this thread. You can change your outfits at your nearest Bed. Change into the outfit, and kill an enemy.

Warbear, MK, aleFH, GODCHILD1020

PlaystationTrophies

Note: If you have the Undead Nightmare disc, then you have to get Master Exploder in the Undead Nightmare campaign so the challenges are slightly different. Credit to SylarTheNinja for this info.

This is just like an ambient challenge. It can be viewed in your Journal. Go into your Journal in the Start screen and then click on Challenges. There are 5 levels for the Explosive Rifle Challenge and you start them by buying the Rifle from Blackwater from the Gunsmith.

Explosive Rifle RANK 1:

The prices for the Rifle will differ depending on what Treasure hunting Challenges you have completed and how high you Honor is. For Rank 1 buy the Rifle from the Gunsmith at Blackwater for:

Good Guy = 5,000
Neutral = 10,000
Bad Guy = 15,000

Explosive Rifle RANK 2:

Kill five enemies who are covering with the Explosive Rifle. Go to Gaptooth Ridge hideout and shoot any enemies you see using cover, it doesn't have to be one after the other. You can miss three times in a row and still get the Rank up. If you are still missing some enemies the Gold Mine has more than enough people in cover.

Explosive Rifle RANK 3:

Get three kills with 1 shot with the Explosive Rifle. The best way to get this Rank is to Hogtie 3 enemies and carry them over to each other in a circle and shoot them all at once with your explosive rifle.

Alternative methods:

1: Alternatively, go to Tumbleweed Hideout. Kill all bandits in the town but one. Mount your horse, kill the last bandit and hurry to the mansion. Take cover behind the stone fence, wait for the first bandit to open the door and then shoot. Credit to Simonp92 for this tip.

2: Go into the bar in Armadillo and just shot the floor in-between the gang members that are always sitting in there, make sure there are at least 3 members. They shouldn't do anything until you get one shoot off, by that time they should be dead. Credit to AlexAnswer for this tip.

Explosive Rifle RANK 4:

Kill 2 wild animals with 1 shot. This is pretty easy, use some bait in the outskirts of Armadillo, head over to Tall Trees or anywhere you can find a good amount of coyotes. These things will usually come in packs of 5 or 6 so if you use the dead eye on those little bastards you can complete this challenge easily.

Explosive Rifle RANK 5:

Kill an enemy with the Explosive Rifle while wearing the US Army Uniform. First, obtain the US Army Uniform. You unlock the US Army Uniform by completing the mission "An Appointed Time". To earn it, complete the following tasks:

Search Aurora Basin
Win at Arm Wrestling in Pacific Union Railroad Camp
Eliminate all other players in a game of Poker in Blackwater
Complete the "Lights, Camera, Action" Stranger task
Complete Nightwatch Job in Blackwater
Purchase at the tailor shop in Blackwater

Next, head to your safe house and change into the US Army Uniform. After putting on the uniform just shoot an enemy. If there is a Wanted poster nearby, grab it and go after that bandit and kill anyone that comes in your way and then the trophy will pop.

famitsy_ru

stratege.ru

19 Jan 2024 23:08

This guide was translated automatically.

Level 1 - Buy a Heavy Rifle, sold in Blackwater for $5,000

Level 2 - Kill 5 enemies hiding in cover with a Heavy Rifle. — We do it in Tumbleweed or Fort Mercer

Level 3 - Kill 3 enemies with one shot from a heavy rifle. “The easier thing to do in Fort Mercer is tie up three Mexicans and shoot.”

Level 4 - Kill 2 animals with one shot from a heavy rifle. — I did it near Post Manzanita, there are a lot of animals there, it’s more convenient to shoot a pack of wolves that are running after a horse in this place.

Level 5 - Obtain and wear a US Army uniform. While wearing your US Army uniform, kill an enemy with a Heavy Rifle.
To obtain a US Army uniform, you must fulfill 6 conditions:
Part 1: Search Lake Aurora. - Located in Toll Trees, search the shack by the lake.
Part 2: Win an arm wrestle at Pacific Union Railroad Camp.
Part 3: Defeat everyone at the table in a Blackwater poker game. — During the game, bet 500 or 1000 chips, it’s easier to play if there is only one person at the table, you can disperse the rest by taking out a pistol and pressing in when someone sits down at the table.
Part 4: Complete the stranger's "Lights, Camera, Motor" assignment.
Part 5: Complete the Night's Watch in Blackwater.
Part 6: Buy from the tailor in Blackwater.

19 Jan 2024 23:08

Lil-Gameboy123

PSNProfiles

23 Jun 2024 00:00

We cannot show the content due to copyright protection. Please click the link below to view the guide.

https://psnprofiles.com/guide/17491-red-dead-redemption-trophy-guide#45-master-exploder