Cyberpunk 2077’s cybernetics give V a wide range of benefits, from improved vision and health regen to the ability to slow down time and immunity to specific status effects. In the base game, players could pile on their augmentations and become a one-person killing and hacking machine without any consequences. The Netflix tie-in show, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, explored the effects of equipping too many enhancements. People who went too wild with their cyberware ended up with a life-threatening condition known as cyberpsychosis. This makes for a more nuanced take on cybernetics, which is why the developers are adding it to the game with the installation of the Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC.
The Phantom Liberty expansion brings V to Dogtown, a district of Night City that was previously unexplored by players. Its story is akin to a spy thriller, with the player working with Idris Elba's Solomon Reed, an undercover Federal Intelligence Agency (FIA) operative. Keanu Reeves also returns as Johnny Silverhand, whose backstory will be explored further in the expansion. Apart from a fresh story and additional features, the DLC also updates and upgrades some core gameplay features, with cybernetics getting the brunt of the changes.
How Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Overhauls the Game’s Cybernetics System
Reviewers who got early access to the Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC found that cybernetic upgrades, also known as cyberware, received major changes. The first is that cyberware will be attached to the player’s armor instead of their clothing. This means that people can fully customize their V without worrying about the state of their cybernetics. Another significant update is the addition of cyberpsychosis.
The effects of cyberpsychosis were tackled extensively in the Cyberpunk Edgerunners Netflix show. The disease afflicts people who receive too many cyberware augments, and it causes them to hallucinate and suddenly attack the people around them. It seems that CD Projekt Red got inspired by the series and added a cyberpsychosis update to the base game when Phantom Liberty is installed. According to playtesters, its effects will include debuffs to stats like health. There is no information on whether it will go as far as making V hallucinate and harm those around them.
Phantom Liberty’s Cyberware Update Makes Cyberpunk 2077 More Immersive
The rework will also let players into V’s first-person point of view as the cybernetics are being installed by the ripperdoc. It adds more active abilities, like air dashes and bullet deflection, as well. Previous upgrades mostly gave passive bonuses to stats like crit chance and resistance to effects like poison and shock. These additions, along with the Cyberpunk 2077 cyberpsychosis risk system, all give players a more immersive and impactful experience when adding cybernetics to their character.
Sure, cyberware makes one feel like an actual superhuman, especially with the new active abilities, but it also comes with a cost. V has to sit through what’s likely a painful medical procedure every time they add a cybernetic upgrade, which players can now see firsthand. As such, it makes sense that they can end up sick when they get too much of it.
Considering these factors, players who opt for the Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC will need to be more deliberate when it comes to choosing their cybernetics updates. Since they can’t become an overpowered jack-of-all-trades cyborg anymore, they’ll have to settle for a specific specialization and build toward it. This way, they can make the most of the limited cyberware that they can attach to V. It will be interesting to see what kind of builds players will come up with once the expansion is released.
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty is set to release on September 26, 2023, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
