These top Cyberpunk 2077 tips and tricks are exactly what you'll need, whether you're embarking on V's journey in Night City for the first time, you're checking out the fantastic Phantom Liberty DLC, or you just need a refresher after the 2.0 update changed some of the core mechanics. This is a big, complex game, from exploring the winding streets to following the story and kicking back with Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves), following these Cyberpunk 2077 tips will get you off to the best start possible. Good luck, choom.
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1. Your lifepath choice makes no difference, so don't worry about picking the wrong one
Whether you want to start the game as a wandering Nomad, rebellious Street Kid, or law-abiding Corpo, you can be safe in the knowledge that you Cyberpunk 2077 lifepath choice doesn't actually affect much at all. Throughout the game you'll have different dialogue options related to the option you went for, and the short intro to the game will be different, but aside from that, it doesn't really affect anything. Missions and storylines can still have the same outcome no matter which lifepath you go for, so don't ponder over it for too long, because there's no wrong choice.
2. Loot everything, because you can sell it or disassemble it for parts
Tapping your scanner will reveal there are shed loads of things to pick up, no matter where you are in Night City. A lot of it – like the seemingly endless studded dildos and anal beads – will be classed as junk, but you'll also find some decent Cyberpunk 2077 weapons, gear, health items, and more. You want to pick up everything you can because you can either sell it all at the vendor machines throughout the map, or disassemble it for parts if you fancy doing some crafting. Everything is worth something, even if it's just a few eddies.
3. Food and drink are identical, so don't stress about picking up specific things
There are a staggering amount of different food and drink items in the game, from tacos and chocolate bars to coffee and energy drinks, but most of them have the same effect. All food items will give you the following:
- Applies the Nourishment status, which increases max health by 5%, and regen by 0.5% per second outside of combat.
While drinks provide a slight alternative:
- Applies the Hydration status, which increases max stamina by 10% and regen by 50% per second.
The only divergence from this rule of thumb is with alcoholic drinks. Those will have the following negative effect:
- Reduces movement speed by 10%
- Reduces weapon accuracy by 50%
4. If you're waiting for someone to call, skip time
A lot of missions involve waiting for someone to give you a bell, for them to update you with what comes next. If you've got nothing else you'd rather be doing to kill time, you can skip time to receive the call quicker. If you fast forward 24 hours, whoever you're waiting on will likely ring straight away, so you can crack on with that mission next.
5. You can walk away from anything and come back later
You may find yourself starting a mission you've realised you don't want to do yet or you've reached a point where you'd rather come back later. Maybe your inventory is full and you want to sell some weapons to free up space, or there's an NCPD icon nearby on the map you'd rather complete first. You're completely free to do that, because whoever you leave hanging or whatever objective you have up next will wait for you to return. Although chances are, they'll have a snarky comment to make about it.
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6. Earn extra cash from gigs and NCPD missions
You might find yourself running low on the ol' eddies in Cyberpunk 2077, because buying the best weapons and upgrades isn't cheap. You'll receive eddies as you go along for completing various missions, but if you find yourself in desperate need, focus on some of the gigs and NCPD icons around the Cyberpunk 2077 map. There are plenty to be found and they pay handsomely if you're wondering how to make money in Cyberpunk 2077.
7. You can use owned vehicles to store weapons and gear
The game does a good job of teaching you about the stash in V's apartment by making it an optional objective near the start of the game. This is where you can store weapons and gear that you don't want to lug around with you everywhere, but still want to keep rather than selling or disassembling it into components. Did you know you can also do that with some of your vehicles? Yup, if your car or motorbike of choice has trunk space at the rear, you can store equipment in there. It has to be one you own though, not some random car you've nicked off the street - and we've more on how to steal cars in Cyberpunk 2077 here - and it isn't a shared storage; each vehicle stash is individual, so don't forget about some top quality weapons you've left in one of your fleet of vehicles by accident. These plenty of Cyberpunk 2077 fastest cars to consider as well for your storage need.
