Cyberpunk 2077 skills: all the overhauled skill trees in the 2.0 update
What perks can you kit V out with in Night City? And how do they tie into the Cyberpunk 2077 attributes system?
What Cyberpunk 2077 skills will you be able to exploit as V in Night City? Unlike many RPGs, Cyberpunk 2077 classes aren't fixed. Instead, you can mix and match perks via the game's skill tree as you progress through the campaign and into the Phantom Liberty expansion.
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Cyberpunk 2077's megacity sized 2.0 patch has dramatically changed the way V will grow as a merc, totally overhauling the way weapons and cyberware interact while also adding tons of supercharged new skills like air dashing and quickhack overclocking.
Perks are unlocked in perk trees that correspond to V's core Attributes; Body, Reflex, Cool, Intelligence, and Technical Ability. Each of these Attributes has four levels of proficiency, requiring a total of 20 Attribute Points to gain full access to the corresponding perks.
Since you can refund all your perks for free at any given time, there's very little risk experimenting within each Attribute to find a playstyle you like, but you won't ever be able to respec your Attribute points (unless you use the one free respec given to new and existing save files).
You may find it helpful to think about building your V into a general archetype – want to mess around with cyberware, hacking, and stealth? Focus on Technical Ability, Intelligence, and Cool. Wanting to go in guns blazing and walk out without having taken a scratch? Put points into Body and Reflex. There's a lot of room for hybrid builds, too - with Phantom Liberty installed, you'll have a cap of 66 Attribute points, more than enough to build a multi-talented V.
With that in mind, here are the overhauled skill trees in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0.
Cyberpunk 2077 body skills
The Body Attribute is all about the application of overwhelming force, and being able to shrug it off in turn. Combat perks are about using shotguns, heavy machine guns, and blunt objects to pulverize gangoons. The "Rip and Tear" skill gives V a 100% damage boost when following up a quick melee hit with a shotgun blast (and vice versa), "Pain to Gain" restores health when an enemy is incapacitated, and "Savage Sling" lets you channel your inner Hulk Hogan by grabbing a stunned opponent and throwing them into their friends (or into a wall, which is funnier).
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Other highlights:
- Onslaught: Automatically refill 20% of your Light Machine Gun's magazine after neutralizing an enemy.
- Quake: With a blunt weapon equipped, press Q to perform an AOE slam attack that knocks down all nearby foes. At level 3, you can perform Quake in midair.
- Speed Junkie: 60% increase to health regeneration when sprinting.
Cyberpunk 2077 Intelligence skills
Intelligence is the attribute that separates console cowboys from full on cyber warfare specialists. If you're into hacking, it's worth filling out the center and leftmost trees in totality. The full suite of perks, which focus on quickhack efficiency, efficiency, and contagion is both atrociously powerful and outrageously fun.
The real standout here is "Overclock", which lets you trade HP for more RAM, which makes throwing out system-crashing volumes of quickhacks. Pair that with "Spillover," which gives all overclocked quickhacks a chance to spread to nearby enemies a la contagion, and you won't even have to reach for your gun.
Other highlights:
- Carhacker: Unlocks vehicle-based quick hacks, allowing for the remote operation (and detonation) of vehicles.
- Race Against Mind: Overclock quickhack damage increases as V's health decreases.
- Counter-A-Hack: Counterhack enemy netrunners through walls.
Cyberpunk 2077 Reflexes skills
The Reflex attribute corresponds with SMG/Assault Rifle handling and damage, increased mobility, and proficiency with blades. The perks in the center tree transform your dodge into a dash, and at level 20, a full on airdash. It synergizes well with the blade skills on the right. "Flash and Thunderclap" transforms your power attacks into soaring leap attacks that let V rush down foes with ease.
Other highlights:
- Tailwind: Double jump and air dashes give you +25 stamina instead of costing it.
- Air Kerenzikov: You can activate the Kereznikov implant in mid-air, suspending you in place and extending the time you can stay in slo-mo.
- Bullet Deflect: Blocking just before a bullet impacts you will deflect it back at it's shooter.
Cyberpunk 2077 Cool skills
Cool determines V's proficiency in being, well, cool. The perks here correlate with taking down enemies from stealth, throwing knives, firing from the hip, and crouch sprinting.
Alright, so that last one is a dud, but if you want to play a fleet footed, fast talking, gunslinging solo, then this is the tree you want to focus on investing in. Pistols of all kinds shine in 2.0, with perks like "Deadeye," which gives pistols a damage and critical hit chance boost when firing at full stamina. "Deep Breath" slows time down while you aim. The boosts to movement speed are also significant, with both "Feline Footwork" and "Ninjutsu" conveying +15% movement speed each.
Other highlights:
- Pay It Forward: Thrown weapons do +200% damage when thrown after retrieval.
- Pull: Grenades are easier to shoot out of the air and do more damage when exploding.
- California Reaper: Headshots return 30% of your stamina bar.
Cyberpunk 2077 Technical skills
Technical Ability determines V's proficiency with consumables like grenades, tech weapons, and most importantly, cyberware. The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners inspired skill tree in the middle boosts your cyberware capacity, with "Edgerunner" letting you trade health for additional capacity and allowing you to slip into a controlled state of cyberpsychosis.
Other highlights:
- Flash Sale: Double recharge rate on recon and flash grenades.
- Cyborg: +15% cyberware cooldown if cyberware is present in every body slot.
- Gearhead: Vehicles gain +33% health, mounted weapons gain +25% damage.
Nova Smith is a freelance writer based out of Alberta, Canada. Nova's grab bag of non-gaming interests and passions includes Japanese mecha anime, miniature painting, as well as history, literature, and classical music. Nova also moonlights as a bureaucrat and amateur historian.