Spider Web Mystery Investigation

The Spider Web Mystery is an unsolved mystery in Red Dead Redemption 2. Below is the complete step-by-step walkthrough cataloging all the evidence and data.

Part 1: Butcher's Creek Pentagram & Fort Brennand Ciphers

PART 1

Beginning at Butcher's Creek pentagram geometry and proceeding southwest through the Fort Brennand outhouses and pictogram sequence.

Step 1

Butcher's Creek Pentagram

Active 4:00 AM - 5:00 AM

The spiderwebs on the telegraph poles—originally uncovered by the Reddit user u/FL4VA-01 in this post—mark the first clue found by the community, though they do not represent the initial step of the sequence.

We begin our investigation at Butcher's Creek, Roanoke Ridge. Beneath one of the wooden structures built on stilts, a glowing red pentagram appears under the floorboards strictly between the hours of 4:00 AM and 5:00 AM.

Location: Butcher's Creek, Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover

Coordinates: X: 2587.045, Y: 828.171, Z: 82.027

Asset: cablemesh277747_hvlit001

A glowing red pentagram seen in full beneath the dark floorboards of a stilted house at Butcher's Creek. — Figure 1.1a: Pentagram beneath the house. Full view of the pentagram from beneath the stilted house.

Foggy exterior of the dilapidated Butcher's Creek house, with the red pentagram glowing through an opening below the porch. — Figure 1.1b: Creek house exterior. Exterior context showing the pentagram's position below the house.

Close view of the bright red pentagram lines glowing on the ground beneath black wooden floorboards. — Figure 1.1c: Pentagram close-up. Close detail of the glowing lines and surrounding floor structure.

First-person view of the red pentagram beneath the creek house, with a white aiming reticle over its intersecting lines. — Figure 1.1d: First-person view. Player-level view from inside the crawlspace beneath the house.

Freecam view noclipping under the ground under the structure to show a cleaner view of the pentagram. — Figure 1.1e: Overhead angle. Wide overhead angle showing the complete symbol and broken structure.

Map of Butcher Creek from the game's minimap tiles with a pin on the pentagram house and hollow markers on the five outhouses. — Figure 1.2: Butcher's Creek Map Location Pin. Pentagram position read from jklm_7_10_rds_props_strm_0.ymap, drawn on the game's own minimap tiles

Wireframe render of cablemesh277747_hvlit001: a five-pointed star inside a circle, top-down and angled. — Figure 1.3: Pentagram Raw Asset. Render of cablemesh277747_hvlit001.ydr from the game files: a star in a circle built with the cable tool

Step 2

Outhouses 1-5 & Geometric Pentagram Connection

5 Outhouses

Nearby outhouses surrounding the settlement have numerical tally marks etched inside them numbered 1 through 5. Outhouse #4 contains key additional markings: the initials "LJ" and "SM", alongside a carved symbol depicting Fort Brennand.

Outhouse 1 — Tally Mark I

Location: Butcher's Creek, Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover

Coordinates: X: 2576.377, Y: 820.570, Z: 79.052

Asset: but_01_outhouse_cliff_002.ydr

Free-camera close-up of a single vertical white tally mark painted on the weathered interior boards of Outhouse 1. — Figure 1.3a: Free-camera view. Close free-camera view of the first tally mark.

Arthur's over-the-shoulder view inside Outhouse 1, facing a single white tally mark on a dark wooden wall. — Figure 1.3b: Arthur's view. In-game player view showing the tally's placement inside the outhouse.

CodeX model viewer showing the Outhouse 1 asset but_01_outhouse_cliff_002.ydr, with a single black tally mark on a pale weathered plank. — Figure 1.3c: Asset viewer. CodeX asset view of the outhouse model and its tally mark.

Butcher Creek minimap with a pin on Outhouse 1 and hollow markers on the other outhouses. — Figure 1.4: Outhouse 1 Map Location Pin. but_01_outhouse_cliff_002 position from the .ymap files

Outhouse 2 — Tally Mark II

Location: Butcher's Creek, Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover

Coordinates: X: 2515.115, Y: 759.233, Z: 74.186

Asset: but_01_outhouse_cliff_004.ydr

Free-camera close-up of two vertical white tally marks on the dark weathered interior boards of Outhouse 2. — Figure 1.5a: Free-camera view. Close free-camera view of the second tally mark.