8. Skills are levelled up by doing stuff, while attributes and perks are bought with points you earn
Thanks to the 2.0 update, skills, attributes, and perks have seen a complete revamp compared to how they worked when the game launched. There are five core attributes, plus a sixth with the Phantom Liberty expansion:
- Body
- Reflexes
- Technical
- Cool
- Intelligence
- Relic (DLC)
You'll start the game with three attribute points in each category, with an extra seven to spend. You can earn one attribute point per character level up. These can be spent on the core attributes themselves, unlocking more of the perks within, with each attribute having four tiers. Perk points are what you'll spend on the specific abilities, which are also earned by leveling up, one at a time.
Meanwhile, you also have skills. These are found via the Skill Progression tab, and have been simplified into the following:
- Headhunter
- Netrunner
- Shinobi
- Solo
- Engineer
These are much simpler and can be leveled up by performing relevant actions. Headhunter is all about killing enemies, Netrunner is about using quickhacks, Shinobi is about mobility, Solo relates to melee combat, and Engineer improves your crafting.
If you invest in any perks or attributes you later regret, or you fancy going for a change of build, check out our guide on how to respec in Cyberpunk 2077.
9. Levelling up Body and Technical Ability will get you through most locked doors
Every now and then, you'll stumble upon a door or gate that can't be opened easily. If you want to have free roam everywhere possible in Night City, then you'll want to level up both the Body and Technical Ability attributes, because these are the two methods of getting through these doors. The former allows you to tear gates literally off their hinges and throw them to one side (which somehow doesn't alert nearby enemies if you're sneaking, despite the loud crash), while the latter means you can get through more standard locked doors. Of course, this is only relevant to doors with skill checks; doors that appear red and locked when you try to interact with them are just inaccessible. Depending on what you want to achieve we have some Cyberpunk 2077 builds you can take a look at for inspirations.
10. Visit Ripperdocs frequently to get new upgrades
You meet Viktor during the Cyberpunk 2077 prologue, but there are plenty of Ripperdocs to be found throughout Night City. These are the people you need to visit if you want to upgrade your cyberware. During the early game, a lot of these upgrades will be out of reach thanks to an insufficient level or lack of cash or street cred, but pay them frequent visits to see what useful additions you can buy. If you're after those iconic Cyberpunk 2077 Mantis Blades, however, you might want to check that guide for more information.
11. Get robo legs to jump high enough to access new areas or escape trouble
The ability to jump to extreme heights doesn't come cheap, but when you've got 45k eddies in the bank, make your way over to a Ripperdoc. Not every Ripperdoc has the same upgrades available, but have a shop around and you'll eventually find either Reinforced Tendons for double jump, or Fortified Ankles for a boost jump. Using these means you can explore Night City with ease, forgetting the limitations of stairs, bounding from one place to another. Plus, if you need to make a quick getaway in combat, these are extra useful.
12. You can equip mods on weapons, and cyberware to buff their power
Pretty much anything you can use comes with mod slots, especially if it's a higher quality. These come with all sorts of buffs; things like extra carry capacity on armour and increased damage two guns are just two examples. Make sure you put your best mods on your favourite equipment though, because if you want to replace a mod later down the line, the original one will be destroyed. You can get crafting specs for mods as well so if you have a favorite you make as many as you want.
13. Don't rush the story - it's short and optional side missions can change the ending
No spoilers, obviously, but I'd strongly recommend taking your time with the main story. There's one storyline that is considered the "main" one, relating to V and Johnny Silverhand, but it'd be smart to complete plenty of side missions and exploration first. For one, just doing main missions won't level you up enough to get some of the super cool perks and weapons, so your main playthrough will be a bit boring as you only have access to limited tools. Exploring the other avenues available to you first will also open up some alternate endings to the game, so give that a go first too. It's pretty much worth considering most side missions as main quests instead. You'll know you're at the final mission because the game will tell you you've hit the point of no return. We've also got the Cyberpunk 2077 length details and how many acts are in Cyberpunk 2077 covered as well if you want a steer on where you are in the overall story.
