The Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update has been a huge revamp for the whole game, adding in loads of new features and updating many core systems to make them easier to use and more effective. Since this 2.0 update is a patch for the base Cyberpunk 2077 game, everyone who owns the game gets it for free, you just need to make sure you have the patch downloaded - importantly, it is separate from the Phantom Liberty expansion! Overall, this patch has fixed many aspects of the ambitious RPG, making it a much smoother experience and far closer to CD Projekt Red's original vision. Here's a quick look at the new and improved features in the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update.
All changes in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0
- Improved police force
- Vehicular combat and quickhacks
- Revamped perks
- Revamped cyberware
- Additional features and changes
Even more new features have been added to the game thanks to the smaller Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 update, which focuses more on smaller additions to liven up Night City that didn't quite make the cut for the 2.0 patch release.
Improved Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 police force
Most of the time, we'd be vehemently against giving the police more powers and making them stronger, but it's a much needed revamp in Cyberpunk 2077. In the initial version of the game, the police were essentially useless - police changes weren't really a thing, and they would often teleport around the place.
In 2.0, they're both smarter and stronger. You'll find officers patrolling the streets, they'll chase you down in their vehicles, and even set up roadblocks to cut you off. The heat system, which goes up to five stars, will be familiar to many of you, and if you do reach that level, MaxTac will be after you. Which is essentially all the firepower you can imagine - good luck shaking them off your tail. From our time playing 2.0, it can still be a little easy to lose them, but it's infinitely better than it was previously.
New Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 vehicular combat and quickhacks
The vehicular combat improvements come as a trio, starting with firing your weapons from behind the wheel. Whether you're using the cockpit camera or you're behind the car, you can wield your gun and lock onto enemies looking to ram you off the road. If you're in a car, this means shooting through the windshield or the side window - although some of the fastest Cyberpunk 2077 cars can open sliding doors to shoot though - whereas if you're on a bike, you can also use melee weapons if you're close enough. For vehicles with mounted weapons, you have the option of powerful weaponry like gatling guns too.
One of the most-needed features when it comes to vehicular combat comes in the form of quickhacks though. You can now target other cars while driving and cause all sorts of chaos such as slamming their brakes or accelerating them straight into a wall, tampering with their steering, or exploding them entirely.
Revamped Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 perks
Long gone is the perk system of old. V now has five attributes, each with their own winding skill trees, and a whole myriad of perk points to dish out. You can't unlock all the perks so there's no point in trying, but what this does allow for is specialised Cyberpunk 2077 builds. Fancy going all-in as a stealth ninja, utilising Cyberpunk 2077 quickhacks and sticking to the shadows? Focus on the intelligence, cool, and technical ability attributes, then invest in perks such as Ninjutsu, Killer Instinct, and All Things Cyber.
Alternatively, there are loads of melee weapons to be found in Night City, and you can spec into them as a brawler with the Body and Reflexes attribute. Wrecking Ball allows you to charge into enemies on foot, followed by Quake which is a huge ground pound. I played through Phantom Liberty a third way though, which was as a ranged firearms expert. Reflexes and Cool helped for this, alongside Intelligence and Technical Ability, as it was more jack-of-all-trades when it came to utilising cyberware. What's even better is that you can plan out your Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 build using their online build planner.
Additionally, while it's not directly related to perks, there are also skills you can upgrade. These are done entirely passively and reward you with some small buffs every five levels, such as +1 perk point, an increase to movement speed or carrying capacity, or something more specific like reducing the RAM cost for quickhacks used on vehicles and devices. Here is the full list of skills:
- Headhunter
- Netrunner
- Shinobi
- Solo
- Engineer
Revamped Cyberpunk 2.0 cyberware
The perk system isn't the only core mechanic that has undergone some significant changes - so has cyberware. Cyberware pertains to all of the cybernetic implants and augments you can install on V, which range from replacing their arms with powerful melee weapons to armor and healing buffs to quickhack and RAM recovery upgrades.
As V levels up, your cyberware capacity increases, allowing you to equip more powerful enhancements. You can also invest in the Edgerunner and Renaissance Punk perks to increase this further, which is crucial if you want to make the best build because some of the high-end cyberware takes up a lot of capacity.
Additional features and changes
While we've covered the main features coming to Cyberpunk 2077 2.0, that's not everything. Crafting blueprints are long gone, being replaced by tiered item components, so it's simpler to craft items from scratch and upgrade your existing arsenal. Clothes are now cosmetic only - your armor is dictated by cyberware, so you can wear whatever outfit you like without missing out on any stat buffs. Not to mention there are also new radio stations, general improvements to combat AI, UI/UX tweaks, and more.
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