In Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty, builds allow V to tackle the many challenges of Night City, from Maelstrom gangoons to Arasaka ninjas.
With the new 2.0 update and extra options available through the Phantom Liberty DLC, players new and old will want to try out all the fancy new cyberware and weapons.
Read our review for the final expansion to Cyberpunk 2077!
What are Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Builds
With five different attributes and a level cap, V won’t be able to max out every path. V also gets a maximum of 80 perk points (if players install Phantom Liberty to raise the level cap), which they will also have to spend intelligently.
Each attribute focuses on a different gameplay element and unlocks unique paths and abilities. Here are the stand-out choices that will make V the best merc in Night City.
Body
The Body attribute focuses on strength, bulk, bruiser combat and heavy weapons.
Upgrading Body will let V rip turrets off their mounts, force open locked doors, and carry more inventory items. Invest into this tree if you enjoy brutal close combat and overwhelming firepower.
There are two great starter perks for any V, whatever their final build.
- The Painkiller upgrade is universally useful. Since Cyberpunk 2.0 changed healing items to a cooldown, in-combat health regeneration is invaluable. That goes double for the harder difficulties, which are now much harder.
- The Fury Road perk is also a neat luxury pick if you happen to have leftover perk points. Even after the update, vehicle control isn’t the best. This means anything that helps in the case of a crash is a nice bonus.
Otherwise, perks that aren’t worth the investment are Rip and Tear and Pain to Gain. These are the capstone perks for Shotguns and Health builds respectively.
- Rip and Tear gives huge bonus damage to shotguns and quick melees if you alternate between them. Quick melees are a bit unreliable for any build in Cyberpunk 2077. This is especially true for higher level enemies, who in Phantom Liberty get access to mobility cyberware.
- Pain to Gain gives +20% to V’s Health Item recharge if they neutralize an enemy while the Adrenaline Rush status is active. It’s a bit underwhelming given the investment required. If they can take the perk, V should be strong and sturdy enough to take out the threat or get to cover and heal through other means.
Body builds should also get the Gorilla arms, which dramatically improve your hand-to-hand fighting so that your bare fists can hit hard as other weapons.
They’re also a good pick for any V who doesn’t care for the arm cybernetics, since they give a +4 to any Body Attribute Check.
So if you want your sneaky netrunner V to still have the option of tearing a door off its hinges, the Gorilla Arms are your friend.
Body builds pair very well with Technical or Reflex builds. Since an Edgerunner consumes health, having more of it is a no-brainer. Meanwhile, Blade-focused melee builds will appreciate the extra bulk that Body provides.
Reflexes
The Reflexes tree is all about speed and dexterity. It governs assault rifles and submachine guns, bladed weapons, and mobility.
This attribute takes some time to get going. Its early skills aren’t much help to anyone who isn’t interested in what it has to offer. This means that you have to invest a lot of Attribute and Perk points before you can reach any of the good stuff.
That said, the good stuff is very good. Mobility is fun in any game and that holds true for Cyberpunk 2077 and its Phantom Liberty expansion.
The notable perks useful for any V are:
- Muscle Memory allows V to reload while sprinting, sliding and vaulting. Great for any V during a firefight when they need to reposition fast without losing momentum.
- Dash to improve the dodge’s range and automatically vault obstacles. Great to either close in on targets, or get some breathing room for the V that prefers range.
V should opt out of these perks:
- Steady Grip allows V to shoot while dashing. Useful in theory, but the dash is too short for it to really matter that much.
- Stuntjock is a pure vanity choice. It feels and looks cool to leap out a speeding vehicle, but its practical applications are minimal. Likewise, better gun accuracy when driving doesn’t much matter since it only happens rarely.
The Reflexes tree benefits the Mantis Blades. If V wants the option to slice off their enemies’ limbs at any time, then these will make for good back-ups.
Reflex builds get along great with Body and Cool builds, giving invaluable mobility options to both. Close-quarters shotgun or bruiser Body builds can use the mobility to get closer. Meanwhile, the Cool ninjas will love extra ways to speedily sneak around, as well as better blades for if situations get dangerous.
Intelligence
Intelligence is the attribute for the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty equivalent to mage builds. It governs V’s ability to netrun: hacking the world around them to control or destroy.
This attribute is the most all-or-nothing in the game. If your V isn’t interested in hacking, then this tree offers nothing.
If you fully invest into this tree, then your V becomes a tech wizard with countless useful tricks and tools.
The two perks which any V should at least consider are:
- Eye in the Sky automatically highlights nearby Access Points and cameras. Since Access Points are a great source of extra money, every V should be on the lookout for these. Cameras similarly help V if they want to remain undetected during a stealth run.
- Forcekill Cypher is makes the Access Point hacking minigame easier. Since the minigame isn’t that fun, this is a must-pick for any hackers wanting to make easy money.
Otherwise, most Vs can get buy ignoring the entire tree. For the V who will be a full-on Netrunner, though, there are some perks that aren’t worth the buy:
- Finisher: Live Wire unlocks a finishing move for the Monowire arm cyberware. Unless your V is specifically a Monowire-focused build, then this one doesn’t really add anything that a netrunner really needs.
- Siphon is much the same. It allows V to recover RAM by attacking with the Monowire. Not much use if you’re not going to use the cyberware.
The signature cyberware is, as you’ve probably guessed, the monowire. A useful augment for a build that intends to make the most of it, but otherwise somewhat unremarkable.
Intelligence builds can synergize with Technical and Cool builds. Technical builds allow for higher cyberware capacity. Meanwhile, a stealthy Cool V gets a lot from the netrunner’s ability to hack their enemies and environments.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, though, a Monowire-focused build will appreciate some of the bulk and mobility that Body and Reflexes provide.
Technical Ability
The biggest change since the original game, Technical Ability went from a crafting and explosives focus to concentrating entirely on cyberware and equipment items.
In short, every V will benefit from investing in this attribute. Because Armor in Phantom Liberty is now tied to cybernetics and not clothing, any build without Technical in higher Cyberpunk 2077 difficulties is a dead V walking.
Additionally, there’s a very broad range of cyberware that can benefit any build.
That said, there are still some perks that players can pass over:
- Gearhead is mediocre. The extra vehicle health is nice, but unessential. V doesn’t use vehicle-mounted weapons often enough for the bonuses to really matter.
- Lucky Day gives a 25% increase to components when V disassembles equipment. This is only helpful if V intends to upgrade and craft a lot, so if that’s not you then you can pass.
The signature cyberware for Technical is the Projectile Launcher. An rocket launcher arm-implant means V can pack heavy artillery for any emergency.
As for build synergy, it’s every build. Because of its cyberware focus, Technical synergizes with every build.
Cool
The Cool tree is focused on handguns, sniper rifles, stealth, and throwable weapons. It’s for the V that prioritizes precision in combat and in environments.
Given its stealth focus, this attribute doesn’t offer much to players who prefer the guns blazing approach.
The upside is that this attribute’s tight focus means that for any build that is investing in it, there aren’t really any bad choices.
The only one that really doesn’t provide anything is Parasite. A 15 point healing on critical hits and headshots with thrown weapons really isn’t worth much.
Cool builds don’t have a signature arm cyberware, and instead use the Optical Camo to improve V’s stealth.
This attribute synergizes well with Intelligence netrunners. Since it’s all about stealth, Cool really likes the ability to control equipment and silently disable guards with hacking.
