Eleven impactful choices you can make in Cyberpunk 2077 and how they can shape your experience for better or worse.
Cyberpunk 2077 is filled with hundreds of choices that can affect your playthrough in multiple ways. Something as simple as checking a room can grant you a unique weapon.
Other choices are more complex and will have you decide who lives and who dies, but many others aren’t so clear about the possible outcomes, and you’ll only find out once you are about to complete the mission or even later in the game.
More than once, I regretted some of my decisions, so this article’s purpose is to let you know what happens when you make good, bad, and worst choices in Cyberpunk 2077.
Good Choices
“Good choices” are defined based on morale, but also on whether they benefit the player with a special reward, unlocking more content, or even saving up some time.
Becoming friends with side characters
Cyberpunk 2077 has many interesting characters that contribute to your experience in different ways. Some can become the most reliable allies, while a few others can help in specific moments of the game or grant a unique reward.
The most notable ones are Panam Palmer, Judy Álvarez, River Ward, Kerry Eurodyne, Johny Silverhand, the Voodoo Boys, Claire, Delamain, “El Capitan”, and Meredith Stout. These characters have important roles to play, and some even have their own questlines, that is, if you don’t neglect these relationships.
However, befriending a few of these people might not be the best choice in terms of “morality,” but if that doesn’t bother you, then you should give it a try to see how it affects your playthrough.
Helping River (The Hunt)
TRIGGER WARNING: Child Abduction, Child Abuse
As I just mentioned in the previous segment, River Ward is one of the important characters you can help. Eventually, you’ll get a call from River asking for help. His nephew Randy has been abducted by a serial killer who has been captured.
What makes this high-risk mission so unique is the fact that you have a time limit to find Randy, but the game never tells you this. There are many ways in which you can screw it up, so you have to be extra thoughtful and careful about your approach.
This is probably the most disturbing quest in Cyberpunk 2077. Child abduction is already a pretty dark theme, but what you’ll see throughout the mission is nothing but nightmare fuel.
It’s not only the fact that a serial killer kidnaps his victims and what he does to them. You also learn about how the “Meatman” was severely abused physically and psychologically as a child. In a way, you witness how a kid is turned into a monster by his own father.
So, it’s a “good thing” because you help one of the main secondary characters in the game, but at the same time, you are likely to be shocked and disturbed. Whether you succeed or not. If what I mentioned is too much for you, it might be best to skip this one.
Shoot your shot
Working as an upcoming merc in Night City allows you to meet all types of people. As you know, some of these characters become a lot closer to you than the rest. You can take your relationship with any of them to the next level by romancing them. This unlocks new interactions and unique moments.
Judy, Panam, and River are arguably the three best options because of how much time you can spend with them, but you can also romance Meredith Stout, Kerry Eurodyne, Rogue Amendiares and Alt Cunningham.
In Cyberpunk 2077, as in real life, hearts can be broken if you make the wrong decisions. Once you cross that line, there is no turning back.
Play Phantom Liberty
Phantom Liberty is the first and only expansion of Cyberpunk 2077. But don’t let that sentence fool you, Phantom Liberty is incredible and among the best game expansions, if not the best, I’ve ever played.
Thanks to the new characters that are introduced, the story is complex, immersive, and emotional. It has four different endings, which also unlock new endings for the base game.
Phantom Liberty adds a new accessible area called Dogtown. Dogtown is home to the most ruthless and heinous criminals.
NCPD isn’t allowed to enter it, so they’re allowed to do whatever they want as long as it doesn’t interfere with Kurt Hansen, ruler of Dogtown.
My description is an oversimplification of what you can expect to get from Phantom Liberty, but if you enjoyed the base game, playing PL is a must-do.
I suggest that you finish the base game before playing PL, then play this expansion, and then replay the final mission again to see a different outcome.
Bad Choices
“Bad Choices” are defined by the result of playing a mission in a certain way, preventing yourself from earning a reward, or just having to make a difficult moral choice.
Abandoning Takemura
Takemura is one of my favorite characters in the game. Which is why I was pretty sad when he died during my first playthrough. The game makes you think that he’s gone, but he can actually be saved.
In “Search and Destroy”, Takemura kidnaps Hanako and takes her to an apartment building. Shortly after, Arasaka storms the place and blows up the whole place. Things get chaotic, and Johnny tells you to forget Takemura. However, you can both escape the place alive.
If Takemura survives, he can be a powerful ally when storming the Arasaka tower, especially in the fight against Adam Smasher. Giving him a chance for payback against Smasher is nothing but satisfying. Obviously, this only applies if that’s the ending of your choice.
Leaving Barry for later (Happy Together)
TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide
The mission starts in Megabuilding H10 in Japantown in Westbrook. To be more precise, right under V’s first apartment. Barry is a retired cop who is going through some rough moments. His best friend Andrew, passed away, and Barry’s own mental health is decaying.
Juan Mendez and Nadia Petrova are two friends of Barry who are very worried about his condition. Barry refuses to open his door to them; that’s when they ask you to talk to their friend. Barry doesn’t immediately open the door.
You can skip time, but many people (including me) didn’t know that at that time during their first playthrough. “Well, if he doesn’t want to talk now I will return later”. These were my thoughts, and something that probably most players did.
Spoiler Alert
After all, side missions can be done later, and Cyberpunk 2077 is no exception. However, Happy Together is a rare exception to the rule. If you go to do other stuff and take too much time, Barry won’t be alive when you return.
This was probably the first time this game shocked me. It’s a sad outcome and a good reminder to check on those who are struggling with mental health. On the bright side, there is a way for Barry to survive. All you need to do is do it in time and pick the right choices.
