Cyberpunk 2077: Game Overview and Beginner Guide

Today, Cyberpunk is often looked at as an open-world masterpiece, despite the fact that it’s often hard to classify. Is it a shooter? A role-playing game? A simulator? Well, that depends on who you ask.

In today’s article, we’re going to take a closer look at Cyberpunk 2077, breaking down the world of Night City, the gameplay, the best builds for newbies and all of the DLC you’ll want to get your hands on, without sharing any spoilers. Let’s get started.

Welcome to Night City

What Cyberpunk Actually Means

Cyberpunk as a genre is characterised by the combination of high tech and low lives. Blade Runner is a classic example, but there are elements of cyberpunk in everything from the Matrix to Deus Ex. The thing that brings them all together is the fact that they’re essentially all set in a technological dystopia.

In the world of Cyberpunk 2077, as in other cyberpunk video games and movies, corporations control all the power, treating the people who inhabit the world as disposable. Humanity exists to serve industry, rather than the other way round. Technological implants, neon signs, self-driving vehicles and high levels of violence are the norm. 

This combination of cyberware and societal decay has a huge impact on the atmosphere, driving both the vibe of the game itself and the choices that players make as they navigate the world. In a world that’s ruled by gangs and companies, and where people can swap limbs for blades or have chips implanted in their brains, anything goes.

You can treat people as the dirt beneath your shoes, or you can try to bring some humanity into a system that’s designed to destroy it. Best of all, because it’s a video game, there’s no moral judgement implied, and you can play through the game again and make different choices to see how it changes things. The result is a claustrophobic world where every decision matters.

The Layout of Night City

In some ways, Cyberpunk is reminiscent of the Grand Theft Auto series, in the sense that the city is a living, breathing landscape that seems to have a character of its own. And, just like the cities of Grand Theft Auto, Night City can be separated into different districts, each of which has its own socioeconomic status which then impacts everything from gang life to the architecture. Throughout your exploration, you’ll go from polished skyscrapers that reek of wealth to tumbling shacks that are plastered with graffiti.

The Cyberpunk 2077 map is characterised by its verticality, with huge megabuildings that stack apartments, shops and offices on top of one another. It’s also deliberately designed to be confusing and overwhelming, especially in the beginning. Don’t be afraid, though. With experience, you’ll soon learn your way around.

It also helps that there are fast travel points throughout the districts, while you can use vehicles to cover ground and follow the minimap to find contracts, vendors and key locations. Unlike GTA, though, you won’t want to just drive everywhere, because that would mean missing out on an atmosphere that’s unlike anything you’ll find elsewhere. 

Night City Districts at a Glance

Meet V and Johnny Silverhand

Who is V and What Do They Want?

V is the customisable, playable protagonist of Cyberpunk 2077, and while your choices will shape how they evolve over time, V starts with a preset backstory and a starting motivation. The good news is that it’s a very human backstory and one that all of us can relate to: they just want to survive and, if possible, to thrive. That isn’t easy in Night City, where fame and fortune are possible but far from guaranteed. But for V, building a reputation of some kind will give them status, and status equals security.

At the beginning of the game, you’ll get to choose one of three life paths, and that will shape the opening dialogue (but without defining the later gameplay). Nomads are smugglers who move around and start outside the city. Streetkids are exactly what they sound like, and they know everyone who’s anyone on the streets. Corpos are key players in the corporate machines that rule the city.

The thing to remember is that while this opening choice will shape the prologue, the story converges from there. It’s not three different games; it’s three different starting points that lead to the same place.

Why Johnny Silverhand Is in Your Head

The mysterious Johnny Silverhand is one of the most interesting characters in gaming, and easily the most important secondary character in Cyberpunk 2077. It’s Johnny who acts as the central figure of conflict, serving both as a companion and a narrative device to highlight the tension between the three main life paths.

As for his role… well, it’s multifaceted. He’s a provocateur, there to question your motives. He’s a mirror, albeit an occasionally warped one, reflecting the more ambitious side of V and even egging him on. At times, it’s hard to tell whether he’s an antagonist who’s acting against you or an ally who has your best interests at heart. Depending upon the kind of player you are, you can even end up feeling as though you need to please him, which is pretty funny when you remember that he’s just a bunch of code and pixels.

All of this comes out in the dialogue, and it’s V’s relationship with Silverhand that provides the emotional core of the game. Sure, there’s a lot to be said for just wandering around the city and soaking up the atmosphere, but it’s the interplay between V and Johnny Silverhand that drives the story forward and makes the player actually care about what’s happening. 

