Vitalism Studies is a relatively new gameplay mechanic in Red Dead Online that allows you to transform into various animals for a short period of time. The first transformation was a buck, the second a rabbit. The third animal to get the Vitalism treatment is a boar. Yes, you can now transform into a boar in Red Dead Online.
To begin, you must buy and read the Vitalism Studies: Boar pamphlet, which you can purchase from Harriet for 10 Gold Bars (Harriet appears at the locations marked by a magnifying glass icon on your map).
If you earned the Vitalism Studies pamphlet discount in the Outlaw Pass (and you haven’t spent it on a previous pamphlet), you can apply it here for a deep discount.
Once you have the pamphlet, open up your satchel (by holding right on the D-pad if you’re on PS4) and you should see it in your Recent tab. If it doesn’t show up there, check the Documents tab for Vitalim Studies (when you have the satchel open, you can cycle through inventory tabs with L1 and R1 on PS4). This pamphlet gives you some vague instructions for how to make the boar transformation happen.
Like the buck transformation, the boar requires five Harrietum Officinalis, which is a rare herb that can be found in the wilderness (usually somewhat close to water in forested areas). If you need help finding some, check out this Dirty Tyler video for five locations.
Next, you need to find a specific location, which Harriet always draws a frustratingly vague picture of. This time, we see some animal bones.
If you thought you should check New Austin or the eroded banks of Dewberry Creek, you’re not alone; those were my initial assumptions as well. Oddly enough, this one is actually in Bolger Glade, ust south of the dilapidated church. The exact location is marked on this map:
For reference, these are the bones that Hariet drew:
If you want to find the exact location, activate Eagle Eye when you’re in the general area, and look for this “scent” area (which is pretty hard to miss once you know the general location):
Once you’re standing in the right spot, you should have the option to investigate. That will allow you to ingest the herbs and begin your adventure in the skin of a boar. As a boar, you can roam around, charge faster (the same way you make your character or horse run faster), and scratch yourself (with the circle button on PS4). The transformation lasts about five minutes, though you can end it early if you want to. It will also end automatically if you die or leave the designated area.
In my own transformation, I ran around the battlefield for a while, then attempted to attack a horse. Eventually, I settled into a nice little boar family before the transformation ended.
Here’s a video of that transformation, in case you’d like to witness these boar-ific moments:
And that, my friends, is how you transform into a boar in Red Dead Online.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!! This was very helpful in our quest for Boar. It was a blast!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the comment! Glad to be of assistance!
Hi, do you know why it doesn’t work twice? the second time I try I just had a very fast transformation….