Best Character Builds for Patch 1.6 | Cyberpunk 2077

Builds allow you to play Cyberpunk 2077 in a specific way that matches your playstyle. Read on for a list of the best Overall and Starting Builds for Patch 1.6, along with their recommended Perks and Attribute Build!

Best Overall Builds for Patch 1.6

Best Blunt Weapons Build

Wallop your enemies with ease with this Blunt Weapons build, fortified with perks under Street Brawler and Cold Blood to inflict the greatest headaches ever in Night City.

As with other builds we recommend crafting your own weapon, so get perks under Crafting's tree and allocate some points in your Tech attribute.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Epimorphosis	7	Increases Health regen threshold from 60% to 65% in combat and to 100% out of combat.
Steel And Chrome	9	Increases melee damage by 10%.
Frenzy	15	Defeating an enemy increases damage with Blunt Weapons by 30% for 5 sec.
Edgerunner Artisan	18	Allows you to craft Legendary items.
Unshakable	18	Successful attacks with Blunt Weapons against enemies affected by Stun restore 5% Health and 5% Stamina.

Best Blunt Weapon Build

Best Assassin Build

Pistols are light and reliable weapons that are part of your arsenal from the beginning. By combining the damage and crit-boosting perks of Handguns, pistols can become devastating weapons for Assassin builds with Ninjutsu perks. A silencer attachment is highly recommended for this build.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Silent And Deadly	3	Increases damage dealt by silenced weapons by 25% while sneaking.
Big Sleep	3	Unlocks the Big Sleep daemon, which disables all cameras in the network for 3 min.
Long Shot Drop Pop	7	Increases damage with Pistols and Revolvers to enemies 5+ meters away by 15%.
Ghost	12	Detection time is increased by 20%.
Diffusion	12	Quickhack spread distance is increased by 2 times.

Best Assassin Build

Best Gunslinger Build

Shoot, kill, and repeat with this classic Shotgun run-and-gun build which benefits from Annihilation and Athletics perks, which is then boosted by Cold Blood to improve your offense and several Reflexes perks to make you agile.

This build recommends crafting your own Legendary weapon later in the game, so some points are attributed to your Tech stat.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Cold Blood	3	After defeating an enemy, gain Cold Blood for 7 sec. and increase movement speed by 2%. Stacks up to 1 time. The duration of each additional stack is 1 sec. shorter.
Massacre	11	Increases Crit Damage with Shotguns or Light Machine Guns by 10%.
Dog of War	16	Increases Health regen in combat by 30%.
Edgerunner Artisan	18	Allows you to craft Legendary items.
Hit the Deck	18	Increases damage to staggered and knocked-down enemies from Shotguns or Light Machine Guns by 10%.

Best Gunslinger Build

Best Netrunner Build

Quickhacks will allow you to chip through your enemies' defenses which can be useful in combat. This build utilizes benefits from Breach Protocol and Quickhacking perks to make you a formidable netrunner in the game.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Mass Vulnerability	3	Unlocks the Mass Vulnerability daemon, which reduces the Physical Resistance for all enemies in the network by 30% for 3 min.
Biosynergy	3	Allows RAM to recover during combat. Recover 4 RAM unit(s) every 60 sec.
Subliminal Message	11	Quickhacks deal 50% more damage to unaware targets.
Quick Transfer	12	Reduces quickhack upload time by 2% per stack of Cold Blood.
Hasty Retreat	16	Temporarily boosts movement speed by 50% for 5 sec. when detected by an enemy.

Best Netrunner Build

Best Assault Rifle Build

A reliable and versatile build, this Assault Rifle build will let you handle yourself in combat at any range. Damage is boosted with Assault perks, and survivability is improved thanks to several Athletics perks.

Some points are allotted to Tech, not only so you can craft weapons later on, but to also bolster your armor.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Wolverine	7	Health regen activates 20% faster during combat.
Feel the Flow	11	Reduces reload time for Assault Rifles and Submachine Guns by 10%.
Long Shot	18	Rifle and Submachine Gun damage increases the farther you are located from enemies.
Savage Stoic	20	Increases damage with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 35% when standing still.
Cutting Edge	20	Improves damage and all damage-related stats of crafted weapons by 5%.

Best Assault Rifle Build

Best Blades Build

Wield a blade and slice-and-dice your way to the top with this Bladerunner build. Allocate points to raise your Reflexes attribute and get perks under the Blades tree to power up your strikes.

Follow this with leveling your Body and Cool attributes and get perks under Athletics to improve your defense and Cold Blood and Ninjutsu to bolster your attacks.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Roaring Waters	3	Strong Attacks with Blades deal 10% more damage.
Cold Blood	3	After defeating an enemy, gain Cold Blood for 7 sec. and increase movement speed by 2%. Stacks up to 1 time. The duration of each additional stack is 1 sec. shorter.
Marathoner	14	Sprinting does not drain Stamina.
Deathbolt	18	While wielding a Blade, defeating an enemy restores 20% Health and increases movement speed by 30% for 5 sec.
Cheat Death	18	When your Health drops below 50%, reduce all incoming damage by 50% for 10 sec. Cannot occur more than once per minute.

