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Obviously, not every player bought it on release day, or still; and as the new year comes, more people will buy the game as updates come out to fix the many issues. With the audience of seasoned players and new gamers around Cyberpunk expanding, the game can be overwhelming to both parties alike. There’s a lot to keep track of from the get-go. So, to assist with players new to Night City, here are a few tips to thrive.
Updated December 1, 2021, by Anastasia Maillot: Nearly one year after its first release, Cyberpunk 2077 is looking like a much better experience overall. With huge patches and fixes released all throughout its first year of existence, it’s clear that CDPR is dedicated to ensuring the game will make up for its sloppy release in the long run. In bad news, however, most of its big-scale DLCs have been majorly delayed, which means no new quests are on the horizon for now.
That said, for those who finally dare to dip their toes into the world of Night City and the story of mercenary V for the first time, there’s a ton of experience still. Players beginning their journey in CDPR’s cyberpunk reality will need all the help they can get, especially at higher difficulties. These Cyberpunk 2077 beginner tips should help new mercenaries conquer the city in no time.
18 Don’t Ignore The NCPD Scanner Hustles
All throughout Night City, various NCDP scanner hustles will pop up as the player levels up. These usually involve investigating criminal activity or stopping an assault in progress. Although these mini-quests don’t have a lot of substance to them in terms of plot and storytelling, players should still complete them for a few reasons:
They can drop valuable crafting specs and gear. They’re fantastic for earning extra eddies to afford better vehicles. Players will level up quickly and increase their street cred by grinding these mini-missions.
17 Explore The Verticality Of The City
CDPR stated before the game’s launch that the world of Cyberpunk 2077 would be much smaller than that of The Witcher 3, but this is primarily because of the verticality of the city. There are many rooftops and areas that can be reached with good mobility or just by grabbing an elevator.
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Of course, in order to explore the extent of the city’s verticality, players will need good mobility. That brings this list to the next point, which is equally important.
16 Get The Best Cyberware ASAP
Cyberware upgrades at ripperdoc clinics are the bread and butter of the game. Players should keep an eye out for new cyberware, which is unlocked at higher street cred levels. The right cyberware completes a powerful character build, so having the right upgrades is key to succeed in combat. These are the best cyberware upgrades players should get in Cyberpunk 2077:
Any and all cyberdecks , especially for netrunner characters. Kiroshi optics . These are a must-have for any build. They come in three variants, the third edition being the best. Second Heart : Revives V once after they lose all their health. Kerenzikov : Dodge while aiming and shooting. Subdermal Armor : Boosts V’s armor. Great and versatile for any build. Sandevistan : Slows time, and increases Crit Hit chance. Comes in four different variants. Smart Link : V can now use Smart-type weapons. Must-have for builds that rely on such weapons. Mantis Blades : V’s arms sprout blades. Considered one of the best melee weapons in the game. Reinforced Tendons : V can perform a double jump mid-air and reach higher places.
15 Always Check The Danger Level Of An Encounter
When beginners first start the game, not all areas will be equally easy and nothing scales to the player’s level. The starting location, Watson, is the best area for beginners to level up and grind in Cyberpunk 2077. This is because the difficulty is different per each area.
To check the danger level of a quest, players can simply hover over a marker on the map. The difficulty levels for various missions are as follow:
Very Low Low Moderate High Very High
Players with plenty of experience in shooter games can safely complete missions up to High, but those who want a balanced experience should stick with Moderate.
14 Choosing A Life Path
In a game full of choices, one of the first choices players have to make in Cyberpunk 2077 is choosing a Life Path for V. There are three options: Corpo, Street Kid, and Nomad. Despite the fact that it’s called a “Life Path,” the implications of this choice aren’t anywhere near as deep as the phrase would suggest. By choosing a Life Path, players essentially make a choice on where they want the game to start.
This will affect the prologue, some dialogue options, and a few acquaintances later on. Other than that, the Life Path has no actual bearing on the play-through of the game. So don’t sweat the choice. While it’s not as big as it seems, it does offer a lot of replayability down the line.
