The Ultimate Cyberpunk 2077 Skills and Perks Guide: Unleashing Power in Phantom Liberty and the 20 Update

Looking to experience V's enhanced capabilities in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty? Update 2.0 introduces significant changes to various mechanics, particularly in optimizing your character's development. Our comprehensive guide explores the top perks and skills for each attribute in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, along with strategies for obtaining additional points to allocate.

Table of Contents [hide]What are the most desirable perks in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty? How do attributes and perks intertwine in gameplay?

Best Body perks

Best Reflexes perks

Best Technical Ability perks

Best Intelligence perks

Best Cool perks

What are the best perks in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty?

Before delving into the finest perks in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, it is essential to understand three significant aspects: attribute points, perk points, and relic points. If you have previous experience with the game before Update 2.0, you may recall the original skill tree, which has undergone a complete overhaul. Nevertheless, certain fundamental mechanics should still be recognizable.

Attribute points are earned each time a player levels up and can be used to enhance the five primary stats: Body, Reflexes, Technical Ability, Intelligence, and Cool.

Perk points are allocated to acquire new active and passive skills from each attribute tree. These points are also obtained upon leveling up. Additionally, extra points are earned when reaching rank 15 and 35 in the skill progression bracket for various roles such as Headhunter, Netrunner, Shinobi, Solo, and Engineer. It's important to note that the specific actions taken during gameplay determine the rate at which these points increase. For example, Engineer rank-ups occur by using smart weapons or tech weapons, while Netrunner rank-ups happen through the utilization of quickhacks or successful completion of terminal hacking minigames.

How do attributes and perks work?

The Skill Progression page provides an overview of your skill advancement.

How do attributes and perks work?

All attributes initially start at a base level of three points, giving you the opportunity to allocate perk points towards low-tier skills. To access higher brackets, additional points must be invested. The maximum level attainable is 20, granting the ability to select top-tier or legendary perks. It is possible to reset attribute points if desired.

When selecting perks, remember that there are various options available, but your points are limited (and you still need to level up in order to earn more). Ultimately, your choices should be based on your preferred playstyle and iconic weapons. Additionally, each attribute has at least one perk that impacts vehicular combat. The good news is that you can freely refund your perk points whenever you see fit, so feel free to experiment and find the perfect combination.

Utilize quickhacks to inflict debilitating effects.

Best Body perks

For the Body attribute in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, the best perks primarily focus on close-range combat (using blunt weapons and shotguns), heavy weapons (such as light machine guns and heavy machine guns), and the Adrenaline Rush ability. In our case, we didn't place too much emphasis on blunt weapons, but we thoroughly enjoyed obliterating enemies with the Ba Xing Chong shotgun.

Options such as Painkiller, Comeback Kid, Dorph-Head, Speed Junkie, and Army of One are all viable choices as they enhance mitigation and health regeneration.

For vehicle combat, Fury Road stands out as the top perk in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. It reduces damage to your vehicle and enhances the damage you inflict on others while driving.

Pro: "Die Die Die" and "Like a Feather" are primarily used to counteract the stamina and movement drawbacks when utilizing shotguns and machine guns.

Phenom: "Spontaneous Obliteration," "Dread," "Rush of Blood," "Adrenaline Rush," "Juggernaut," "Calm Mind," and "Bloodlust" are perks that aid in minimizing damage taken while engaging in intense combat. The perks on the left side are specifically tailored for shotguns and heavy machine guns.

Boost your combat abilities with Body perks, enhancing both your offense and defense in close-quarters battles.

Best Reflexes perks

If you prefer to engage enemies up close and personally, the Reflexes attribute is perfect for you. In contrast to the Body attribute, this attribute emphasizes agility, utilizing abilities like Dash and Air Dash, along with deadly blade weapons like the Black Unicorn katana.

Rookie: Enhancements like Slippery, Muscle Memory, and Multitasker improve your evasiveness and allow you to simultaneously shoot, reload, and dodge. Remember that these upgrades are not specific to any weapon, giving you the freedom to sprint, slide, and quickly blast your shotgun at enemies or any other desired actions.

Pro: The advanced tier skills include Dash, Can't Touch This, Mad Dash, Lead and Steel, Bullet Deflect, Bullet Time, Seeing Double, and Flash & Thunderclap. These skills elevate your movement speed by providing increased defense and longer distance during dashes. Additionally, you gain the ability to deflect bullets while wielding a sword.

Phenom: Air Dash, Aerial Acrobat, Aerodynamic, Finisher: Bladerunner, Going the Distance, and Flash of Steel - Prepare to dash in mid-air with these additional options. You will also acquire a finisher for your blade weapons.

