Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsChoose the lifepath whose opening story appeals to you, then build V around one primary attribute and the weapons you actually enjoy. Nomad, Streetkid, and Corpo mainly change your introduction and dialogue options; none permanently assigns a combat class. For a current playthrough, use the systems introduced in Update 2.0, experiment before spending deeply, and treat Phantom Liberty as an optional expansion to enter after you understand the base game’s scanner, combat, perks, and cyberware.
Start with the right version of Cyberpunk 2077
Update 2.0 is the correct systems baseline for a new player. CD PROJEKT RED overhauled the perk and skill trees, cyberware progression, police behavior, and vehicle combat. The redesign replaced the old perk structure with fewer, more consequential choices and added abilities directly to attribute trees. Advice written for the pre-2.0 game can therefore point you toward systems, priorities, or police behavior that no longer work the same way.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
CD PROJEKT RED recommended a fresh playthrough when Update 2.0 launched because the changes to crucial systems were extensive. If you are loading an older save, read the reset section below before making new investments.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
“With Update 2.0, we have completely redesigned the perks and skill trees to give you the freedom and flexibility to become the cyberpunk that you truly want to be.” — CD PROJEKT RED, Build Planner article, 2023
#1 Best Overall
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition - PlayStation 5
- DISCOVER UPDATE 2.0: Experience new and overhauled gameplay mechanics to fulfill your wildest cyberpunk fantasies. The free Update 2.0 brings brand new ways to play Cyberpunk 2077, including totally redesigned perks and cyberware systems, pulsating vehicle combat and car chases, a revamped police system, enhanced enemy combat AI, and more.
- CREATE YOUR OWN CYBERPUNK: Become an urban outlaw equipped with cybernetic enhancements and build your legend on the streets of Night City. · EXPLORE THE CITY OF THE FUTURE: Night City is packed to the brim with things to do, places to see, and people to meet. And it’s up to you where to go, when to go, and how to get there.
- BUILD YOUR LEGEND: Go on daring adventures and build relationships with unforgettable characters whose fates are shaped by the choices you make. · EQUIPPED WITH NEXT-GEN FEATURES: Immerse yourself in Night City like never before thanks to faster load times, improved visual and gameplay features, ray tracing and dynamic 4K support, and more.
- CLAIM EXCLUSIVE ITEMS: Claim in-game swag & digital goodies inspired by CD PROJEKT RED games as part of the My Rewards program.
- PHYSICAL EDITION GOODIES: The physical version of Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition includes an exclusive set of stickers and a rewards leaflet with a Wild Hunt Jacket and a Scorch Pistol!
Which lifepath should you choose?
There is no mechanically “best” lifepath. Pick the background whose voice and opening situation you will enjoy, then choose attributes and perks independently. Your lifepath does not lock you into a netrunner, gunslinger, stealth, melee, or cyberware-focused build.
| Lifepath | Opening perspective | Best fit if you want… | What it does not determine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nomad | V enters Night City as an outsider coming from the Badlands. | A road-focused introduction and the feeling of discovering the city alongside V. | Your weapons, attributes, perks, cyberware, or ending options. |
| Streetkid | V begins with local familiarity and connections to Night City’s street culture. | Dialogue and scenes grounded in knowledge of the city’s neighborhoods and underworld. | Your combat role or long-term progression. |
| Corpo | V starts from a corporate background and its associated power structures. | A corporate tone and dialogue options shaped by insider experience. | A requirement to use smart weapons, hacking, stealth, or any other style. |
Each path changes the opening sequence and supplies situational dialogue choices later. Those options are role-playing flavor and occasional context, not a separate skill tree. If you are undecided, choose the opening you would most like to replay; you can use any build with any lifepath.
