When CD Projekt Red first revealed Cyberpunk 2077, feverish speculation began over what it would be like. Few games had ever attempted open-world cyberpunk, and none had done so on the scale of CDPR’s project. It sounded too good to be true: Grand Theft Auto 5 but written by the team behind The Witcher 3, coated with chrome and bathed in neon lights. Unfortunately, the reality was much buggier and less complete than that. Years later, thanks to Update 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty DLC, CDPR has a chance to set things right. 2.0 brings massive changes, and because of them, living a life of crime in Night City has never felt better.
Cyberpunk 2077 Perk Changes
Night City always looked like the dystopian playground that players were promised, but it didn’t always feel like it. Gaze at the city’s reflection in the neon-splashed puddles, and you’ll understand how much love and attention went into the world. The game’s mechanics, however, were a bit of a mess. The perk trees were the biggest culprit. When theorycrafting builds, few things are as disheartening as knowing that most of your choices boil down to buffs of a few measly percentage points. Buffing your reload speed by +5% is boring. To make it all worse, respeccing was expensive and tedious, discouraging experimentation.
Update 2.0Â fixes these problems in the most satisfying way. CDPR massively revised perks, made respeccing free and unlimited, and swapped generic stat buffs for perks that add new mechanics. Ever wanted to do a slow-motion pistol reload while sliding out of your moving car like an action hero? Now you can. Ever wanted to put your Gorilla Arms to good use by throwing one bad guy at another? Now you can. Whether you prefer to play as a street samurai, corpo sniper, or elusive hacker, these 2.0 changes let you do so in new and thrilling ways. Forget the new story, missions, and locations of Phantom Liberty for a moment: the 2.0 Upgrade is enough by itself to make a return to Night City worthwhile.
Cyberware, Armor, and Police In Phantom Liberty
Cyberware, armor, and the police system all receive love in the 2.0 update as well. Fashion is now decoupled from armor, so you can wear whatever you want while maintaining the best buffs available to you. CD Projekt Red is following the Rule of Cool on this one. Tanking shotgun rounds in a mini-dress while slicing your way through a gang might not make perfect sense, but it sure looks awesome. Part of the appeal of cyberpunk fiction has always been the ability to leave the restrictions of your frail body behind and adopt something faster, stronger, and more beautiful. With the 2.0 upgrades, it feels like CDPR is finally embracing this idea.
Cyberpunk 2.0 also introduces something fans have been begging for: a complete overhaul of the police system. One of the most immersion-breaking things in the game was the way that police would spawn on your location after you committed a crime, even if you did so without witnesses. That, combined with the lack of car chases and poor design of police AI, meant that fighting and evading the authorities never felt authentic. Again, 2.0 changes that. Crime detection and the escalation of police assaults are now believable and satisfying. Whether you’re the kind of player who obeys Night City’s traffic laws or drives into crowds, you’ll be much happier with these upgrades.
Cyberpunk 2077: Reborn In 2.0
From QoL changes and vehicular combat to a new system of skills that improve with use, 2.0 reimagines Cyberpunk 2077 in all the best ways. Sure, some of these features should have been in the game since launch. Rather than dwell on that, it’s better to embrace the game’s bright future. For the first time, builds feel truly unique and powerful. Navigating and fighting in Night City now feel rewarding in ways they never did before. That gives players a fantastic reason to jump back into V’s story before Phantom Liberty drops. It took years, but CD Projekt Red has finally done cyberpunk the justice it deserves in Update 2.0.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on September 26.
