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Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0 replaced the old character-building model with four connected systems: five attributes open their associated perk trees; perk points buy specific abilities; five separate skills advance through play and grant passive bonuses; and the Phantom Liberty expansion adds an independent Relic tree. The overhaul launched free for the base game on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on September 21, 2023, and does not require Phantom Liberty. This guide explains those 2.0 rules while flagging later changes, because Update 2.5 added new Cool perks in October 2026.
What did Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0 change?
Update 2.0 was a free base-game overhaul rather than a small balance patch. It reorganized character progression, replaced the former perk layout with fewer but more consequential choices, rebuilt cyberware rules, and introduced five new-style skill tracks. The publisher’s September 21, 2023 patch notes describe the systems and their intended interactions.
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- Attributes are Body, Intelligence, Reflexes, Technical Ability, and Cool. Attribute levels open more choices in the corresponding tree; they are not skills.
- Perks are selectable abilities purchased with perk points inside those attribute trees.
- Skills are Headhunter, Netrunner, Shinobi, Solo, and Engineer. They level independently and are not bought with perk points.
- Relic is a separate tree supplied by Phantom Liberty, using its own Relic points.
That distinction prevents the most common 2.0 mistake: treating five attributes, five skills, and perk nodes as interchangeable versions of the same progression bar.
How are attributes, perks, skills, and Relic points different?
Each system answers a different build question. Attributes determine which branches you can access, perks provide deliberate active or passive abilities, skills reward the way you play, and Relic points unlock expansion-specific technology.
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| System | What it contains | How it advances | What it controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attributes | Body, Intelligence, Reflexes, Technical Ability, Cool | Spend attribute points; one attribute reset is available under 2.0 rules | Access to deeper choices in the matching perk tree |
| Perks | Individual abilities arranged under an attribute | Spend perk points; individual perks can be refunded for free | Specific mechanics such as Overclock, Bolt shots, or Adrenaline Rush |
| Skills | Headhunter, Netrunner, Shinobi, Solo, Engineer | Play to raise each skill; passive rewards arrive every five levels, up to skill level 60 | Progression bonuses associated with stealth, hacking, weapons, mobility, or technical play |
| Relic | Phantom Liberty’s expansion-only tree | Spend Relic points obtained through the expansion | Relic abilities; separate from normal attributes, perks, and skills |
A study that discusses the five attributes as the game’s attribute framework, rather than as “five new skills,” is consistent with the system’s terminology; see the published analysis of Cyberpunk 2077’s progression model.
What are the five 2.0 skills?
The skills form a second progression layer below the perk trees. The publisher states that they “are not restricted by their corresponding Attribute’s level.” In practical terms, you do not need to raise an attribute to make a skill bar earn progress, and you do not spend perk points on that bar.
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Headhunter
Headhunter represents precision and stealth-oriented combat. Actions that fit a quiet, accurate approach contribute to this track, while its level-based rewards are passive bonuses rather than a menu of perk nodes. The 2.0 rules establish the five-level reward cadence and level-60 ceiling, but they do not provide a complete official action-by-action XP table.
Netrunner
Netrunner tracks cyberdeck-focused play. It is separate from the Intelligence attribute tree: Intelligence can gate netrunning perks, while the Netrunner skill itself advances independently as you use the relevant play style. This separation lets a character invest in hacking perks without assuming that every point in the Netrunner bar came from an attribute purchase.
Shinobi
Shinobi is the mobility and agile-combat track. It belongs to the skill system, not to Reflexes’ perk points, so a fast weapon or movement build should consider both the Reflexes tree and the Shinobi rewards when planning.
Solo
Solo is the close-range and heavy-combat-oriented skill track. Body perks can shape a durable melee or shotgun setup, but Solo levels arrive through play rather than through Body attribute spending.
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Engineer
Engineer supports technical weapon and cyberware-focused approaches. Technical Ability perks can unlock particular interactions, while Engineer’s independent levels supply passive progression on their own schedule.
All five tracks cap at skill level 60 and award a passive benefit every five levels under the 2.0 design. Those figures describe the skill tracks, not the character’s overall level cap. Because the publisher does not publish a complete, verified XP mapping for every possible action, treat online action lists as provisional unless they identify a later, specific source.
Which perk examples define the 2.0 design?
Update 2.0 reduced the number of nodes and made individual selections more consequential. The publisher’s examples illustrate the direction without representing a complete current perk list.
- Overclock (Intelligence): a netrunning option that can spend Health when available RAM is insufficient. It turns a health pool into a temporary resource for a more aggressive hacking cycle.
- Bolt shots (Technical Ability): a branch for Tech weapons, rewarding players who build around charged or technically modified shots.
- Adrenaline Rush (Body): a Body-focused option that supports an aggressive, momentum-based approach.
Use these names as examples of how a perk changes play, not as a promise that every node in a current installation is unchanged from launch. Exact tier thresholds and a complete live node list are not established by the 2.0 notes, so a build planner should be treated as the authority for the version currently installed.
How do cyberware and perks interact?
Cyberware is part of the build decision, not a cosmetic afterthought. In 2.0, implants provide most of a character’s armor, while the amount and type of installed hardware are constrained by Cyberware Capacity. Some perks also unlock or improve cyberware slots, creating a direct link between perk spending and the implants you can equip.
Plan the interaction in this order:
- Choose the combat or hacking behavior you want to repeat: stealth shots, heavy melee, quickhacks, Tech weapons, or a hybrid.
- Identify the attribute tree that contains the required perk branch.
- Check which cyberware pieces support that behavior and how much Cyberware Capacity they consume.
