Best Gunslinger Build for Patch 1.6 | Cyberpunk 2077

This is a guide to the Best Gunslinger Build for Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 1.6. Read our guide for details about the build, what attributes to level up, which perks to choose, and what weapons and cyberwares to use.

Gunslinger Build Overview

Build Basic Information

Gunslinger Build
Main Attributes	• Body • Technical Ability • Cool • Reflexes
Main Perk Trees	• Annihilation (Body) • Athletics (Body) • Crafting (Technical Ability) • Cold Blood (Cool)
Main Weapons / Arm Cyberware	• Sovereign • The Headsman • Guts • Gorilla Arms
Operating System	• Dynalar Sandevistan MK.3 / Biodyne Berserk MK.4

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	Weaknesses
• Strong one-shot and dismemberment potential • Able to knock down enemies	• Small clip size means reloading often • Loud and unsuitable for sneaking around

Gunslinger Best Attribute Build

Attribute Progression

We're primarily focusing on Body to take advantage of perks from both the Annihilation and Athletics trees. This improves both our Shotgun handling and survivability, making it a must to level. Technical Ability comes second as this lets us craft Legendary equipment to maximize the build's effectiveness. Cool is added for the Cold Blood bonuses while Reflexes allows for faster movement during combat.

Build Attributes
Lv.	Body	Reflex	Tech	Intel	Cool
1	6	4	6	3	3
10	9	7	6	3	6
50	20	14	18	3	16

Gunslinger Build Best Perks

Annihilation (Body)

Perk	Effect at Lv. 1
Bloodbath	Dismembering enemies with a Shotgun or Light Machine Gun reduces weapon recoil by 30% for 6 sec. +1 per Perk level.
Hail of Bullets	Shotguns and Light Machine Guns deal 3% more damage.
Pump It, Louder!	Reduces recoil of Shotguns and Light Machine Guns by 10%.
In Your Face	Reduces reload time of Shotguns and Light Machine Guns by 15%.
Dead Center	Increases damage to torsos from Shotguns and Light Machine Guns by 10%.
Bloodrush	Increases movement speed in combat by 5% while carrying a Shotgun or Light Machine Gun.
Mongoose	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%.
Bulldozer	Increases Crit Chance with Shotguns and Light Machine Guns by 5%.
Momentum Shift	Defeating an enemy using a Shotgun or Light Machine Gun increases movement speed by 10% for 10 sec.
Massacre	Increases Crit Damage with Shotguns or Light Machine Guns by 10%.
Heavy Lead	Shotguns and Light Machine Guns knock back enemies with more force.
Skeet Shooter	Deal 15% more damage to moving targets using Shotguns or Light Machine Guns.
Manic	When entering combat, your movement speed increases by 20% for 10 sec.
Unstoppable	Dismembering an enemy using a Shotgun or Light Machine Gun increases fire rate by 10% for 8 sec. Stacks up to 3 times.
Speed Demon	You deal more damage the faster you're moving.
Burn Baby Burn	Doubles the duration of Burn.
Poppin' Off	Shotguns have a 25% higher chance of dismembering enemies.
Hit the Deck	Increases damage to staggered and knocked-down enemies from Shotguns or Light Machine Guns by 10%.
Biathlete	Weapon spread from Shotguns and Light Machine Guns does not increase while moving.

Annihilation gives several bonuses that improve the damage output and handling of Shotguns. Basic damage skills such as Hail of Bullets and Massacre help make sure your targets stay down after one hit while Pump It, Louder! and In Your Face make Shotguns easier to use by reducing recoil and reload time.

Athletics (Body)