Arthur's over-the-shoulder view inside Outhouse 2, facing two white tally marks on a shadowed wooden wall. — Figure 1.5b: Arthur's view. In-game player view showing the tally's placement inside the outhouse.

RAW ASSET NEEDED

Outhouse 2 Raw Asset

Extracted texture or render of but_01_outhouse_cliff_004.ydr

Coming soon

Figure 1.5c: Extracted texture or render of but_01_outhouse_cliff_004.ydr.

Butcher Creek minimap with a pin on Outhouse 2. — Figure 1.6: Outhouse 2 Map Location Pin. but_01_outhouse_cliff_004 position from the .ymap files

Outhouse 3 — Tally Mark III

Location: Butcher's Creek, Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover

Coordinates: X: 2549.890, Y: 821.043, Z: 75.698

Asset: but_01_outhouse_cliff_01.ydr

Free-camera close-up of three vertical white tally marks on the dark, moss-stained interior boards of Outhouse 3. — Figure 1.7a: Free-camera view. Close free-camera view of the third tally mark.

Arthur's over-the-shoulder view inside Outhouse 3, facing three faint white tally marks on a weathered wooden wall. — Figure 1.7b: Arthur's view. In-game player view showing the tally's placement inside the outhouse.

RAW ASSET NEEDED

Outhouse 3 Raw Asset

Extracted texture or render of but_01_outhouse_cliff_01.ydr

Coming soon

Figure 1.7c: Extracted texture or render of but_01_outhouse_cliff_01.ydr.

Butcher Creek minimap with a pin on Outhouse 3. — Figure 1.8: Outhouse 3 Map Location Pin. but_01_outhouse_cliff_01 position from the .ymap files

Outhouse 4 — Tally Mark IIII

Location: Butcher's Creek, Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover

Coordinates: X: 2574.565, Y: 767.026, Z: 80.673

Asset: but_01_outhouse_cliff_003.ydr

Free-camera close-up of four dark vertical tally marks on a moss-covered interior plank in Outhouse 4. — Figure 1.9a: Free-camera view. Close free-camera view of the fourth tally mark.

Arthur's over-the-shoulder view inside Outhouse 4, facing four dark tally marks on a green, weathered wooden wall. — Figure 1.9b: Arthur's view. In-game player view showing the tally's placement inside the outhouse.

RAW ASSET NEEDED

Outhouse 4 Raw Asset

Extracted texture or render of but_01_outhouse_cliff_003.ydr

Coming soon

Figure 1.9c: Extracted texture or render of but_01_outhouse_cliff_003.ydr.

Butcher Creek minimap with a pin on Outhouse 4. — Figure 1.10: Outhouse 4 Map Location Pin. but_01_outhouse_cliff_003 position from the .ymap files

Outhouse #4 Key Carvings

Outhouse #4 houses the pivotal clue linking the pentagram to Fort Brennand. It displays the tally mark, the hidden initials "LJ" and "SM", and the Fort Brennand pictogram outline.

Outhouse 4 — Fort Brennand Symbol

Location: Outhouse 4, Butcher's Creek, Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover

Coordinates: X: 2574.565, Y: 767.026, Z: 80.673

Asset: but_01_outhouse_cliff_003.ydr

Free-camera close-up of the blocky Fort Brennand outline painted on weathered boards inside Outhouse 4. — Figure 1.11a: Free-camera view. Close free-camera view of the Fort Brennand symbol beside the fourth tally.

Arthur's over-the-shoulder view of the Fort Brennand outline painted on the interior wall of Outhouse 4. — Figure 1.11b: Arthur's view. In-game player view showing the Fort Brennand symbol's placement inside Outhouse 4.

RAW ASSET NEEDED

Fort Brennand Symbol Raw Asset

Extracted texture or render from but_01_outhouse_cliff_003.ydr

Coming soon

Figure 1.11c: Extracted texture or render from but_01_outhouse_cliff_003.ydr.

Outhouse 4 — Hidden LJ & SM Marks

Walk behind Outhouse 4 and shoot the two vertical planks covering its rear wall. Once both planks are destroyed, the hidden "LJ" and "SM" developer marks become visible.

