Cyberpunk 2077 Beginner's Guide: How to Start Strong in Night City

Night City Will Eat You Alive (If You Let It)

Cyberpunk 2077 after the 2.0 overhaul is a dramatically better game than it launched as — the skill system, police AI, and balance are all massively improved. If you're starting fresh, you're playing the best version of the game.

That said, it's still easy to waste attribute points early, miss important story triggers, or spend hours grinding the wrong content. This guide cuts through the noise.

This guide covers Cyberpunk 2077 on PC (keyboard and mouse). Default key bindings are used throughout — remap under Settings → Controls.

Choosing Your Lifepath

Your starting Lifepath (Nomad, Streetkid, or Corpo) affects your opening chapter and unlocks unique dialogue options throughout the game. They don't dramatically change the main story, but they flavor your roleplay experience.

• Nomad — You're an outsider coming to Night City. Great for first-time players; feels like a natural character discovering the city alongside you.
• Streetkid — Night City native. More street-level crime connections, best for players who want to feel embedded in the world.
• Corpo — Arasaka executive turned outcast. Best dialogue options for the game's corporate storylines, plus you naturally understand Arasaka's role in the story.

There's no wrong choice. Pick the backstory that interests you narratively.

The Attribute System (Don't Waste Points)

You have 5 attributes. You cannot reassign them after spending — choose carefully.

| Attribute | Best For |

|-----------|----------|

| Body | Brute force doors, shotguns, gorilla arms, health |

| Reflexes | Assault rifles, pistols, mantis blades, dodge |

| Technical | Crafting, grenades, smart weapons, unlock tech doors |

| Intelligence | Hacking (Netrunner), quickhacks, ICE breach |

| Cool | Stealth, cold blood, sniper rifles |

Pick ONE combat style and invest in it. Spreading points across 3+ attributes leaves you mediocre at everything. The most popular beginner builds:

• Gunslinger: Reflexes (pistols/revolvers) + Cool (stealth bonuses)
• Netrunner: Intelligence + Tech (hack everything from a distance)
• Street Samurai: Body + Reflexes (shotguns + blades, close-range dominance)

Making Eddies (Money) Early

Night City is expensive. Here's how to build your account early:

Gig missions from fixers (briefcase icons on the map — open it with M) pay consistently — 5,000–15,000 eddies each. Do these constantly between main missions.

Loot everything. Press F to loot bodies and containers. Junk items, weapons, and clothing can all be sold or disassembled. Don't leave a location without sweeping it.

Don't buy cars early. They're expensive and the fast travel network (open the map, right-click any fast travel point) gets you everywhere. Save eddies for cyberware, which matters far more.

Street Cred is your reputation stat — it unlocks better gigs, higher-tier cyberware, and better gear at vendors. Raise it by completing gigs and NCPD scanner hustles (police event icons on the map).

Cyberware: Your Most Important Gear

Cyberware (implants purchased from Ripperdocs) defines your build more than any weapon. Key early purchases:

• Subdermal Armor — Passive damage reduction. Buy this first.
• Reinforced Tendons — Double jump (Space twice). Massively improves traversal and combat positioning.
• Kiroshi Optical Implants — Highlights enemies through walls and shows enemy level. Essential. Press F near objects/enemies to scan with it.
• Gorilla Arms or Mantis Blades — If you want melee to be viable.
• Quickhack RAM upgrades — If you're going Netrunner. Press Tab to open the quickhack wheel mid-scan.

Cyberware has a Cyberware Capacity limit. Going over causes negative effects — balance your implants as you upgrade.

Key bindings cheat sheet

| Action | Default Key |

|--------|------------|

| Move | WASD |

| Sprint | Left Shift (hold) |

| Crouch / stealth | Left Ctrl |

| Dodge / dash | Double-tap movement key |

| Jump | Space |

| Aim (iron sights) | Right Mouse Button |

| Shoot | Left Mouse Button |

| Reload | R |

| Melee attack | F (tap) |

| Scan / interact | F (hold) |

| Open map | M |

| Open inventory | I |

| Quick access wheel | Tab |

| Phone | None (auto-triggers) |