A sharpened blade is as deadly as any firearm, and this is especially true in Cyberpunk 2077. The myriad of cybernetic augments players can install on their bodies make even the tiniest of knives extremely lethal.

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This build is for all of Night City's aspiring cyber-samurai. It leverages the perk system in Cyberpunk 2077 to turn V into a whirlwind of steel, slicing enemies to ribbons before the first drop of sweat even hits the floor.

Updated September 23, 2023 by Marc Santos: This build guide has been updated to reflect the new skills and cyberware systems introduced in Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 update.

Cyberpunk 2077: Katana Build Main Skills

These are the main skills players need to unlock to get the most damage out of katanas. The perks listed above aren't the only ones players should get as they level up, but they should be taken as soon as possible. Prioritize Reflex skills for damage and, if necessary, take the listed Body perks for more survivability.

The revamped skill system removed the damage-boosting perks that greatly increased the lethality of katanas. To make up for the lost burst damage, players will need to rely on stun, blind, and bleed effects to open enemies up for finisher moves. Executing a target immediately takes them out of the fight while restoring V's HP in the process.

Agility and aggression are the keys to making this build work. Players will need to dash and block constantly in order to make the most use of the new katana playstyle in Cyberpunk 2077. Players should spend any remaining perk points into their preferred skills in the other trees.

Recommended Gear

To make the one-shot dream work, players will need to find a katana with high base damage and good damage modifiers. Ones with high critical hit chance and critical hit damage are preferred over those with elemental damage affixes.

There are three very strong contenders for best-in-slot katana here: Satori, Scalpel, and Jinchu Maru.

• Satori comes with a leap attack and can inflict bleeding when drawn via a Quickdraw Attack. It can only be looted from Saburo Arasaka's personal vehicle during The Heist in Act 1.
• Errata has a chance to ignite enemies and deal guaranteed critical damage to burning targets. It can be acquired in the Electric Corporation power plant near the Republic East fast travel point in Arroyo, Santo Domingo.
• Scalpel gets 50% more critical hit chance while under the effects of Sandevistan. This weapon is a reward for finishing the Big in Japan side quest.

Scalpel is arguably the best choice here since the build will be using a Sandevistan. The sword will lose value once players get enough critical hit chance, however, so keep a spare Epic katana for the late game. For mods, consider using Cyclone on any non-iconic katana to unleash an unlimited number of combo attacks after a sprint attack.

Cyberware

As mentioned, the build will make heavy use of Sandevistan to increase to player's DPS and survivability. All Sandevistans grant bonus crit chance, greatly improving the user's DPS for a short duration. Their slow-down-time effect also lets players clear out entire hideouts before any of the enemies can even react—V can't die if no one else is left to kill them.

The Zetatech Sandevistan is the most ideal option for this build thanks to its high DPS increase when activated while in midair. Dynalar Sandevistan is also an excellent pick since it increases the user's critical hit chance and damage when active.

Having a Biomonitor is highly recommended for the automatic heals whenever players dip below a certain HP percentage. Dense Marrow in the Skeletal System works wonders for melee DPS and survivability, so consider getting this as well.

Cyberpunk 2077 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.