Location: Behind Outhouse 4, Butcher's Creek, Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover

Coordinates: X: 2578.043, Y: 771.480, Z: 81.922

Asset: Coming soon

Arthur standing behind Outhouse 4 and aiming at the two vertical wooden planks that conceal the LJ and SM marks. — Figure 1.12a: Before shooting. The rear wall before the two covering planks are shot away.

Arthur standing behind Outhouse 4 after shooting away the covering planks, revealing the hidden LJ and SM marks on the rear wall. — Figure 1.12b: Arthur's view after shooting. Player view of the exposed initials after removing the two planks.

Free-camera close-up of the hidden LJ and SM letters painted across pale weathered planks on the rear wall of Outhouse 4. — Figure 1.12c: Free-camera close-up. Close view of the revealed LJ and SM marks.

RAW ASSET NEEDED

LJ & SM Raw Asset

Extracted texture or render of the hidden LJ and SM marks

Coming soon

Figure 1.12d: Extracted texture or render of the hidden LJ and SM marks.

Outhouse 5 — Tally Mark IIIII

Location: Butcher's Creek, Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover

Coordinates: X: 2504.238, Y: 816.938, Z: 71.955

Asset: but_01_outhouse_cliff.ydr

Free-camera close-up of five vertical tally marks crossed by a diagonal stroke on the weathered interior boards of Outhouse 5. — Figure 1.13a: Free-camera view. Close free-camera view of the fifth tally mark.

Arthur's over-the-shoulder view inside Outhouse 5, facing five tally marks on a moss-stained wooden wall. — Figure 1.13b: Arthur's view. In-game player view showing the tally's placement inside the outhouse.

CodeX model viewer showing the Outhouse 5 asset but_01_outhouse_cliff.ydr, with five tally marks on a pale weathered plank. — Figure 1.13c: Asset viewer. CodeX asset view of the outhouse model and its five tally marks.

Butcher Creek minimap with a pin on Outhouse 5. — Figure 1.14: Outhouse 5 Map Location Pin. but_01_outhouse_cliff position from the .ymap files

Map of the five Butcher Creek outhouses joined 1-2-3-4-5-1 by red lines that form a five-pointed star. — Figure 1.15: Drawn Pentagram Connection Diagram. Joining the outhouses in tally order crosses itself exactly five times: a pentagram, from file positions

Step 3

Fort Brennand Tallies 6-7 & Pictogram Sequence

Tallies 6 & 7

Visiting Fort Brennand, we locate tally marks 6 (inside the main outhouse) and 7 (inside the south watchtower fireplace). Directly behind tally mark #7, there are 3 carved pictograms displaying a telegraph pole, a factory, and an oil puddle.

Tally Mark 6

Location: Fort Brennand (Main Outhouse), Roanoke Ridge / Heartlands Border

Coordinates: X: 2462.588, Y: 294.389, Z: 70.566

Asset: civ_01_outhouse.ydr

Free-camera view of tally mark 6 inside the Fort Brennand main outhouse. — Figure 1.16: Free-camera view.

Arthur's view of tally mark 6 inside the Fort Brennand main outhouse. — Figure 1.17: Arthur's view.

CodeX asset view of civ_01_outhouse.ydr showing tally mark 6. — Figure 1.18: Asset view.

Fort Brennand minimap with a pin on the outhouse holding tally mark 6. — Figure 1.19: Tally Mark 6 Map Location Pin. civ_01_outhouse at 2464.85, 294.38

Tally Mark 7

Location: Fort Brennand South Watchtower Fireplace

Coordinates: X: 2446.193, Y: 304.041, Z: 70.305

Asset: civ_twr_03b.ydr

Free-camera view of tally mark 7 inside the Fort Brennand south watchtower fireplace. — Figure 1.20: Free-camera view.

Arthur's view of tally mark 7 inside the Fort Brennand south watchtower fireplace. — Figure 1.21: Arthur's view.

CodeX asset view of civ_twr_03b.ydr showing tally mark 7. — Figure 1.22: Asset view.

