Cyberpunk 2077 Character Skills guide screenshot

Character Skills

Character Skills Guide for Cyberpunk 2077



Welcome to the definitive guide on V's skills in Cyberpunk 2077. This guide covers every Attribute, Perk Tree, quickhack, special cyberware move, and Relic ability. All descriptions include effects, cooldowns (where applicable), upgrade ranks, combos, synergies, recommended builds, and optimal usage scenarios. Skills are divided by the five core Attributes (Body, Reflexes, Technical Ability, Intelligence, Cool) and the additional Relic tree from the Phantom Liberty expansion.

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1. Body Attribute



Body governs raw strength, resilience, and heavy weaponry. It has three perk trees: Athletics, Annihilation, and Street Brawler.

Athletics


Focuses on stamina, melee damage, and survivability.

  • Regen (Rank 1-3): Increases health regeneration out of combat by 0.5/1/1.5 HP per second. Passive. No cooldown. Synergy: Pairs with health items. Build: Tank builds.

  • Invincible (Rank 1-3): Reduces damage taken by 5/10/15% while below 30% health. Passive. When: Survival low-health moments.

  • Pack Mule (Rank 1-3): Increases carrying capacity by 30/60/90. Passive. Use: Loot-heavy runs.

  • Steel and Chrome (Rank 1-3): Increases melee damage by 10/20/30% and armor by 5/10/15%. Passive. Synergy: With Body gorilla arms builds.

  • True Grit (Rank 1-3): Reduces health loss from fall damage by 30/50/70%. Passive. Use: Parkour or vertical combat.

  • Berserk (Active): Replaces Cyberware ability. For 10 seconds: +20% damage, +50% armor, melee attacks stun. Cooldown 60 seconds. Upgrades: Extended duration. Combo: Use before melee rush.


    • Annihilation


    Specializes in light machine guns (LMGs) and shotguns.

  • Easy There, Solo (Rank 1-3): Reduces reload speed by 15/25/35%. Passive. Build: Shotgun builds.

  • Bullet Ballet (Rank 1-3): Increases hip-fire accuracy by 10/15/20%. Passive. Synergy: With LMGs.

  • Tank (Rank 1-3): Increases armor by 10/20/30 when using shotguns/LMGs. Passive.

  • Frenzy (Active): On kill, +10% movement speed and +10% damage for 5 seconds. Stacks 3 times. Cooldown: 0 (proc). Use: Crowd control.

  • Spray and Pray (Rank 1-3): Increases bullet penetration by 10/20/30%. Passive. When: Against walls.

  • Shotgun/ LMG Perks (e.g., Violence increases crit chance). Each has three ranks.


    • Street Brawler


    Hand-to-hand combat, blunt weapons, and gorilla arms.

  • Steel and Chrome (shared with Athletics).

  • Brawl (Rank 1-3): Increases blunt weapon damage by 10/20/30%. Passive.

  • Fury (Active) : On receiving damage, +10% melee damage for 8 seconds. Stackable 3 times. Cooldown: 0.

  • Stronger (Rank 1-3): Increases armor by 5/10/15% while wielding a blunt weapon. Passive.

  • Gladiator (Rank 1-3): Reduces stamina cost of heavy attacks by 50/65/80%. Passive.

  • Berserk (Active) – same as Athletics but with added blunt melee stun.


    • Recommended Body Build: Tanky melee or shotgunner. Max Body (20), then invest perks in either Street Brawler (gorilla arms) or Annihilation (shotgun). Use Berserk for emergency damage.

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    2. Reflexes Attribute



    Reflexes govern speed, handguns, blades, and evasion. Trees: Handguns, Blades, and Assault.

    Handguns


    Pistols, revolvers, and precision.

  • Gun Whisperer (Rank 1-3): Reduces handgun recoil by 15/25/35%. Passive.

  • Crack Shot (Rank 1-3): Increases headshot damage by 10/15/20%. Passive. Synergy: With revolvers.

  • Long Arm (Rank 1-3): Increases effective range by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Frontal Artery (Active) : On headshot kill, +10% crit chance for 8 seconds. Stacks 3. Cooldown: 0.

  • Akimbo (Rank 1-3) : Allows dual-wielding pistols (requires cyberware). Increases fire rate but reduces accuracy. Cooldown: N/A.

  • Ricochet (Rank 1-3) : Bullets ricochet off surfaces, dealing 25/50/75% damage. Passive. When: Around corners.


    • Blades


    Katana, knives, and mantis blades.