13 Don’t Focus So Much On Headshotting
Cyberpunk 2077 is, at its core, an FPS. This will lead many players to believe that headshots are perhaps the fastest way to take an enemy down. In reality, headshotting in Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t nearly as lucrative as it is in other FPS titles. While players will see a bit of a damage boost, it’s nothing like what gamers are used to seeing when they manage to land a few projectiles to the head of an enemy.
Instead, players should focus on upgrading weapons, understanding their limitations when battling certain enemies, and that there is actually quite a lot that goes into how Cyberpunk 2077 calculates damage values. Eventually, those sniper shots to the dome will make quick work of V’s foes, but it’s not as clear-cut as it is in other shooters.
12 Be Aware Of Your Choices
When playing games, some players have a tendency to make snap decisions, and the consequences usually arise immediately or soon after–then the decision gets forgotten. Despite the Life Path’s similarity, it is not indicative of how much the game takes players’ choices into account. Whereas in other games players would rarely see the effects at all, Cyberpunk doesn’t forget.
Indeed, choices made over 15 hours of gameplay ago can later affect the trajectory of a side mission, change dialogue, and may even affect the actions available to V. For this, the best action is to pay attention; make snap decisions, there’s nothing wrong with that; but remember those choices because chances are, it’s already set things in motion.
11 Gather Up That Street Cred
In CD Projekt Red’s previous title The Witcher 3, Geralt is a hardened loner who’s unbeatable, he just needs levels. When playing such a character, it’s tempting to ignore all else in favor of advancement. The Witcher encouraged this, but Cyberpunk is different. Instead, players must monitor, along with levels and upgrades, another system called “Street Cred.”
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Save Night City or destroy it, just as long as V goes down as one of the most infamously bad-ass mercenaries ever. That’s where Street Cred comes in. One earns Street Cred by completing gigs. The more renowned V becomes across Night City, the more there is. The more that’s done, the more there will be to do.
10 Don’t Sleep On Crafting
Although crafting isn’t necessary to “be all you can be” in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, it can come in handy. Players who decide to become a master crafter will find themselves spending precious points on a wide-branching tree just to have the ability to make certain weapons but the end result can be ridiculously worth it should they come across the right materials in their travels. Some weapons are ludicrously powerful in the early game if gamers can manage to “speed run to crafting them.”
Focusing points on unlocking the ability to craft Legendary items can go a long way and players definitely shouldn’t overlook the value of being able to quickly and easily craft items on the fly. Hiding behind cover to craft some medical supplies or more ammo during a firefight can be the difference between life and death for V.
Crafting is also a requirement for those who want to complete V’s stash wall in their apartment.
9 All That Glitters Is Eddies
Eurodollars/“Eddies” are the in-game currency, and whatever it’s called, it makes the world go round. When players begin their journey, money is tight and everything needs Eddies, so a fair amount of the early game should be focused on completing jobs and gathering as much as V can hold.
Now, to make as much as possible, all players should avoid the perk, “Scrapper.” It’s a perk that, in short, auto-dismantles all junk that V picks up. Who needs “junk?” V does, that’s who. Some junk’s worthless, while others are worth more than their weight in Eddies. Rather than auto-throw away money, handle the “junk” manually–V’s wallet will be grateful.
8 Let The Story Ride Shotgun
Sometimes an open world can be overwhelming and players will just move through the story. This temptation in Cyberpunk is evident, particularly with Night City’s unprecedented amount of activities to do. Add the urgency into the narrative, then there’s a population of players who just breezed through the story. The story alone is satisfying, but to isolate it from the whole experience that is Night City is to severely undercut all it offers.
Not just a comprehensive experience of the game, it comes down to the fact that exploration and engagement with Night City is half the story and can even go on to affect the overall ending. So, ignore the urgency, and go ahead and live a little in Night City–all the work might kill you, anyway.
7 Bank Those Precious Points
Two vital point systems to keep track of in-game, Attribute Points and Perk Points are similar to Street Cred and Levels, as all are vital to game progression. There are four difficulties: easy, normal, high, and very high. Yet, no matter which level fans play at, without upgrades, the level disparity is punishingly felt. Still, don’t go tossing those points instantly, either. In truth, that’d be just as unhelpful.
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Cyberpunk is a situational game where there are multiple ways to beat one level, and what’s required to pull it off is uncertain until the moment it’s needed. This is when Attribute and Perk Points should be used. Upgrades can be done at any time, even mid-firefight, and it can be the decision that cheats death or avoids a reloaded save.
