WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.
Highlights
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty offers a surprising secret ending that is actually a failure, which adds a funny twist to the game.
- Players can end the DLC early by failing to protect the president in the first mission, which can lock them out of the DLC's other content.
- While most players may not stick with this ending, its inclusion adds to the game's freeform nature and gives players more control over the Phantom Liberty storyline.
While Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty may expand the game considerably with new stories and locales to explore, sometimes there is just not enough time in the day to see it all. Luckily, CD Projekt Red seems to have included a way for players to cruise through the DLC before it can really get going. As long as players have no interest in seeing pretty much anything that Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has to offer, they can simply finish the entire thing within the first mission.
Secret endings are a staple of the game industry. These endings may not give players the full picture of the story, but they can be fun unique endings for players to experience. Cyberpunk 2077's main story has a secret ending that some players may trigger; however, its Phantom Liberty secret ending is a lot more surprising. It is not even really an ending, but a failure, which seems like a funny addition to the game.
Phantom Liberty's Secret Ending is a Nice Addition
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty takes place around the middle of the main game's story, and as such, it does not mark the end of the main narrative. Instead, whatever choices players make here can unlock a brand-new ending for the base game. However, some players may never get the chance to do so if they make one fatal mistake. If they are not careful in the first mission, then they may be locked out of the entire DLC and not benefit from this new story. While it is easy to reload the game, some players may choose to stick with Phantom Liberty's surprise ending instead.
In Phantom Liberty's introductory mission, players must do everything they can to save the president from the forces of Dogtown. While players may think this is pretty straight forward, some may discover that this mission can actually be failed. If players fail to save President Myers, then a special cutscene will play signaling the end of the DLC's story. They can continue exploring Dogtown and Night City to their heart's content, but are locked out of much of the DLC's content after that cutscene ends.
The cutscene itself is relatively brief, and does not add a lot to the story, but its inclusion is still a lot of fun. V will wake up within Dogtown with Johnny Silverhand looming over them. He will inform them that they got the president killed but that it is all good because he never liked her. After V asks him what they are supposed to do next, he will tell them that they should really go grab a drink. Afterward, players will resume control, and they will be able to continue Cyberpunk 2077's story, but they cannot play Phantom Liberty's anymore.
Most players will likely not stick with this ending, as it does not make sense to buy the DLC only to get locked out of it. However, its inclusion serves as a nice little Easter egg of sorts. Usually, players could not expect to be able to actually fail a mission like this, as games tend to just give them a game over screen before loading the last checkpoint. While Cyberpunk 2077 does do that often, this addition makes it feel like players have a bit more control over the Phantom Liberty storyline. Plus, it really helps cement the fact that this district is dangerous, and if players are not careful, they could lose everything.
This addition makes Phantom Liberty the latest in a long line of games that have included ways to finish the story quickly. While players would likely prefer to actually play the story, endings like these are always interesting to see. Even if players do not stick with it, the fact it is in there just helps add to the game's freeform nature a bit, which is all any RPG wants.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
