Cyberpunk 2077 is CD Projekt Red's open-world RPG set in the dystopian Night City, where you play as V — a mercenary with a digital ghost of Keanu Reeves stuck in their head. After the massive 2.0 Update and Phantom Liberty expansion, the game was completely overhauled with reworked skill trees, new police system, vehicle combat, and cyberware capacity limits. The game now features some of the best first-person RPG combat available, with builds ranging from invisible netrunner hackers to chrome-loaded melee berserkers.
Starting Cyberpunk 2077 can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet.
What Kind of Game Is This?
Cyberpunk 2077 is a rpg game built around cyberware upgrades and quickhacking. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Build
| Build | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Netrunner | Good (but demanding) | Scan enemies through walls, queue multiple quickhacks, watch everything die without firing a shot. |
| Solo | Good (but demanding) | Pop Berserk, charge into groups, tank damage while dealing massive melee or shotgun hits. |
| Techie | Excellent for beginners | Charge tech weapons, shoot through walls, and maintain the best gear through crafting. |
| Nomad | Situational | Stealthy assassin using silenced weapons, throwing knives, and Sandevistan for bullet-time escapes. |
| Corpo | Situational | Activate Sandevistan, slice everyone in bullet-time with katana combos. |
Our recommendation: Start with Solo. A Body/Reflexes combat monster that combines Berserk cyberware with shotguns or melee weapons for devastating close-range damage. The Adrenaline Rush perk tree in Body provides insane survivability with health regen and armor bonuses. Gorilla Arms or Mantis Blades complete the chrome-warrior fantasy.
Avoid Corpo as your first pick. A lifepath rather than a mechanical build, Corpo gives unique dialogue options in corporate settings.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn cyberware upgrades
Cyberware is implanted by Ripperdocs across Night City and uses a capacity system (post-2.0) tied to your level and Technical Ability stat. You have slots for frontal cortex, arms, skeleton, nervous system, integumentary system, and more. Iconic cyberware like the Militech Berserk or Sandevistan slow time or boost damage dramatically. Higher-tier cyberware requires higher capacity.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how cyberware upgrades works before worrying about anything else.
Step 2: Head to Watson
V's starting district and the most contained area early in the game. Contains your first apartment, several gigs, and Vik the Ripperdoc. The area opens up after the prologue lockdown and has multiple NCPD scanner hustles with decent early loot.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Widow Maker — it's the most accessible early upgrade. An iconic tech precision rifle obtained from Nash during the Panam questline. It fires two charged shots that can penetrate walls and apply poison. The charge mechanic means each shot hits extremely hard, making it one of the best sniping weapons.
Step 4: Understand quickhacking
Quickhacking lets you upload daemons to enemies through the cyberdeck equipped in your head slot. Hacks range from Short Circuit (deals electrical damage) to Contagion (spreads poison) to Cyberpsychosis (makes enemies attack each other). RAM acts as your hacking resource and regenerates over time. Intelligence scaling makes hacks one-shot at higher levels.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early — it pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Westbrook
The wealthiest district in Night City, containing Japantown and Charter Hill. Home to high-level gigs, luxury shops, and several important story missions. Japantown in particular is a hub for main questline events and features the Clouds nightclub.
Essential Mechanics Explained
cyberware upgrades
Cyberware is implanted by Ripperdocs across Night City and uses a capacity system (post-2.0) tied to your level and Technical Ability stat. You have slots for frontal cortex, arms, skeleton, nervous system, integumentary system, and more. Iconic cyberware like the Militech Berserk or Sandevistan slow time or boost damage dramatically. Higher-tier cyberware requires higher capacity.
quickhacking
Quickhacking lets you upload daemons to enemies through the cyberdeck equipped in your head slot. Hacks range from Short Circuit (deals electrical damage) to Contagion (spreads poison) to Cyberpsychosis (makes enemies attack each other). RAM acts as your hacking resource and regenerates over time. Intelligence scaling makes hacks one-shot at higher levels.
vehicle combat
Added in Update 2.0, vehicle combat lets you shoot weapons, use quickhacks, and ram enemies while driving. Specific mounted weapons can be installed on vehicles, and the Sandevistan cyberware works while driving. Some missions now include dedicated vehicle chase sequences.
