Board 8 > I'm starting Cyberpunk soon, what do I need to know?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Thanks to this new steam family thing I didn't even have to buy it!

I know practically nothing. Includes Phantom Liberty. Basically tell me what not to do so I have a good time, since apparently they finally made it good.

Uh, I guess the only important thing is knowing the available romance options?

Judy - Lesbian
Panam - Straight

River - Straight
Kerry - Gay

Keep that in mind while creating your character.

Also, the origin story you choose doesn't make a huge difference, so feel free to go with whichever you like.

Other than that, I guess just keep extra saves? I very much enjoyed getting all the endings, and if you have a save at the point of no return you can get them all in one playthrough.

As far as your stat build goes, at character creation put at least 4 into everything and then with your first levels beeline to 15 in Reflexes and pick up the air dash talent. It makes a huge difference in how you move around and is pretty much essential imo.

tag as this'll be me sooner than later.

It fucking rules.

Playing through it both in its natural state on release and then again last year with the Phantom Liberty update was transcendental.

This might just be me, but... get hold of at least three throwing knives (preferably iconics) at the earliest opportunity, and never touch a gun again.

Carry a melee weapon. Doesn't need to be amazing.

Melee is absolutely not needed, disregard that advice.

Let's see...I finished my second Very Hard run not that long ago, so here's what I'd say is important to know:

-You get to pick three attributes to max out in the base game, four in the DLC (plus a DLC attribute minitree that is free to max if you explore). This means you end up very omnicompetent over time and there isn't a lot of need to sweat the synergies. THAT SAID...

-Some trees are 'primaries' you focus on and spend your cyberware to boost, some trees splash. Generally speaking, every tree has one splashable branch out of three, one branch that may or may not be splashable depending on build, and one branch that is the 'I want to do THIS thing primarily' focus, which is the left-side branch. Intelligence can splash its left side with a weapon spec from another tree (which are the left side branches too), but it's the only one where you can get away with that. Why does this matter? Well...

-Three of the trees get an Operating System cyberware that DRASTICALLY changes your playstyle and what you can do, and I would urge you to think about what's more your jam before you go in. They are Body, Intelligence and Reflexes. Body's Berserk lets you become an unstoppable melee murderbeast and eventually straight up makes you invulnerable while it lasts at cost of not being able to use ranged weapons, Intelligence gives you hacking powers, and Reflexes gives you Sandevistan, AKA superspeed that works like a bullet time (and also has number buffs on top). If any of these sound like they fit into what you want to do, consider focusing on the appropriate tree to make them stronger because the payoff is noticeable. There's a fourth path available which is 'no OS, just give me a lot of extra cyberware points for elsewhere' but it's an advanced setup and I really don't recommend it while starting out.

-Everything is viable so there is no need to worry about things beyond making sure you pick an OS that matches your main spec (ie don't be a goofy goober and focus on hacking then get sandevistan or berserk for example). I personally feel Tech is an amazing tree to jam into any build but every single stat combination will produce amazing results, and having used every tree, I promise they all transform your experience if you pump them up and they are insanely fun to play with.

-If you like to play on hard or very hard modes, work on gradually acquiring 100% Mitigation Chance (and boost the Mit Strength). This is the only requirement the game asks of you as you crank up the difficulty.

-Unlike most open world games, Cyberpunk's critical path is actually interesting, cinematic and compelling. The way I've described it since 2.0 update dropped is that it's three excellent games jammed together (a breakneck speed FPS, an open world game and a linear RPG with involved sidequests) that become something more than the sum of their parts. It is completely valid to mainline the story for a long chunk of time if you want and you won't be let down, unlike a Skyrim or the like. That said, exploring is very fun, so don't sleep on it!

-Barring some very specific gimmicky builds (and LMGs, which have to wait until the DLC to get iconics iirc), your weapons will eventually be Iconics that have unique and powerful effects. To name one example, the very first iconic weapon you get, the Dying Night, is a mean old bastard of a pistol that electroshocks enemies if you hit them enough times in a row for huge damage, and its impact is very noticeable compared to a generic gun. Make sure to keep disassembling gear you don't need for materials to upgrade your chosen cyberware and Iconics, because every tier is a pretty hefty performance jump!

I think that's everything of note. If you got any questions during play feel free to tag me, I'm happy to explain anything that's uncertain.

