As players take their first steps into Night City inCyberpunk 2077, they might want to be aware of a few tips that will get them off to the best start possible, regardless of life path and ambitious desires so that everyone has the potential to become a Night City Legend.
Starting out as a humble merc, V is going to get put through the wringer soon enough and to betterwithstand the brutality of Night City, the best starting tips forCyberpunk 2077will serve as a helping hand to ensure that V isn’t flatlined from the moment they walk out of their Watson apartment.
Updated on July 17, 2025, by Jake Fillery:Update 2.3 comes to Cyberpunk 2077 as a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one, especially since CD Projekt RED said the game would receive no further content updates. For players looking to jump back into Night City to check out what’s new, or for players who are stepping into a larger world for the first time, it’s a good idea to look at these tips so that players can get off to the best start possible in Cyberpunk 2077.
1Complete The Heist to Start Act 2
A Whole New World Opens At the Start of Act 2
The first thing players should focus on is getting through Act 1. While it might be nice to interact with Jackie and see V’s life when it’s not in the gutter, it’s also a restrictive Act that will see players stuck in Watson until they have entered Act 2. Players should focus on progressing far enough into the story to complete The Heist, as when Act 2 has been started, the open-world map fully unlocks for players to enjoy, thus providing them with infinitely more side jobs, secrets, and NCPD Scanner quests, so that players don’t have to worry about getting stuck in Watson. If players want to fully experience everything without feeling restricted to one district, entering Act 2 is a must so early on.
2Check Text Messages for Free Cars
The Sport R-7 Vigilante Will Help Players Who Don’t Have a Car
New players will have all the benefits of updates past Update 2.0, which grant unique rewards. One such reward can be found by accessing V’s phone from the moment the Prologue has ended and Act 1 begins, allowing players to check their messages to see a free Sport R-7 Vigilante vehicle without having to spend any Eurodollars to claim it, simply a keen pair of eyes to read a message about the freebie. This vehicle might not be an endgame car, but it’s going to get the job done for players who lack an actual vehicle, since the start of Act 2 has players locked out of their car thanks to Delemain’s rogue AIs.
3The Best Weapons Are Often Missable
Iconic Weapons Are Obtained Through Specific Missions and Locations
When venturing through Night City, players should be careful not to just head from Point A to Point B, as there are many points of interest around the sprawling neon city. Yet, there’s one thing that players should be extra careful of, and that’s the fact that they might miss out on some of thebest weapons inCyberpunk 2077.
Some great weapons in the Iconic rarity can only be found during certain missions, and others are restricted to killing certain characters and completing missions in a specific way, so it’s best to focus on exploration to grow a collection of weapons for V’s stash.
Being a Night City Legend Requires a Ripperdoc Investment
When players first get their big job inCyberpunk 2077as its newest merc, players might want to splash theirnew wad of Eddieson some fancy new cars, clothes, and weapons. However, players should save their Eurodollars and only spend it on Cyberware that is obtained from Ripperdocs throughout Night City.
Cyberware is essential to the build-crafting experience, and players are going to need a lot of Eurodollars if they want to get the best Cyberware possible inCyberpunk 2077, as the Tier 5 of each piece of Cyberware is extremely expensive, so wasting money on vehicles might not be the best use of cash.
5Start Phantom Liberty After Reaching Pacifica
Don’t Rush to the Incredible Expansion
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Editionfeatures Phantom Liberty as part of the essential experience, and whileCyberpunk 2077can be enjoyed as a superb and fixed game in 2024, it’s made even better with its expansion. With new characters, weapons, and a whole area of Dogtown to explore, Phantom Liberty is essential toCyberpunk 2077fans as it enriches V and Johnny’s story and entwines it with others, but it shouldn’t be rushed.
New players should focus on the missions they have instead of trying to rush through to the expansion. Songbird will call V when it’s time to head to Dogtown, so just stick by, do the base game missions, and wait for Mr. Hands' proposition in Pacifica before hearing Songbird out.
6Design a Build Before Spending Attribute Points
Attribute Points Are Not Refundable
There is a ton of potential for build-crafting inCyberpunk 2077, but players should look through the specific Attribute trees and discover what points they think would better suit them. If they want to be a Netrunner, head for Intelligence. If they seek to be a cyberpsycho, then Body and Technical Ability are for them. There’s unlimited potential for builds, but a finite resource when it comes to Attribute Points.
Players can refund skill points so that they can experiment with different perks, but they cannot refund Attribute Points. With the max level ofCyberpunk 2077being level 60, players will be able to invest 20 maximum points across 3 Attributes, so invest wisely into the trees that will complement builds.
7Healing Is Timed, Not Spammed
Healing Items Have Cooldowns
With the first release ofCyberpunk 2077, players could venture across Night City and collect all sorts of medical stims, energy drinks, and processed foods to use in the midst of battle. Hoarding these items meant that players could open their inventory and heal repeatedly when they were in a tough fight. Yet, the balancing andrevamp ofCyberpunk 20772.0caused a few agreeable changes to the healing system.
Healing is now on a cooldown system, so players are going to experience a unique challenge when they enter into a tough fight. The added pressure of using healing items at the right time means that some might have to adapt their playstyles, but with the right Cyberware like the Second Heart and Blood Pump, healing won’t be an issue.
85-Star Wanted Levels Are A Death Sentence
MaxTac Do Not Mess Around With Cyberpsychos
V might be a mercenary, but that doesn’t come without unwanted attention from the cops. Night City is overcrowded with crime, so it makes sense that police officers are always on the scene to try and snuff it out. The police inCyberpunk 2077will not attempt to arrest V, no matter the crime, so players should escape to remove their wanted level.
However, if players want to indulge in temporary carnage, then they can rise through the wanted levels to hit 5 stars. Doing so will see MaxTac descend on the player, and thus begin a secret bossfight against this dreaded unit of cyberpsycho killers. Defeating MaxTac is extremely difficult, but rewarding, as the five-star wanted level will drop in victory.
9Become the Driver Night City Needs
Driving Has a Unique Feel for Cars and Bikes With Additional Combat
There is an abundance of vehicles to be purchased and stolen inCyberpunk 2077, but those familiar with other open worlds with vehicle mechanics should be aware that cars feel more careful and realistic than light and floaty. This can lead to a few crashes as players try to skip traffic by dodging between vehicles and avoiding those pesky red lights.
Some vehicles inCyberpunk 2077suffer from low traction at high speeds, and practice makes perfect when heading into a new vehicle. After all, it’s going to be hard to impress Panam when V can’t even stay on the road. Vehicles are still a ton of fun to drive in Night City, and the addition of vehicle combat means that some vehicles havebuilt-in weapons, whereas others allow V to shoot smaller firearms from within.
10Focus On Side Quests
Side Quests Have Unique Stories and Powerful Rewards
Side Jobs inCyberpunk 2077provides lengthy opportunities to learn more about the people of Night City. It’s a great way to increase V’s Street Cred, earn Eurodollars, and obtain unique legendary weapons that make for stellar weapons as part of everyone’s builds. Side Jobs really are essential toCyberpunk 2077, and they are always unique and enjoyable.
Whether it’s a Side Job or a Gig, the contentoutside of the main missionsis imperative to V’s success, as some will unlock further opportunities down the line, and others grant incredible loot that will easily become a staple of the current build of V’s arsenal.
