CD Projekt Red to put RPG elements before anything else

On August 10, CD Projekt Red released episode 2 of Cyberpunk 2077 – Night City Wire, which revealed new insights into potential character backgrounds, weapons, and how they all tie-in with RPG/FPS elements.

First touched on in the previous episode, ‘Lifepaths’ make a return. Senior Quest Designer Phillip Weber explained how the origins of your character, ‘V,’ have a significant impact on not just the way people look at you, but also how you deal with them and how you go about missions.

If V starts as a ‘Street Kid,’ having lived almost their entire life within the walls of Night City, they will be well acquainted with the underside of Night City. V will be connected, savvy, and well-versed in the nuances of dealing with gangs and other less-than-savory characters.

As a Nomad, V will have grown-up in the Badlands, the desert wasteland surrounding Night City. Instead of dodging police and ducking through back alleys, V will have grown in a communal family that values freedom of choice and camaraderie.

The Corpo lifepath couldn’t be more different. Although V will have grown with considerably more means than most Night City denizens, he/she will have been forged in a world where almost everyone is Patrick Bateman from American Pyscho. “Today they got you to zero somebody,” Jackie will warn the player about their corporate lifestyle. “Tomorrow, they’ll get somebody else to zero you.”

In one mission, the Maelstrom, a cyberware-obsessed, occultist gang, steal a robot from Militech – a powerful weapons company. Depending on what Lifepath the player has chosen, V will have various dialogue options to choose from when dealing with the gang or the Militech rep, Meredith Stout.

Growing up as a Street Kid or a Nomad, V will have insights into how the Maelstrom went about pulling off such a heist, or they might offer V drugs, which in turn can spark a conversation that will lead to building positive relationships with the gang.

If V is a Corpo, then they will be able to read Meredith’s true intentions thanks to dealing with corporate sharks their entire life – but maybe completely ignorant to Maelstrom ways or gangs in general.

V is a fixer, someone who solves other people’s problems if they have enough cash. Night City is full of them, and usually, they work as intermediaries between bigger entities such as corporations or gangs. “These are people like you, V,” said Weber. “Cyberpunks.”

Music will play a significant role in creating the environment of Cyberpunk 2077, and CD Projekt Red have enlisted the help of Refused – a Swedish hardcore punk band formed in 1991. They will take on the role of SAMURAI, the band behind the legendary Johnny Silverhand, who is to be played by Keanu Reeves.

“He’s a sort of like an anti-establishment kinda guy,” said drummer David Sandström. Lead vocalist Dennis Lyxzén then added, “There are things you can relate to, just like this outcast, this rebel that’s fighting against the corpos… He’s like the future version of us.”

Cyberpunk 2077 will feature a long and varied roster of weapons to choose from, ranging from basic projectiles like what you’d find today to hidden blades that are sheathed in V’s forearms. One SMG, the ‘TKI-20 Shingen’, is a ‘Smart Weapon.’ This requires V to have a neural link, when once established, will allow the weapon to burst-fire, homing micro-missiles that will follow hidden or fleeing enemies.

“Now, killing an entire room was never simpler.”

A more direct solution may be the ‘Tsunami Nekomata,’ a sniper rifle which, according to CD Projekt Red “pierces concrete like cardboard.” As a ‘Tech Weapon,’ it uses electromagnetic energy to launch metal-slugs, so basically railguns.

According to Pawel Kapla, Senior Gameplay Designer, weapons can be customized with attachments you would expect like optics, silencers, and the like. Also, players will be able to add software mods that range from altering base statistics to adding biochemical damage to bullets for extra armor-piercing damage.

Weapons can be found in shops, hidden in caches around Night City, and looted from enemies with rarities ranging from common, uncommon, rare, and legendary. However, legendary weapons are very special and come with specific abilities unique to them. They’ll never be easy to obtain and usually require tough choices – such as killing a liked NPC.

When asked how RPG elements would merge with gunplay, Kapla said, “It wasn’t easy. V changes from a small-time mercenary to a legend in the world of Night City.” Like many RPGs, V’s skills will grow over time and will lead to shorter reloads, higher accuracy, and overall control.

There will be at least one more episode of Night City Wire before the release of Cyberpunk 2077, which is slated for November 16 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows – with free upgrades to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X later on.