- Reserve perk points for slot or capacity synergies before filling optional damage bonuses.
- Revisit the setup after gear changes; an implant upgrade can make a previously marginal perk worthwhile, or consume capacity that another perk assumed you had.
This is why clothing should not be evaluated using the pre-2.0 armor assumptions. The overhaul moved the bulk of armor value to cyberware and made capacity management a central build constraint.
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Can an old save continue after Update 2.0?
Yes. CD PROJEKT RED says existing saves can continue, but recommends a new playthrough for the best experience because so many systems changed. When the patch converted a save, it refunded previously spent perk points and transferred progress from the former skills into their new counterparts.
There are two different kinds of respec, and confusing them can lead to an irreversible choice:
- Perk refunds: individual perks can be removed and their points reclaimed for free. This is the routine way to experiment with a branch.
- Attribute reset: the 2.0 rules permit one full attribute reset. After using it, further attribute reallocation is not covered by that allowance, so commit attribute points more carefully than perk points.
The old “reset all perks” option was removed because free individual refunds cover normal experimentation. Before spending the one attribute reset, write down the attribute levels your intended weapons, cyberware, and perk gates require.
Do you need Phantom Liberty for the 2.0 skill trees?
No. The five attributes, the redesigned perk trees, and the five skills are part of the free base-game 2.0 overhaul. Phantom Liberty is required only for the expansion’s additional Relic system and its content.
The Relic tree is not another name for a perk tree. It uses Relic points, and a documented post-2.0 playthrough describes obtaining those points from terminals in Dogtown. Do not spend normal perk or attribute points expecting to unlock Relic abilities; they are separate currencies and a separate progression track. The publisher’s Cyberpunk 2077 game page identifies the Relic tree as expansion-exclusive.
What changed after the original 2.0 rules?
The September 2023 redesign is the historical baseline, not a guarantee that every node remains identical in October 2026. CD PROJEKT RED’s Update 2.5 patch notes add one new Cool-tree perk, Double Trouble, plus four auxiliary Cool perks. Those additions belong to Update 2.5 and should not be described as features introduced by 2.0.
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When reading an older build guide, check three dates: the guide’s publication date, the game’s installed patch, and whether Phantom Liberty is installed. A 2.0 guide can still explain the four-part structure, but its node names, availability, or recommended spending order may not describe the complete 2.5 selection.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should you choose a build direction?
There is no publisher-backed universal “best build” ranking. A sensible choice starts with constraints and desired behavior rather than a tier list.
1. Find the attribute gate
Start with the perk that defines your plan, then identify its attribute tree. A netrunner generally examines Intelligence, a Tech-weapon specialist Technical Ability, and a Body-heavy fighter Body; stealth and precision plans commonly inspect Cool. Mixed builds should name a primary tree and one supporting tree before distributing points.
2. Decide whether your weapons or systems do the work
Ask whether most encounters will be solved with firearms, melee, quickhacks, stealth, or a deliberate mix. Perks modify the chosen behavior, while the matching skill track rewards repeated use over time. A hybrid can be effective, but it pays for flexibility with fewer points concentrated in any one tree.
3. Reserve Cyberware Capacity
List the implants that make the build function and calculate their capacity demand before buying every attractive perk. Slot-unlocking perks and capacity-related synergies can matter more than a small numerical damage increase when your hardware is the build’s foundation.
4. Account for expansion ownership
If Phantom Liberty is installed, include Relic points and Dogtown terminals in the plan. If it is not, ignore Relic recommendations; the base-game perk and skill systems remain complete enough to build around without them.
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5. Match the guide to your patch
Label your notes “2.0-era” or “2.5-era” and verify Cool-tree additions against the current patch notes. This avoids spending points based on a node that was added later or assuming an older layout is exhaustive.
What should you avoid when reading 2.0 build guides?
- Do not call Body, Intelligence, Reflexes, Technical Ability, and Cool “the five skills.” They are attributes.
- Do not say skill bars are restricted by their matching attribute; the publisher explicitly says they are not.
- Do not describe skill-level 60 as the character-level cap.
- Do not combine Relic points with perk or attribute points.
- Do not present Overclock, Bolt shots, and Adrenaline Rush as the entire perk catalogue.
- Do not assume clothing supplies armor as it did before 2.0; cyberware now provides most armor.
- Do not rely on an action-by-action skill XP chart unless it is tied to a clearly identified version and source.
Where does the official build planner fit?
The official planner is useful for checking the choices available in your installed version, but an interactive planner’s node data should not be treated as a timeless 2.0 reference. Use it to confirm current prerequisites and branch relationships, then compare those details with the patch notes for the date you are playing. The 2.0 documentation establishes the system architecture and examples, not every current node threshold.
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Can I use the 2.0 skill system on PS4 or Xbox One?
The free overhaul was released for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Those are the platforms identified in the 2.0 announcement, so a PS4 or Xbox One copy is not covered by that platform release.
Do skill levels rise only when I use a matching weapon?
The five skills are designed to progress independently from attribute levels, but the 2.0 documentation does not publish a complete action-to-XP chart. Treat detailed claims about exactly which action awards which amount as version-specific guidance rather than a universal rule.
What happens to perk points if I load a pre-2.0 save?
The patch refunds previously spent perk points and transfers progress from earlier skills into their new counterparts. You can then refund individual perks freely, while the separate full attribute reset is limited to one use under the 2.0 rules.
Is Double Trouble part of the original Cool tree?
No. Double Trouble and four auxiliary Cool perks are identified as additions in Update 2.5’s October 2026 notes. They should be labeled as post-2.0 content when comparing an older guide with a current installation.
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