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In Night City, danger lurks around many corners. But there’s also plenty of excitement. V’s journey can be a long and thrilling one, but let’s not jump in blindly. You should know some things about Cyberpunk 2077 before you start, so we crafted a beginner’s guide to help you navigate the new update. In no particular order, let’s get into some of these tips to save you a hassle when you boot up the game.
Cyberpunk 2077 puts you through a helpful tutorial mission at the start, but there are 12 things you should know before you embrace our favorite mercenary. These tips should ensure you’re ready for anything the game throws at you.
Keep an Eye on Your Map in Cyberpunk 2077
Your map isn’t just to learn the lay of the land. Instead, zooming in reveals numerous icons that can guide you. Need some food? There are several places around Night City you can eat. Want some new clothes? It’s easy enough to find a shop in the various districts.
If you want to know where something more specific is in Cyberpunk 2077, you can customize the filters to show what you want. For instance, switch up the map to only show locations of ripperdocs, vehicles for purchase, apartments, etc.
Although Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world game, it’s not very open when you first start playing. You’ll go through your chosen Lifepath opening and meet Jackie, following a linear path until you can explore the district a bit. Once you open the map, you’ll notice the many icons lit up. There aren’t that many fast-travel points just yet as you need to advance the story. Only once you reach Act 2 with your new passenger does the world fully open.
Using Fast Travel Wisely in Cyberpunk 2077
Another thing you should know about Cyberpunk 2077 is that fast travel has ups and downs. On the positive side, it will get you across Night City in a flash when time is of the essence. On the other hand, it can cause you to miss out on things.
Gigs and side missions can sometimes appear as you drive around Night City. So, take the time to do some sightseeing and learn the driving controls. You never know if there’s an assault in progress that requires V to intervene. But when you don’t feel like driving around, pull up the map to find all the fast-travel locations.
Check Your Phone Often
An important feature of Cyberpunk 2077 you should know is that people really do want to talk to V. Phone calls can come in anytime during the game. Sometimes, V will answer automatically. More often than not, if you don’t answer, it leads to a message. These can open you to more side missions and gigs. Besides that, a phone call or text can add some extra meat to the story.
Vehicles as Stashes in Cyberpunk 2077
Once you buy a vehicle, you can call it anytime you need a lift no matter where you are. But did you know a car can serve another purpose? As long as your vehicle has a trunk, you can stash things inside just as you can in your apartment.
Out of everything in our Cyberpunk 2077 beginner’s guide you should know, never forget that having a stash is vital. You’re going to loot plenty in the game. Some gear is better suited for different missions. If you don’t want to constantly carry everything, call a car to stash the loot.
Looting vs. Shopping
On the topic of looting, you can scavenge for items throughout Night City and after a battle. Of course, there are several shops where you can buy weapons, consumables, and clothing. However, you can also loot some high-end gear better than what you’re carrying. Keep that in mind as you can save more money in the long run, using the shops mainly to sell unwanted items instead.
Breaking Down vs. Selling in Cyberpunk 2077
If money is tight and there are items you really must buy, then you should know you can sell at several places in Cyberpunk 2077. Shops will accept your items, but there are also junk stations around Night City you can stop at to get rid of things too.
Remember, you can also break your items down to get components. These are necessary for upgrading and crafting gear. So, take care to note when an item is worth more broken down than it is to sell.
Use the Crafting and Upgrading Features
In Cyberpunk 2077, you won’t have to always rely on looting or buying weapons, clothes, and ammo. You can always upgrade high-quality weapons to make them more potent or craft new items. Some crafting is locked based on your stats though, but you can always check the requirements in the crafting tab.
Remember Your Cyberdeck in Cyberpunk 2077
Your cyberdeck is everything. We don’t want V rushing into something vulnerable to an enemy netrunner or completely blind. So, check in with a ripperdoc and buy or switch out your hardware. Certain missions can call for certain builds, so there are numerous ways you can play.
There are active decks that require you to directly use them, and there are passive decks that are always “on” once installed. Other decks are triggered; meaning, they are available when you meet specific requirements.
As far as beginner’s go in Cyberpunk 2077, you are never guided toward one particular playstyle. There’s enough freedom that you can build V as an expert netrunner or someone who just manages to get by well enough.
How To Get the Best Cyberdecks
At the start of the game, you won’t have access to many cyberdecks. You’ll need to build street cred and earn some Eddies to get the better decks.
You already get a solid upgrade for free once you pick up your reward from Wakako Okada. It’s a Tyger Claws Dermal Imprint so V can use smart weapons. Otherwise, how you build V depends on how you want to fight.
For a beginner’s guide to Cyberpunk 2077, one of the best early cyberdecks you can get is the Stephenson Tech Mk.2 from the ripperdoc in the Cherry Blossom Market in Japantown. You can quickhack targets while scanning, reduce your quickhack cooldown, and increase the duration of combat quickhacks.
The Raven Microcyber Mk.4 is another good early game cyberdeck. If you have 40 street cred and gathered enough Eddies, you can visit Robert Rainwater in the Kabuki block of Watson. It gives the following perks great for early-game usage:
- Increases spread distance by 60%
- Can perform quickhacks on targets while scanning
- Increases RAM recovery rate
- Increases the time it takes for an enemy netrunner to hack you
Of course, you’ll find upgrades for it and better cyberdecks, but you can’t go wrong with that in the beginning. Other worthwhile decks include these:
- Biotech Mk.3 (ripperdoc in Westbrook, Japantown)
- Netwatch Netdriver Mk. 5 (ripperdoc Haywood, Wellsprings)
- Tetratronic Rippler (Robert Rainwwater in Kabuki)
Don’t Forget Attachments and Mods
You can craft or buy the best weapon possible, but attachments and mods can improve them. Scopes can make your rifle or sniper more accurate, while certain mods can add damage to your weapon. Some mods can turn a weapon non-lethal, handy for missions that require you to keep people alive like the cyberpsycho gigs. Also, some clothes have mod slots too. It can allow you to increase your armor even more.
Befriend the Ping Function
Another frequent feature you should know about in Cyberpunk 2077 is that the environment reveals plenty when V scans it. You can discover explosives, crates to stash bodies, access points, cameras, and enemies. It’s not enough to scan enemies though. Don’t forget to use the ping cyberware mod. From there, as long as you scan an enemy directly, you can mark them. This will keep them in V’s sights so you don’t lose track and have someone sneak up on you in the middle of battle.
Don’t Rush Side Missions in Cyberpunk 2077
It’s easy to feel tempted to drive through the city and discover side missions after you start. You can certainly do a few while your friend Jackie is still around. However, hold off on cramming as much as possible before you pass the second prologue. If you save the side missions, you can have some colorful commentary from the passenger V picks up later on.
Understand Perks and Attributes
When you hit the character tab, you’ll notice attribute points and perks. The attributes determine V’s primary build and what you want to focus on such as Body and Technical Ability. Meanwhile, the perks allow you to increase abilities within the attributes.
You’ll score perks and attribute points often as you rank up. However, you don’t have to jump and spend them. It can pay off to save them once you understand what type of V you wish to run with. It’s impossible to evenly split things across all attributes. So, you must decide to lean more one way than another.