Also, earlier it was said the origin story does not change things dramatically. This is a LIE and I am bolding that because it's super important to understand why. The lifepaths don't unlock wholly unique content beyond the initial prologue missions, but they dramatically influence the tonal voice of the story and the options you'll have at your disposal to portray V. S/he is always a fully realized character, and your lifepath pick informs a lot of his/her past experiences. A Corpo's story is going to have a very different taste than a Streetkid's if you pick the path options fairly consistently, and viceversa. If you care about the roleplaying side of things, take your time to think about whether you want to be an outsider looking at the city with fresh eyes, a rich asshole who fell from grace, or a barrio kid born and raised in the hood, because you'll get a very different perspective out of the same quests from each one.

thx for the insight I am in creation now

looking like a female hacking-focused corpo is what I'm leaning into so far

Excellent choice, Corpo Hacker lady is a hoot

Game went from like a 6/10 at launch to an 8/10 with the first finalized build and then to like a 9.6/10 for me with 2.0, truly a phenomenal experience now. Enjoy!

Yeah I was really hyped in the lead up to release, saw the car crash of launch and wrote it off.

But then recently started seeing "no really it's kinda amazing now" and got rehyped again. Was thinking of buying it in the steam sale anyway, but then family mode activated and now I have no excuse.

Since I finished BG3 I've been looking for my next "big" game since it's been almost all Balatro.

KanzarisKelshen posted...

Melee is absolutely not needed, disregard that advice.

There's a cyberpsycho that will kill you dead without a melee weapon. The one with the claws that comes out of the refrigerator, specifically. I didn't have anything invested in melee and had an ok melee weapon, so after dying multiple times trying to use a gun, I switched to melee and blocked her attacks.

Great game but I rage quit PL cuz of a stupid stat check for the ultimate weapon I wanted in a dumb sequence

Solid 9/10

Have fun with it. I made a completely mixed build, alternating my points in every stat. I think that was mostly only possible in the old version however, as going off of PL it throws more stat checks your way and the game just seems a bit tougher in general, but I had a lot of fun with it that way, just by having the options of going stealth or guns blazing.

Someone above mentioned throwing knives, and while those are cool, most of the guns are pretty satisfying in this game.

There are a lot of moving parts going on here and this is the game I've decided that I'm finally going to learn mouse and keyboard for so it has been wild so far.

I'm like barely into things and just cruising around town trying to get a handle on what I'm supposed to be doing. Everything is overwhelming.

Yyyyup, there's a lot of game to learn

Early on it kinda pays to play the game like a cover shooter cause you don't have all the good stuff to let you just rambo in yet, but that goes away with time. Kinda a progresion from 'normal joe' to 'super badass'.

*takes notes*

Keep thinking about buying this every time it goes on sale. Dunno what I'm waiting for now, because it's not going to get any better, and I doubt the price will get any lower.

generally I open up with a overheat or short circuit on two people, throw a grenade while those are executing, and then clean up the rest

I'm supposed to be doing Dex's first mission - did the espionage part and met Judy, now I have to deal with the gang. But to get a hold on things I've just been looking for people with wanted levels and mercing them for practice and street cred. I was going to do an actual gig but it looked way above my paygrade right now.

IIRC there's like, one gig that's really hard for when you first get it which is the one where you have to go into a fenced off compound. It's doable but it takes serious knowledge of how to split up enemies to make it happen. Everything else? Swing for the fences, you are 100% capable of doing it.

lmao that's the exact one I stumbled on. Pinged the area and saw like 25 lines and just save/quit for the night

Good to know that's the top end then, I'll just cruise around to some of the other spots to practice.

Am I correct that you can't reset attributes but you can reset perks?

Yeah. IIRC there is like, one attribute reset I think, but I forget if it was for pre-2.0 saves or not. If you really get buyer's remorse and are on PC though, there's mods that allow for stat respecs.

"Bang."

lmao V

that's a character defining moment right there holy shit

I had to go look that one up because I never even saw it and yooooo, that's good shit

This fucking game man

You will understand, I met with the Militech lady and (ex-)Corpo schmoozed her and was going to go full on patented FFD Diplomacy to get everything accomplished.

But then this cybermeth head started waving a gun around and threatening me, so I went full on patented FFD scorched earth.

And that was a such a fantastic moment that made the aftermath all that much more enjoyable.

Militech lady seemed happy too so uh... Mission Accomplished?

He had it coming so I support this

Did you (minor mission spoiler) Free his old boss from captivity? Golden opportunity to do some 'corporate restructuring' if he doesn't instantly aggro on you

I did unlock Brick's cell and talk to him, but he refused to leave the room. He did say if we cross paths again he'll look out for me though. Way less meth head, seems more reasonable.

Me, two hours ago: I need a new game to mix things up. Man, it's a shame Cyberpunk isn't on sale. I said I'd pick it up next time I saw that. Ooh, Balatro is being bundled with Backpack Battles. Maybe I'll give that a look...

My in-box, just now:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/2e225cc3.png

You know what you must do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLXTBbMRxK8

I uh... made it to the title screen.

Hell of a ride, isn't it?

Only gets crazier from here too. What did you think of the events leading up to this?

