The Black Arabian Horse Reigns Supreme as RDR2‘s Most Expensive Item

As an avid RDR2 gamer and content creator, I get asked often – what is the most expensive and rare item you can get in Red Dead Redemption 2? After extensive testing, research, and more hours in-game than I‘d like to admit, the answer is clear: the ultra elite Black Arabian Horse is the most costly acquisition, setting you back a full 42 Gold Bars.

Just How Much are Gold Bars Worth?

Before analyzing the Arabian and other valuables, it‘s important to understand Gold Bars – RDR2‘s rare secondary currency available for purchase with real-world money. Gold Bars can be traded in for any number of items and upgrades. But how much actual dollar value do they hold?

Based on the rate that Gold Bars can be purchased at from the PlayStation store, each Gold Bar equates to around $0.50 of real money. While there are some variations in value packs across platforms, this gives us a baseline – making the Black Arabian worth ~$21!

What Makes the Black Arabian Special?

So what exactly makes this dark horse worth such a staggering cost? When it comes to top speed, acceleration, handling, and courage, the Black Arabian competes even with late-game mounts:

Combined with its sleek jet black coat and majestic flowing mane, the Arabian also simply looks the part of an elite stallion. Finding the Arabian alone takes some dedication – players must reach Chapter 4 and progress well through the story before the opportunity arrives through an interaction in Saint Denis.

All combined, owning this horse conveys an air of prestige amongst players and makes it clear you spared no expense chasing top tier items.

Runners Up: What Else Costs an Arm and a Leg in RDR2

While no mount can dethrone the Black Arabian for pure cost, there are a few other eye-wateringly expensive purchases:

Exceptional Horses

Certain coats and breeds like the Silver Turkoman can run you $925 or even 38 Gold Bars – still no small fee! You‘re paying mostly for status here too.

Moonshine Bar Expansion

Once you own a speakeasy bar, dropping $950 on a stage & band upgrade lets you kick back as live music rakes in profits.

Explosive Slug Pamphlet

This $950 pamphlet unlocks explosive ammo types that can really up firefights.

Rare Weapon Variants

Special engravings, materials, and styles for weapons like a gold-plated Mauser pistol have cost some collectors over $750!

Limited Stock Clothing

Some dapper hats, jackets, and accessories are only in the catalog for a week. Miss that window and you‘ll have to pay top dollar at a Fence.

Surefire Ways to Fund Your Fortune

If seeing those sky-high numbers has you feeling light in the pockets, here are the best ways to build a small fortune quickly:

Nothing beats tracking down lost treasure maps and combing the wilderness for those glinting gold bars. After selling just one or two you‘ll be ready to treat yourself to an Exceptional mount! But keep up those daily robberies, bounties, poker games, and foraging runs to keep that spending money flowing.

Some final food for thought – $1 in 1899 during the era RDR2 is set held the equivalent buying power of ~$36.25 today. So while that Arabian may cost ~$21 of your real 2023 money, to an outlaw like Arthur it represented nearly $1,525 – quite the princely sum!

Hopefully you now know everything there is to know about striking it rich and securing that Arabian icon. What will be your next big purchase? Let me know in the comments!