  • Sting Like a Bee (Rank 1-3): Increases attack speed by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Float Like a Butterfly (Rank 1-3): Increases dodge distance by 15/25/35%. Passive.

  • Deathbolt (Active) : On kill with blade, +15% movement speed and +10% damage for 8 seconds. Cooldown: 0.

  • Blade Flurry (Active) : Activate for rapid slashes (forward dash). Cooldown 8 seconds. Upgrade: Duration.

  • Counter (Active) : Perfect block then counterattack. Stuns enemy. Cooldown 3 seconds.

  • Mantis Blades special : (from cyberware) leap attack, lunge, etc. Not a perk but enhanced by blades tree.


    • Assault


    Assault rifles and submachine guns (SMGs).

  • Steady Hand (Rank 1-3): Reduces weapon sway while aiming by 20/30/40%. Passive.

  • Spray (Rank 1-3): Increases hip-fire accuracy by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Rifleman (Rank 1-3): Increases assault rifle damage by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Submachine Fun (Rank 1-3): Increases SMG reload speed by 15/25/35%. Passive.

  • Run and Gun (Active) : While sprinting, +10% movement speed and +10% accuracy. Cooldown: N/A (toggle).

  • Trajectory (Active) : On kill, +15% fire rate for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 0.


    • Recommended Reflex Build: High mobility pistolero or blade ninja. Reflexes 20, with perks in Handguns for crits or Blades for flurries. Use Kerenzikov cyberware for time slow on dodge.

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    3. Technical Ability Attribute



    Technical Ability governs tech weapons, grenades, and crafting/hacking. Trees: Crafting, Engineering, and Tech Weapons.

    Crafting


    Build and upgrade items.

  • Crafter (Rank 1-3): Unlocks crafting of Common/Blue/Purple items. Passive.

  • Eddie for Eddie (Rank 1-3): Reduces crafting cost by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Tuned Up (Rank 1-3): Increases upgrade efficiency by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Quality Control (Active) : On crafting an item, +10% chance for a higher rarity. Passive.

  • Including (Rank 1-3): Allows disassembly of components into rarer materials. Passive.


    • Engineering


    Grenades, turrets, and tech traps.

  • Grenadier (Rank 1-3): Increases grenade damage by 10/20/30%. Passive.

  • Welcome to Night City (Rank 1-3): Increases grenade radius by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Blast Shielding (Rank 1-3): Reduces self-damage from explosions by 30/50/70%. Passive.

  • Demolition Man (Active) : On grenade kill, +20% grenade damage for 10 seconds. Stackable 2 times. Cooldown: 0.

  • Turret Tamer (Active) : Hack enemy turrets to attack allies. Cooldown 30 seconds. Synergy: With Int Quickhacks.

  • Bomb Squad (Rank 1-3): Reduces grenade cook time by 15/25/35%. Passive.


    • Tech Weapons


    Tech rifles, pistols, and charge weapons.

  • Tech Slinger (Rank 1-3): Increases charge speed by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Sniper (Rank 1-3): Increases tech weapon range by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Overload (Active) : On fully charged shot, +30% damage and stun. Cooldown: 4 seconds.

  • Rebound (Rank 1-3): Projectiles bounce off surfaces, dealing 25/50/75% damage. Passive.

  • Critical Charge (Rank 1-3): Increases crit chance for tech weapons by 5/10/15%. Passive.


    • Recommended Tech Build: Crafting + Tech weapons (like Comrade's Hammer). Max Tech (20), use Grenadier for explosive carnage.

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    4. Intelligence Attribute



    Intelligence governs hacking, quickhacks, and cyberdeck abilities. Trees: Core Quickhacks, Quickhack Mastery, and Netrunning.

    Core Quickhacks


    Basic hacking efficiency.

  • Upload Duration (Rank 1-3): Reduces quickhack upload time by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • RAM Recovery (Rank 1-3): Increases RAM regeneration by 0.25/0.5/0.75 per second. Passive.

  • Breach Protocol (Active) : Use to access enemy networks, reveal enemies, and upload mass debuffs. Cooldown: 10 seconds. Synergy: With Overclock.

  • Eavesdropper (Rank 1-3): Increases range for data mining from access points by 5/10/15 meters. Passive.


    • Quickhack Mastery


    Enhances specific quickhacks.

  • Short Circuit (Active): Deal electric damage and stun. Costs 4 RAM. Cooldown: 2 seconds. Upgrade: Legendary version deals bonus damage to robotic enemies.

  • Overheat (Active): Deal thermal damage and burn. Costs 5 RAM. Cooldown: 3 seconds. Synergy: With thermal damage perks.