Legend: Tailwind and Slaughterhouse - The Tailwind ability eliminates the need to conserve stamina while performing double jumps or air dashes. On the other hand, Slaughterhouse inflicts the bleeding status effect on enemies, increasing their vulnerability to instant kill finishers.

Embrace your lightning-fast reflexes as you dash towards victory, mastering acrobatic maneuvers that give you the edge.

Best Technical Ability perks

Unleash the full potential of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty by harnessing the extraordinary power of its top perks. These perks not only grant you instantaneous abilities but also offer passive enhancements, particularly in the realms of item recharge rate and cyberware. This is where the Technical Ability skills shine. It's essential to mention that the cyberware feature has undergone a significant overhaul in the 2.0 update. Now, you have access to an exciting array of new implants, and your armor value is directly influenced by the equipped implants.

For those just beginning their journey: Glutton For War and Gearhead (Vehicle) are the perfect choices. Glutton For War opens the gateway to higher-tier perks, while Gearhead exponentially amplifies the destructive capacity of vehicle-mounted turrets and rockets.

Pro: Health Enthusiast, Hot Pursuit, Explosive Surplus, Cybernetic Expertise, Punk Renaissance, and Upgraded Drivers - The perks on the left side increase your item recharge rate and provide extra health injectors or grenades. The perks in the middle offer enhancements and modifiers for your cyberware implants.

Phenom: Chrome License, Cyborg Mastery, Ambidextrous Abilities, Unique Construction, Lightning Bolt, Storm Bringer, and Shocking Power - The perks related to the Chrome License unlock new cyberware slots and provide additional armor statistics. The perks linked to Lightning Bolt only affect tech weapons, enabling you to fire charged shots. However, if you prefer to conserve points, it's best to focus on the cyberware perks at the moment.

Enhance your cyberware prowess with the empowerment of Edgerunner and Chain Lightning.

Best Intelligence perks

Immerse yourself in the realm of Intelligence perks, where quickhacks take center stage. Unleash devastating debuffs and damage upon your foes, while manipulating machinery and vehicles with remarkable distractions and explosive power. Seamlessly integrate these options into your playstyle of choice, whether it be a relentless run-and-gun approach or a calculated strategy of eliminating adversaries from a distance.

Carhacker (Vehicle) is a crucial perk as it grants you the ability to command vehicles, activate alarms, or even destroy them. To access specific options, you will need to equip certain quickhacks through your cyberdeck.

Optimization, Encryption, and Subordination are essential for rookies as they enhance your RAM recovery speed when using quickhacks. Additionally, they also influence the duration of the quickhacks and enemy detection.

For hacking-related strategies, start with Eye in the Sky and work your way up to Queue Mastery. After that, focus on perks that enhance your maximum RAM and quickhack queue slots. You can also consider getting options like Data Recycler, Explosion Hazard, and Queue Prioritization. The objective is to cause chaos among hostile groups by using quickhacks such as Sonic Shock, Overheat, Memory Wipe, and Contagion. Once they are weakened, finish them off using shotguns/machine guns (Body perks), blade weapons (Reflexes perks), or sniper rifles (Cool perks).

Intelligence perks are essential for improving your RAM recharge rate and quickhack utility.

Best Cool perks

The Cool perks are designed for players who prefer a more calculated approach. They allow you to hang back and land precise headshots or execute stealthy maneuvers with silenced weapons. Most perks in this category significantly impact pistols, revolvers, precision rifles, and sniper rifles.

Rookie: Enhance your stealth with Feline Footwork, Small Target, Blind Spot, Killer Instinct, and Quick Getaway. These abilities aid in avoiding detection and maneuvering unnoticed.

Pro: Sharpen your precision with Focus, No Sweat, Rinse & Reload, Head to Head, and Deep Breath. Focus boosts accuracy when aiming with full stamina, while Deep Breath additionally grants the ability to manipulate time, slowing it down.

The following options, Phenom: Deadeye, California Reaper, High Noon, Long Shot, Ninjutsu, and Creeping Death, enhance the damage inflicted by headshots and weakspot hits. The two options in the middle, Ninjutsu and Creeping Death, also provide extra advantages for stealth.

Lastly, the Legend perk, Nerves of Tungsten-Steel, bestows significant DPS by ensuring critical hits with headshots and weakspot hits. It also grants a buff corresponding to the distance between you and your target.

For those seeking a more covert strategy, the inclusion of cool perks can greatly enhance your stealth skills. With that said, let's delve into the top perks and abilities that we believe are essential in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. Keep in mind, however, that due to limited allocation points, it's important to carefully choose those that align seamlessly with your preferred playstyle and arsenal preferences.