Night City calls you back. Cyberpunk 2.0 is now live for all players, and Phantom Liberty is close behind. The first update overhauls numerous core gameplay features and adds a slew of new ones. Before you fully jump in, here are ten lifehacks to incorporate into your gameplay as soon as you can.
Writer’s Note: CD Projekt Red provided us a review key, and we have around 8-10 hours of gameplay in Cyberpunk 2.0 recorded.
Start Fresh With a New V
Starting off with a hot-take, go in fresh. Create a brand-new V, and go through the opening hours again. That way, you’ll go through the game’s updated tutorials and get a refined understanding of the gameplay before Phantom Liberty.
If you don’t want to, that’s fine, totally your call. Aside from pop-up tutorial screens, you will get a text from Viktor about a new update Ripperdocs are selling in Night City. That update will introduce you to the new Cyberware features, like armor.
Armor is No Longer Tied to Your Outfit (Mostly)
Stop worrying about sacrificing armor for style or viceversa. With 2.0, your Cyberware features now dictate your armor, not your outfit. Some armor pieces do reinforce your armor, but that is not the norm. Additionally, thanks to a previous update, you can also design multiple outfits to wear when you want without sacrificing armor.
Skills Trees are Much Easier to Navigate
At launch, Cyberpunk 2077’s skill trees were built horizontally with multiple subtrees for each attribute. Those trees started from the middle with little grouping around the best skills.
2.0 wholly changes that. First and foremost, all trees now work vertically, and clearly mark your current maximum. Next, each locked skill shows the prerequisite skills needed beforehand. Finally, there’s only one major tree with multiple branches that connect to others. To advance up each tree, you must max out that skill’s upgrades (so far we haven’t seen anything greater than 3 upgrades).
Combat Controls are Slightly Updated in Cyberpunk 2.0
2.0 added a dodge function for all players. To use it, press the hold crouch button (B on Xbox, O on PlayStation, etc.). Now, players must press the right stick (for console players) down to crouch.
Out of everything new that Cyberpunk 2.0 introduced, that has been the biggest adjustment.
Weapons Have More Details to Them
Stop picking up weapons solely on their damage output. When you hover over a weapon in or out of menu, you will now see a breakdown of statistics about that weapon. Besides damage, these include four other skills like Reload Speed.
While modifying weapons hasn’t changed, figuring out the details to them has.
Cyberpunk 2.0 Means NCPD Cops 2.0
Anyone familiar with Grand Theft Auto knows what the Wanted meter is. The more chaos you cause in direct view of the police, the more police will try to stop you. Cyberpunk introduces a similar mechanic where the police actively track you down when you cause trouble.
From what we’ve played so far, the only solution seems to be outrunning them. Chaos gremlins, reap what you sow.
Be Ready to Drive By Shootouts
Since a litany of groups don’t like the police in Cyberpunk 2077 already, expect to see bullets exchanged. As you are walking around, you’ll run into open gunfights in the streets between any of the gangs and the police. You can intervene if you want to, but you don’t have to.
You Can Drive and Shoot (in the Game, Please Don’t in Real Life)
Early on in the base game, you must fend off an attacking van filled with gunners trying to kill you. That moment grew into a dedicated driving feature. V can now pull out a gun and open fire on targets as they drive by.
Don’t worry about aiming because the default option is to auto-target while you drive. There is an option to aim yourself (which in first-person driving is just aiming down sights), but auto-targeting is too useful to pass up.
Edgerunner Fans Can Rejoice With Cyberpunk 2.0 References
Anyone who watched the Netflix Cyberpunk series is in for a smorgasbord of eggs. Easter eggs to be precise. The game now has a number of Easter Eggs related to the show. For example, the top skill in the Technical Ability tree shows David Martinez with his back to the camera.