Trying to save your friends (Lucretia my reflection)
Lucretia my reflection is one of the first main jobs you’ll do in Phantom Liberty. This one requires you to take President Myers to a safe house in Dogtown. Moments after arriving, Jacob and Taylor show up.
You can kill them right away, but we’re trying to do the good thing after all. After picking the right dialogue choices, both will become your new allies. Obviously, only after Myers offers them a good deal.
Some time passes, and there’s no sign of Songbird, your contact. In an almost desperate attempt, Myers sends you to find a sleeper agent. At this point, he’s your only hope. This is how you meet Reed, one of the main characters of Phantom Liberty.
One part of the mission involves getting into a bunch of tunnels, which have lots of cameras. You can deactivate the cameras or let them spot you.
Being spotted by them will result in you and Reed being ambushed by Barghest soldiers on the way back. Not only that, but they will also arrive on the apartment building before you. Myers will be alive, but the same can’t be said about Jacob and Taylor. The two friendly guys died defending the President.
If you deactivate the cameras, there won’t be any ambush. Taylor and Jacob will be waiting and unharmed. Unfortunately, this isn’t the end of the story. Some time later, you can ask Reed about the whereabouts of your new chooms.
He simply replies that they’ve been “taken care of”. Coming from a top agent of the NUSA, I think we all know what that means. As you see, Jacob and Taylor will die no matter what you decide to take.
Dealing with Angie (No easy way out)
No Easy Way Out is a Side Job from Phantom Liberty. In this mission, you are reached by Coach Fred. He asks you to help Aaron, a promising fighter who needs a favor. Aaron needs to see a ripperdoc who installed a special chip in his head, and wants it removed.
Said chip and all his upgrades were paid for by the Animals. Unfortunately for him, the Animals can activate the chip at any time, making him lose the fight if his sponsors wish so. As a young fighter, Aaron doesn’t want to lose when others decide it.
After dealing with some scavs, you convince the doc to make the procedure. Angie, the new leader of the Animals arrives shortly after. This goes against her interests, but she is willing to listen to what you have to say.
There are four possible outcomes to this story. The logical choice (at least for me), would be to eliminate Angie. Not only Aaron, but many others would benefit from this. One less scumbag in Night City doesn’t hurt, right?
If you decide to go this route, Angie will drop her iconic Power Pistol “Cheetah“. However, her bodyguards will take revenge on Aaron.
Three days later, you’ll receive a message from him asking to meet. Sadly, when you arrive it’ll be too late. Aaron’s body is going to be lying in the alley.
The other available endings of No Easy Way Out are all explained in our detailed walkthrough.
Brutal Choices
The “brutal choices” are the ones nobody should make because they not only prevent you from earning a good reward, but often are just plain wrong choices for a human being.
Sending Jackie to Viktor (The Heist)
We all know that Jackie doesn’t survive The Heist. Our favorite choom sadly passes away inside the Delamain Taxi. Then, Delamain asks us where he should take the body.
Not wanting his family to see him in that condition is the first thing that came to my mind during my first playthrough. Maybe Viktor can make poor Jackie look “better” before his family sees his body, right? Well, not exactly.
If you send Jackie’s body to Viktor, Arasaka grunts will go, subdue Viktor, and take the body away. This prevents you not only from giving him a proper ceremony, but it also locks you from getting Jackie’s Iconic Pistol, “La Chingona Dorada“. But wait, there’s more.
One of the game’s endings allows you to side with Arasaka. If that’s the case, Hanako lets you speak with Jackie. Or at least what remains of him. That’s right, Arasaka gave Jackie the Johnny Silverhand treatment by using Soulkiller to extract his personality and store it in a computer server. A fate that many consider worse than death.
Helping Paco frame Yuri (Balls to the wall)
Dogtown is the home of all types of people; one of them is a chill guy named Paco. Paco is part of Kurt Hansen’s forces. After agreeing to take a hit of the substance he offers, you’ll hear a story about how he got into the Barghest.
This part is very unique because you actually get to play as Kurt Hansen for a couple of minutes. In this vision, you see Paco’s initiation as a member of Hansen’s forces. You also meet Yuri, one of the top soldiers of the Barghest. Yuri just failed in a recent task, so Kurt is very mad about it.
Long story short, Paco stole valuable equipment from a convoy. It’s just a matter of time before he’s caught. This is why he’s asking for your help. There are multiple choices here, but we care about the first one. Which is blaming Yuri, the officer who recently failed.
If you decide to go this route, it will backfire horribly. Babs will flee, but Paco won’t have that much luck. Yuri finds out, and to send a message, he displays Paco’s headless body for everyone to see.
Thankfully, there can be multiple endings to the Balls to the Wall side job. You can learn about all of them in our detailed walkthrough.
Bailing on Songbird (Phantom Liberty)
At some point, a Netrunner who goes by the name of Songbird will contact you for a one-of-a-kind deal. She can help solve your problem with the Relic; in exchange, she asks for your help to rescue Rosalind Myers, the President of the NUSA.
This is the beginning of the Phantom Liberty DLC. The rescue mission begins only after you enter Dogtown, but once you are told to go to the crash site, you are on a timer. The game won’t force you to go to the location, even though Songbird will scream at you desperately.
Spoiler Alert
You can simply walk away; the result of this is the death of President Myers and you getting completely locked out of the entire Phantom Liberty storyline. Johny Silverhand says, “Good riddance” if that happens. He might be right, but also keep in mind that you will miss a ton of content and iconic gear rewards from Phantom Liberty.
Most players wouldn’t walk away, but there’s probably a good number that are curious as to what happens.
