In this guide I’ll listing three of the best perks in each tree. Once you’ve decided which build and playstyle suits you best, you should aim for the perks listed below in that tree. If you’re not sure which build suits you best yet, check the weapons and abilities listed at the start of each perk tree and think about which you use most often.
Introduction
Cyberpunk has made a comeback with the release of update 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty expansion, and these additions have brought significant transformations to the game. If you were to load an old save file now, you’d notice that every Perk tree has undergone extensive modifications, offering fresh strategies and abilities for every weapon category and character build, both in combat and beyond.
Best Body Perks
Body perks enhance your effectiveness in close-quarters combat when using blunt melee weapons, LMGs, and shotguns. These perks aim to bolster your health, enabling you to absorb incoming damage while delivering substantial counterattacks. Ideal for those adopting an assertive playstyle.
Painkiller
Enjoy passive health regeneration. What’s not to appreciate?
Fury Road
Inflict more damage to enemy vehicles and reduce damage to your own. Ideal for taking full advantage of the game’s new vehicular combat mechanics.
Adrenaline Rush
Upon reaching level three, Adrenaline Rush becomes accessible. This provides you with adrenaline, functioning as supplementary health, with the potential to increase your overall health by up to 50%. Once again, this can render you formidable in close-range confrontations.
Best Reflexes Perks
Reflexes provides enhancements for Assault Rifles, SMGs, and blade melee weapons, making it the go-to perk tree for those aspiring to be nimble samurais. It’s important to note that this includes the Mantis Blades cyberware.
Air Dash
Functions exactly as the name suggests – defy the laws of physics!
Sharpshooter
Upon reaching level 3, this perk not only boosts your stamina during shooting but also enhances weapon stability significantly.
Submachine Fun
Speeds up the process of swapping SMGs and reloading them. Equipping two SMGs and seamlessly switching between them allows you to rapidly deplete your ammunition reserves.
Best Technical Ability Perks
This particular perk tree specializes in tech weapons and Cyberware enhancements, offering unique advantages in this domain.
Edgerunner
With the Edgerunner perk, you can exceed your Cyberware capacity by an additional 50 units. When you fully optimize your Cyberware, you’ll even have the opportunity to trigger a Fury state, leading to heightened damage output and increased critical hit chances. It’s hard not to appreciate the benefits it brings.
Pyromania
Upon reaching level 3, this perk unlocks the ability to use grenades more frequently, expand their damage radius, and significantly boost their overall damage potential. It’s a straightforward choice, especially if you make regular use of grenades in your gameplay.
Chain Lightning
Chain Lightning exclusively caters to tech weapons. When you combine it with the Bolt enhancement, it dramatically amplifies the potency of tech weapons, enabling them to discharge electrifying bolts for additional damage.
Best Cool Perks
Cool perks encompass enhancements for stealth tactics in conjunction with Pistols, Revolvers, Precision weapons, Snipers, and throwable weapons.
Ninjutsu
Upon reaching level 3 of this perk, you gain the ability to sprint while maintaining a crouched posture, a crucial skill for those who frequently employ stealth tactics in their gameplay.
Deadeye
Upon achieving level 3 with this perk, you gain the capacity to activate Deadeye mode as long as your Stamina remains above 85%. This mode eliminates bullet spread and confers a substantial 20% increase in headshot and weakspot damage, making it a valuable asset for precision marksmen.
Nerves of Tungsten-Steel
This perk complements Deadeye, guaranteeing critical hits on headshots and weakspots when utilizing Revolvers, Snipers, or Precision Rifles. Moreover, you can accrue up to an additional 25% damage, contingent upon the distance from which you are firing – with greater distances yielding superior results.
Best Intelligence Perks
The Intelligence attribute serves as the cornerstone for elevating your hacking proficiency, enabling you to effortlessly neutralize adversaries within rooms or place your trust in Smart Weapons.
Carhacker
This feature grants you the ability to employ Quickhacks on vehicles, making it an excellent complement to the burgeoning vehicle combat aspect of the game. When paired with a top-tier Cyberdeck, you even gain the capability to remotely detonate vehicles.
Overclock
Upon achieving level 3 with this perk, you unlock Overclock mode, which permits you to utilize more RAM units than you have available, albeit at the expense of your health. However, Overclock boasts additional perks beyond this.
Smart Synergy
When combined with Overclock, Smart Synergy automatically locks onto enemies when wielding Smart Weapons, augmenting their damage output by an impressive 25%. If hacking alone cannot navigate you through every skirmish, having a few Smart Weapons on standby becomes a prudent strategy.
End of Guide
It’s worth noting that this is just the beginning of CDPRs incredible 2.0 update and the Phantom Liberty expansion. While this guide has provided you with valuable insights and strategies, the vast and dynamic nature of the game ensures that there are numerous unexplored facets waiting to be uncovered.
The ongoing evolution of Cyberpunk 2077 promises a wealth of new experiences, challenges and opportunities that will undoubtedly pique your curiosity and keep you engaged in the immersive world of Night City. As such, I have every intention of continuing to support your exploration with future guides regarding the update.
In the pipeline are a series of comprehensive guides designed to delve deeper into Phantom Liberty and Update 2.0, offering a more in-depth analysis of specific game mechanics, character builds, mission walkthroughs and much more.
