Cyberpunk 2077 effectively has a chance to release for a second time with Phantom Liberty, and if the upgraded skill tree is anything to go by, it is determined to make the most out of this opportunity. It's no secret that Cyberpunk 2077 had a disastrous launch, and many players felt that CD Projekt Red released a product which barely lived up to its promises. Still, there was a good game buried underneath, and through years of hard work, the developers managed to fix up the major issues in Cyberpunk 2077 and are now on the verge of writing their own redemption story.
Phantom Liberty is Cyberpunk 2077's expansion pack, and it features more than just an expanded storyline set in Night City. It aims to correct the game's course and introduce a version of Cyberpunk 2077 closer to its original vision. Phantom Liberty will rebuild gameplay from the ground up, and the ambitious demo showed during the Summer Game Fest 2023 has certainly sparked plenty of excitement both within the Cyberpunk 2077 community.
An image of the new talent tree system coming to Cyberpunk 2077 was procured from Dave Oshry's Twitter account, the CEO of New Blood Interactive who got to play Phantom Liberty early. It was posted on the game's official subreddit by jordgoin, where the image was positively received by a fandom that can't wait to get its hands on the definitive edition of Cyberpunk 2077. Assault, Handguns, and Blades were consolidated and streamlined, as the talent system now properly resembles a skill tree rather than a skill bush.
The new system features primary nodes, secondary nodes, and ultimate nodes along each skill category. Though purely in the realm of speculation, primary nodes likely represent skills or talents that Cyberpunk 2077 characters can specialize in, while secondary nodes provide passive bonuses to augment them. The ultimate nodes found at the top of the tree seem to be reserved for gamechangers such as Deathbolt.
Another feature that Phantom Liberty is adding to Cyberpunk 2077 is cyberpsychosis, as players will now have to make careful decisions on how to augment themselves with cyberware. Given the major changes coming to Cyberpunk 2077 in Phantom Liberty, it is recommended for players to start over to enjoy the full experience. Though Update 1.7 will include the gameplay overhaul for free, fans who purchase Phantom Liberty will unlock a new ending for Cyberpunk 2077. If CD Projekt Red sticks the landing in September, Cyberpunk 2077 will shed the reputation it accrued from its messy launch, and players will be able to look forward to its sequel with renewed optimism.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty launches on September 26, 2023, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
