Cyberpunk 2077 Beginner’s Guide#

Lifepath Choice#

Lifepath	Background	Perks
Nomad	Born into a nomad clan in the Badlands, skilled with vehicles and wilderness survival	Exclusive opening chapter (Badlands route), 12 extra dialogue options, the “Divided We Stand” weapon
Street Kid	Grew up on the streets of Night City, knows the black market and gang culture	Exclusive opening chapter (Watson route), 15 extra dialogue options, black market discounts
Corpo	Former Arasaka employee, fluent in corporate politics and hacking	Exclusive opening chapter (Corpo route), 15 extra dialogue options, high-end clothing at the start

Recommended pick: Street Kid dialogue options are the most useful in main quests. The Corpo route has an edge in Arasaka-related missions. Nomad has the fewest dialogue options. If you want story hooks close to the Phantom Liberty DLC, the Nomad background comes with extra content.

Attribute System#

There are 5 attributes in total, each with several skill branches. Every attribute caps at 20 (starting points + DLC unlocks included), and you will have 71 attribute points to spend by level 50.

Attribute	Effects	Core Build
Body	Melee damage, health, stamina, raw overpowering force	Berserker (shotgun + two-handed hammer)
Reflexes	Pistol/blade/rifle damage, crit chance, evasion	Sandevistan build
Technical Ability	Armor, crafting/upgrading gear, tech weapon damage	Tech weapon build
Intelligence	Quickhack damage, RAM cap, quickhack quality	Netrunner build
Cool	Stealth damage, crit damage, Cold Blood stacks	Stealth build

Point priorities:

Early (1-20): focus on 2-3 main attributes; do not spread points evenly
Mid (20-40): max your main attributes to 20, take secondaries to 15-20
Late (40-50): bring the remaining attributes up to at least 9 or higher

Perk System#

Each attribute contains 2-3 perk branches, for roughly 200 perks in total.

Core perk picks:

Build	Must-Have Perks
Netrunner	Overclock (Int 9), Bioconductor, Diffusion, Amnesia
Sandevistan katana	Battle-Hardened, Sandstorm, Indomitable, Flow State
Tech shotgun	Mad Physics, Machine Clinic, Overhaul
Stealth sniper	Ninja, Assassin, Cold Blood, Untraceable
Body bruiser	Gladiator, Adrenaline Rush, Rampage

Core Mechanics#

Quickhacking#

The heart of the netrunner playstyle — spend RAM to inflict effects on enemies.

Quickhack	Effect	RAM	Best Use
Cyberware Malfunction	Disables enemy cyberware
Short Circuit	Massive shock damage + crit procs	8	All-purpose damage
System Collapse	Instant kill (normal enemies)	12	Elite burst-down
Contagion	Spreading virus AoE	10	Crowd clearing
Memory Wipe	Resets enemy alert state	6	Stealth resets
Cyberpsychosis	Makes enemies attack their allies	14	Chaos control
Synapse Burnout	Extremely high single-target damage

RAM recovery: base regen is 0.1 RAM/s; the “Bioconductor” cyberware raises it to 0.4 RAM/s; the “Overclock” perk trades HP for temporary RAM.

Operating Systems#

Your operating system defines your core combat capability — you can only equip one.

Type	Effect	Best For
Cyberdeck	Use quickhacks	Netrunner builds
Sandevistan	Slows time, boosts crit and dodge	Sandevistan melee/pistol builds
Berserk	Rage mode, big melee damage boost	Body melee builds

Strongly recommended: settle on your operating system direction before the “Total Eclipse” main quest, because you will obtain a legendary cyberdeck afterwards.

Combat Basics#

Weapon Types#

Type	Traits	Ammo
Power	Bullets ricochet and can punch through walls	Common
Tech	Chargeable, penetrates cover	Common
Smart	Bullets home in on targets	Special

Damage Types#

Type	Effect
Physical	Standard damage
Thermal	Burning DoT
Chemical	Poison DoT
Electrical	Bonus damage to cyberware
Shock	Bonus damage to robots

Combat Tips#

Cover shooting: charged tech weapons shoot through cover and kill enemies behind it
Scan enemies: press TAB to scan enemies and see their weak points and loot
Ricochet kills: power-weapon ricochets can kill enemies while they hide
Stealth kills: with high Cool, stealth takedowns one-shot the vast majority of enemies
Remote hacking: even outside a netrunner build, put at least 3 points into Intelligence to hack cameras and turrets

Progression Roadmap#

Levels 1-10 — free roam Watson, gigs & NCPD scanner hustles
  ↓
  Main quest "The Pickup" — decide Brick's fate
  ↓
Levels 10-15 — the quests around "Total Eclipse"
  ↓
Levels 15-25 — unlock other districts, side jobs & gigs
  ↓
  Main quest "Transmission" — find Evelyn
  ↓
Levels 25-35 — Rogue/Panam/Kerry/Judy side content
  ↓
  Main quest "Play It Safe" — assault the Arasaka industrial park
  ↓
Levels 35-45 — remaining side content & DLC
  ↓
  Point of no return — meeting Hanako
  ↓
Levels 45-50 — prepare for the final fight and choose your ending path

Level cap: 50 (level 60 in patch 1.6, up to 60+ with the Phantom Liberty DLC)

