As players walk the streets of Night City as V in Cyberpunk 2077, an overpowered character build that can deliver a quick and often deadly response to the city’s many dangers is essential. Players can combine Weapons, Armor, Cyberware, Stats, and Perks to build V exactly how they want, whether it’s a street-smart blade-wielding samurai, a quick and quiet Netrunner operating from stealth, or a tough brute who lets their Gorilla Arms do all the talking.
Players have dozens of possible overpowered character builds, ranging from building Cyberpunk Edgerunners’ David Martinez to pumping points into Cyberpunk 2077’s best Melee Annihilation build. There’s no single build that outshines all the others, making it tricky for players to settle on just one. However, a jack-of-all-trades build for V that combines elements of stealth, gun combat, and the Monowire gives players the flexibility to respond well to any situation. Players should prioritize the following:
10 V’s Outfit
In Cyberpunk 2077, clothing items contribute to V’s overall Armor stat, which reduces incoming damage. However, it’s worth noting that most clothing items don’t actually offer any real special buffs of note, so players should prioritize grabbing one of Cyberpunk 2077’s best legendary armor sets. These legendary armor sets have clothing pieces that have a wide variety of useful effects, including buffs to critical chance or stamina cost reductions.
Players should also prioritize any clothing items with high Armor ratings and insert Armor Mods to grant useful effects:
|
Mod |
Effect |
|---|---|
|
Armadillo |
Increased Armor by a factor of 1/1.12/1.24/1.36/1.5 |
|
Bully |
Increases Crit Damage by 8% |
|
Deadeye |
Increases headshot damage by 15% and Crit Damage by 6% |
|
Tenacity |
Reduces stamina cost of melee attacks by 5/6/7/8/9% |
Other Armor Mods are available. Players will generally find these Mods or Mod schematics from random drops. In previous game versions, this could often lead to V wearing an incredibly unfashionable blend of random clothing. However, players can now use Cyberpunk 2077’s transmog system to dress V in whatever clothes they’d like.
9 V’s Cool Stat
Increasing V’s Cool stat increases damage done from stealth and grapple duration and reduces detection speed, making it essential for any build that features stealth elements. Stealth is important for this build and is arguably the best way to approach most situations. Many of Cyberpunk 2077’s best side quests lend themselves well to stealth, and the ability to sneak in and out unseen is incredibly useful for completing Fixer Gigs.
Points into Cool also give players access to the perks in the Ninjutsu and Cold Blood trees. Ninjutsu offers Perks that boost V’s stealth abilities, while Cold Blood is an all-around passive buff that can be upgraded with impressive additional effects.
8 V’s Reflexes Stat
The Reflexes stat is ideal for situations where stealth fails and things get loud. Increasing Reflexes boosts V’s evasion and critical chance and makes them more proficient with an arsenal of deadly weapons, including pistols, revolvers, and the Monowire, all essential to this build. Aside from the powerful damage boosts to these weapon types, players can go even further by unlocking perks in the Blades and Handgun trees.
In a neat twist of fate, Blades Perks also boost V’s skills with the Monowire: an essential piece of Cyberware for this build. Handgun Perks give V extra flexibility when it comes to gun combat. Cool and Reflexes are the priority; when used right, players will give their enemies little time to react.
High Cool and Reflexes stats also unlock unique dialogue options, which can affect certain side quests. These dialogue options make V seem more perceptive, charming, and occasionally sarcastic, which is excellent for roleplaying immersion.
