Cyberpunk 2077 is a massive game. You can easily spend hundreds of hours playing it, which is why setting up correctly first is key. There are many tips and tricks you can learn to help in your journey in the post-apocalyptic world.
Three years after release, the whole game received a 2.0 update with the latest DLC Phantom Liberty in September, 2023. It fixed a massive slew of bugs and enhanced the game experience, but it also reworked several key aspects of the game. The skill tree was revamped, and hacking was given a new breath.
10 tips and tricks for beginners in Cyberpunk 2077
1) Learn to Fast Travel
The world of Cyberpunk 2077 is massive, so it might take you quite some time to get from one place to the other, even if you’re using a vehicle. If you’re completing side quests, it can become a chore. That said, like many open world games, you have way to teleport to various destinations.
Cyberpunk 2077 features fast travel, but you can’t go anywhere you want this way. You can spot fast travel points in various places of the map: they’re shaped as blue round symbols. To teleport to them, however, you first need to go to your nearest fast travel terminal and open the map through it.
2) Use hacking before fights
Hacks will help you tremendously in your journey. With the release of Phantom Liberty, the feature was revamped. You know have many more opportunities in the game using that key mechanic. You can spend Skill Points in Intelligence to improve hacking, and buy various upgrades as well. I was disappointed by hacking when the game released, but it’s now more interesting to use.
Since Phantom Liberty, hacking is split into two distinct mechanics: Scanner Quickhacks and Breach Protocol. Before engaging in fights, it’s recommended to open your hacking menu (by holding the Tab button on PC) and to do what you can to get an early advantage. That bit of strategy can turn out to be very useful, especially since you’ll usually notice your enemies before they do.
3) Don’t underestimate the power of money
Money will grant you various advantages in the game. You can use it to buy consumables, but also high tier mods, weapons and all sorts of equipment that will help you throughout the game. You even start the game in debt, as one of your starting quests is to give back a great sum of money to an NPC.
For this reason, it’s recommended to frequently check your inventory and sell what you don’t need. Hacking can also help you get richer: you can hack machines where you sell your items to get more credits. You will certainly struggle with money at the start of the game, so you’d better be careful on how to spend it. And if you’re not afraid to take some workarounds, there are known glitches that allow to earn money fast in Cyberpunk 2077.
4) Don’t mess (too much) with the law
The police wasn’t very scary when Cyberpunk 2077 launched, which means you were allowed to do pretty much whatever you wanted, GTA-style. But since the 2.0 update, it’s become more challenging to break the law. When you do, you’ll gain Stars that represent how much you’re wanted by the authorities.
When you gain more Stars, the threat will raise. The maximal level is Five and when you reach it, there’s no way you can survive the enemies that will be sent to take you down. So while you have some freedom in messing with the authorities, try not to abuse it. I did it once since the 2.0 update and it taught me a lesson.
5) Prioritize the main quest (to start)
As mentioned before, completing side quests will give you rewards that will help you in your journey, such as strong equipment and money. But still, when you start the game, it’s best to only focus on the main quest for a short while. The reason is that before completing Cyberpunk 2077‘s first Act, numerous features and parts of the world will be locked. Here is the list of the first Act’s main quests:
- The Nomad/Street Kid/Corpo-Rat
- Practice Makes Perfect
- The Rescue
- The Ripperdoc
- The Ride
- The Pickup
- The Information
- The Heist
- Love Like Fire
6) Don’t forget consumables
I get it. Sometimes, you’ll want to get into the action the fastest way possible and get through enemy lines. But the fights will be much easier with a bit of strategy and thinking ahead. Consumables are one of those strategic tools you can use to your advantage. They’re cheap and very useful. In addition to regenerating various resources, they can provide buffs to your stats.
7) You can go anywhere you want
The 2.0 update brought something big for players who just love to get around and discover the world they’re wandering in, instead of rushing quests and combat. While areas were locked by high-level enemies beforehand, you can now go wherever you want and expect to encounter enemies of your level. So if you’re tired of seeing the same old streets of Night City, you can leave whenever you want.
8) Choose your path carefully
Skill trees have become more specialized and reward more mastery, compared to the game’s version before the 2.0 update rolled out. Now, in Cyberpunk 2077, you’re encouraged in choosing one specialty, rather than upgrading pretty much everything.
If you’re struggling to understand what you want to choose, look at the highest perks from skill trees. There are certainly some of them that will speak to you more than others. If you want to unlock those strong perks, you’ll need to focus on that tree and not waste your points in unlocking weak buffs on other areas.
Still, if you don’t want to choose rightaway, you’ll be able to use one free reset. So another solution is to hop on without thinking too much about your build, and iron out your strategy as you get more acquainted with everything the game has to offer. You can respec perk points whenever, so experiment with those, but ability points can only be reset once.
9) Regularly return to Ripperdocs
Ripperdocs are the experts that can sell and equip mods for your cybernetics. As you progress through the game, you’ll be able to unlock more of them, and they’ll make your journey much easier. These are expensive, however, so make sure you have some cash saved before going there. I made the mistake of paying Viktor back as soon as I could, but earning enough money to get my first strong upgrades was no small feat, so be wary of that.
Viktor Vektor is the first Ripperdoc you’ll encounter, but there are many more of them in the game. You’ll spot Ripperdocs on the map as they’re grey squares with a tiny human body drawn inside.
10) Mods are life
You shouldn’t underestimate the strength of mods in Cyberpunk 2077. These can be equipped on your weapons. They’re nice upgrades that will make the game smoother for you. So even though you don’t want to spend too much energy in optimizing your build and gear, equipping and buying mods whenever you see them is a good idea.
