Cyberpunk 2077 Walkthrough — Start to Endgame

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.

This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. Follow this path to avoid common traps that stall most players.

Quick Progression Summary

Phase 1: Getting Started — 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.

Level/Difficulty: Level 1-15 (Street Cred) Key Rewards: First cyberware upgrades from Vik, early iconic weapons, gig money

What to Do in Watson

1. Learn cyberware upgrades. Cyberware is implanted by Ripperdocs across Night City and uses a capacity system (post-2. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
2. Pick Solo as your starting build. It's the most forgiving option.
3. Invest in Body early for survivability — the Adrenaline Rush perk at Body 15 gives passive health regeneration in combat that trivializes most encounters.
4. Acquire your first equipment upgrade — Widow Maker or whatever's available.
5. Clear all main content before moving on.

Phase 1 Checklist

• Understand cyberware upgrades fundamentals
• Solo selected and functional
• Watson main content cleared
• Ready for Westbrook

Phase 2: Early Game — 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.

Level/Difficulty: Level 15-30 (Street Cred) Key Rewards: High-value gig rewards, Satori katana (from The Heist), premium cyberware shops

What to Do in Westbrook

1. Work on quickhacking. Quickhacking lets you upload daemons to enemies through the cyberdeck equipped in your head slot. This system becomes critical from here on.
2. Farm for Widow Maker if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
3. Quickhacking trivializes the game if you invest Intelligence to 20. Contagion can wipe an entire building through walls before you enter.
4. Complete all objectives before pushing to Pacifica.
5. Consider whether Netrunner might suit your playstyle better than Solo.

Phase 2 Checklist

• quickhacking integrated into gameplay
• Widow Maker acquired
• Westbrook fully cleared
• Ready for Pacifica

Phase 3: Mid Game — Pacifica

The most dangerous district, largely controlled by the Voodoo Boys gang. Relatively small but packed with high-difficulty encounters. The main questline takes you here for the Voodoo Boys netrunner arc. The abandoned Grand Imperial Mall is a notable landmark.

Level/Difficulty: Level 25-35 (Street Cred) Key Rewards: Voodoo Boys questline completion, Placide encounter, premium netrunner gear

What to Do in Pacifica

1. Master vehicle combat. Added in Update 2. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
2. Start working toward Skippy. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
3. Iconic weapons can be upgraded through tiers at crafting stations. Never disassemble an iconic weapon — you can't get it back.
4. This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
5. Start investing in crafting system for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.

Phase 3 Checklist

• vehicle combat mastered
• Skippy acquired or in progress
• Pacifica fully cleared
• Ready for Badlands

Phase 4: Late Game — Badlands

The desert wasteland surrounding Night City, home to Nomad camps and Biotechnica farms. Panam's entire questline takes place here, and it contains some of the game's best side content. Militech convoys and Wraith camps provide challenging combat encounters.

Level/Difficulty: Level 15-40 (Street Cred) Key Rewards: Panam's questline rewards (Overwatch rifle), Nomad vehicles, Basilisk tank mission

What to Do in Badlands

1. Finalize your build. You should be running Netrunner or Solo with optimized gear.
2. Skippy should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
3. 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.
4. skill progression optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
5. Farm this area for the resources needed to push into City Center.

Phase 4 Checklist

• Build fully optimized
• Skippy upgraded to max
• Badlands fully cleared
• Ready for City Center

Phase 5: Endgame — City Center

The corporate heart of Night City with towering Arasaka and Militech buildings. Contains fewer gigs than other districts but those available are high-reward. The area is heavily policed, making open combat inadvisable unless you're high level.

Level/Difficulty: Level 20-35 (Street Cred) Key Rewards: High-end clothing shops, corporate gig rewards, iconic weapon crafting specs

What to Do in City Center

1. City Center tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
2. 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.
3. The endgame loop: run City Center, optimize gear, push harder content.
4. Experiment with Corpo for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
5. This is where skill progression mastery separates good players from great ones.

Phase 5 Checklist

• Endgame content on farm
• Best-in-slot gear acquired
• City Center fully cleared
• Ready for challenge content

Common Progression Mistakes

• 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.
• 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.
• Ignoring the phone calls from fixers — each call starts a gig chain, and many lead to iconic weapons and important story content.
• Trying to fight MaxTac police early — they're designed to be unkillable at low levels. Just run away or avoid high wanted levels.
• 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.

Key Tips for Smooth Progression

1. Invest in Body early for survivability — the Adrenaline Rush perk at Body 15 gives passive health regeneration in combat that trivializes most encounters.
2. Quickhacking trivializes the game if you invest Intelligence to 20. Contagion can wipe an entire building through walls before you enter.
3. Iconic weapons can be upgraded through tiers at crafting stations. Never disassemble an iconic weapon — you can't get it back.
4. 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.
5. 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.

For detailed build optimization, see Cyberpunk 2077 builds. For quick wins, check tips & tricks.