7 Ninjutsu Perks
When unlocked, Perks grant V unique effects, making them more proficient with specific weapons and Cyberware. Ninjutsu allows V to move around undetected and improves their stealth capabilities, making it easier for players to become a cyber ninja in Cyberpunk 2077. Players should prioritize the following perks:
|
Perk |
Effect |
Cool Attribute Requirement |
|---|---|---|
|
Crouching Tiger |
Increases movement speed when sneaking by 20% |
1 |
|
Leg Up |
Increases movement speed by 30% for 10 seconds after a takedown. |
7 |
|
Ghost |
Increases detection time by 20/40% |
12 |
|
From The Shadows |
Increases Crit chance by 10/20% in the first 7 seconds of combat |
12 |
|
Hasty Retreat |
Boosts movement speed by 50% for 5 seconds when detected by enemies |
16 |
These Perks make V faster and quieter in stealth, allowing players to efficiently eliminate enemies individually. The increased detection time and movement speeds from the Ghost and Hasty Retreat perks make it much more difficult for enemies to spot V and sound the alarm. From The Shadows significantly improves Critical chance, giving players an advantage in those crucial first seconds of combat after V is spotted.
6 Cold Blood Perks
Cold Blood is a useful passive effect that gives V increased movement speed after defeating an enemy and stacks several times. Cold Blood can be upgraded with Perks, triggered by critical hits, lasts longer, and grants additional buffs to damage and speed.
|
Perk |
Effect |
Cool Attribute Requirement |
|---|---|---|
|
Cold Blood |
Gain Cold Blood (2% increase in movement speed) for 7 seconds after defeating an enemy. Stacks 1/2/3 times. |
1 |
|
Blood Brawl |
Increase melee weapon damage by 5/10% when Cold Blood is active |
5 |
|
Coolagulant |
Cold Blood stacks reduce one by one instead of all at once |
11 |
|
Frozen Precision |
Increase headshot damage by 5% per stack of Cold Blood |
11 |
|
Predator |
Increase attack speed by 10/30% per stack of Cold Blood |
12 |
|
Cold and Calculating |
Landing a critical hit has a 50% chance of adding a stack of Cold Blood |
16 |
|
Critical Condition |
Increase the duration of Cold Blood by 25/50% |
16 |
|
Coldest Blood |
Increased max stacks of Cold Blood by 1/2 |
16 |
5 Blades Perks
Perks in the Blades tree improve damage done from the Monowire, the key piece of Arms Cyberware for this build. Cyberpunk 2077’s Monowire weapon is a spool of razor-sharp monofilament wire that V can swing about like a whip, cutting through armor and slicing off body parts with horrific ease. Players can always use Cyberpunk 2077’s best katanas, but the Monowire has more range. Players should really try to unlock all the Blades perks if possible, but prioritize the following:
|
Perk |
Effect |
Reflexes Attribute Requirement |
|---|---|---|
|
Sting Like A Bee |
Increase attack speed with Blades by 10/20/30% |
1 |
|
Crimson Dance |
Combo attacks with Blades have a 15/30% chance of inflicting Bleeding |
4 |
|
Flight of the Sparrow |
Reduces stamina cost of Blade attacks by 30/50% |
6 |
|
Stuck Pig |
Increases Bleeding duration by 3/6/10 seconds |
8 |
|
Blessed Blade |
Increased Crit Chance with Blades by 10% |
10 |
|
Bloodlust |
Recover 2/4% health when attacking an enemy afflicted with Bleeding |
12 |
|
Judge, Jury, and Executioner |
Increase damage with Blades by 50/75/100% against enemies with full health |
15 |
|
Crimson Tide |
Bleeding can stack 3 times |
18 |
|
Deathbolt |
Defeating an enemy with a Blade restores 20% of health and stamina and increases movement speed by 30% for 5 seconds |
18 |
These Perks allow V to shred most basic enemies within a few seconds while applying the Bleeding effect to tougher enemies, such as bosses. Blessed Blades synergizes well with Cold and Calculated from the Cold Blood tree, as it gives players an increased chance to get critical hits, which then may buff V further with Cold Blood stacks.
