Firestarter is one of the main story quests from the Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC and as the name suggests, this is where things really start to heat up in terms of the way that the narrative will play out.
You’ll be given an important choice towards the end of the mission which will change the way that the story plays out. In this walkthrough, I’m going to offer my personal experience of the choice that I made, as well as a brief overview of the other option. We will also walk you through the mission leading up to this crucial decision.
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Firestarter mission walkthrough
Go to the stadium
Firestarter starts off immediately after the previous mission—I’ve Seen That Face Before— and so when the mission begins, you will be in the netrunner twins’ car posing as them and preparing to meet with Kurt Hansen. You will be prompted to drive to the stadium, so follow the marker on the map to get there.
As you drive, Alex—who is also in disguise—will give you a test to see how accurate your impersonation is. This will differ depending on what twin you are posing as, but if you have been paying attention during the last few missions, then you should have an idea of how to answer. You don’t have to worry too much if you forget anything in particular, though, as you can access the personal dossier file of the twin that you are impersonating at any time. The dossier will give you some key information that will come into play when you talk to Hansen, so keep this in mind.
Remember that you want to blend in as much as possible, so keep your driving as calm as possible as you enter the stadium to avoid raising suspicions.
Head into Hansen’s den
Once you have parked in the stadium, get out of the car and follow Alex to the entrance. You will need to go through some security measures here, which will give you some different dialogue options. It’s important to stay in character, but your choice won’t make a difference in the long run, so don’t worry too much if you feel like you have said the wrong thing.
When you are at the entrance of the den, you will meet up with Murphy, the right-hand man of Kurt Hansen himself. There will be a few opportunities to speak to Murphy as you go, so remember to keep up appearances and stay in character. Murphy will walk you through the facility, showing off the weapons and artillery that BARGHEST has at their disposal as he does so. Keep up the charade to avoid conflict, and he will lead you to Hansen.
A chat with Hansen
The next section of the mission is going to be a test of both your memory and your acting skills, as you and Alex will sit down and have a chat with Kurt Hansen in the guise of Aurore and Aymeric Cassel. You need to answer Kurt’s questions as accurately as possible, or else your cover will be blown and both you and Alex will be shot. You’ll have to start again, so if you don’t want to have to keep repeating the conversation, use the dossier pop-up to get the information that you need so that the discussion goes as smoothly as possible.
Betray Songbird or Betray Reed
The major choice in the mission comes after you have successfully convinced Hansen that you are one of the twins. After your chat with the BARGHEST frontman, Songbird will appear to let Hansen know that the mainframe is now ready for the twins’ input. Hansen insists that either you or Alex stay with him while the other goes with Songbird, so Alex volunteers to stay while you accompany Songbird. She will lead you to the mainframe where you can jack in and as Songbird prepares to take over the system, you will have to make a choice: Will you betray Songbird or betray Reed?
What happens if you betray Songbird in Phantom Liberty?
I chose to betray Songbird in my playthrough, as not only am I a rather large fan of Idris Elba and couldn’t stand the thought of letting him down, but I was also certain that Reed was sincere in his desire to rescue Songbird. Songbird was adamant about obtaining freedom, but she was willing to sacrifice any lives necessary to do so. I thought that siding with Reed might reduce the number of innocent casualties (even though Reed himself is just as bad when it comes to treating those hurt by his actions as collateral damage). Unfortunately, siding with Reed comes with an immediate casualty in the form of Alex, who will be shot by Hansen once Songbird begins to act erratically.
It turns out that the Icebreaker program that Reed had been betting on to incapacitate Songbird does not work on her. Not immediately, anyway. Instead, she gets mad. Really, really mad. She allows Hansen to kill Alex and then blames you for her death before she goes on a rampage through the stadium.
An intense fight sequence comes following this choice, but you are currently without your weapons as when you entered the stadium, you had to leave your weapons behind in a locker. There is a chance to pick them up later, but for now, your best bet is to head towards the exit as there are some weapons scattered around in that area that you can pick up to help aid your escape before you can grab your stuff.
