Cyberpunk 2077 Builds — Best Builds for Every Playstyle

Update 2.0 completely overhauled Attributes, Perks and Cyberware. Builds are now more specialized and powerful than at launch. The maximum level is 60, giving enough Attribute points to comfortably max three Attributes. The five core Attributes are Body (health, melee, shotguns), Reflexes (mobility, blades, crit chance), Technical Ability (cyberware capacity, crafting, weapons) and Cool (stealth, crit damage, pistols). The most powerful archetypes after 2.0 and Phantom Liberty are: Netrunner / Quickhack, Sandevistan Samurai / Blades, Stealth Headshot / Gunslinger, Shotgun / Berserk tank, Tech Sniper (wall-penetration), Monowire / Thrower hybrid, Ninja Stealth Pistol, Hybrid Chrome Compressor, and Speed/Movement builds (Reflexes dash stacking with Reinforced Tendons and air dash — the fastest way to cross Night City; see the cars tier list for the fastest vehicles). The Phantom Liberty Relic skill tree adds powerful perks that layer on top of any archetype.

Sandevistan is an Operating System cyberware that slows time for everyone except the user when activated. It is the signature cyberware popularized by David Martinez in the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime. After Update 2.0 it provides large time dilation plus combat bonuses (crit chance, crit damage, headshot damage) and occupies the Operating System slot — you cannot equip a Cyberdeck at the same time without mods.

They are not rivals — they live in different slots and do different jobs. Sandevistan is an Operating System you activate for a full time-dilation window; Kerenzikov is a Nervous System implant that auto-triggers brief slow-motion when you dodge or aim while an enemy attacks. You can run both at once, and the strongest Sandevistan Samurai build (next section) does exactly that.

• Verdict: Sandevistan is the playstyle, Kerenzikov is the safety net. If you are asking which to buy first — a cheap Dynalar MK Sandevistan changes how you fight; Kerenzikov just makes you harder to kill.
• Stealth and netrunner builds skip Sandevistan entirely (the OS slot goes to a Cyberdeck) but still run Kerenzikov — see the Ninja Stealth Pistol build below.
• Cooldown management beats cooldown reduction: the Apogee restores stamina and extends its duration on kills, so chain kills to keep the window open instead of waiting out the timer.

The most popular build in the game. Activate Sandevistan → dash in → carve enemies with katana or Mantis Blades → deactivate and reposition. Extremely satisfying and powerful, especially with the Edgerunners fantasy of being a fast, lethal blade runner. See the weapons guide for all iconic katanas and their locations.

A step-by-step guide for the Samurai build from early game to endgame. Follow this progression to stay powerful at every stage.

Optimal cyberware choices for the Samurai build, organized by installation slot. Each slot has a capacity cost — Technical Ability determines your maximum capacity.

The Netrunner build uses quickhacks as primary damage and crowd control. You can defeat entire rooms of enemies without ever drawing a weapon. This build maximizes RAM capacity and hack upload speed through Intelligence and a high-tier Cyberdeck.

Netrunner ramps up slowly but becomes overwhelmingly powerful by mid-game when you have enough RAM and hack tiers unlocked.

The Gunslinger build focuses on precision shooting, primarily revolvers and rifles. Cool attribute governs critical damage and stealth. With the right perks, a single headshot eliminates most enemies. Pairs extremely well with Optical Camo for stealth entries and Sandevistan for slow-time precision.

Gunslinger is strong from early game because headshot multipliers work even with starter weapons. The progression focuses on scaling crit damage and unlocking stealth tools.

The tank build focuses on walking through fire and dishing out massive close-range damage with shotguns and Gorilla Arms. Body is the primary attribute, providing health, stamina and shotgun bonuses. This build is the most survivable and the most straightforward to play.

The Berserk build is the most forgiving for beginners. Body perks give you health and damage reduction from early game, making mistakes less punishing.

The Tech Sniper uses Technical Ability as its core attribute, wielding power weapons that penetrate walls and tech weapons with auto-aim. Unlike the Cool-based Gunslinger, this build scales off Tech perks that boost charge shots, wall penetration and tech weapon damage. Ideal for players who prefer methodical, long-range engagements where every shot counts. See the weapons guide for the best power and tech weapons.

Tech Sniper ramps steadily. Power weapon charge perks come online by level 20, and tech weapon auto-aim unlocks around the same time. The build hits its stride in the 30s when wall-penetration one-shots become reliable.

A hybrid build combining the Monowire melee weapon with throwing knives for ranged coverage. The Monowire acts as a fast whip-like blade that charges throw weapons and restores health on hit. Throw knives (especially legendary ones) provide ranged burst damage that scales with Reflexes. This build covers both melee and ranged without switching weapons — throw a knife, dash in, whip with Monowire.

This hybrid build comes online in stages: Monowire is functional early, but throw knife perks and legendary Monowire mods hit hard in the 20s.

A ghost build combining suppressed pistols with ninja movement. Unlike the Gunslinger (which focuses on raw headshot crit damage), this build emphasizes invisibility, silent kills, and mobility. You enter rooms unseen with Optical Camo, execute targets with suppressed pistols, and vanish before alarms trigger. Cool and Reflexes drive the build, with Technical Ability for cyberware capacity. Ideal for players who want a pure stealth fantasy.

Stealth pistol is functional from level 1 — suppressed headshots work even with starter weapons. The build scales by stacking Cool stealth perks and unlocking cyberware for invisibility and mobility.

The Phantom Liberty expansion adds the Relic skill tree — unlocked by collecting Militech Data Terminals scattered across Dogtown. The Relic tree provides powerful perks that complement existing builds rather than requiring a dedicated archetype. Here are the best Relic perk synergies for each playstyle.

Iconic weapons are unique one-of-a-kind weapons with special modifiers. Many are missable — save before major quests. See the complete weapons guide for all iconic locations and missable warnings. Here is which iconic to prioritize for each build.

The Militech "Apogee" Sandevistan is widely regarded as the strongest Operating System cyberware in the game. Here is how to obtain it.

Certain cyberware combinations are dramatically more powerful together than individually. These are the proven synergies from community testing and creator builds (Sam Bram, Nukes & Dragons).

These tips apply regardless of which build you choose. They come from community consensus across IGN, Eurogamer, GameRant, RPG Site and popular creators.

• Cyberware Capacity is king — invest heavily in Technical Ability and the relevant perks so you can equip powerful implants. Armor comes mainly from cyberware after 2.0, not from clothing.
• Toggle Sandevistan wisely — activate for key moments (entering a room, boss fights), deactivate to conserve cooldown. Models that extend duration on kill reward aggressive play.
• Always carry a secondary weapon — keep a reliable ranged option for drones, MaxTac and distant enemies, even on melee-focused builds.
• Respec is available — Attributes can be reset (limited), Perks can be refunded freely outside combat. Experiment early and often. No build choice is permanent.
• Street Cred matters for gear — many high-tier weapons and cyberware unlock at specific Street Cred levels. Complete gigs and fixer contracts to level it up.
• Phantom Liberty adds new options — the Relic skill tree (unlock by collecting Militech Data Terminals in Dogtown) provides powerful new perk paths that complement any build.
• Use the official Build Planner — https://www.cyberpunk.net/en/build-planner lets you experiment with attribute and perk distributions before committing in-game.
• Save before major quests — many iconic weapons and quest outcomes are missable. Keep a save before boss fights and key dialogue choices.