This guide will tell you everything you need to know about how to start the Phantom Liberty expansion in Cyberpunk 2077 and how to access the new zone in Night City called Dogtown!
What is Phantom Liberty and how to get it
Phantom Liberty is a paid expansion for Cyberpunk 2077. The first and only expansion for the game. It was released on September 26, 2023.
Phantom Liberty can be purchased individually if you already have the base game. If you’re new to Cyberpunk 2077, there’s also the option to purchase a bundle that includes the base game and the expansion. For PC, you can buy either option on STEAM and GOG.
Xbox also allows its players to buy Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty individually or in a bundle. The PlayStation Store does not include a bundle. However, the base game has a 40% discount at the moment. This might change in the future.
Please note that while Cyberpunk 2077 is available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X, Phantom Liberty is exclusive to the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.
Phantom Liberty also comes with a Massive free 2.0 Update that is accessible to all players who own the base game, but the expansion along with its story and new area Dogtown are paid DLC.
Reminder: The 2.0 Update changed a lot about how the game works. If you haven’t played in a long time I’d recommend that you start a new game to get used to everything that’s new.
How to start Phantom Liberty
There are two ways to access Dogtown and play the Phantom Liberty expansion content. The first method is to unlock the zone by playing the base game first and leveling up to reach the mission that unlocks it. The second is to start directly from Phantom Liberty with a pre-made character.
How to start Phantom Liberty the Normal way
The Phantom Liberty story will become available after your conversation with Johnny right after crossing the Blackwall with the help of the Voodoo Boys.
You’ll receive a phone call from a mysterious caller. This will happen as soon as you log into the game if you have reached the point in the game mentioned above. The name of the caller is So Mi, also known as “Songbird”.
She offers to help you with the relic that’s slowly killing you, such an interesting opportunity can’t be ignored. There’s no way to refuse this mission.
Songbird tells you to head to the Dogtown border located on the East side of Pacifica Coastview.
Like every main mission, the map will point the way for you. The unfinished stadium also serves as a great visual reference, it is actually the place where you’re heading and it can be seen from different points.
Dogtown is a place where not even the NCPD are allowed to go in. There are two police NPCs near the entrance trying to follow a suspect into Dogtown but they’re told to piss off. Their badges have no meaning in the most dangerous zone of Night City.
Can you play Phantom Liberty after the main story
If you have finished the game and loaded up an existing save file, you will be placed right before the start of the final mission and the point-of-no-return, which is the main job “Nocturne Op55N1”.
You will be prompted to start Phantom Liberty in the normal way. Songbird will hack into your relic and ask you to go to Dogtown’s main gate.
As long as you have completed the minimum main story progression, Phantom Liberty’s opening mission will pop up for you always and you cannot refuse it.
How to start directly from Phantom Liberty
When selecting “New Game” on the menu you will get two options: “Regular start” and “Skip ahead to Phantom Liberty”. The first one will start the story right from the beginning.
When choosing to Skip Ahead to Phantom Liberty, V appears reading a book and within less than five seconds you get the phone call from So Mi.
You will get to play a pre-created character of level 15 and Street Cred level 15. All of your points are automatically designated but you can reset them later on.
This is what the inventory menu looks like when starting right into Phantom Liberty. The Cyberware you’re given is a Biotech MK.1, a Smart Link, and Mantis Blades. Quick access items include the Maxdoc MK.2 and Optical Camo.
The weapons aren’t too bad. You receive an assault rifle, a submachine gun, and a double-barrel shotgun. In case these are not your cup of tea, there are a few more options in your inventory.
Should you start a new game or directly from Phantom Liberty
The answer to this question depends on what you want to achieve. If you are new to the game or haven’t played in a long time the best thing to do is to start a completely new game. Cyberpunk 2077 has a lot of things going on and it takes some time to learn about them.
If you’re already familiar with every change that was introduced with the 2.0 Update and have played the base game’s story on multiple occasions then perhaps it’s better for you to jump right into Phantom Liberty. Starting with just twenty-thousand eddies isn’t the greatest thing but if all you care about is the story then go ahead.
I’m a fan of trying to collect the best gear and items since the beginning of the game, regardless if I have already played the story or not. This is why I wouldn’t consider starting straight from Phantom Liberty, but in the end, it’s up to you to decide what would be the best experience.
How to access and enter Dogtown
The border is an extremely fortified and intimidating place but as long as you’re not a troublemaker there won’t be a problem.
Follow Songbird’s advice and sneak in
Walk to the right side of the sidewalk. You have to walk and turn right when getting to the corner.
It can be a little intimidating with so much security but don’t worry. You can pass without any major issue.
After turning right in the corner, V and Johny will start to feel like something is drilling their brain. This is where you meet So Mi for the first time.
She might not look like much but she’s one of the best Netrunners out there. What you see is also a construct, somehow she managed to introduce herself into the relic.
Songbird can see and hear what you do, including Johnny. Having two constructs in your mind is too dangerous, so she sends him away for a while.
This is also when you get the relic perk tree unlocked. To get relic perk points you’ll need to find Militech terminals spread all over Dogtown but you’ll be granted three initial points. After this is done, it’s time to figure out a way to infiltrate Dogtown!
This is how you start the Phantom Liberty quest line. It’s time to get into Dogtown and find out if what Songbird says is true.
What if you shoot the Barghest forces at the border
Dogtown’s border is extremely fortified, attacking anyone will instantly make dozens of enemies go after you. But that’s what makes it fun, isn’t it?
My advice would be to shoot from far away with a good place to get cover and pick the weaker enemies one by one as they come after you.
Keep in mind that this place has snipers, mechs, turrets plus dozens of Barghest soldiers. Grenades, health items, and hacking are just as useful as powerful weapons; make sure to use them as much as possible.
You will have to fight for every inch of ground if this is the way you want to get in. It appears that enemies keep spawning endlessly but after many minutes of fight, they will stop coming at you.
Using this approach wouldn’t be something that I recommend, it can take a lot of tries before succeeding and there’s no reward. However, it is possible to pull it off and I understand how fun it can be to do this type of self-imposed challenge.
It might take a lot of time to defeat every enemy so arm yourself with the best weapons available and lots of patience!
That’s it. You now know all possible ways to play Phantom Liberty and access Dogtown in Night City. You also are aware of the consequences of using any of them. Good luck, chooms! If you have missed it for some reason, check out our Review of Phantom Liberty!
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