A beginners guide explaining what Street Cred is and how it works in Cyberpunk 2077. What it’s good for and best way to earn Street Cred fast!
So after a long wait you are ready to immerse yourself in the world of Cyberpunk 2077. You got your first mission done and you have earned yourself some Street Cred but what is it and what can you do with it? This guide will explain what Street Cred is, how it works, what it’s useful for and how to get more of it faster!
Please note that this guide does NOT reveal any story-related spoilers and you are safe to read it without ruining your narrative experience with Cyberpunk 2077!
Table of contents
What is Street Cred in Cyberpunk 2077
There is essentially two ways for you to level up in Cyberpunk 2077:
- You level up by gaining Experience Points or XP
- you level up a secondary leveling system called Street Cred.
Experience Points are gained by completing missions and literally everything you do. Street Cred can be gained by completing missions from gangs, people and factions who hire you for the jobs that to them seem impossible. But not for you, V.
In your case, this opens up a whole world of opportunities to make your name known in Night City, unlock some special things, get fancy and powerful weapons and cyberware!
How to increase your Street Cred in Cyberpunk 2077
In Cyberpunk 2077 you can gain Street Cred by completing missions which the game calls “gigs” but also jobs and side jobs, hustles for takedowns and headshots or just play the game
There are a total of 69 gigs in Night City and they are separated into four Tiers. The more Street Cred you gain, the higher level of difficulties you unlock and with that the challenges increase as well and more dangers await you.
As you know, there are three Lifepaths you can choose at the very beginning of your Cyberpunk 2077 adventure. Each one comes with its unique perks and advantages.
If you start as a Street Kid, you will be automatically maxed out at Tier 4 and you will be able to take on the toughest gigs from the very beginning. If you start as a Nomad or Corpo, you will start at Tier 1 and will have to work your way up through the tiers to unlock the toughest gigs.
Completing the challenges means that you will gain access to bigger and better weapons and high quality gear which always comes in handy of course for your next missions and jobs.
Ultimately, you will want to become the Kingpin, the guy everyone runs to when they want the impossible to be done but keep in mind that the bigger your name gets, the bigger the target is painted on your back.
To earn Street Cred you will have to complete jobs and sidejobs, gigs, hustles for takedowns and headshots or just play the game.
What is the best and quickest way to earn Street Cred
In out experience with the game the best methods that yield the fastest results for gaining Street Cred is to complete Assaults you stumble upon while you roam around Night City or taking on the gig missions.
Stealth gameplay is usually very rewarding for Street Cred as well. A stealth take-down of an enemy will yield you a healthy amount of Street Cred XP.
How to use Street Cred in Cyberpunk 2077
With your increased reputation you can unlock things, get access to better and more powerful weapons, clothes and more at vendors. More will open up as the game progresses and Fixers contact you.
Fixers are basically a type of quest givers in Cyberpunk 2077 and completing missions from them will earn you better contracts and you will be the first person to call when a job becomes available.
Street Cred goes hand-in-hand with the prices of items from vendors as well. A lot of Cyberware items have both a high cost and require a very high Street Cred. So you will want to increase your Street Cred as soon as possible in order to obtain the best possible Cyberware for your character.
You can find your Street Cred bar on the top left of your screen. It is worth keeping an eye on things. The number (31 in this example) your current Street Cred level. The green bar at the bottom shows how much you have to earn to get to the next level (in the example below its nearly empty).
Street Cred and Cyberware in Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberware is one of the most important ways to keep your character current as you progress through the story. It is one of the ways a player, like you, can adjust, modify and customize your character. Cyberware will consist of both passives and active skills that add to your character.
For example the Mantis Blades are a great addition to your character at any point. However without enough Street Cred, you will not be able to buy them regardless of how much money you have on you or what level your character is.
Without enough Street Cred you will not be able to buy the Mantis Blades. This example shows how important getting Street Cred is and that even though the sidemissions are not a necessity to complete the main story, it does help to have the best gear available.
We have mentioned Cyberware before in this article and this part is to give you an idea of how much you can modify by increasing Street Cred levels.
First of all there are three categories of cyberware in Cyberpunk 2077 that can be distinguished:
- Active – You must carry it. They are comparable to weapons.
- Triggered – Activated as soon as certain framework conditions are met.
- Passive – The cyberware starts working as soon as it is installed and runs continuously in the background.
Then there are different slots that you can install Cyberware in and all of it is your own choice. These are the slots:
- Frontal cortex (3 slots)
- Ocular system (1 slot)
- Circulatory system (3 slots)
- Immune system (2 slots)
- Nervous system (2 slots)
- Integumentary system (3 slots)
- Operating system (1 slot)
- Skeleton (2 slots)
- Hands (1 slot)
- Arms (1 slot)
- Legs (1 slot)
And then there are tier variations between the cyberware items that can be placed in those slots as well – ranging from common to unusual, rare, epic and legendary Cyberware. And even then, some of the Cyberware exists in different gradations while others only exist in the most epic form.
Here is a list of Cyberware that you can acquire if you have high enough Street Cred:
- Mantis Blades – Hard to get but so good to use. The Mantis Blades are attached to the arms and when you do not use them the Mantis Blades will retract into your forearm. Kind of like Wolverine’s claws.
- Gorilla Hands – Gorilla hands, who wasn’t born with those? These Gorilla Hands improve your strength and your melee strength.
- Blood pump – Installed in the cardiovascular system slot. A pump that will at times improve your self heals.
- Monowire – A fiber optic lasso that goes into your arm and you can use to slice opponents.
- Micro-rotors – Movement speed and precision are increased when using Micro-rotors. This is not an active Cyberware but a passive one.
- Reflex tuners – When you are on the verge of dying, your reflex tuner will activate and you will experience the world in slow motion.
You can find out how to get all Legendary and Iconic items in Cyberunk 2077 form this guide: Cyberpunk 2077 Legendary and Iconic Gear Locations
Thanks for enjoying our guide on what Street Cred is in Cyberpunk 2077 and how it works! Hope you found it useful!
Check out the other Cyberpunk 2077 guides here on VULKK.com. If you have a question or want to add something to this guide from your own experience – a suggestion or a tip – please, leave a comment below the article.
