How to Find the Vampire in Red Dead Redemption 2: All 5 Saint Denis Clues and the Ornate Dagger

Find all five mysterious writings in Saint Denis, track down the vampire after midnight and claim the unique Ornate Dagger – a step-by-step guide.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a western, but it hides one of the best horror secrets in open-world gaming. Somewhere in the back alleys of Saint Denis, a pale man in black is feeding on the city's citizens – and if you follow the trail of strange messages he leaves on the walls, you can find him, fight him and walk away with one of the game's unique weapons.

There is no quest marker and no mission prompt. The whole thing is driven by five clues you have to spot yourself, which is why so many players finish the story without ever seeing it. With Halloween around the corner, this is the perfect time to go vampire hunting. Here is exactly how to do it in Story Mode.

What you need

You do not need garlic, a cross or silver bullets. Ordinary ammunition does the job.

The five mysterious writings

Each clue is a short, cryptic line painted on a wall – some in white, some in blood red. Walking past is not enough: you have to stand next to the writing and inspect it so Arthur copies it into his journal. Skip one and the vampire never shows up. The order does not matter.

1. The red building with white doors. Open your map and find the "SAINT DENIS" label. The first writing sits on the corner of a red building with white doors, roughly under the second "N" of that label, on the wall beside a door. It talks about drinking from the maiden and living again in the dead.
2. The market gate. Head to the market where the Fence and the Trapper do business. Just before the market entrance, slip through a metal gate into a side area with neatly stacked barrels. The red writing is on the wall to your left.
3. The butcher and the general store. Go to the block that holds the butcher and the general store on the south-west side of town. Walk around to the far side of the buildings – the writing is on the back wall under an overhang.
4. The courtyard maze. North of the post office is a warren of backyards and corridors. Look for a courtyard with a large tree and a row of arched metal doors, then follow the passage beyond them. Where it turns, the writing is on the wall above a chair. This one mentions the creature seeking more victims.
5. The last wall. Stay in the same maze. Go back into the passage, keep heading north and work your way around the building's backyards and alleys. The fifth writing is on another wall of that block. It is easy to run past, so take it slowly.

Once all five are in the journal, Arthur connects them on a small sketch of the city that points toward the vampire's hunting ground.

Finding the vampire

The vampire hangs around a quiet alley close to the general store and the butcher, near the Saint Denis church. He will not be there during the day or early evening.

1. Pass the time. Rent a room at a saloon or hotel in town and rest until evening, then wait out the remaining hours in-game. Several players report that sleeping straight through to the middle of the night can stop him from spawning, so aim to be awake and on foot as midnight approaches.
2. Head to the alley around midnight. If an "X" marking one of his victims shows up on your map, he is out hunting.
3. Watch the cutscene. You will find him crouched over a fresh victim. He is surprised anyone tracked him down and warns Arthur to leave.
4. Pick any dialogue option. You can try to defuse the situation or antagonize him. It makes no difference: he attacks either way.
5. Kill him fast. Trigger Dead Eye the moment you regain control and aim for the head. He fights up close with a dagger, and a single hit can be enough to kill Arthur.
6. Loot the body. Search him for stringy meat and bat wings, and pick up the Ornate Dagger – a decorative weapon with an embossed silver blade and a gold statuette handle.

Tips and common mistakes

• Inspect, don't just look. The most common reason the vampire never appears is a clue that was seen but not inspected. Check Arthur's journal to make sure all five are recorded.
• Be patient. He doesn't always spawn on the first night. If the alley is empty or crowded with pedestrians, leave the area, let some time pass and come back.
• Top up first. Eat something and fill your Dead Eye core before heading in. The fight is short, but you want every second of slow motion.
• It's a one-time event. Once he is dead, he doesn't return – so make sure you grab the dagger before leaving.

Video walkthrough

If you prefer to see the clue locations in motion, this video walks through all five writings in Saint Denis.

Is it worth it?

Absolutely, even if you never use the Ornate Dagger in a fight. The real reward is the encounter itself: a moment of pure gothic horror hidden in the busiest city in the game, with no map marker telling you it exists. It is the kind of detail that makes Red Dead Redemption 2 worth revisiting years after launch – and a very good excuse to spend a dark October night prowling the alleys of Saint Denis.

This article was written by AI (Claude) and checked against the sources above. Games are updated regularly, so details may change.