Lifepath Recommendations#

Lifepath	Unique Dialogue	Exclusive Quests	Why Pick It
Street Kid	Night City street culture — plenty of street-thug dialogue options	A feud with the Valentinos	Best for a first playthrough — most true to the game’s world
Nomad	Wasteland survival know-how — mechanical repair skills	Bonds with the nomad clans	Great for open-world explorers — Panam’s storyline
Corpo	Corporate politics dialogue — inside knowledge of Arasaka	A complicated history with Arasaka	Ideal for a second playthrough — unlocks hidden dialogue options

Early-Game Must-Do List#

#	Task	Priority	Notes
1	Push the main story all the way to Clouds	★★★★★	Unlocks all core systems and ripperdocs
2	Buy the Kiroshi optic from Viktor, the ripperdoc upstairs	★★★★★	Shows enemy levels and weak points — a combat must
3	Unlock the quickhack skill tree	★★★★	Netrunner core — override enemies remotely
4	Do Panam’s first quest	★★★★	Unlocks the nomad faction — nets you a strong vehicle
5	Buy an apartment — secure your progress	★★★	A safe save spot — no waiting for a bed

FAQ#

Question	Answer
How should I spend attribute points?	Specialize in 1-2 attributes (e.g. Reflexes + Technical Ability) — all-rounder builds end up weak
How do I make money?	Sell weapons early — run gigs mid-game — sell crafted copies of iconic weapons late
Which build is best?	In version 2.0: netrunner + tech — strongest control + survivability — works in any scenario
Should I buy from street vendors?	Some items are cheaper than shop stock — but lower quality — stick to consumables
How do I upgrade iconic weapons?	Choose “Upgrade” in the crafting menu — you need the matching materials — higher tiers need rarer materials

Common New-Player Problems#

Problem	Fix
Combat is too hard — I keep dying	Drop the difficulty to “Normal” — get used to the combat system first and raise it later — enemy AI in version 2.0 is far tougher than at launch
I am always short on cash	Do not buy weapons early — loot everything — only buy cyberware and specs — clear all NCPD hustles (€$2-5K each)
My stash (Storage) is full	Never dismantle iconic weapons — keep them as collectibles — break other weapons into materials — sell clothes you will not use
I do not know where to go	Press J for the journal — track the current main quest — the yellow markers on the map are the main route
I do not know how to spend perk points	Push one main attribute above 15 first — do not spread out — save the rest for Technical Ability and Reflexes

Useful Hotkeys#

Key	Function	When to Use
Tab	Scan mode — highlights enemies/loot/interactables	Scan every new area with Tab first — you will not miss anything
Q	Quickhack wheel — choose from your available quickhacks	The netrunner’s main output — control enemies from range
C	Crouch/stand — toggles stealth mode	Stealth-build core — use it before every takedown
V	Melee attack — swings your equipped melee weapon	Katana builds’ main damage — pair it with dodges
B	Open inventory — items/gear/crafting	Sort your gear anytime — dismantle weapons you do not need
M	Open map — fast travel/check quest markers	Check the map before a job — plan the optimal route

Vehicle Recommendations#

Vehicle	Type	Speed	Handling	Price	How to Get
Yaiba Kusanagi	Motorcycle	★★★★	★★★★★	€$58,000	Vehicle dealer — the fastest bike
Muta	Sports car	★★★★★	★★★★	€$120,000	Nomad quest reward
Apollo	Muscle car	★★★	★★★	€$45,000	Vehicle dealer — best value for money
Verrane	Sedan	★★★	★★★★	€$89,000	Vehicle dealer — the balanced pick
Rayfield Aerondight	Supercar	★★★★★★	★★★★★	€$225,000	Quest reward / special purchase

Attribute & Perk Point Allocation#

Attribute Point Strategy#

Build	Main Attribute	Secondary	End Goal
Netrunner	Intelligence 18+	Technical Ability 15+	Every cyberware unlocked
Melee	Body 18+	Reflexes 15+	High HP, high damage
Shooter	Reflexes 18+	Technical Ability 15+	High crit, high rate of fire
Tech	Technical Ability 18+	Intelligence 15+	Armor boost + engineering

How to Earn Perk Points#

Source	Amount	Location
Leveling up	1 point per level	Automatic
Perk shards	~70	Chests and jobs across the map
Attribute shards	~20	Hidden jobs and chests

Fast Money Early On#

Method	Income	Difficulty
NCPD scanner hustles	€$500-2000 each	Easy
Gigs	€$3000-10000 each	Medium
Selling loot	Depends on item value	Easy
Card gambling	€$1000-5000 each	Medium

Recommended Early Gear Path#

Stage	Level	Recommended Gear	How to Get
Start	1-10	Starter gear + quest rewards	Main quests
Early	10-20	Rare weapons + cyberware	Shops + quests
Mid	20-30	Epic weapons + advanced cyberware	Legendary chests + crafting
Late	30+	Iconic weapons + top-tier cyberware	Quest rewards + hidden spots

Save Tips for New Players#

Tip	Details	Importance
Save often	Save before every major choice	★★★★★
Save at key beats	Manual save before main quests	★★★★★
Back up saves	Regularly copy to different slots	★★★★☆
Save before the ending	Save before “Nocturne OP55N1” to keep every option open	★★★★★