4 Handguns Perks
Perks in the Handguns tree give players some options for combat at ranges the Monowire can’t quite reach. Players should prioritize a few specific perks:
|
Perks |
Effect |
Reflexes Attribute Requirement |
|---|---|---|
|
Desperado |
Increases damage with pistols and revolvers by 5/10/15% |
5 |
|
Rio Bravo |
Increases headshot damage multiplier with pistols and revolvers by 5/10/15% |
5 |
|
Steady Hand |
Reduces Pistol and Revolver recoil by 20% |
7 |
|
A Fistful of Eurodollars |
Increases crit damage with pistols and revolvers by 15/30% |
11 |
|
Brainpower |
Increases crit chance by 7% for 5 seconds after a successful headshot with a pistol or revolver |
18 |
These Perks all boost pistols and revolvers. These weapon types often have headshot multipliers, significantly increasing the damage dealt by headshots. This synergizes well with the Sandevistan, which allows players to slow down time and pull off a few impressive headshots kills.
3 Sandevistan And Nanorelays
The Sandevistan Operating System allows players to temporarily slow down and feature heavily in the Cyberpunk Edgerunners anime. Several different versions of the Sandevistan provide different effects; some can slow down time to a crawl for a shorter duration, while others slow down time less but last longer. For this build, players should grab either of the following:
|
Operating System |
Effect |
Location |
|---|---|---|
|
QianT Sandevistan Mk.4 |
|
Bought from Fingers in Japantown for 28,000 Eurodollars (requires 27 Street Cred) |
|
QianT “Warp Dancer” Sandevistan Mk.5 |
|
Bought from Ripperdoc in Downtown for 35,000 Eurodollars (requires 50 Street Cred) |
The Sandevistan Operating System is essentially a lethal all-purpose tool; the ability to slow time is incredibly powerful regardless of how players choose to use it. Nanorelays increase the duration of the time warp effect, making it an essential piece of Cyberware for this build.
|
Nanorelays Model |
Effect |
Location |
|---|---|---|
|
Uncommon |
Increases duration of Sandevistan and Kerenzikov by 0.5 seconds (requires 10 Reflexes) |
Bought from the Aldecaldos Ripperdoc or Octavio for 4,800 Eurodollars |
|
Rare |
Increases duration of Sandevistan and Kerenzikov by 1 second (requires 14 Reflexes) |
Bought from Ripperdoc in Downtown for 8,000 Eurodollars |
|
Epic |
Increases duration of Sandevistan and Kerenzikov by 2 seconds (requires 18 Reflexes) |
Bought from Ripperdoc in Arroyo for 12,800 Eurodollars |
2 Monowire And Additional Cyberware
Players may be familiar with the Monowire from building Cyberpunk Edgerunners’ Lucy in Cyberpunk 2077. Although Lucy was a skilled Netrunner and hacker, she also used the Monowire to slice her enemies to pieces. Players can purchase the basic Rare variant of the Monowire from most Ripperdocs, as long as they have 20 Street Cred and 12950 Eurodollars. The Legendary variant can be bought at higher levels from the Ripperdocs in the Downtown area and Wellsprings.
While the Sandevistan and Monowire are excellent, players are free to choose how to fill V’s other Cyberware slots. Some useful choices include:
- Heal on Kill (restores health from defeating enemies) in the Frontal Cortex
- Cataresist (increases resistances) and Pain Editor (reduces incoming damage) in the Immune System.
- Microrotors (increases melee attack speed) in the Skeleton
- Fortified Ankles (grants hover jump) or Lynx Paws (reduces movement noise) in the Legs.
One interesting choice players can try is the Optical Camo Cyberware, which allows V to temporarily turn invisible. It’s a great tool for maximizing V’s stealth capabilities and is available fairly early on.
1 The Malorian Arms 3516 Pistol
Players will want to arm up with pistols and revolvers since Reflexes directly boost these weapon types. Any of the best unique pistols in Cyberpunk 2077 will work just fine, but the Malorian Arms 3516 is one of the best weapons in the game and a fantastic choice for any pistol-based build. This Iconic pistol once belonged to Johnny Silverhand and fires bullets that can ricochet and penetrate through cover. It’s ideal for scoring a series of quick headshots while using the Sandevistan to slow down time….