Cyberpunk 2077 is nothing like it was upon release, thanks in no small part to numerous patches and fixes. However, if you thought the game was finally in a finished state, the 2.0 update is coming to entirely mix things up. If you haven’t hopped into the game for a while, this new update’s changes will likely come as a shock to you. Fortunately, we’ve explored every corner of the new content to bring you what we think are the biggest changes.
Gear Requirements and Ratings Have Been Replaced by Tiers
Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 bucks the trend of the rarity scale. Instead, everything is under a single banner of Tiers, from 1 to 5. As you can tell, Tier 1 is the basic stuff you’ll find anywhere, and Tier 5 is the exceptional gear.
This change might feel a little weird, but it helps that level requirements have been entirely removed. Regardless of when you find a piece of equipment from any tier, you can give it a whirl and incorporate it into your array of usable weapons or clothing.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you can find Tier 5 stuff at level one, however. The utility of being able to equip anything has been offset by spawn limits. You’ll only find Tier 5 gear once you’re further into the game, which is when you’ll be best built out to truly appreciate the best items. The only place you are truly limited when it comes to what you can equip is with Cyberware Capacity, but even that has a direct use that makes the game more enjoyable.
Cyberware Is More Important, but Also More Limited
Clothing has been reworked and now rarely provides any sort of meaningful stat bonuses. Instead, players will have to invest more heavily in Cyberware for any offensive and defensive capability increases and enhancements. This also means that it’s more important than ever to fill every possible Cyberware Slot you have to get as many Armor and stat bonuses as possible.
However, the game also balances this out with the new Cyberware Capacity stat. Similar to how you have to manage carrying capacity, you now have a set limit on installable Cyberware. This can be upgraded if you want to build yourself out that way, but for the most part, it will be quite restrictive.
As you might expect, better Cyberware will use up more of your capacity. This means that, for the most part, it will be a give-and-take. To use a better piece of gear, you’ll have to potentially downgrade yourself in a different areas. Obtaining a huge boost to your damage output or Armor could mean accepting that you won’t be able to utilize tech that boosts your Stealth capabilities, or vice versa.
Clothes (Mostly) Don’t Act as Armor Anymore
The small mention above doesn’t quite relay the importance of this change. While before you might kit yourself out based on what clothing afforded the best stat bonuses, that isn’t much of a factor anymore. That’s not to say clothing doesn’t still have that going for it, but it will only be the rarest/highest-tier equipment that really gives you any notable Armor bonuses.
In exchange though, you can now focus on making your V as stylish as possible and seeking out clothing that grants you special buffs. Netrunner Suits, for instance, still boost your Quick Hack speed, and are well worth equipping if you intend to build your character around stealthy hacking. Pre-update these suits were kind of useless as the buff didn’t outweigh the fact that they granted extremely little by way of protection.
Perks and Skills Have Been Rebuilt From the Ground Up
Before, Perks didn’t always feel exceptionally different from each other, and there was a lot of bloat in each category.
That all changes with the Cyberpunk 2.0 update. The fact that they are divided by Attribute hasn’t changed, but Perks have also been specialized much more to help them feel more tailored to specific builds. They’re also more heavily impacted by high Attribute scores, so you’ll have to invest more in a single Attribute than you ever did previously.
Skills have likewise been reworked to better reward you through the way you play. Things like playing stealthy, killing enemies with melee, and going for headshots all give you experience toward different Skill levels, and unlock special abilities that can substantially power up your character. This makes it all the more worthwhile to stick to a specific playstyle and maximize the benefits you can gain from it to become the most powerful V you can be.
The Newly Introduced Shards Have Streamlined Progression
Easily one of the biggest Quality of life improvements the update offers, Shards are a new type of loot you can find in Cyberpunk 2.0.
These can give you immediate lump sums of Eurodollars or Skill XP, but can also net you Perk Points, a permanent increase to your carrying capacity, or a permanent boost to your Cyberware Capacity. They aren’t common though, and’ll typically only be found during Jobs, Gigs, or specific side activities like investigating NCPD Active Crimes and Cyber Psycho Sitings.
Considering everything they can do, the grind to improve your build can be easily accelerated should you focus on finding them. However, anyone going into the game on an older save with few Jobs or Gigs available might not have the same chance to find Shards that newcomers do.
Vehicle Combat Is Way More Fleshed Out
This might not mean much if you don’t drive all that much, but vehicle combat is vastly improved. As opposed to a last resort, it now feels like fighting from your car is a viable option. Much of this has to do with the fact that the controls for shooting and driving have been fixed up. Plus, if this is something you find yourself doing often, there are related Perks to grab.
The fact that you can now legitimately fight from your vehicle means that it is so much easier to incorporate your car of choice when starting fights or even to ambushing enemies. If you avoided purchasing new vehicles before this update, this will likely be a huge motivator to get around to dropping some dough on some new rides.
Police Won’t Ignore Your Crimes
Though the NCPD might’ve seemed somewhat lenient before when you stirred up trouble, those days are gone. Thanks to the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update, cops are much more aware of and responsive to your actions. If you intend to commit any crimes when in the proximity of an officer, expect a fight to break out that could quickly devolve into chaos.
This also means you must be much more selective about where you start fights. If one spills over too far into the safer parts of the city, you might draw in several other potential foes that can and will pursue you relentlessly.
Having detailed knowledge of the Night City map and its layout is basically a requirement now too, considering it will take more work to lose any heat. Be sure to always keep an exit plan in mind, and know the location of the nearest district border or hiding spot where you can lay low until the cops stop hunting you.
