Game Tips

Game Tips: Cyberpunk 2077

Welcome to Night City, V. These tips will help you survive, thrive, and dominate the streets. The guide is organized by category, with tips for all skill levels: beginner (B), intermediate (I), and advanced (A). Each tip includes the why and when for practical application.

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Combat Tips

1. B: Use cover smartly – The game’s AI is aggressive; popping out of cover while blind-firing is often safer than standing still. Always aim for headshots when enemies are unaware.
- Why: Cyberpunk’s damage system rewards precision; headshots with a silenced pistol can one-shot most early enemies. Cover reduces incoming fire.
- When: Every gunfight, especially when outnumbered.

2. I: Combine quickhacks with weapons – Cripple Movement + a shotgun rush is lethal. Use "Ping" to see enemies through walls, then take them out with a Tech weapon that shoots through cover.
- Why: Quickhacks disable enemies, making them easier targets. Tech weapons (like the Widow Maker) ignore walls, creating synergy.
- When: Confrontations in dense interiors or when enemies have good cover.

3. A: Exploit the “Cyberpsycho” effect – Equip the "Contagion" quickhack on a high-intelligence build. It spreads from enemy to enemy, and if combined with the "Spread" perk, can take down entire groups without firing a shot.
- Why: Contagion deals high poison damage over time and jumps to nearby enemies. Paired with "Mass Vulnerability," it shreds armor.
- When: Clearing large rooms with clustered enemies; for maximum stealth efficiency.

4. B: Always hack the access points – After combat, look for glowing orange access points. Breaching them gives you quickhack components and money. Even if you don’t use hacking, these are free resources.
- Why: They respawn daily and are essential for upgrading your cyberdeck. Easy early cash.
- When: After clearing any enemy camp or mission area.

5. I: Master the dodge-button (double-tap movement) – Dodging breaks enemy lock-on and reduces damage from explosives. Practice using it to flank enemies while reloading.
- Why: The dodge is your best defensive tool; it costs no stamina and can save you from one-hit kills.
- When: Against fast melee enemies like Animals or during boss fights.

6. A: Stack armor via clothing mods – Insert Armadillo mods (crafted or bought) into every clothing slot. Do not rely on outfit style; armor is king in higher difficulties.
- Why: Armor reduces all physical damage. On Very Hard, a single bullet can kill V; stacking armor to 1000+ is borderline invincibility.
- When: Immediately after reaching the first clothing vendor. Farm crafting components from junk.

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Exploration Tips

7. B: Scan everything – Hold the scan button (Tab on PC, PS5: R1, Xbox: RB) constantly. It reveals loot, enemies, and hidden items. Blue containers always hold useful components or eddies.
- Why: Scanning highlights interactive objects, including secret paths and environmental storytelling. It also shows enemy threat levels and cyberware weaknesses.
- When: Every second you’re not in combat.

8. I: Unlock “Gang of One: All Ways Lead to Night City” by completing gigs – Side jobs and gigs reveal hidden loot rooms and legendary weapons. The “Solo” questline from Padre or Regina gives iconic gear.
- Why: Many iconic weapons (like "Skippy" or "Yinglong") are rewards from specific gigs. Exploration without these is a waste.
- When: As soon as you finish the heist prologue. Check your Journal > Gigs list.

9. A: Use vehicles with machine guns for open-world farming – The "Quadra Type-66" variants can mount weapons. Drive around the Badlands, mowing down groups of scavengers without ever getting out. Loot then drive away.
- Why: Vehicle combat keeps you mobile and helps clear groups quickly for loot without armor damage.
- When: After unlocking vehicle weapon upgrade (requires Street Cred 30+ and buying from certain fixers).

10. B: Don’t skip Braindances (BDs) – These are required for story progression, but also contain hidden loot codes and clues. Scan everything in BD replay—not just the objective markers.
- Why: BDs often hide optional loot locations or unlock dialogue options that lead to better rewards.
- When: During any main story BD segment.

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Resources & Crafting Tips

11. B: Collect all junk items – At junk vendors, buy everything that costs less than 100 eddies. Disassemble junk into common components (common, uncommon, rare). These fuel your crafting.
- Why: Crafting upgrades for weapons and clothing requires thousands of components. Junk is the cheapest source.
- When: Early game, especially before you start crafting iconic weapons.

12. I: Craft "Purple" gear immediately – Once you hit level 10 and have the "Grease Monkey" perk, craft blue (rare) and purple (epic) versions of your favorite weapons. They have higher damage and additional mod slots.
- Why: Crafted weapons scale with your level up to a point; they are stronger than random drops. Mod slots allow you to add crit chance or damage.
- When: After you have enough components and a reliable blueprint.

13. A: Economy: Flip armor mods – Buy Armadillo mods from vendors (they cost ~1k), then disassemble them. You often get 2-3 times the components back. Use those to craft legendary mods.
- Why: This exploits the game’s economy; it’s the fastest way to get legendary components without farming.
- When: Mid-game when you have money to spare (Street Cred 20+).