Fight your way through the building and make your way upstairs, where you will be able to get your weapons from the locker (which has fallen over and is lying on the floor). Whatever you do, don’t forget to collect your weapons. You don’t want to end up losing all your Iconic weapons in your haste to get out of the building, so keep this in mind.
Fight Kurt Hansen
As you are about to escape via a garage door, Hansen will appear, and you will need to fight him to the death. Make sure that you get rid of his soldiers first to make it a fair fight. He will begin the fight using ranged weapons before switching to more up close and personal methods. Try and keep your distance as much as you can, though, as he can drain your health pretty quickly with his melee attacks. He is also super fast, so dodge and weave as much as possible if he gets too close. When his health is almost entirely gone, you will have the chance to finish him off with a rather satisfying final blow.
With Hansen finally taken care of, loot his body for two Iconic weapons—the Bald Eagle and the Wild Dog— as well as the stadium security datashard. Next, go through the garage door and follow the marker to the elevator to get out of the stadium.
Meet with Reed
When you get to the garage, you will have to deal with some drones that are blocking your path. Take them out or sneak past them to get into the main garage, where Reed will appear in his car to help you escape. Jump into the car and Reed will drive you away. You will be able to have a dialogue about the situation with Songbird here.
Reed will hack into the police communications to get an idea as to where Songbird might have gone, seeing as she is on a bit of a rampage thanks to your betrayal. He will eventually park, and you will see Songbird engaging with MaxTac from a distance. She will eventually be knocked unconscious (possibly due to the Icebreaker) and MaxTac will take her away.
Have a chat with Reed, and he will tell you that the next part of the plan will involve acquiring the skills of an accomplished netrunner so that you and Reed can get into the NCPD systems in an attempt to free Songbird. However, if your Intelligence level is at least level 10, then you should be able to do this yourself. The mission will end, and you will be on Reed’s path.
What happens if you betray Reed in Phantom Liberty?
If you opt to betray Reed instead of Songbird, she will eventually tell you to give Alex the signal that Kurt’s forces are now primed and ready to attack him. In this scenario, Alex will make use of the element of surprise and kill Kurt. Don’t forget that even though Alex is alive in this choice, you are still opting to abandon her and Reed, so don’t expect her to be pleased with your decision.
You’ll need to follow Songbird, who will lead you to a container with some weapons (the same ones you will find in the betray Songbird choice) to equip before you can get your regular weapons back. The next step is pretty much the same as with the other choice, except that here you will have Songbird supporting you as you go. Go upstairs to get your weapons and then keep making your way through the stadium, taking out Hansen’s men as you go.
Songbird will open a door for you with her hacking skills. Follow the corridor and move some crates out of the way to continue on your path to escape. You will eventually get to the same area as before with the drones that can be taken out or snuck past. Once you are past the drones, keep following the marker on the map, and you will come to a sewer tunnel that you can use to escape. Kick open the grate at the end and you and Songbird will be able to make your escape via the homeless camp.
Have a final chat with Songbird and escort her to her car, and that will be that for the mission as you will now be firmly on Songbird’s path.
Final verdict on the Firestarter mission in Phantom Liberty
Firestarter is an incredibly important mission in the main narrative of the Phantom Liberty DLC. Not only is there a huge decision to be made, but it is also the mission that sees the demise of Dogtown leader Kurt Hansen. Depending on your choice, it can also lead to the death of Alex.
The major decision that you will make in the Firestarter mission will lead to different missions in the long run as well. If you opt to help Songbird, you will unlock the The Killing Moon quest—and two other quest lines will unlock as well—and be able to get the King of Swords or the King of Wands endings for the DLC. If you help Reed, you instead get the Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos mission, with the possible endings being the King of Pentacles or the King of Cups.
If you are interested in seeing how both decisions play out, I would recommend creating multiple saves around the time that you start the Firestarter mission. This will give you the chance to experience the different endings as well as the different outcomes for both Reed and Songbird as you progress through the DLC.