crafting system
Crafting requires the Technical Ability tree and allows you to create and upgrade weapons, clothing, and consumables. Iconic weapons can be upgraded through tiers (Uncommon to Legendary) at crafting stations. The 2.0 update simplified crafting to focus on upgrading existing weapons rather than rerolling stats.
skill progression
The 2.0 update replaced the old perk system with reworked skill trees tied to Body, Reflexes, Intelligence, Technical Ability, and Cool. Each tree has distinct playstyle branches — Reflexes splits between blades, assault, and mobility. Skills auto-level as you use them, unlocking perk points and passive bonuses.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Selling iconic weapons at vendors — they're one-of-a-kind and can't be reacquired
Always keep them in your stash even if you don't use them.
2. Punching Fingers the Ripperdoc during the Automatic Love quest — he sells the best Sandevistan in the game and you permanently lose access to his shop
3. Ignoring the phone calls from fixers — each call starts a gig chain, and many lead to iconic weapons and important story content
4. Trying to fight MaxTac police early — they're designed to be unkillable at low levels
Just run away or avoid high wanted levels.
5. Spreading attribute points across all 5 stats — focus on 2-3 attributes max
A build with Intelligence 20 and Cool 16 is far stronger than one with all stats at 12.
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand cyberware upgrades and quickhacking
- Choose Solo as starting build
- Clear Watson main content
- Acquire Widow Maker or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Westbrook
- Invest in Body early for survivability — the Adrenaline Rush perk at Body 15 gives passive health regeneration in combat that trivializes most encounters.
- Quickhacking trivializes the game if you invest Intelligence to 20. Contagion can wipe an entire building through walls before you enter.
Tips for New Players
- Invest in Body early for survivability — the Adrenaline Rush perk at Body 15 gives passive health regeneration in combat that trivializes most encounters.
- Quickhacking trivializes the game if you invest Intelligence to 20. Contagion can wipe an entire building through walls before you enter.
- Iconic weapons can be upgraded through tiers at crafting stations. Never disassemble an iconic weapon — you can't get it back.
- Ripperdocs in different areas sell unique cyberware. Fingers in Japantown has the best Sandevistan early, but you lose access if you punch him during a quest.
- The Sandevistan cyberware (slows time by 50-85%) is the most powerful cyberware in the game. QianT Mk.4 from Fingers has a 15-second cooldown.
- Perks can be reset for free in the 2.0 update. Experiment freely with different builds without worrying about wasted points.
- Fast travel points also serve as data terminals — scan them for quick XP and street cred early in the game.
- Clothing no longer provides armor in 2.0 — wear whatever looks cool. All defense comes from cyberware and perks now.
- Skip the NCPD scanner hustles until you have decent gear. Focus on gigs and side jobs for better rewards and story content.
- The Phantom Liberty expansion is accessible from Act 2 onward. It adds an entirely new district (Dogtown) and is balanced for level 15+ characters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I do quests in Cyberpunk 2077?
Follow the main quest until you complete The Heist, then do side jobs and gigs to level up before continuing the main story. Panam, Judy, Kerry, and River's questlines should be completed before the final mission as they unlock additional ending options.
Is Phantom Liberty worth buying?
Absolutely. Phantom Liberty adds Dogtown, a new district with 15+ hours of story content, new skill trees, new weapons, and one of the best narratives in modern gaming. It also adds a new ending to the base game.
What's the best build in Cyberpunk 2077 after 2.0?
Netrunner (Intelligence 20 + Cool 16) is the most powerful, capable of clearing missions without combat. For action-focused play, Sandevistan Katana build (Reflexes 20 + Cool 16) delivers the iconic 'Edgerunner anime' experience with bullet-time sword combat.
Can you continue playing after the ending?
The game loads you back to a save point before the final mission after credits. You keep all side quest progress but can replay the ending differently. Phantom Liberty adds one new ending path that must be triggered mid-game.
What to Read Next
- Cyberpunk 2077 Builds — Optimize your build once you've learned the basics
- Cyberpunk 2077 Walkthrough — Full progression path
- Cyberpunk 2077 Tips — Advanced strategies for when you're ready
