Following on from your infiltration of the Black Sapphire building in Dogtown, Reed and Alex will want time to prepare their next steps when it comes to seizing the identities of the netrunner twins you met in the You Know My Name mission.
While Birds with Broken Wings isn’t an action-heavy mission, important revelations do come to light. It’s a necessary mission in the context of the main narrative of the Phantom Liberty DLC, so we’re going to be walking you through it.
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Bird with Broken Wings mission walkthrough
Await Reed’s call
At the end of the You Know My Name mission, Reed will say he needs time to talk with Alex and that he will call you when he is ready to proceed. It doesn’t take him too long to get back to you, so either skip time or complete side gigs while you are waiting for him.
Go to The Moth
When Reed does call you, he will ask you to meet him and Alex at The Moth bar. When you get to The Moth, head inside and go behind the bar and through the beaded curtain to get to the safe house downstairs. Reed and Alex will be waiting for you.
Attend the brief with Alex and Reed
There’s a chance to have a bit of extra dialogue with Reed and Alex here in regards to a mission in Medellín that didn’t quite go to plan. It’s not necessary, but it gives you a bit of insight into their past. The main talk you will be having with them will be about how to get access to the netrunner twins, whose biometric scan you will have obtained in the previous mission.
Reed and Alex come up with a plan of action to trace the rental car the twins are using while in Dogtown so they can kidnap them. To do so, you’re going to need to access the transceivers of the car rental business the twins are using. Alex will give you a gadget that will allow you to hijack cars and with that, the first transceiver will be marked on your map.
Answer Songbird’s call
When you are on your way to the first transceiver, you will receive a call from Songbird, who will ask you to meet her after dark. Head to the marker on the map between 11pm and 1am, and you will be able to speak with her. She will reveal everything to you in regards to the situation between her, Hansen, and the NUS President. It would seem Reed’s hunch was right: Songbird was in on the whole scheme to down the President’s plane. Songbird wasn’t aware of the extreme measures Hansen was willing to take, but that doesn’t make her actions any less treasonous.
Songbird will tell you some of her backstory—with more details coming to light if you choose optional dialogues along with the main dialogue—and it becomes clear this is a person who has been used and manipulated for a long time. All she wants now is to be able to escape and try and cure herself—and you—of the diseases slowly draining your lives. It’s hard not to feel some kind of sympathy for her, despite her questionable actions.
Songbird’s offer
Songbird will eventually tell you of her plan to cut and run while Alex and Reed are fighting Hansen, and she wants you in on it. What’s important to remember here is that while it will seem this is a major decision moment in Phantom Liberty, your choice of whether to support Songbird’s escape plan won’t be set in stone. This will come later, so don’t worry about having to make your final choice right now.
Call Reed (optional)
Songbird tells you to call Reed to let him know of a plan in regards to Hansen (without mentioning the whole escaping-while-his-back-is-turned part, of course), but you can always wait to tell him everything later, as he will pop back up towards the end of the mission. I didn’t call him straight away, and it didn’t make a difference.
Head to the first transceiver
The first transceiver is quite a ways off, so it’s easier to simply fast travel there. Fast travel to the Chapel Data Term, the closest station to where you need to go. The transceiver can be found on top of the church—marked on the map—and you can climb up using the scaffolding just near the entrance of the building. You won’t be alone for long, though, as there are several hostiles on the roof area too. Get rid of them and you should then be able to jack into the transceiver.
Head to the second transceiver
The next transceiver that you need to jack into is also a bit of a distance away, so you can fast travel to the station near Megabuilding H4 if you would rather skip the drive. This one is found on top of a run-down apartment building, and you can either jump up via the protruding air conditioners or head up the stairs at the back of the building and then jump from the top of the stairs onto the roof.
Talk to the kid
You won’t have any luck getting the second transceiver to work, but there is a kid sitting next to it with his sibling and unconscious mother (coming down from a BD trip) who is willing to help… for a price. The kid, named Luka, will offer you a top tip on how to get the transceiver to work: to turn it on and off again. I mean, if it works, it works, right? He won’t tell you where the main power supply is unless you give him some eddies, though.
You can either give him 1,000 Eurodollars or use your negotiation skills to get him down to a measly 10 eddies. I felt bad for the kid after seeing the situation with his mom, but I quickly felt fleeced when the kid refused to tell me where the power supply was. He instead played a game of hot or cold with me, and I mean fine, okay, but I just gave you 1,000 eddies Luka, can we be serious for a moment, please? If you’re not stupid like me, negotiate down to 10 eddies to save both your money and your pride.
Power up the second transceiver
The power supply can be found nearby to some solar panels on the roof. As I said, I had to go through a humiliating round of hot or cold for that information, so you’re welcome. Shut it down and then power it back up (ignore the wails of the man in the apartment below who was just getting to the good bit in his BD) and the transceiver should now allow you to jack in, and you will receive the Encryption Key needed to take control of the twin’s rental car. You’ll have a bit of an episode with the Relic in your head around this section too, which will allow you to have a chat with Johnny, but this is optional.
Visit Alex (optional)
Alex will text you asking if you want to have a quick break from your duties to have a drink. While this isn’t essential, it’s a nice opportunity to get to know her character a bit better. It might also make you think twice about leaving her and Reed behind if you were considering going along with Songbird’s escape plan. Not only do you get some insight into her character, but you also get a chance to see V’s atrocious attempts at dancing if you choose to dance with Alex. It’s a win-win.
Go to Farida’s Clinic
With the key in hand, give Reed a call, and he will tell you to head over to the clinic of a Ripperdoc named Farida, who will be able to implant the necessary Cyberware for you so you can use the behavioral imprints from the twins. The clinic can be found in Golden Pacific, so head over there as soon as you can. To get her to let you in, select the “I hear you collect souvenirs from the Unification War” dialogue option.
Talk with Reed
Reed is already in the clinic when you get there, and you will have a chance to talk about Songbird with him. Reed will tell you about a device that is going to be put into your system during the procedure called the Icebreaker. This device will be able to render Songbird unconscious so she can’t run away, but Reed is adamant he wants to help her and give her a chance to escape her fate.
As is to be expected, there’s an opportunity here to tell him about Songbird’s plan. Sorry Songbird, but this is Idris Elba we are talking about here. Of course I’m going to tell him absolutely everything if it means there’s a chance he will love me. Please love me, Idris. I’m not entirely sure what the consequences of telling him about the plan are just yet, as I haven’t played the next mission. However, I’m certain Songbird isn’t going to be pleased about me spilling the beans.
Prepare for Surgery
Reed will leave the clinic once you have had your chat, and you will then be ready to get that new Cyberware. All you have to do is sit in the chair and Farida will knock you out and begin the process. During the procedure, you will have moments of consciousness wherein you will have the chance to talk to Johnny. When this is done, leave the clinic and the mission will be complete.
Final verdict on the Birds with Broken Wings mission in Phantom Liberty
Like I said at the beginning of the walkthrough, this isn’t an action-heavy mission. It is an important one in terms of the narrative of Phantom Liberty, but it is more of a lead-up quest rather than one where the important, final decisions are made.
The mission gives you a chance to learn more about Reed, Alex, and Songbird as well, and hints at the impending choices you are going to have to make. Other than that, it’s a relatively simple mission that shouldn’t take up too much time. Just get ready to start making the hard decisions once you have completed Birds with Broken Wings.
