If you’ve spent dozens of hours roaming the plains and bayous of Red Dead Redemption 2’s open world, you’ve probably stumbled across a handful of weird, easy-to-miss side content that never pops up on your main mission map. Most of these events are one-off gags or small rewards, but some are fully fleshed out quest chains with unique stories and exclusive loot you can’t get anywhere else. One of the most rewarding yet underrated of these hidden gems is mafia the old country, a short but tense chain of quests tied to the Italian mob operating out of Saint Denis. Most players walk right past the trigger for these missions without noticing, even though completing them unlocks unique rewards you can’t get anywhere else in the game. I first found the quest by accident when I was running from the law after a botched stagecoach robbery, and ducked into an alley near the Saint Denis central market to hide. The yelling of a man being harassed by two thugs caught my ear, and stopping to help him kicked off a chain of events that quickly became one of my favorite side storylines in the entire game. It’s often mistaken for a random open world event, but it’s actually three fully scripted missions with clear objectives and meaningful payoffs.
How to Unlock Mafia the Old Country Quest Chain in RDR2
The first thing you need to know is that this quest line doesn’t show up on your map, no matter how many question marks you hunt down around Saint Denis. You won’t get a map marker for mafia the old country, so you have to seek out the trigger manually. The starting point is in the central market area of Saint Denis, near the fruit stands on the east side of the main square. Look for a middle-aged Italian man named Carlo being confronted by two burly loan sharks, yelling about unpaid debts. You can only trigger this interaction if two specific conditions are met. First, the quest only unlocks between 10 AM and 6 PM in-game, so if you’re wandering the city at night, you won’t find Carlo there. Second, you can’t have completed the main Saint Denis bank heist mission first, because the mob storyline shifts drastically after that point in the main plot, and Carlo will no longer be in the market. You also don’t want to have an active bounty in Saint Denis when you approach, because if the police show up mid-interaction, Carlo will run off and you’ll have to wait another in-game day to find him again. All you have to do to start the quest is walk up to the group when you see them, and the interaction will trigger automatically. You don’t need to talk to anyone first or complete any pre-requisite side quests, as long as you’re in Chapter 3 or later of the main story.
Key Mission Objectives and Common Mistakes to Avoid
Every mission in mafia the old country has hidden fail states that the game doesn’t tell you about upfront, which is why so many players start the quest and then get frustrated when it fails for no obvious reason. The first mission asks you to deal with the two loan sharks harassing Carlo, and most players make the mistake of pulling a gun and shooting them immediately. That will fail the quest right away, because Carlo doesn’t want heat from the police for murder. You have to beat the two men with your fists only, no weapons allowed. It’s a fairly easy fist fight, even if you haven’t upgraded your melee stats, because the two thugs don’t hit very hard. The second mission asks you to deliver a sealed package to a contact in the French Quarter of Saint Denis, and you have to get it there without being stopped by police or opening the package yourself. The final mission is a sit-down meeting with Carlo’s boss that turns into a standoff with a rival mob crew, and you have to take out the rival crew without hurting any of Carlo’s associates. I’ve messed up this quest line three separate times on different playthroughs, so I’ve compiled a list of the most common mistakes that players make:
- Killing the two loan sharks harassing the quest giver instead of just beating them with your fists
- Opening the package you’re asked to deliver between missions to see what’s inside
- Bringing a posse or other NPCs with you to the final meeting spot
- Having an active Saint Denis bounty when you start the first quest
One other thing to keep in mind: you need to keep your weapon holstered until the final mission to avoid spooking the NPCs. If you walk up to Carlo with a gun in your hand, he’ll assume you’re there to hurt him and run off, and you’ll have to reset the encounter.
Exclusive Rewards for Completing the Questline
Unlike most side quests in RDR2 that give you a few dollars or a useless trinket, the rewards for mafia the old country are actually useful for the rest of your playthrough. First, you’ll get a cash payout of $75 immediately after completing the final mission, which is more than you’ll get from most random stagecoach robberies or bounties early on in the game. More importantly, you’ll get a unique gold pocket watch engraved with Italian mob symbols that sells for $125 at any fence. That’s almost $200 total for less than an hour of play, which is a huge boost to your wallet if you’re saving up for a new weapon or horse upgrades. You’ll also get a custom engraved double-action revolver that has a 15% faster fire rate than the stock double-action model you can buy at the gunsmith. I’ve used this revolver for every playthrough I’ve done since I first found the quest, and it’s perfect for close-quarters shootouts with law enforcement or rival gangs. If you complete the entire quest line with high honor (meaning you don’t hurt any innocent bystanders and follow Carlo’s instructions exactly), you’ll also get a +10 honor boost, which unlocks better discounts at shops and makes random NPCs more likely to help you if you get in trouble. The best hidden reward, though, is that the Saint Denis mob will leave you alone for the rest of the game. If you get in a fight in their territory, they won’t call the police, and they’ll even help you fight off law enforcement if you’re nearby. It’s a small perk, but it makes exploring the more dangerous parts of Saint Denis a lot less stressful.
How to Fit This Quest Into Your Main Story Playthrough
A lot of players avoid side quests because they don’t want to derail their progress through the main story, but mafia the old country is short enough that it won’t take up too much of your time. The entire quest line only takes about 45 minutes of real time to complete, even if you take your time exploring the areas between missions. The best time to do it is right after you finish the “Angelo Bronte, A Man of Honor” mission in Chapter 4, because you’ll already have full access to all parts of Saint Denis, and you haven’t completed the bank heist yet that locks the quest. If you’re doing a 100% completion run, it counts towards your side quest total, so it’s a must-do to hit that 100% mark. You don’t need to do any prep work before starting the quest, other than paying off any active Saint Denis bounties and making sure you have enough space in your satchel for the rewards. If you already beat the main story and missed the quest, don’t worry: you can replay the quest line anytime from the main menu if you missed the rewards on your first playthrough. You won’t get to keep the rewards in your main save file, but you can still experience the story and unlock the associated achievements if you’re going for a full achievement set. I usually make a point to do this quest every time I start a new playthrough, because the extra cash and the custom revolver make the early chapters of the game a lot easier to get through.
You don’t have to hunt down every single side quest in Red Dead Redemption 2 to get the full experience, but mafia the old country is one of the few hidden chains that feels worth the extra effort. It has tight, well-written dialogue, tense action sequences, and rewards that actually make your playthrough easier, rather than just giving you a useless trinket to collect dust in your satchel. It’s also a fun little side story that adds more depth to the criminal underbelly of Saint Denis, which you only get small glimpses of in the main story. Next time you’re wandering through Saint Denis looking for trouble, keep an eye out for the yelling man near the central market—you won’t regret stopping to help him out.
