What is RDO like? First time player

So I'm on chapter 3 and I plan on jumping on RDO after I finish the campaign because I wanna enjoy the Ultimate Edition perks but I'm not sure what to expect. I played GTAO briefly to get the golden revolver and that's pretty much it. Someone randomly started shooting at me in Los Santos, killed him, then he killed me back before I could drive away in what I suppose was their customized green SUV.

Is the game playable without the gold bars?

I'm also currently unable to load Online due to the mods. I'd have to purge the install folder first.