Build foundations after Update 2.0
V has five main attributes: Body, Intelligence, Reflexes, Technical Ability, and Cool. Their perk trees are broad enough to support several approaches, so think in terms of a primary direction and a flexible secondary direction rather than a permanent class.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall| Attribute | Natural beginner direction | Typical combat feel | Good secondary pairings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | Durability and close-range power, including shotguns. | Direct, forgiving engagements where health and stopping power matter. | Technical Ability for cyberware investment, or Reflexes for mobile close combat. |
| Reflexes | Fast movement, blades, and agile gunplay. | Constant repositioning, rapid attacks, and aggressive flanking. | Cool for precision weapons, or Body for a more durable front-line character. |
| Intelligence | Netrunning and quickhack-centered play. | Planning encounters through scanning, RAM, quickhacks, and indirect damage. | Cool for stealth and precision, or Technical Ability for a cyberware-heavy hybrid. |
| Technical Ability | Cyberware investment and tech-weapon experimentation. | Systems-driven play that gets stronger as your cyberware setup develops. | Body for toughness, or Intelligence for a hacking and implant-focused hybrid. |
| Cool | Stealth, precision, and headshot-oriented approaches. | Controlled engagements from concealment or at deliberate range. | Reflexes for mobile gunplay, or Intelligence for a stealth netrunner. |
These are starting archetypes, not restrictions. Put early points toward one main attribute until you reach its next meaningful perk tier. Keep a second attribute available for experimentation, and select perks that reinforce the weapons you actually carry. The redesigned system is intended to let you change direction instead of punishing every experiment.
Rank #2
- THE ULTIMATE CYBERPUNK 2077 EXPERIENCE - Includes the critically acclaimed spy thriller expansion Phantom Liberty
- CREATE YOUR OWN CYBERPUNK
- Explore the city of the future – you decide when you want to go where and how to get there
- Decide how the story ends – your choices in the main game as well as in the spy thriller adventure Phantom Liberty lead to a complex web of consequences
Three practical starter builds
The following builds are deliberately broad. They describe how to make early decisions, not a mandatory list of individual perks. You can borrow from another tree whenever a weapon or cyberware upgrade becomes more appealing.
| Starter direction | Combat distance | Visibility | Main resource feel | System dependence | Flexibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body bruiser | Close range | Loud and direct | Health, stamina, and ammunition | Weapon-first | Easy to add Technical Ability or Reflexes later |
| Reflexes/Cool gunfighter | Mid to long range, with mobile melee options | Quiet or loud, depending on weapon choice | Stamina, positioning, and ammunition | Weapon-first, with stealth support | Can shift between precision fire, blades, and mobility |
| Intelligence netrunner | Any distance after setup | Often controlled or stealthy | RAM and quickhack cooldowns | Quickhack- and cyberware-first | Can add Cool for stealth or Technical Ability for implants |
Body bruiser
Choose Body first if you want the simplest early feedback loop: stay in the fight, close distance, and rely on robust weapons such as shotguns. Test how much stamina and ammunition your preferred encounters consume before committing every point. Technical Ability is a natural secondary choice when you want stronger cyberware, while Reflexes helps a Body character move between targets more quickly.
Reflexes and Cool gunfighter
Reflexes suits players who dislike standing still. Use movement, blades, or agile gunplay to control distance, then add Cool when you prefer precision, stealth, or headshots. This route is forgiving for players who want to switch between loud firefights and quieter approaches without rebuilding the entire character.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Intelligence netrunner
Intelligence is the clearest starting point for quickhack-centered play. Scan first, identify a safe sequence of actions, and let RAM and cooldown management shape your decisions. Add Cool if you want to remain concealed or Technical Ability if you want your cyberware to become the center of the build. A netrunner can still carry conventional weapons; Intelligence does not prohibit direct combat.
Rank #3
- Experience the pivotal game of the Persona series faithfully remade with cutting-edge graphics, modernized quality-of-life features, and signature stylish UI.
- Fully immerse yourself in an emotional, gripping journey with new scenes and character interactions, additional voiceover, and a reloaded soundtrack.
- Choose how to meaningfully spend each day through various activities from exploring the Port Island to forging genuine bonds with beloved characters.
- Build and command your optimal team to take down otherworldly Shadows and climb closer to the truth.
What to do in your first hours
- Learn the scanner before chasing a build. Use it during ordinary encounters to identify enemies, devices, hazards, and possible routes. Scanning teaches you whether you enjoy planning, stealth, mobility, or immediate gunfire.