  • Cyberware Malfunction (Active): Disables enemy cyberware for 10 seconds. Costs 8 RAM. Cooldown: 15 seconds. Use: Against bosses.

  • System Shutdown (Active): Instantly knocks out an enemy (non-lethal). Costs 10 RAM. Cooldown: 30 seconds. When: Stealth.

  • Detonate Grenade (Active): Causes enemy to detonate their equipped grenade. Costs 5 RAM. Cooldown: 10 seconds.

  • Suicide (Active): Enemy shoots themselves (lethal). Costs 12 RAM. Cooldown: 60 seconds. Risk: High RAM cost.

  • Legendary Quickhacks: Require perk investment; each has unique effects (e.g., Legendary Short Circuit adds damage on crit).


    • Netrunning


    Passives and active cyberdeck abilities.

  • Overclock (Active): For 10 seconds, quickhacks cost no RAM but health is consumed. Cooldown: 60 seconds. Synergy: With health regeneration perks.

  • Iron Will (Rank 1-3): Reduces damage taken while quickhacking by 10/20/30%. Passive.

  • Wait for It (Rank 1-3): Increases quickhack damage against enemies affected by breach protocol by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Hacker's Arsenal (Rank 1-3): Unlocks crafting of legendary quickhacks. Passive.


    • Recommended Intelligence Build: Pure netrunner. Max Int (20), invest in Core Quickhacks for RAM, then Mastery for lethal combos like Short Circuit + Overheat. Use Overclock for burst.

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    5. Cool Attribute



    Cool governs stealth, cold blood, and precision weapons (sniper rifles, pistols). Trees: Stealth, Cold Blood, and Sniper.

    Stealth


    Silent takedowns, evasion, and visibility.

  • Silent and Deadly (Rank 1-3): Increases stealth damage by 15/25/35%. Passive.

  • Ghost (Rank 1-3): Reduces detection time by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Assassin (Active) : On stealth kill, +15% movement speed for 8 seconds. Cooldown: 0.

  • Optical Camo (Active) : Temporarily invisible for 10 seconds when not moving. Cooldown 30 seconds. Upgrade: Longer duration.

  • Dagger Master (Rank 1-3): Increases throwing knife damage by 10/15/20% and recovery speed.


    • Cold Blood


    Stackable buffs on kills.

  • Cold Blood (Passive): On kill, gain +2% crit chance, +2% movement speed, +2% armor for 10 seconds. Stacks up to 10 times. Core mechanic.

  • Cold Blood Capstones: At 5 stacks, gain +20% damage; at 10 stacks, gain +30% crit damage.

  • Will to Live (Rank 1-3): Increases health regeneration per Cold Blood stack by 1/2/3% per second. Passive.

  • Frozen Precision (Rank 1-3): Each Cold Blood stack adds +2/3/4% crit chance. Passive.

  • Avalanche (Active) : Activate to consume all Cold Blood stacks and deal massive damage in an area (based on number of stacks). Cooldown 30 seconds. Use: Crowd finisher.


    • Sniper


    Sniper rifles and long-range precision.

  • Steady Hand (Rank 1-3): Reduces weapon sway while aiming by 20/30/40%. Passive.

  • Head Hunter (Rank 1-3): Increases headshot damage by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Long Arm (Rank 1-3): Increases effective range by 10/15/20%. Passive.

  • Reveal (Active) : On kill with sniper, marks nearby enemies for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 0. Synergy: With stealth.

  • Bullseye (Rank 1-3): Increases armor penetration by 10/20/30%. Passive.


    • Recommended Cool Build: Sniper stealth from afar, then Cold Blood stacks for finishing. Max Cool (20), perks in Sniping and Cold Blood. Use Optical Camo for escapes.

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    6. Relic Perks (Phantom Liberty)



    Unlocked during the expansion, these are placed in a separate Relic tree (accessible after completing certain missions). They enhance cyberware and grant unique abilities.

  • Magnetic Hands (Rank 1-3): Increases weapon handling while wall-running or grabbing edges. Passive.

  • Spider Sense (Active) : On detection, auto-dodge for 2 seconds (reflects bullets). Cooldown 30 seconds.

  • Synaptic Accelerator (Active) : On low health, slow time for 5 seconds. Cooldown 60 seconds.

  • Exoskeleton (Active) : Activate to gain massive armor and increased jump height for 15 seconds. Cooldown 90 seconds.

  • Crisps (Passive): Increases RAM regen by 0.25 per second per piece of deployed cyberware.

