Cyberpunk 2077 saw players take control of a character known only as V and battle powerful organizations throughout Night City. During the character's journey, however, one major entity was rarely an antagonist force in the game. Fortunately, the Phantom Liberty DLC for Cyberpunk 2077 has the opportunity to shed more light on it.
Despite being an ever-present entity, the Night City Police Department is one of Cyberpunk 2077's least powerful organizations. Like the police in the Grand Theft Auto games, they turn up if the player breaks the law and/or goes on some kind of mad killing spree. For the most part, though, the NCPD tends to stick to the sidelines while other more powerful organizations and gangs make up the bulk of the antagonists. Given the nature of the plot of the Phantom Liberty DLC, making the Night City Police Department an antagonist could help shake the narrative up.
The Known Story of Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty
The plot of the upcoming DLC is still shrouded in mystery. The second trailer for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty did provide more clues as to what is going on in the story, such as the plot itself seeming to revolve around a previously closed-off section of Night City's map known as Dog Town, as well as the New United States of America organization known as the FIA. Whatever mission V is on for the NUSA apparently goes very wrong, and the trailer implies that the characters will have to fight their way out of the section of the city.
What currently is unclear about the DLC is who the main antagonist will be. Based on the trailers, it appears that local gangs and militia groups will likely be V's biggest obstacle in the game. Idris Elba's Solomon Reed can't necessarily be trusted and could very well end up as one of the game's final antagonists as well. However, a potential wild card antagonist that the game has rarely used so far could be one of the better options. That wild card antagonist is the Night City Police Department.
How the Night City Police Department Can Be Used In Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty
The Night City Police Department is always present in the game but is mostly divorced from the main storylines. Some of Cyberpunk 2077's best side quests involve the NCPD, and even in these quests, they aren't really an enemy. This is something that Phantom Liberty can correct.
It is probably safe to assume that Night City's government and the NCPD probably don't know the FIA is operating within the city's borders. Even if they do, they're likely not doing anything with the permission of the local government which can and will cause problems. This, in turn, could make the NCPD a major obstacle for V and their allies to overcome.
The exact nature of this obstacle could take several forms. It could be a scripted sequence where the characters have a big shootout with the police. Perhaps a local captain will give Solomon Reed and V some kind of grief about jurisdiction and how they've overextended their reach. It could also be that whatever law does exist in this section of the city is aligned with whatever gangs and militia groups rule the area.
Ultimately, it's still too soon to say what role the Night City Police Department will play in the upcoming DLC. There is a rumored release window for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty but nothing is set in stone. Regardless of when it releases, the new content presents an opportunity to turn the NCPD into a more prominent force within the game's story.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