- Test several weapon families. Keep a few different options until you know whether shotguns, precision guns, blades, or hacking feel natural. Do not spend deeply in a tree merely because an early weapon happened to drop.
- Choose one primary attribute. Invest toward a meaningful perk tier instead of spreading the first points evenly across all five attributes. A focused tree reaches useful abilities sooner and makes the character’s strengths obvious.
- Leave the secondary attribute flexible. After your primary direction is working, spend a few points in a complementary tree. This is the safest way to discover a hybrid without abandoning your original plan.
- Read what each perk changes. Update 2.0 perks are fewer and more impactful than the old structure. Take a moment to check whether a perk improves the weapons, movement, or hacking actions you actually perform.
- Visit a ripperdoc as your plan develops. Cyberware is part of the build, not a late-game decoration. Update 2.0 ties cyberware strength and capacity to the redesigned progression, so review your implants as your level and attributes change.
- Keep experimenting outside combat. Perks can be redistributed outside combat. If a perk does not suit your weapons, reassign it rather than carrying a weak choice through the rest of the game.
- Ignore pre-2.0 assumptions. Police responses, vehicle combat, cyberware, skills, and perks were all substantially changed. A guide that predates the overhaul may describe a progression route that no longer matches your game.
How to use cyberware without wasting early choices
Cyberware should follow the role you are already playing. A close-range Body character benefits from implants that help survive pressure; a Reflexes character wants mobility and attack flow; an Intelligence character should consider how implants affect quickhack use and RAM management; a Cool character values tools that preserve stealth or precision. Technical Ability is the most obvious route when you want cyberware itself to be the build’s central investment.
Do not fill every available slot simply because a ripperdoc offers an upgrade. Compare the implant’s effect with your actual combat loop, account for capacity, and return when a new attribute tier or level expands your options. This prevents an expensive collection of bonuses that do not reinforce your chosen weapons or approach.
Can you respec your character?
Perks
Yes. Perk points can be redistributed outside combat, which makes it safe to test a tree, play several missions, and then adjust the character when you understand your preferred weapons. Respec before a mission or at a calm moment rather than trying to reorganize your build while enemies are active.
Attributes
Attributes are less freely reversible than perks. For existing saves affected by the Update 2.0 transition, CD PROJEKT RED documented refunded perk points and a one-time attribute redistribution. Treat that attribute reset as a limited recovery option, not as a normal part of every level-up. New players should therefore keep their first primary attribute focused and avoid scattering points across all five trees.
Rank #4
- Embark on an epic voyage, find your own destiny in this epic space adventure
- Includes 6 years of updates*
- An entire universe to explore on the go in the palm of your hands
- For the first time ever, PlayStation 5 physical edition as well as Nintendo Switch (physical & digital)
- Please note that although this game is Region Free or Region Unlocked and will work on all systems, this is the international version and may differ from the local version in age rating, labeling or instructions.
Older saves after Update 2.0
If you return to an old character, inspect the refunded points and the available one-time attribute reset before continuing. Because the overhaul changed core systems, a fresh playthrough is often the clearest way to learn the new progression, but the documented refunds let returning players rebuild without automatically discarding their character.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When should you start Phantom Liberty?
Phantom Liberty is optional and adds its own campaign plus the Relic skill tree. It is distributed for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Owners also have an official option to begin its story with an adequately leveled character, so you do not have to finish the entire base campaign first.
For a first playthrough, learn the base systems through the opening hours before entering the expansion. You should be comfortable scanning, choosing perks, managing cyberware, and handling ordinary combat. Then start Phantom Liberty when its premise and pacing appeal to you. There is no official spoiler-free rule that requires a particular mission or character level; the practical recommendation is about familiarity, not a hard lock.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
If you use the leveled-start option, remember that it gives you a functioning character rather than the gradual learning curve of a new save. Read the provided attribute, perk, and cyberware setup before entering difficult encounters, and adjust perks outside combat if the preset does not match your preferred style.
