Me and my Friend played Some Red Dead Online today. I went fishing and some how managed to get my character to float off a dock. Sadly i couldn't get any fish to bite. In fact, after doing a bounty i feel like no animals were spawning. After i gave up i found a nearby gang hideout, which i didn't even know was a thing in RDO. After clearing them out i found this shrine while looting the place:
I also climbed down this well nearby my camp. I was really expecting there to be something down here but there was nothing. While i was on my way out my friend fell on me and killed us both.
While on my way back into Saint Denis to pick up a bounty i went a way i never had before. I don't think i've ever seen this side of the city. It's really pretty:
I also went ahead and passed through too sell some pelts and thought the view was pretty in that area (though, this entire game is pretty. I always end up taking like 80 screenshots.
There are missions but they're different. You need to buy a kit first that'll let you do a certain kind of mission, for example a kit to find special herbs that you bring to a particular character.
Money is more scarce and it is split between "regular" money and gold. Gold gets you good stuff like fancy horses or outfits or kits, but it is rare in the game, unless you pay real money for it.
All that said, there are a lot of people modding and playing online can be quite chaotic, with random objects becoming attached to you, animals spawning, massive explosions, invincible people, etc. But some people are also benevolent and will protect you, especially if you have a low level, and may even gift you stuff.
Anyway, I'd recommend you give it a shot, it's a way to play with the characters and places you know but in a different way.