14. B: Spend your perk points on "Technical Ability" early – The "Crafting" line unlocks ability to craft legendary items and reduces upgrade costs. Even non-crafters benefit from common component savings.
- Why: Legendary weapons are significantly better than epic. You can craft them at level 18 in Tech.
- When: After you have at least level 9 in Reflexes or Cool for survival.

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Build & Character Tips

15. B: Choose your playstyle early – don’t spread points thinly – Pick one primary attribute (Reflexes for guns, Cool for stealth/sniper, Intelligence for hacking, Body for shotguns/melee, Technical for crafting). Splitting points makes you mediocre at everything.
- Why: Attributes gate perk trees; a Level 20 in Cool unlocks "Juggler" for instant weapon swap and reload while sprinting, which is insane for a stealth build.
- When: During character creation, but you can respec only perks (not attributes) later. Choose wisely.

16. I: Cyberware matters more than your gun – Upgrade to Legendary level cyberware as soon as possible. The "Synaptic Accelerator" mod gives you slow-mo when enemies detect you; "Mantis Blades" lets you break through doors.
- Why: Cyberware provides passive abilities that can’t be matched by items. For example, "Second Heart" revives you once per combat.
- When: As soon as you have 10k+ eddies. Visit ripperdoc every few levels.

17. A: The “Netrunner” build is broken: 20 Intelligence, 20 Cool, 15 Technical – Use Contagion + Suicide quickhacks. Cool’s "Thrown Knife" perk gives free stealth kills. Tech allows crafting legendary short circuit which procs on crits.
- Why: With the right perks, you never need to fire a gun. Monowire counts as a blade for bleed chance. This build clears even the hardest content without breaking stealth.
- When: New Game Plus or a second playthrough; it requires careful curation.

18. B: Max out "Street Cred" by completing side gigs – Street Cred unlocks better weapons and cyberware at vendors. Don’t rush the main story; do NCPD hustles and fixer jobs.
- Why: Many legendary items require Street Cred 30+ to purchase. The faster you get cred, the faster you can equip endgame gear.
- When: After Act 1, spend at least 5 hours on side content before progressing.

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Economy Tips

19. B: Sell weapons, not junk – Junk is worth 10 eddies but yields rare components when disassembled. Weapons (especially iconic ones) sell for 1k+. Only disassemble white/green weapons.
- Why: Early game you need cash for cyberware. Junk is better for components.
- When: Always; never sell purple or orange weapons until you have duplicates.

20. I: Invest in "Rare Backpack" upgrades – Buy the "Better Metabolism" cyberware (reduces consumption) but more importantly, upgrade your inventory capacity via the "Strong Back" perk in Body tree. Carry more loot.
- Why: More inventory means fewer trips to vendors, maximizing your farming efficiency.
- When: After you have 3 points in Body (requires attribute 6).

21. A: Capitalize on the “Victory” drinking game trick – After the mission “Sinnerman”, you can sell the unique weapon “Sword of Damocles” to a vendor, then buy it back disassembled for components? Actually, some items respawn. Check YouTube for current money glitches. Generally, the best stable method is looting all guns from enemies and selling them.
- Why: The game has been patched, but looting and selling is always reliable. Also, selling crafted legendary armors yields good profits.
- When: Post-patch, no glitches. Just grind NCPD scanner missions.

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Miscellaneous Tips

22. B: Save often – manual saves – The autosave system can put you in a checkpoint just before a boss fight with low health. Use quicksave (F5) before every new area.
- Why: Some quests have irreversible choices; manual saves let you reload and try different outcomes.
- When: Upon entering a new district, before hacking, before dialogue options.

23. I: Use "Double Jump" cyberware legs – Purchase the "Fortified Ankles" or "Lynx Paws" for vertical mobility. This allows access to high ledges with loot.
- Why: Many loot containers are on rooftops reachable only with double jump. Saves time and avoids fights.
- When: As soon as you have 15k eddies and a ripperdoc in Watson.

24. A: Time-of-day matters for stealth – At night, enemies have reduced vision range. Use the "Optical Camo" cyberware (gives invisibility) for one-shot stealth kills. Turn off your weapon’s laser sight.
- Why: Game AI checks light levels; night missions are easier. Optical Camo makes you invisible for 10 seconds, allowing escapes.
- When: Stealth missions, especially "The Heist" or "The Pickup."

25. B: Read shards – They contain passwords for access points, lore, and sometimes side quest triggers.
- Why: Certain secret weapons unlock after reading specific shards. Also, some doors require passwords found on shards.
- When: Always pick up and read all shards found on bodies.

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These tips should transform your experience from struggling to surviving, and from surviving to dominating. Remember: Night City rewards preparation, adaptation, and a trigger finger for the right quickhack. Good luck, V.