Fort Brennand minimap with a pin on the tower holding tally mark 7 and the pictograms. — Figure 1.23: Tally Mark 7 Map Location Pin. civ_twr_03b at 2444.15, 305.47

Triple Pictogram

Location: Fort Brennand South Watchtower (Behind Tally 7 Fireplace)

Coordinates: X: 2446.193, Y: 304.041, Z: 70.305

Asset: civ_twr_03b.ydr

Free-camera view of the three Fort Brennand pictograms: telegraph pole, factory, and oil puddle. — Figure 1.24: Free-camera view.

Arthur's view of the three Fort Brennand pictograms: telegraph pole, factory, and oil puddle. — Figure 1.25: Arthur's view.

CodeX asset view of civ_twr_03b.ydr showing the three Fort Brennand pictograms. — Figure 1.26: Asset view.

Regional minimap with a line from Fort Brennand to the spider glyph pole by Cornwall Kerosene and Tar. — Figure 1.21: Video 2:50 Destination Map Pin. The pictograms' destination: the glyph pole by Cornwall Kerosene & Tar

PHOTO NEEDED

Tally 6 Geographical Breakdown

Image showing what tally 6 represents geographically

Coming soon

Figure 1.22: Image showing what tally 6 represents geographically.

PHOTO NEEDED

Tally 7 Geographical Breakdown

Image showing what tally 7 represents geographically

Coming soon

Figure 1.23: Image showing what tally 7 represents geographically.

Minimap of Cornwall Kerosene and Tar with the spider glyph pole pinned west of the factory. — Figure 1.24: Factory & Pole Alignment Node. Factory and pole: the glyph sits about 190 m west of the Cornwall works

PART 2

Part 2: Cornwall Tar Spider Glyph, 8 Webs & Fort Wallace Guitars

Decoding the spider carving near Cornwall Tar, mapping the 8 time-gated spider webs to the center web, and tracking the North/West directional ciphers to Fort Wallace.

Step 4

Cornwall Kerosene & Tar Spider Carving

Map Key Glyph

The symbols inside Fort Brennand point directly to a specific telephone pole located near Cornwall Kerosene & Tar. Carved into the wood of this pole is an intricate spider engraving. On the exact same pole, a physical spider web holding a shootable feather spawns during narrow nighttime hours.

Applying the spider carving as a scaled overlay onto the world map aligns each of the spider's legs directly with 7 other telegraph poles across the region. Each of these poles spawns a feathered web exclusively during specific night hours (e.g. 2-3 AM, 3-4 AM) and remains completely invisible outside its active window.

Location: Cornwall Kerosene & Tar Railway

Coordinates: 338.32, 553.79, 116.28

Asset: jklm_7_10_scratchin

Figure 2.1: Telegraph Pole Map Location Pin. jklm_7_10_scratchin at 338.32, 553.79, 116.28

PHOTO NEEDED

Spider Carving on Pole (In-Game)

In-game photo of spider carving on telegraph pole surface

Coming soon

Figure 2.2: In-game photo of spider carving on telegraph pole surface.

Figure 2.3: Unstretched Spider Glyph raw 3D asset model carved on the Cornwall Tar pole.

PHOTO NEEDED

Spider Web on Pole Photo

Picture of spider web with feather on Cornwall Tar pole (Active 3:00 AM - 4:00 AM)

Coming soon

Figure 2.4: Picture of spider web with feather on Cornwall Tar pole (Active 3:00 AM - 4:00 AM).

Figure 2.5: Spider Carving Map Overlay Diagram. Least-squares fit of the glyph texture to the webs: no mirroring, 3.4 degree rotation, legs within 91-261 m (p = 0.0005)

Data Table

The 8 Spider Web Leg Nodes Master Database

8 Active Nodes

Complete catalog of all 8 spider-leg node telegraph poles, active nighttime hours, feather status, coordinates, and asset IDs:

