The incredibly complex world of Cyberpunk 2077 will soon become even richer with the release of its first and only expansion. Seeing how Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty finally received a release date at the June 11 Xbox Games Showcase, now would be a good time to brush up on the lore behind Dogtown, The DLC's setting.
Dogtown was originally name-dropped by Keanu Reeves' Johnny Silverhand during the DLC's second teaser debuted at The Game Awards 2022 last December. But since the same promo also revealed that Idris Elba is joining the cast of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, the confirmation of the expansion's setting might have flown under the radar a bit. And though the "Dogtown" moniker is a new addition to the Cyberpunk lore, the actual place has been part of the tabletop series' mythos for years. Cyberpunk 2077 also contains references to Dogtown, albeit under its former name, the Combat Zone.
Dogtown is a Lawless Place in the Pacifica District of Cyberpunk 2077's Night City
It's hence confirmed that Dogtown is the third subdistrict of Pacifica, a Southwestern neighborhood of Night City, as well as its southernmost zone. It borders with the West Wind Estate in the Northwest and Coastview in the North. And while CDPR originally labeled the imposing Pacifica Stadium as part of Coastview, the sports arena wasn't actually accessible in the base game, apart from its entrance serving as one of Cyberpunk 2077's fast travel locations. Since that's known to be changing in the expansion, it's expected that Phantom Liberty will redraw the Coastview borders by making Pacifica Stadium part of Dogtown.
Much like both its former and current names suggest, Dogtown is a lawless place ignored by everyone from the NCPD to Cyberpunk 2077's Trauma Team units. However, in a world that's well past the point of saving due to unchecked corporate greed, an overall lack of institutional presence does have its advantages. As Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Narrative Director Igor Sarzynski recently explained it, being free of corporate taxes allowed Dogtown to host Night City's most prolific black market selling everything from illegal cyberware to stolen tanks.
Dogtown Ties Into the History of Cyberpunk 2077's New United States of America
All of this is happening under the watchful eye of Colonel Kurt Hansen, the leader of the Barghest faction that controls major parts of Dogtown. A former military operative for Cyberpunk 2077's New United States of America, Hansen is the person whose face is briefly seen on a billboard in the latest Phantom Liberty trailer premiered on June 11. He's also the one who renamed Combat Zone to Dogtown after taking control of the district in the aftermath of the Unification War that concluded in mid-2070.
CDPR recently revealed that Hansen was inspired by South American drug lords, who often buy their way into local reverence while simultaneously using their communities as fronts for their illicit activities. As a result, he simultaneously plays the roles of Dogtown's protector, dictator, and top businessman. His reasons for abandoning the NUSA in the aftermath of the Unification War are unclear, although it's plausible that Hansen was disillusioned with how the brass handled the peace talks. The fact that something shady went down in the dying days of the conflict was already hinted at by Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's Solomon Reed.
In any case, the latest trailer for the DLC confirms that Hansen has no love lost for the NUSA. This makes Dogtown a rather unsafe place for President Rosalind Myers, whose Space Force One crashes into the district and thus kickstarts the events of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's Dogtown Has Been Shaping for Decades
Much like the rest of Cyberpunk 2077's Pacifica district, Dogtown was originally envisioned as part of an exclusive coastal resort catering to the elites. Its construction started sometime in the decade that followed the Fourth Corporate War (2021–2025), which the Cyberpunk lore also refers to as the "Time of the Red" after the scarlet dust that polluted Night City's skies for years after the Arasaka Tower was blown up.
The Unification War never formally reached the setting of Cyberpunk 2077, but the fear that the NUSA will invade Night City staved off Pacifica's investors by the time the conflict kicked off in 2069. The NUSA had a military presence in the Combat Zone around that time, presumably in order to prepare for an invasion that never came. Colonel Hansen's unit was part of those troops and eventually founded the Barghest militia after deciding to settle in the area following the June 2070 peace treaty.
By the time the previously leaked events of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty kick-off, Hansen is still in control of the Combat Zone, which he has now renamed Dogtown. His Barghest group eventually started accepting marauders and scavengers into their ranks, meaning that the closest thing Dogtown has to a ruling faction isn't particularly disciplined. That notwithstanding, Hansen's authority is still respected throughout the district, including the parts where lawlessness is in full swing.
While Dogtown and the rest of Pacifica are disorderly even by Night City's standards, the RPG's lore suggests that nearby authorities don't necessarily view the district as a thorn in the eye, at least unofficially. This is implied by the fact that the NPCs near the Pacifica Stadium in the base game can sometimes be heard gossiping about how the NCPD is supposedly using the area to dispose of Cyberpunk 2077's many cyberpsychos.
There is little doubt that the Phantom Liberty DLC will substantially expand on the Dogtown lore come September. And while it remains to be seen how it ends up doing so, the currently available information suggests that CDPR managed to create yet another compelling setting for Cyberpunk 2077 players to explore.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty launches September 26 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
