The Ultimate Guide: Unleashing the Power of Each Lifepath in Cyberpunk 2077's Thrilling Phantom Liberty DLC

The foundational changes in Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion are drawing a lot of attention. One area that could benefit from improvement is the Lifepath system, which was intended to add depth and replayability but ultimately fell short in execution. The Phantom Liberty expansion aims to expand and enrich the Lifepath system, allowing the player's chosen path to have a meaningful impact on the game's narrative.

Set to release in late September 2023, Phantom Liberty faces tough competition during the busy holiday season. However, many see it as a potential highlight of the year for Cyberpunk 2077, featuring a thrilling spy story performed by top-notch actors, the intriguing Dogtown district in Night City, and comprehensive overhauls to various game elements. After a disappointing initial launch, CD Projekt Red has been working hard to regain player trust through updates, making the success of Phantom Liberty crucial to meeting expectations.

How Lifepaths Could Add to Phantom Liberty's Experience

The storyline of Phantom Liberty revolves around espionage, as shown in the previews. V will be involved in conflicts with the government of the New United States, and the goal is to save the NUS president. The character's choices and CD Projekt Red's implementation of Lifepaths will determine whether V becomes an operative or opponent of the government, leading to multiple endings. Depending on the player's version of V, such as a Street Kid, Corpo, or Nomad, their perspective on spycraft will differ greatly.

Lifepaths also have the potential to enhance other aspects of the game besides the story. CD Projekt Red could utilize this opportunity to introduce unique abilities and loot for each Lifepath, creating a distinction between them. For instance, a gun could have special upgrades for Corpos, be sold at a discounted price by a blackmarket vendor for a Street Kid, or become available at an earlier level for a Nomad. The studio has made sure that players' Lifepath choices don't restrict their access to content, so introducing perks that make the same item appealing in different ways would be a fair compromise.

Cyberpunk 2077 Could Fix One of its Most Underserved Features

To further enhance the three Lifepaths in Night City, CD Projekt Red could create tailored reactions and interactions based on the player's choice. The dialogue options specific to each Lifepath could be expanded to offer different approaches to completing objectives. Additionally, random NPCs could either assist or hinder players based on their notorious history. While Cyberpunk 2077 had some instances of this, there is ample opportunity in Phantom Liberty to further develop this concept.

Although CD Projekt Red has not provided specific details about changes to the Lifepaths in Phantom Liberty, they have made bold claims about significant updates to every aspect of the game. Given that the choice of Lifepath had limited impact and was criticized for making the game feel more linear than anticipated, it should be a priority to revamp this feature. Speculation suggests that the Lifepaths may have been heavily affected by content cuts made to meet the game's delayed deadline. If this is the case, some of the discarded content may potentially be repurposed for Phantom Liberty. Fans can expect to receive more information about the expansion as CD Projekt Red shares updates leading up to its September release.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty launches on September 26, 2023, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.