Best Value
- Included is the following: Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition for PlayStation 5 PS5, 2 pack of PremGear 2 Sizes Thumbsticks made to increase accuracy and comfort (1 High-Rise, 1 Mid-Rise), PremGear Quality Cleaning Cloth
- DISCOVER UPDATE 2.0: Experience new and overhauled gameplay mechanics to fulfill your wildest cyberpunk fantasies. The free Update 2.0 brings brand new ways to play Cyberpunk 2077, including totally redesigned perks and cyberware systems, pulsating vehicle combat and car chases, a revamped police system, enhanced enemy combat AI, and more
- CREATE YOUR OWN CYBERPUNK: Become an urban outlaw equipped with cybernetic enhancements and build your legend on the streets of Night City
- EXPLORE THE CITY: Night City is packed to the brim with things to do, places to see, and people to meet. And it’s up to you where to go, when to go, and how to get there
- BUILD YOUR LEGEND: Go on daring adventures and build relationships with unforgettable characters whose fates are shaped by the choices you make
Buying the game: base edition or Ultimate Edition?
The base game is enough to learn Night City’s opening, lifepaths, combat, perks, and cyberware. Phantom Liberty is a separate paid expansion, so you can add it later if you first want to establish whether the core game suits you.
An Ultimate Edition can be convenient for a first-time buyer who already wants the expansion, but verify the live store listing before paying. Confirm the platform, region, included products, and whether the listing contains both the base game and Phantom Liberty; edition contents and availability can change. Compare the bundle’s current price with buying the two products separately rather than assuming the word “Ultimate” guarantees the same package everywhere.
Check PC requirements before buying or tuning
Use CD PROJEKT RED’s current PC requirements table for your exact graphics mode and operating-system configuration. Update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty raised the importance of checking the published requirements instead of relying on an old launch-era specification. Match your CPU, GPU, memory, storage, and operating-system versions to the table for the mode you intend to run.
Requirements are a compatibility check, not a promise of a particular frame rate. If your hardware is close to a minimum or recommended boundary, choose the lower graphics mode first, confirm that the game is stable, and then raise settings one group at a time. Do not buy maintenance software on the assumption that it is required or that it will guarantee a performance gain.
Common beginner mistakes and fixes
- Choosing a lifepath for an imagined class. Lifepaths provide narrative framing and dialogue, not a locked combat role. Pick the story opening you prefer.
- Spreading early attributes evenly. A broad first investment delays the useful perk tiers that make a build feel distinct. Choose one primary attribute first.
- Following a pre-2.0 build word for word. Verify that advice accounts for the redesigned perks, skills, cyberware, police, and vehicle systems.
- Ignoring the scanner. Scanning reveals routes, devices, and targets that make both stealth and direct combat easier. Make it part of your normal approach.
- Buying cyberware without checking capacity or synergy. Revisit a ripperdoc when your attributes and level change, and favor implants that support your actual combat loop.
- Assuming an attribute reset is unlimited. Perk redistribution is flexible; the documented attribute redistribution for existing saves was one-time.
- Entering Phantom Liberty before learning the basics. The expansion is optional. Use the opening hours to learn scanning, combat, perks, and cyberware, or inspect the preset carefully if you use its leveled start.
- Assuming an edition name tells you everything. Check the current platform and regional listing for the exact products included.
A simple decision framework
Use this sequence whenever you are unsure what to do next:
- Ask what you enjoy in the last three fights. If you preferred closing distance, start with Body or Reflexes. If you preferred setting up encounters, consider Intelligence or Cool. If implants and gear choices were the most interesting part, consider Technical Ability.
- Keep the attribute that supports that behavior primary. Spend toward its next useful perk tier before branching out.
- Choose a secondary tree only when it solves a real problem. Add durability, mobility, stealth, or hacking support based on what your current encounters lack.
- Use perk redistribution to test the theory. Change perks outside combat, play enough encounters to evaluate the result, and keep the setup that feels natural.
- Revisit cyberware after progression milestones. A new level or attribute tier can change which implants fit your capacity and role.
This approach keeps the important early decisions meaningful without making them irreversible. Lifepath sets the tone, attributes establish direction, perks refine the loop, and cyberware completes it.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