Perk	Effect at Lv. 1
Hard Motherfucker	When entering combat, Armor and Resistances increase by 10% for 10 sec. +1% per Perk level.
Regeneration	Health slowly regenerates during combat.
Pack Mule	Increases carrying capacity by 60.
True Grit	Increases max Stamina by 10%.
Soft On Your Feet	Reduces fall damage by 5%.
Epimorphosis	Increases Health regen threshold from 60% to 65% in combat and to 100% out of combat.
Wolverine	Health regen activates 20% faster during combat.
Gladiator	Reduces the amount of Stamina consumed when blocking melee attacks by 20%.
Steel And Chrome	Increases melee damage by 10%.
Divided Attention	Allows you to reload weapons while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.
Like A Butterfly	Dodging does not drain Stamina.
Multitasker	Allows you to shoot while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.
Invincible	Increases max Health by 15%.
Tenacious V	Getting hit does not interrupt Health regeneration.
Transporter	Allows you to shoot with Pistols and Revolvers or sprint while carrying a body.
Human Shield	Increases Mitigation Chance by 25% and Mitigation Strength by 20% while carrying a body. By default, Mitigation grants a chance to reduce any damage taken by 50%
Marathoner	Sprinting does not drain Stamina.
Cardio Cure	Health regenerates 15% faster as you move.
Dog of War	Increases Health regen in combat by 30%.
Steel Shell	Increases Armor by 10%.
The Rock	Enemies cannot knock you down.
Indestructible	Reduces all incoming damage by 10%.

Since using a Shotgun needs you to get closer to your enemies, you'll need to survive multiple hits to avoid flatlining. Reduce incoming damage with perks such as Indestructible and Steel Shell then add Regeneration and Dog of War to effectively increase how much Health you have while in combat.

Crafting (Technical Ability)

Perk	Effect at Lv. 1
Field Technician	Crafted weapons deal 5% more damage.
Edgerunner Artisan	Allows you to craft Legendary items.
Cutting Edge	Improves damage and all damage-related stats of crafted weapons by 5%.

Edgerunner Artisan is a must to craft Legendary weapons to make your Shotguns the best they can be. Adding skills like Cutting Edge only makes them better.

Cold Blood (Cool)

Perk	Effect at Lv. 1
Merciless	While Cold Blood is active, increases Crit Chance by 5% and Crit Damage by 25%. +1% Crit Chance and +3% Crit Damage per Perk level.
Cold Blood	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.
Will to Survive	Increases all Resistances by 3% per stack of Cold Blood.
Blood Brawl	While Cold Blood is active, increases damage with melee weapons by 5%.
Frosty Synapses	Reduces quickhack cooldowns by 3% per stack of Cold Blood.
Easy Out	While Cold Blood is active, increases ranged weapon damage by 10% to enemies within an area of 5 m.
Rapid Bloodflow	Increase Health regen inside and outside combat by 5% per stack of Cold Blood.
Defensive Clotting	Increases Armor by 4% per stack of Cold Blood.
Frozen Precision	Increases headshot damage by 5% per stack of Cold Blood.
Coolagulant	Stacks of Cold Blood are removed one by one, not all at once.
Icy Veins	Reduces weapon recoil by 3% per stack of Cold Blood.
Predator	Increases attack speed by 10% per stack of Cold Blood.
Quick Transfer	Reduces quickhack upload time by 2% per stack of Cold Blood.
Cold and Calculating	Landing a Crit Hit has 50% chance of applying a stack of Cold Blood.
Pain Is An Illusion	While Cold Blood is active, reduces damage taken by 5%.
Critical Condition	Increases duration of Cold Blood by 25%
Coldest Blood	Increases max stack amount for Cold Blood by 1.
Immunity	Grants immunity to Bleeding, Poison, Burn, and Shock when at least 4 stack(s) of Cold Blood are active.
Bloodswell	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.

Cold Blood gives several stat boosts to make you a force to be reckoned with against groups of enemies. Take perks like Easy Out and Icy Veins to boost your DPS then make Cold Blood more effective by extending it with Coolagulant and Coldest Blood.

Gunslinger Build Best Weapons

Sovereign

Effect	Reduces reload time and bullet spread. Fires two rounds per shot while aiming.

The Sovereign might only have two shots, but it makes up for it with its fast reload speed. You can choose to fire one round at a time normally or unload both shots by aiming to ensure your foes won't be bothering you anymore. Stacking reload buffs will make it reload pretty fast even with a Sandevistan active.

How to Get the Sovereign

The Headsman

Effect	Doubles the number of projectiles per shot and increases the chance for dismemberment or Bleeding. Increases spread, reduces reload time, reduces rate of fire and reduces clip capacity compared to the base version of the gun.