Asset ID	Geographic Location	Coordinates	Active Time Window	Feather Color	Image Status
spiderdream01	Ringneck Creek (Eris Field)	1452.37, -628.68, 68.06	5:00 AM - 6:00 AM	Black Feather	Coming soon
spiderdream02	Heartland Oil Fields (North-Central)	820.30, 732.13, 118.44	5:00 AM - 6:00 AM	Black Feather	Coming soon
spiderdream03	Cornwall Kerosene & Tar (East Railway Pole)	337.88, 554.62, 121.86	3:00 AM - 4:00 AM	Black Feather	Coming soon
spiderdream04	Emerald Station (North Rails)	1519.09, 367.19, 98.15	4:00 AM - 5:00 AM	Black Feather	Coming soon
spiderdream05	Heartland Overflow (Northern Tracks)	1490.70, 624.05, 97.40	2:00 AM - 3:00 AM	Black Feather	Coming soon
spiderdream06	Scarlett Meadows (South Border)	992.27, -899.54, 76.63	2:00 AM - 3:00 AM	Red Feather	Coming soon
spiderdream07	Southfield Flats (North Rails)	1051.82, -1040.19, 77.02	4:00 AM - 5:00 AM	Red Feather	Coming soon
spiderdream08	Saint Denis (Southeast Rails)	2879.51, -1050.65, 50.45	3:00 AM - 4:00 AM	Red Feather	Coming soon

Step 5

Geographic Center: 9th Featherless Web

Active 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM

In the exact geographic center of the spider leg overlay, a 9th spider web spawns near Dewberry Creek strictly between 1:00 AM and 2:00 AM. Unlike all other 8 webs, this center web lacks a feather.

When observed from a specific perspective angle, the strands of this featherless web reveal two distinct clues: the letter "N" and the silhouette of a telegraph pole.

Location: Dewberry Creek Geographic Center

Coordinates: 1282.0, -131.6, 99.7

Asset: cablemesh87397_thvy001, cablemesh87399_thvy001, cablemesh87405_hvlit001, cablemesh87455_hvlit001

Minimap with a pin on the featherless center web. — Figure 2.6: Center Web Map Location Pin. Center web meshes at about 1282, -131.6 - 51 m from the average of the eight feathers

Wireframe of the center web meshes seen face-on from the east-northeast and from the opposite side. — Figure 2.7: Center Web Perspective Clues Image. File-geometry render, not an in-game photo: seen face-on from the ENE

Four wireframe views of the center web: face-on from both sides, edge-on and top-down. — Figure 2.8: Center Web Raw Asset Model. The four timed cable meshes, rendered from the game files

Step 6

Heading North: "W" + 5 Poles Cipher

North Trajectory

Following the "N" clue directly North brings us to a telegraph pole along the line. Shooting the pole reveals an underlying carved cipher displaying a "W" alongside 5 telegraph pole markings.

Location: Telegraph Line North of Center Web

Coordinates: 1270.03, 761.04, 96.32

Asset: jklm_11_14_rds_me2

Minimap with a line due north from the center web to the W pole carving. — Figure 2.9: North Pole Map Location Pin. 893 m at 359.2 degrees from the center web to jklm_11_14_rds_me2

Render of the pole carving model: a W above five crosses. — Figure 2.10: West Cipher Carving Image (In-Game). Model render of jklm_11_14_rds_me2.ydr (in-game photo still wanted)

Figure 2.11: Carved West (W) + 5 poles cipher raw 3D asset model.

Step 7

Heading West: "NW" + Guitar Cipher

West 5 Poles

Proceeding West and counting exactly 5 telegraph poles along the track leads to another target pole. Shooting this pole uncovers a carved "NW" arrow accompanied by an acoustic guitar silhouette, pointing Northwest toward Fort Wallace.

Location: 5th Telegraph Pole West

Coordinates: 1089.42, 789.71, 109.89

Asset: jklm_11_14_rds_me3

Detail map of the railway telegraph line with the W pole, four numbered poles and the fifth pole holding the NW carving. — Figure 2.12: 5th West Pole Map Location Pin. The file places four poles between me2 and me3: me3 is the 5th pole west

Render of the pole carving model: the letters NW above a guitar. — Figure 2.13: NW + Guitar Carving Image (In-Game). Model render of jklm_11_14_rds_me3.ydr (in-game photo still wanted)

Figure 2.14: Carved Northwest (NW) + Guitar cipher raw 3D asset model.

Step 8

Fort Wallace Guitars & Roof Bird Carvings

Final Clue Node

The NW line leads to Fort Wallace. Seen from above, the structural wall layout of Fort Wallace forms the clear outline of an acoustic guitar.

Inside the fort, two acoustic guitars are discovered: the first guitar points directly toward the main watchtower. Inside the middle of the tower, a second guitar points straight up. Climbing onto the watchtower roof reveals 2 bird carvings etched into the timber beam geometry.