Gameplay: Combat, Stealth and Hacking

The Three Main Approaches

We’ve already hinted at how there are different ways of approaching Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay, and that goes way beyond the kind of build that you choose. One of the biggest decisions of all is which side of the gameplay triangle you’ll focus on, although there’s also a decent amount of overlap.

There are three sides to the triangle:

• Combat (gunfights and melee): Focus on pistols, rifles and shotguns, or switch to blades for close quarters. You can use cyberware to boost your reflexes or slow time, making you a deadly force to be reckoned with.

• Stealth (sneaking and silent takedowns): Be a little subtler, taking your opponents down without a sound or avoiding them altogether, sneaking past them and taking advantage of security cameras’ blind spots.

• Hacking (strategy first): By focusing on quickhacks, you can distract your enemies, control cameras and even cause implants to overheat. Smart players can turn opponents’ strengths into weaknesses, taking over compounds before they ever step inside.

The great thing about Cyberpunk is that you don’t have to commit. You can chop and change, switching from one side of the triangle to another. Often, players find that they start out relying on brute force before slowly adapting the way they play based on what they enjoy the most.

What You’ll Spend Your Time Doing

Speaking of Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay, the next thing to think about is what you’ll spend your time doing. There are main missions that you can complete which will drive the central narrative forward, but the huge open world means that you can pretty much go off and do whatever you want. In some ways, it’s reminiscent of games like Skyrim and The Witcher series, as well as the aforementioned Grand Theft Auto games.

When you’re not tackling the main story, you’ll spend a lot of time on gigs, which are shorter contracts that are great for picking up loot and killing a little time. These are given by fixers in each district and typically involve carrying out a single task, such as stealing data or technology. 

Then there are side quests, which tend to feature more of a narrative than a gig. It’s a step between a gig and a full quest, providing colour without being necessary to tell the full story. All of these come together, alongside random events like crimes in progress or gang fights, to fuel progression, granting experience to level up, street cred to unlock better cyberware and Eurodollars to spend on supplies.

Three Playstyles — What to Choose

Making V Your Own: Builds and Cyberware

The Importance of a Good Build

We should probably kick off this section by starting with what a build is. Essentially, when we talk about a build, we’re talking about the unique combination of perks, cyberware implants and weapons that you choose throughout your run. Given that there are almost limitless potential combinations, no two games are the same.

The choices that you make as you play will impact the style of your progression, but it’s important to note that you can’t really make a “wrong” decision. The game doesn’t punish experimentation, because you can always re-spec if you change your mind. In fact, you might just find a new combination that works better than your regular build.

With that said, it’s a good idea for beginners to focus on one or two directions to begin with, to reduce the chance of overwhelm and to provide some clearer direction for your playing style. For example, you might want to focus on hacking and stealth, or rifles and mobility. Remember, too, that perks amplify implants, while implants unlock new tactics. A successful build is all about figuring out which tactics are most important to you.

Game-Changing Cyberware

With cyberware implants changing the way that you play the game, the next big question is which ones you should pick and why you might want to pick them. Of course, there’s no such thing as a right or wrong answer here, so let’s take a look at the three or four implants that have the biggest impact.

The overall fan favourite is the Sandevistan operating system, which allows you to slow time during combat. That makes melee battles easier, which also allows you to be more tactical. For example, you can better line up headshots and reposition yourself before your enemies have time to react.

You’ll also want to think about upgrades like Reinforced Tendons, which allow you to double jump, and Fortified Ankles, which open up charged jumps. Both of these upgrades allow you to better explore Night City, opening up shortcuts that you wouldn’t be able to use without them.

You’ll be able to buy these implants from any Ripper Doc that you meet during your travels. You’ll spot them in different districts throughout the city, with better upgrades progressing as your street cred continues to rise.

Starter Builds for Beginners

Navigating the Map and Getting Started

How to Follow the Map Without Getting Lost in the City

Finding your way around the Cyberpunk 2077 map can be daunting at first, but a few tips and tricks can make it a much more enjoyable experience. Before long, you’ll be able to wander off and get lost in the city, safe in the knowledge that you can find your way again whenever you want to.

