There is a lot to unpack when talking about Cyberpunk 2077. Conversations surrounding the game always seem to end up discussing its shaky launch, but then end talking about its possible redemption story. Like games such as No Man's Sky before it, Cyberpunk 2077 had an overpromising issue before its release causing fans to have a skewed idea of what the final game would be. It's still too early to tell if Cyberpunk 2077 will be redeemed in the same way that No Man's Sky was, but it feels like public opinion hinges on if the upcoming DLC is good.
While there are many different places that potential Cyberpunk 2077 DLC could go, it would be worth CD Projekt's time to focus on the cast of characters in the base game and not stray too far into new ones. Obviously, the temptation is there to add a whole new cast of characters to the mix, but keeping it simple with the characters the studio has already established would help give the DLC some solid footing. This might be the first step to truly redeeming Cyberpunk so it'll be important for the studio to get off on the right foot with fans.
This article contains story spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077.
If It Ain't Broke...
While Cyberpunk 2077 was criticized initially for a number of issues, it was praised almost universally for its strong cast of characters. Many of them have memorable moments and depending on the choices the player made throughout the story, most can make it out alive. If DLC were to be set after the game's main story, the cast is still around to get into more trouble.
While some of the more compelling characters like Jackie, Rogue and Evelyn Parker don't survive, those that are left still have interesting stories that could be told about them. Where do Panam and her nomad tribe leave Night City to go? Does the family-man lifestyle of River Ward suit him or does he get dragged back into the force for one more case? There are smaller, bite-sized stories still to be told that would fit perfectly in a focused, character-based DLC as long as CD Projekt is still interested in telling them.
The Problem with V's Endings
Cyberpunk 2077's player character V has one glaring issue when it comes to DLC followups to the end of the game: V dies in most of the endings and the ones where they don't, their consciousness leaves their body, so they're basically dead for all intents and purposes. There are two options for the DLC: include it during the main story so that V is alive and playable or set it after the fact without V and lose any character progression made.
Because many fans were already unhappy with the lack of overarching impact their character choices seemed to have had, it's most likely that the DLC will be set during the main story and not after the fact to make good on the character development players chose. This would also strengthen the narrative aspects of the DLC because the player already knows their version of V and wouldn't have to role-play as anyone else.
DLC Temptations
As mentioned above, the temptation to include an all-new cast of characters for the DLC is most likely being felt by CD Projekt Red, but hopefully, the studio sticks with who's still around. Even if the DLC doesn't incorporate everyone, focusing on a few characters would help flesh out the base game experience and potentially make good on some of the unkept promises about the player character's choices the studio made before launch. By making the focus tighter and stopping a new major expansion of characters would help remind fans what they liked about Cyberpunk in the first place and set the game up for success in the future.
Cyberpunk 2077Â is available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions in development.
