The Wild West can be a cold, hard place, and players attempting to explore Red Dead Online's "Free Roam" mode may find themselves victims of frequent, and sometimes targeted, Player vs. Player combat. Unfortunately for those that are looking for some respite in Rockstar's new online experience, their options are limited.

In camp, players will find a flag that can be changed between red and white. When a red flag is flown, the savagery of Red Dead Online's open-world continues, and the player can be freely slain. However, with a white flag up the pole, a player's camp becomes a safe haven where they can restore cores, craft, and change their wardrobe without the threat of being executed by a blood-thirsty player.

red dead online passive guide

Flags are changed by holding L2 or LT near the in-camp flag and choosing to either raise or lower the white flag. This can also be accessed by pressing left on the D-pad and selecting the "Camp" menu. It is important to note that after lowering a white flag, players are not able to re-raise it for 30 seconds.

For those that are out in the open world and find themselves at the mercy of a griefer, the parley system can also offer some help. After suffering a few annoying deaths at the hands of another player, you can activate a parley, which prevents both parties from firing weapons at each other. It's a solution, yes, but it isn't perfect, as the parley timer only lasts 10 minutes and players can still see each other on the map.

Certainly, forming a posse of passive players can assist in warding off unwanted attacks, though this may not be an option (or even desirable) for many that wish to explore the online world. It doesn't help that the servers are struggling in this early beta test period, and some might not be able to join up consistently.

In time, a "passive" or "Friendly Free Roam" mode may find its way to Rockstar's new multiplayer experience. Conversations occurring throughout the community certainly suggest that a non-negligible percentage of the player base would welcome one of these options. For now, players that hope for a more peaceful Red Dead Online  experience will just need to get comfy in their camps and find strength in numbers.

Red Dead Online  is accessible through Red Dead Redemption 2 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.