Location: Fort Wallace

Coordinates: 321.28, 1510.42, 183.94

Asset: old_fort_twr3, p_guitar01x, old_tower03_int

Detail map of Fort Wallace with the tower and both guitar positions marked. — Figure 2.15: Fort Wallace Guitar Map Location Pin. Guitar 1 lies flat in the yard; guitar 2 is inside the tower interior, tilted 80 degrees upward

Map with a line from the NW guitar pole carving north-west to the Fort Wallace tower. — NW Path to Fort Wallace. 1,053 m at 313 degrees from me3 to old_fort_twr3 (true NW is 315 degrees)

PHOTO NEEDED

First Guitar Location Photo

Image of first guitar pointing towards the watchtower

Coming soon

Figure 2.16: Image of first guitar pointing towards the watchtower.

PHOTO NEEDED

Middle Tower Guitar Photo

Image of watchtower interior with guitar pointing straight up

Coming soon

Figure 2.17: Image of watchtower interior with guitar pointing straight up.

PHOTO NEEDED

Roof Bird Carvings Zoomed Photo

Picture from watchtower roof zoomed in on the 2 bird carvings

Coming soon

Figure 2.18: Picture from watchtower roof zoomed in on the 2 bird carvings.

Top-down wireframe of the Fort Wallace tower roof with three small notch shapes circled. — Figure 2.19: Roof Bird Carvings Geometry Wireframe. old_fort_twr3.ydr roof geometry with the notch shapes in the shingle mesh circled

ORIGINAL PAGE PRESERVED BELOW

The Investigation Log (Original View)

The pre-existing step-by-step trail of the Red Dead Redemption 2 Spider Web Mystery retained below in full.

Archive Step 1

Butcher's Creek Pentagram & Outhouse Marks

The trail begins in the remote settlement of Butcher's Creek, Roanoke Ridge. Underneath a dilapidated house built on stilts, a glowing red pentagram appears strictly between 4:00 AM and 5:00 AM.

Occult Geometry & Signatures

Five outhouses surround the Butcher's Creek settlement. Each has numerical tally marks scratched into it (ranging from 1 to 5). When you plot the coordinates of these outhouses on the map and connect them, they form a perfect pentagram geometry.

Outhouse #4 contains the key: behind it, shoot away the two covering planks to reveal the initials "LJ" and "SM". The outhouse also carries a crude drawing of the outline of Fort Brennand.

This pentagram layout and initials lead directly to the coordinates of Fort Brennand.

Figure 1.1: Glowing Butcher's Creek Pentagram (Active 4:00 AM - 5:00 AM).

Archive Step 4

Mapped Spider Leg Nodes

Applying the spider glyph overlay onto the world map reveals its legs pointing directly to 8 telegraph poles. Each pole features a web that spawns only during narrow nighttime hour windows:

The Stretched Map Overlay

When the spider glyph is stretched to match the coordinate scale of the game's region map, its 8 legs lock onto the precise locations of the time-sensitive feathered webs.

At each node, shooting the feather inside the web triggers the physical interaction state. This is required to reveal the carved clues on the poles.

Figure 4.1: The official stretched Map Overlay showing the 8 spider-leg node alignments.

Pole ID	Geographic Location	Active Time	Web Screenshot
spiderdream01	Ringneck Creek (Eris Field)	5:00 AM - 6:00 AM	View Image
spiderdream02	Heartland Oil Fields (North-Central)	5:00 AM - 6:00 AM	View Image
spiderdream03	Cornwall Tar (East Rails)	3:00 AM - 4:00 AM	View Image
spiderdream04	Emerald Station (North Rails)	4:00 AM - 5:00 AM	View Image
spiderdream05	Heartland Overflow (Northern Tracks)	2:00 AM - 3:00 AM	View Image
spiderdream06	Scarlett Meadows (South Border)	2:00 AM - 3:00 AM	View Image
spiderdream07	Southfield Flats (North Rails)	4:00 AM - 5:00 AM	View Image
spiderdream08	Saint Denis (Southeast Rails)	3:00 AM - 4:00 AM	View Image

All in-game screenshots were captured directly in-game; 3D asset imagery was extracted using CodeX.