A strong shotgun with a wide bullet spread and high damage. This version of the M2038 Tactician exchanges ammo capacity for double the projectiles, making it a very deadly weapon. Use The Headsman to clear out your targets with ease.

How to Get the The Headsman

Guts

Effect	Let the lead fly! Shoot faster, deal more damage... accuracy be damned. Just don't shoot your eye out.

Rebecca's Guts arrives in Patch 1.6 and proves to be a contender for a good Shotgun. You can even negate fall damage with this weapon! You'll have to watch out for the massive recoil when using it though.

How to Get the Guts

Gunslinger Build Best Cyberwares

Operating System

Dynalar Sandevistan MK.3

Cyberware	Effect (Epic)
Dynalar Sandevistan MK.3	Slows time by 50% for 16 sec. Cooldown 15 sec. ・Increases any damage dealt by 15% when Sandevistan is active.

By slowing down time, you can easily reposition yourself and aim better with a Shotgun. Watch out for the recoil while the Sandevistan is active as you won't be able to fire shots in quick succession unless you've taken measures to reduce it.

Biodyne Berserk MK.4

Cyberware

Effect (Legendary)

BioDyne Berserk MK.4

When active, reduces weapon recoil by 25%, weapon sway by 25%,, increases melee damage by 5%, and increases Armor and Resistance by 5%. Duration: 30 sec. Cooldown: 60 sec. ・While Berserk is active, jumping from a high height initiates a Superhero Landing, causing you to fall at high speed and land with enough force to create a shockwave that damages nearby enemies. ・All ranged attacks deal 20% more damage. ・Defeating enemies restores 4% max Health when active.

Berserk buffs can come in handy for gunslingers using Shotguns thanks to reducing recoil and buffing defense. The bonus to ranged attacks is also appreciated.

Arms Cyberware

Gorilla Arms

Cyberware	Effect (Legendary)
Gorilla Arms	Gorilla Arms charge with each attack. When you perform a Strong Attack, they deal bonus damage based on the charge level. Gorilla Arms also allow you to force open locked doors and rip turrets from their bosses. Three mod slot available (kunckles, battery, universe).

Unlike most ranged weapons, you'll tend to get closer to your foes when using a Shotgun. Using the Gorilla Arms should prove useful if you can't reload your gun and have to knock your enemies out.

Other Cyberwares

Kerenzikov

Cyberware	Effect (Rare)
Kerenzikov	Allows you to aim and shoot while dodging. Slows time by 70% for 2 sec. when blocking, aiming, or attacking during a slide or dodge. Cooldown 5 sec.

The Kerenzikov shows its worth by allowing you to reposition and gain an advantage by slowing down time.

Heal-On-Kill

Cyberware	Effect (Epic)
Heal-on-Kill	Instantly restores 6% Health after defeating an enemy.

Heal-On-Kill is a great cyberware for making it through your enemies' attacks by taking them out. This lets you be more aggressive as it reduces the need to heal up with items.

Pain Editor

Cyberware	Effect (Legendary)
Pain Editor	Reduces all incoming damage by 10%.

Reducing all forms of damage is a great way to make sure you don't flatline, especially if you're getting up close to enemies to shoot them.

Bionic Joints

Cyberware	Effect (Epic)
Bionic Joints	Reduces recoil of ranged weapons by 25%.

Shotguns are known for their heavy recoil, so anything to reduce it should be considered.

How to Play the Gunslinger Build

Blast Enemies in One Shot

Shotguns have a limited clip, so you'll want every round to kill in one shot as much as possible. Use headshots, torso hits with Dead Center, and crits to your advantage to ensure they won't be fighting back. You'll also want to have Cold Blood active to make eliminating your foes a breeze.

Slow Down Time When Necessary

Since you'll be shooting foes up close as a gunslinger, you'll want to use tools that can help you reposition easily by slowing down time. Use the Sandevistan or Kerenzikov to move around in slowed time to either get to safety or just blast everyone before they realize what hit them.

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Blunt Weapon Build	Stealth Build
Gunslinger Build	Netrunner Build
Assault Rifle Build	Blades Build
Cold Blood Build	Monowire Build
Gorilla Arms Build	Mantis Blades Build
Smart Weapons Build	Tech Weapons Build
Tank Build	Beginner Build for All Playstyles

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