I managed to come into this thing knowing the bare minimum - bad launch, cool setting, Keanu is here somewhere. That's it.

I thought I was building a crew of companions that I would be able to switch out companions eventually (like a Fallout 4 perhaps), so I was actually kinda crushed when Jackie died. (I sent his body to his family). The whole heist and escape was fantastic, made better by having that connection to Arosaka. Once everything went to shit I thought I was going to get a timeskip or something, but then Dex started acting shifty and I just knew. Didn't make it any easier.

What I didn't expect was to then be dragged out of a landfill, still barely alive, and then DEX getting merced right there instead. That escape was also really fun. The whole start of the story is just great.

And I never would have guessed that Keanu is a dead terrorist hell bent on revenge against my former company that is locked in my brain and slowly taking over my body of all things. So much potential there.

Since then I've mostly been exploring and doing gigs and following the Judy and Evelyn strand of the story. But I think I accidentallied into the start of the DLC somehow (?) so I'm backing off of that for now.

All in all, very fun so far! Starting to get into the Tier 3 of weapons and mods so things are starting to feel more full.

Tag, did a playthrough back when it launched and been thinking of giving it another go.

Prob gonna get this soon, just got a new RTX card

I have a 4070 and things have been smooth as butter.

You didn't start the DLC yet so don't worry about it. It's unmistakable when you get the chance to begin it, you'll know it when you see it.

Also yes, losing Jackie is brutal. They put in so much effort into making you care for him that when he actually doesn't make it out your heart totally sinks. You did the right thing sending him back to his mama, BTW. You can completely lose out on a truly amazing quest otherwise.

The game really opens up at this point, and not just because the map opens. This is where Cyberpunk starts to escalate into something truly all its own. I suggest chasing the other obvious branch of the main story a bit just because I think you'll find the major 'companion' to it really fascinating, but Evelyn's branch definitely feels like the natural next step.

Which one is that because I have two other main branches right now - I talked to Rogue and she wants me to call Panam, which I have not done. And then Takemura wants me to meet with an Arasaka guy and tell him what happened at the Heist.

Also I don't know what this says about me, but there is something INCREDIBLY satisfying about smart locking someone with a double barrel shotgun, them ducking behind cover, and then 16 slugs zipping around to smack them in the head and launch them out of cover and against the wall.

I've full committed to smart weapons I think. I have an SMG, rifle, and two shotguns right now (one with a nonlethal mod for cyberpsychos).

Excellent choice, smartguns absolutely S L A P

Genuinely a phenomenal experience to play with. Wait until you get a smart sniper, I actually made a Luca Blight face IRL when I saw that existed the first time

The branch I'm talking about is Takemura. Check on him to get an interesting dive into the corpo side of things, rather than just the outlaw side that Evelyn and Judy offer. I think you'll enjoy it.

Oooh yeah that does make sense, I'll give that I shot.

https://www.cyberpunk.net/en/news/50098/introducing-a-limited-floppy-edition-of-cyberpunk-2077

existential horror

FFDragon posted...

I've full committed to smart weapons I think. I have an SMG, rifle, and two shotguns right now (one with a nonlethal mod for cyberpsychos).

You don't actually need nonlethal weapons to subdue cyberpsychos- they'll be knocked out by default. They're only supposed to die if they take damage when they're already down (though this can apparently be a bit buggy- a lot of people say that finishing them off with a headshot or having an active DOT will kill them, but I took down most psychos with a poisoned knife to the brain and didn't kill any of them).

Oh well that's good to know. I've just been throwing everything at them until 10% and then trying to shotgun them to sleep.

After checking several weapon shops I did find me a level 3 smart sniper though, no slot for a silencer though. But that thing does do some work.

Planning a parade infiltration at the moment. Also randomly banged the militech chick from the original heist.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/5367caa7.jpg

V

I think you're roughly where I stopped playing. I keep meaning to get back to that.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/f0c189b8.jpg

Corpo V

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/d982342d.jpg

Casual V

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/9053478d.jpg

Punk V

sorry I just started looking through all the clothes I've picked up

Also unrelated but driving is ass in this game. The only thing I can use relatively well is my bike.

Jackie's bike 4 life

Driving gets a ton better with better cars if it's any consolation

(or bikes)

It's never amazing or anything, but the car jank is very much intentional at this point I think. The high end cars are comically smoother.

greengravy294 posted...

Jackie's bike 4 life

straight facts

KanzarisKelshen posted...

It's never amazing or anything, but the car jank is very much intentional at this point I think. The high end cars are comically smoother.

Man I sure hope so because my only real war with the cops so far has been because I stole a sports car after a job (which everyone was fine with), but then as soon as I got up to speed I fishtailed out of control into like five pedestrians and a beat cop and they sent fucking cyber swat after me and I died.

so I don't take rando cars anymore