Best Blades Build

Best Smart Weapons Build

Shoot more and aim less with Smart Weapons. The damage output of these weapons are low, so Assault and Cold Blood perks are a must to improve your offensive capabilities.

A few points are given to your Body attribute to give you longevity and survivability in tough gunfights.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Cold Blood	3	After defeating an enemy, gain Cold Blood for 7 sec. and increase movement speed by 2%. Stacks up to 1 time. The duration of each additional stack is 1 sec. shorter.
Executioner	7	Deal 25% more damage with Rifles and Submachine Guns to enemies whose Health is above 50%.
Lock And Load	9	Increases Smart Weapon reload speed by 5%.
Trench Warfare	12	Increases Rifle and Submachine Gun damage by 5% when firing from behind cover.
Dog of War	16	Increases Health regen in combat by 30%.

Best Smart Weapons Build

Best Tech Weapons Build

Tech Weapons allow you to shoot through walls, and make it possible to wipe out several enemies without them ever seeing you. This build relies on Assault or Handguns, depending on the weapon type you want to use, and Engineering perks which directly enhance your a Tech Weapon's potential.

Some points will go into your Intelligence so you can get Quickhacking perks. This will allow you to effectively use quickhacks as a supplemental way to deal with your targets.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Bulletjock	3	Increases damage with rifles by 3%.
Desperado	5	Increases damage with Pistols and Revolvers by 3%.
Field Technician	11	Crafted weapons deal 5% more damage.
Tenacious V	12	Getting hit does not interrupt Health regeneration.
Gun Whisperer	14	Fully charged Tech weapons do not shoot automatically.
Übercharge	14	Fully charged Tech weapons deal 30% more damage.

Best Tech Weapons Build

Best Tank Build

Make yourself a living, breathing bullet sponge and be a walking tank in Night City! Max out your Body attribute and get Athletics perks to fortify yourself, along with equipping cyberware that will make you near unkillable.

For offense, equip Shotguns and LMGs which will be powered up by Annihilation perks. Improve this further with perks from Cold Blood and other offensive cyberware.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Wolverine	7	Health regen activates 20% faster during combat.
Mongoose	9	Increases Mitigation Chance by 25% while reloading Shotguns and Light Machine Guns. By default, Mitigation grants a chance to reduce any damage taken by 50%.
Skeet Shooter	12	Deal 15% more damage to moving targets using Shotguns or Light Machine Guns.
Cardio Cure	16	Health regenerates 15% faster as you move.
Biathlete	20	Weapon spread from Shotguns and Light Machine Guns does not increase while moving.

Best Tank Build

Best Starting Build for Patch 1.6

For the start of the game, the following build is a good way to make use of starting perks to become a formidable threat in Night City.

Best Beginner Build for All Playstyles

This build aims to provide an all-around playstyle that allows for combat survivability, hacking, and stealth. As such, we're adding allocating stats fairly evenly.

As you progress, level up your Body and Reflexes attributes so you can meet the requirements to equip powerful cyberware later in the game.

This then followed up by spreading points across Cool, Tech, and Intelligence for a bit of stealth and to make your quickhacks effective.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Sting Like a Bee	3	Increases attack speed with Blades by 10%.
Mechanic	3	Gain more components when disassembling.
Crouching Tiger	3	Increases movement speed while sneaking by 20%.
Cold Blood	3	After defeating an enemy, gain Cold Blood for 7 sec. and increase movement speed by 2%. Stacks up to 1 time. The duration of each additional stack is 1 sec. shorter.
Bloodware	3	Quickhacks deal 10% more damage.
Regeneration	3	Health slowly regenerates during combat.
Desperado	5	Increases damage with Pistols and Revolvers by 3%.

Best Beginner Build for All Playstyles

Unique Builds

Best Cold Blood Build

This specialized build revolves around the Cold Blood perk tree. The strategy is simple: keep on killing!

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Cold Blood	3	After defeating an enemy, gain Cold Blood for 7 sec. and increase movement speed by 2%. Stacks up to 1 time. The duration of each additional stack is 1 sec. shorter.
Rapid Bloodflow	9	Increase Health regen inside and outside combat by 5% per stack of Cold Blood.
Coolagulant	11	Stacks of Cold Blood are removed one by one, not all at once.
Coldest Blood	16	Increases max stack amount for Cold Blood by 1.
Bloodswell	20	Upon receiving lethal damage while Cold Blood is active, prevents death, consumes all stacks of Cold Blood, restoring 10% Health per stack and grants Damage Immunity for 5 sec. Player cannot gain Cold Blood while perk is active. Cooldown 15 sec.