  • Overdrive (Active) : All cyberware cooldowns reduced by 50% for 20 seconds. Cooldown 120 seconds.

  • System Expansion (Passive): Unlocks extra cyberware slot per piece.


    • Recommended Relic Build: For any build, pick up low-cooldown perks like Spider Sense and Synaptic Accelerator for emergency survival.

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    7. Quickhacks Detailed (Netrunning Skills)



    Quickhacks are the primary magical abilities of netrunners. They require a cyberdeck and RAM. Cooldowns are replaced by RAM cost (regenerates over time). Below are the most powerful quickhacks, categorized by tier.

    Common Quickhacks


  • Ping: Reveals all enemies in a radius for 4 seconds when used on a device. Costs 2 RAM. Cooldown: 3 seconds.

  • Overheat: Deals thermal damage over time. Costs 4 RAM; upgrades increase damage.

  • Short Circuit: Electric damage plus stun. Costs 4 RAM.

  • Breach Protocol: See Core Quickhacks section.


    • Rare/Legendary Quickhacks


  • Cyberpsychosis: Makes an enemy attack allies for 10 seconds. Costs 12 RAM. Cooldown: 60 seconds. Use: Disable groups.

  • Contagion: Spreads a virus that deals poison damage over time to nearby enemies. Costs 8 RAM. Cooldown: 15 seconds.

  • Suicide: See earlier.

  • Detonate Grenade: See earlier.

  • Memory Wipe: Removes all traces of V from enemy detection for 10 seconds. Costs 10 RAM. Cooldown: 30 seconds.


    • Combos: Use Breach Protocol first to lower RAM cost, then spam Short Circuit on mechanical enemies, Overheat on fleshy ones. Legendary variants add extra effects.

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    8. Special Cyberware Moves (Non-Perk Skills)



    These are tied to specific arm cyberware and are not perks but are activated abilities.

    Gorilla Arms


  • Power Attack: Charged punch that stuns. No cooldown. Use: Breaks doors, stuns humans.

  • Ground Smash: Slams ground, knocking back enemies. Cooldown 15 seconds.


    • Mantis Blades


  • Lunge Attack: Forward dash with blades. Cooldown 8 seconds.

  • Spin Attack: Area melee attack. Cooldown 12 seconds.

  • Wall Leaping: Automatically leaps at enemies when attacking from above.


    • Monowire


  • Whip Strike: Long-range melee attack. Cooldown 2 seconds.

  • Electric Lash: Deals electric damage and stuns. Cooldown 10 seconds (requires mod).


    • Projectile Launch System


  • Grenade Launcher: Fires explosive projectile. Cooldown based on ammo (recharges).

  • Nerve Gas: Emits gas cloud that poisons. Cooldown 20 seconds.


Synergies: These cyberware moves benefit from corresponding attribute perks (e.g., Street Brawler perks boost Gorilla Arms damage).

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9. Build Archetypes Summary



Build NameAttributes (Max)Main Perk TreesCyberware FocusPlaystyle
Solo Tank20 Body, 20 TechAthletics, Annihilation, TechBerserk, projectile armsFrontline heavy weapons
Netrunner20 Int, 20 CoolQuickhack Mastery, StealthCyberdeck, optical camoStealth hacking
Ninja Blades20 Reflexes, 20 CoolBlades, Cold BloodMantis blades, kerenzikovFast melee/stealth
Gunslinger20 Reflexes, 20 IntHandguns, Core QuickhacksPistols, short circuitCrit pistol + hacking
Tech Crafter20 Tech, 20 BodyCrafting, Engineering, TechExoskeleton, grenade modExplosive + crafted weapons
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10. Tips for Skill Use



  • Actives: Always have Berserk, Overclock, or Optical Camo ready for emergencies. Bind to hotkeys.

  • Passive Synergy: Cold Blood stacks enhance any build that kills fast. Combine with short-cooldown active perks.

  • Quickhack Rotation: For netrunners, use Ping to locate enemies, then Short Circuit on mechs, Overheat on organics. Manage RAM with Overclock.

  • Cyberware Activation: Mantis blades lunge is excellent for closing gaps. Gorilla arms ground smash for crowd control.

  • Upgrade Priority: Invest perk points first into passive damage multipliers (e.g., headshot damage) before active abilities to maximize consistent DPS.


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This guide covers every skill, perk, and special ability in Cyberpunk 2077. Use the tables and sections above to tailor your V to any desired playstyle. Remember that all skills can be reset with the Tabula Rasa perk, so experiment freely.