6 Think About Who You Want To Be
Because of how Cyberpunk 2077 operates, players will find themselves presented with numerous “gameplay choices.” Banking points is a sound strategy because it gives players the flexibility to simply put more points into a particular tree in order to make a specific mission easier or more approachable. This is a smart way to go about things, but it shouldn’t take away from the overall experience that each gamer has in Night City.
Banking points is smart, but don’t let it be V’s overall identity. Part of the joy of Cyberpunk 2077 is that it lets players experience the storyline and gameplay as they see fit. Become a streetwise brawler, or turn into the greatest Netrunner the city has seen. At the end of the day, it’s important to plan for “what path” V should head down. Respeccing is possible but it can be fairly expensive and time-consuming.
5 Get A Grip On Driving
Although there are a lot of vehicles to unlock and drive in Cyberpunk 2077, players should think twice about simply jumping into a car and taking off. The driving mechanics are likely much different than most gamers are used to and it’s important to understand that this definitely isn’t a “racing game.” Those who want the GTA experience will probably be disappointed because there are many vehicles within the world of Cyberpunk 2077 that handle horribly at higher speeds.
Opting for a more “realistic approach” to driving, V will have a hard time navigating the busy streets of Night City. It’s better to wait until players get to the outskirts of town before hitting the throttle. It’s also preferable for most to drive in third-person view, to give themselves the best chance at “seeing oncoming obstacles.”
4 O, Mighty Quick Save!
Cyberpunk is still plagued with as many bugs as Night City is with criminals. NPCs will break into a T-poses, audio balance gets thrown to the wind, tones mismatch, and some games freeze and require restarts. Bugs can be fun–when they’re cosmetic (think the faceless nightmares of AC: Unity), but when it affects the gameplay, ruining the emotional moment, or when it demands unsaved progress as a sacrifice, even the lawless lunatics of Night City are less infuriating.
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To avoid this best, players should utilize the quick save whenever possible. Bought an item? Save. Drove across town? Save. Just reloaded a save? Save! At any point, Cyberpunk could deem your unsaved progress unworthy.
3 Explore The Options
When there’s only one way to beat a level, it’s satisfying to beat it in a new way. Some games now are turning towards having many different ways to beat a level, and Cyberpunk is taking part in this charge. Luckily, these alternate ways of beating a level, despite being already-chartered options, are no less satisfying. No matter what, it will all blow up and go to hell. That’s pretty much the name of the game.
If something went smoothly, either the difficulty’s too low or something went wrong. Forge a plan to achieve a tricky objective, try possible methods on lower-risk gigs. Simply, explore the singular objectives that CDPR exploded into mosaics of choice. Even by the end, players can still learn new ways to infiltrate a building or hack a bot. The choice to grow is always there.
2 Always Look Around
Veterans of Destiny or Skyrim will recall how far one had to go to find the iconic weapons in the game. It seemed logical that Cyberpunk 2077 would apply the same ideas, but this was not the truth. Rather, the most iconic weapons in Cyberpunk aren’t even really hidden; they’re just in the last place anyone would look in a game this size: the story missions.
It’s hard to remember this when the events of the plot are so intense and captivating, but finding a way to break from the urgency to explore the story level will almost always yield valuable resources and items. Maybe Johnny’s yelling at V to hurry the hell up and move. Tell Johnny it can wait: there’s loot around.
1 Got A Sec To Chat?
CD Projekt Red’s vision and attention to detail come through clearest in the sheer amount of choice that players are given at nearly all levels. From narrative decisions to clothing choices, CDPR doesn’t just provide variety, but the variety within that variety that will certainly demand a replay (once the game’s fixed). Perhaps one of the greatest areas of choice is in conversation: many dialogue options aren’t vital and some of them do nothing to advance the story, but they’re not nothing.
In fact, these dialogue options offer to players a deeply fleshed-out world whose dark history affects all its citizens. Although the individuality of each citizen in Night City may not reach the depth that Watch Dogs: Legion does, the conversations and messages in each interaction still reach a rare depth and complexity that gives Night City a soul.
Cyberpunk 2077 was released on December 10, 2020, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia.
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