Best Cold Blood Build

Best Monowire Build

This deadly Monowire build is paired with the use of a Sandevistan Operating System to slow down time. Activate your Sandy and whip away!

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Cold Blood	3	After defeating an enemy, gain Cold Blood for 7 sec. and increase movement speed by 2%. Stacks up to 1 time. The duration of each additional stack is 1 sec. shorter.
Rapid Bloodflow	9	Increase Health regen inside and outside combat by 5% per stack of Cold Blood.
Coolagulant	11	Stacks of Cold Blood are removed one by one, not all at once.
Coldest Blood	16	Increases max stack amount for Cold Blood by 1.
Bloodswell	20	Upon receiving lethal damage while Cold Blood is active, prevents death, consumes all stacks of Cold Blood, restoring 10% Health per stack and grants Damage Immunity for 5 sec. Player cannot gain Cold Blood while perk is active. Cooldown 15 sec.

Best Monowire Build

Best Gorilla Arms Build

Equipping Gorilla Arms will give you freedom to deal with your enemies up close and take them out with devastating punches!

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Flurry	3	Increases damage from combo attacks with Blunt Weapons by 30%.
Steel And Chrome	9	Increases melee damage by 10%.
Payback	10	Increases damage with Blunt Weapons by 1% for every 1% of missing Health.
Thrash	15	Strong Attacks with Blunt Weapons reduce the target's Armor by 20% for 7 sec.
Unshakable	18	Successful attacks with Blunt Weapons against enemies affected by Stun restore 5% Health and 5% Stamina.

Best Gorilla Arms Build

Best Mantis Blades Build

Using the fearsome Mantis Blades in combat will make wiping a mob of enemies an easy feat, especially if you are equipped with a Berserk Operating System!

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Cold Blood	3	After defeating an enemy, gain Cold Blood for 7 sec. and increase movement speed by 2%. Stacks up to 1 time. The duration of each additional stack is 1 sec. shorter.
Steel And Chrome	9	Increases melee damage by 10%.
Judge, Jury and Executioner	15	Increases damage with Blades by 50% against enemies with max Health.
Fiery Blast	15	Increases damage with Blades by 1% for every 1% of Health the enemy is missing.
Crimson Tide	18	Bleeding applied with Blades can stack 3 times.

Best Mantis Blades Build

Best Demoman Build

This build basically turns you into a walking explosion. With the Can't Touch This perk, you will not take damage from your own grenades. Take advantage of this and strengthen your grenade firepower by leveling up Technical Ability. In order to use the perk Can't Touch This, a Technical Ability of 5 is required, but it is recommended to aim for at least 9 to gain the Sapper perk, which increases grenade damage. Once your grenades are improved, dive into battle and blow your enemies away.

This build can be further strengthened by investing into the perk Bigger Booms, which increases grenade damage and can be leveled up to 5 times. However, it will require an attribute of at least 11. Sapper can also be leveled up twice, and it is highly recommended to do so once you are at the appropriate level.

Aside from Technical Ability, it is recommended to level up the Body Attribute. While you will not take damage from your own grenades, this build will still require getting within range of your grenades. Having a reliable amount of HP will come in handy.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Grenadier	5	The explosion radius of grenades is visible.
Shrapnel	7	All grenade types deal 20 damage in addition to their normal effects.
Sapper	9	Grenades deal 10% more damage.
Bigger Booms	11	Grenades deal 5% more damage.
Can't Touch This	16	Grants immunity to all effects from your own grenades, including flash grenades.

Best Plague Doctor Build

The Plague Doctor is a status effect build made for poisoning enemies. It can be highly effective, but it will require some serious level investing into the Cool stat before being perfected.

An Intellegence level of at least 7 will also give you access to the perk Mass Vulnerability: Resistances, which can make enemies more susceptable to Poison.

Sample Perks
Perk	Lvl Req	Effect
Dagger Dealer	5	Enables knife throwing. A thrown knife returns to the hand after the time given in its description or immediately upon pickup. Hold L2 to aim and press R2 to throw.
Venomous Fangs	14	All knives apply Poison.
Rattlesnake	14	Enemies affected by Poison cannot sprint.
Critical Antidote	18	A Strong Attack or thrown Knife against a poisoned enemy will remove their Poison status, dealing instant Poison damage instead, and will have a 100% increased Crit Chance. Cooldown 5 sec. per affected enemy.

How Builds Work

No Defined Class System

Cyberpunk 2077 does not have a set system where the player picks a class. Instead, the player will use aspects like Attributes, Skills and Enhancements to suit their character to the a specific playstyle.

Players Can Allocate Attributes

Similar to the systems found in other open-world RPGs, including CD Projekt Red's own Witcher series, players will be able to allocate attribute points to power up their character and achieve Perks of their choice.

List of Perks and Attributes

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