Cyberpunk 2077: Best Melee Brawler Build (Patch 1.63)

This article is part of a directory: Cyberpunk 2077: Complete Guide and Walkthrough (Updated for Phantom Liberty)

Table of contents

Sometimes, a simple baseball bat or cybernetically-enhanced fist is enough to survive in Cyberpunk 2077, even with all the high-tech guns circulating around Night City's underground communities. The base game allows for melee builds to thrive in a world that's saturated with firearms, letting players scratch that itch for a juggernaut style of character build.

The following is a tanky brawler-type build for Cyberpunk 2077 that primarily makes use of blunt weapons. Toss enemies around with big bats, hammers, and V's bare hands while soaking up bullets like nobody's business. Here's how to set it up.

Cyberpunk 2077 Melee Brawler Build

Gorilla Arms animation in Cyberpunk 2077

Skill Tree	Skill Name
Street Brawler	Crushing Blows
	Flurry
	Rush
	Dazed
	Juggernaut
	Efficient Blows
	Human Fortress
Athletics	Regeneration
	True Grit
	Gladiator
	Steel and Chrome
	Like A Butterfly
	Invincible
	Tenacious V
Cold Blood	Cold Blood
	Blood Brawl
	Will To Survive
	Pain Is An Illusion

These are the core passive skills that form the backbone of this build, and they require 20 Body and at least 14 Cool. Players should prioritize getting these online as soon as possible while leveling up before unlocking other skills. Ideally, players should take all Street Brawler and Athletics skills once they have enough perk points to spend. In the meantime, prioritizing the ones listed above will have to suffice.

Consider dropping points to Technical Ability to unlock high-tier weapon crafting and other related bonuses. It'll also let players open doors that sheer brute force won't be able to. Extra points into Reflex isn't a bad idea either since it'll let players equip more Cyberware and invest points into the Handguns and Assault trees.

The perk setup above is for a pure melee build. Players who want to use guns may want to use shotguns or machine guns and dump points into the Annihilation tree.

Recommended Gear

Cyberpunk 2077 Gold Plated Baseball Bat In The Ring

Any blunt melee weapon will work here, but the Gold-Plated Baseball Bat is arguably the best blunt weapon in Cyberpunk 2077. It has high base damage, a low chance to stun, and it causes targets to bleed as well. Players can grab this from Denny's pool during the Second Conflict quest in Watson after finishing the Holdin On gig.

An alternative to this is the Gorilla Arms implants. These turn V's fists into cannons that can literally launch opponents away with its Strong Attacks. Build up enough charge with fast jabs and unleash it all in a devastating haymaker. Players can mod Gorilla Arms to deal Thermal, Shock, Toxic, and even Bleeding if they so choose to, provided they have the right items on-hand.

As for mods, players will want the Fortuna and Bully mods in their armor for increased Crit Chance and Crit Damage. Armadillo and mods that negate status effects will do wonders for survivability as well. Check vendors if they have any of these mods or their crafting specs for sale.

Cyberware

Cyberpunk 2077 Opening Door With Gorilla Arms

Zetatech Berserk Mk. 5 is the best OS choice for this build due to its bonuses to melee damage, armor, and resistances. It also restores 5% max health every time an enemy is defeated while the effect is active. Players can purchase this from the Kabuki ripperdoc once they reach Street Cred 14 and get at least 18 Body.

For the rest of the implants, keep an eye out for the following: