You can engage in a lot combat while playing Cyberpunk 2077 and can either go all guns blazing or consider a much safer option, stealth. Both choices can be achieved through careful modification of your perks and skills. That said, if you prefer a peaceful approach, it is possible to finish the entire game without killing anyone. This guide, however, won’t help you much in a pacifist run.
Weapons
Cyberpunk 2077 has a wide range of weapons of various classes. Whether you’re going for a melee build or want to play as a ranged warrior, you can do it all. You have numerous weapon types such as blades, two-handed weapons, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and pistols at your disposal.
We have a full guide dedicated to the weapons in Cyberpunk 2077, along with their stats.
Skills & Perks
Skills development goes deep in Cyberpunk 2077. They will shape your play style and how you approach various encounters. You can allocate points to the skills contributing towards stealth, or you can choose the skills which favor strength and aggressive combat style.
The skills will develop as you progress further in the game. You can check our in-depth guide on attributes and perks to learn more.
Inspection
If you have the proper tools such as a prosthetic eye, you can inspect your environment and enemies to know more about them, before initiating combat. You can use the eye to zoom in on your enemies and learn more about them, such as their gang, their resistance to particular types of attacks, and elemental attacks. More on the resistance system is below.
This gives you a good head start and allows you to plan your attacks accordingly.
Resistance System
The main character V, as well as the enemy NPCs in the game, have resistances to different types of attacks and elemental attacks. There are four main resistances:
Thermal Rsistance Physical Resistance Chemical Resistance Electrical Resistance
If your character has higher resistance, then they will receive less damage from weapons with that elemental attack type. The same applies to the enemy NPCs. You can use a prosthetic eye to inspect the enemies and see their resistance stats, among other information.
Melee & Stealth
In Cyberpunk 2077 you have the option to use various melee weapons. Don’t be fooled by the “melee” label though, they are lethal and can inflict serious damage, sometimes even at a distance. Melee weapons include Katanas and Nanowire among many others. These melee weapons are effective against unsuspecting enemies, especially during close-quarter combat situations. You can use the Nanowire to stealth kill opponents or hack them. This can be done when outside of combat and allows you to stay out of conflict, while still eliminating a potential threat.
Hacking Enemy Players
As mentioned earlier, you can use a Nanowire to not only stealth kill your opponents but also hack them. Hacking opponents can be the decisive act of any battle.
You can hack your enemies to render them defenseless or make them attack each other. You can also make them commit suicide. Hacking skills can also be used to open locked doors.
Cybernetic Implants
Cybernetic Implants are body modification equipment that can serve either as a fashion statement, or it can offer an added advantage during combat. For instance, your character can equip a prosthetic eye, which allows you to analyze your surroundings and enemies, revealing detailed information and stats about them.
One of the most popular pieces of Cyberware in Cyberpunk 2077 are the Mantis Blades which are implanted in user’s arms.
Human Shield
You can also use enemy NPCs as human shields by grabbing them from behind. If the enemy NPC doesn’t die helping you survive, then you have the option to either stun your opponent or kill them.
Health Restoration
Like many of the games today, Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t offer the same old mechanic of restoring your character’s health when you jump out of combat. Instead, you must use items such as first aid kits, or implants with healing capabilities, to restore your character’s health. You can also have an athletic perk called “Regeneration” which will slowly but gradually restore health during combat.