In terms of actually using the map, the first thing you’ll want to do is to filter map icons. You can toggle categories (e.g. gigs, side jobs, vendors, etc.) so that you only see what you want to see. Then you can start to plan your routes around the city, ticking off multiple tasks at once instead of zigzagging from one side of the city to the other and back again over and over again. It’s all about efficiency, and it reflects what we naturally tend to do when we have errands to run in real life. 

Finally, make sure to take advantage of fast travel, because that will make things a whole lot easier. As the name suggests, it allows you to jump across huge distances instead of manually meandering across the map. However, you should also take some time to explore the city on foot. 

How to Get Started

Looking for beginner tips? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. This short but simple checklist will help your progression from absolute beginner to seasoned pro. Here’s what you’ll want to do:

1. Finish the prologue: This will help to set the scene, immerse you in the world, unlock key features that you’ll need later on and learn the basics of the game. Make sure you do this first and foremost so that you don’t get distracted too early.

• Tackle a couple of gigs: Next up, grab a few fixer gigs in your starting district to get to grips with the gameplay without overcommitting. This will also help you to pick up some early XP.

• Get your first implant: You should now be ready to visit your first Ripperdoc to pick up an implant. Try to get something practical, preferably Reinforced Tendons so that you can double jump. Alternatively, pick up anything that will boost your survival odds.

• Start to experiment with combat: Have a play with each of the three sides of the triangle and figure out what feels natural to you. That will make it easier for you to decide what kind of build to focus on.

Patches, Changes and Other Updates

At the start of this article, we talked about how the game initially got off to a slow start before the big piece of Cyberpunk 2077 news when patches and bug fixes began to get rolled out. More recent Cyberpunk 2077 news has revolved around new features being added, with updates around expanded perks and improved AI helping to provide a greater sense of balance to the game. Much of this came about as a direct result of player feedback.

Of course, it’s important to remember that all of these updates can change the way that the game works, so strategies that worked back in the day might not work as well today, if they work at all. That’s why it’s so important to check the latest patch notes and changelogs whenever you install a new version of the game.

The good news is that it’s super easy to find the latest information, because it’s all provided by the developers. Check out their website and social media accounts, or consider joining community hubs on Reddit and Discord to see what other players are saying. 

Phantom Liberty and DLC: Are They Worth It?

What Phantom Liberty Brings to the Table

Phantom Liberty is the Cyberpunk 2077 new DLC that players have been waiting for, but calling it a piece of DLC or an expansion pack is doing it a disservice. In fact, it’s almost like an entirely new game in its own right.

The most important thing to know about the DLC is that it introduces a brand new district called Dogtown, which is ruled by a warlord and patrolled by his hired guns. It’s almost like going behind enemy lines in a warzone, something that’s echoed by the spy narrative that it leans into. It’s all about political alliances and covert operations, with a ton of new characters onboard for you to interact with.

At the same time, there are new skills, weapons and cyberware to tap into, and while those will mostly help you in Dogtown, you’ll also enjoy their benefits elsewhere. But this expansion is about so much more than just new gigs and equipment. It’s a masterpiece of worldbuilding that will leave you feeling like you didn’t truly know Night City before you played it.

When to Buy the DLC

Some people are tempted to pick up the Cyberpunk 2077 new DLC as soon as they start playing, but that would be a mistake. It’s not that it’s not worth buying, but rather that you need to know when to play it.

If you’re new to the game, the best option is to play the base game for 10-15 hours to begin with before you make a decision. That will allow you to experience the world for a while, to get to grips with the gameplay and to understand whether you actually enjoy playing it.

If you’re enjoying your time in Night City and you can’t wait to experience more of the world, then it’s absolutely worth picking it up. It expands the ending and adds some new content at the end of the game. With that said, it can be worth keeping your eye out for promotions and special offers so that you save a few pennies on the purchase.

Why Cyberpunk 2077 Stays with You

Ultimately, Cyberpunk 2077 is the kind of game that stays with you long after you complete it. There’s just something about the atmosphere of the city, the emotions that power the narrative and the unforgettable voice of Johnny Silverhand refusing to leave you alone. 

Then there are those choices that don’t have right or wrong answers and which leave you thinking about their consequences when you’re lying in bed. Often, you’re forced to weigh up the consequences and to pick the lesser of two evils, just as happens in reality.

Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t a game about taking down the system, ruling the world or going down in a blaze of glory as you die trying. Instead, it’s all about exploring and understanding a complicated world, deciding how you’re going to move through it and making the tough calls when it feels like the stakes are as real as they come. It’s no wonder so many people can’t stop playing it.