Red Dead Redemption 2 mod lets you smite foes with terrifying Thor lightning

Lightning never strikes the same place twice - unless you're Arthur Morgan with Thor powers, that is. After tiny cowboys, nude ranchers and flying as an eagle, the latest in ridiculous Red Dead Redemption 2 PC modding is a tool which lets you rain lightning bolts on unsuspecting citizens.

Using the Alexander Blade scripthook, B4M5's version of the NativeTrainer allows players to summon lightning bolts from a distance of 15 metres, bringing yet more carnage to the west. It's available on Nexus Mods, but requires a third-party download and some file tinkering to get working.

There are two versions of the mod - the latest of which apparently allows you to direct the lightning more accurately as a gun - but unfortunately this version didn't work for me, so I stuck with the original. After downloading the scripthook and trainer, then enabling "powerful weapons" in the trainer menu (using F5 then navigating by holding control), you can summon electricity with the F1 button - and watch the carnage unfold.

While the lightning doesn't appear to be a particularly effective weapon (thanks to that accuracy problem), it does create some rather impressive explosions - although I felt really guilty for zapping horses, which make up the bulk of the game's vehicles. If you want to avoid animal cruelty and go straight for humans, trains and trams make rather combustible targets, although I was equally horrified to see tram passengers continue to sit in the vehicle even as it was burning down. "This is fine."

I also managed to somewhat break things by using the lightning to clear out Valentine's saloon bar, only to accidentally resurrect some victims when I entered a cutscene, which makes for severely awkward viewing. Watt a revolting sight.

So, what does it feel like to be a victim of these powers? Although exceedingly rare, death by lightning is an event known to occur in regular story mode. Here's Arthur on the receiving end of a bolt:

If you're planning on using the mod, make sure to back up your save files first, and avoid playing Red Dead Online with the files installed - unless you want to get banned in a flash.