Perk Tier List | Best Perks Per Skill | Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 Walkthrough Team

Last updated on: 03/04/2021 10:56 PM

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A Tier List for the Best Perks you can acquire in Cyberpunk 2077. See which Perks you should be investing your Perk Points in, and the best skills in each Skill Tree!

Perks and Attributes
List of Perks			List of Attributes
Character Building Guides
Best Builds			Best Perks
Best Attributes			Perk Tier List

List of Contents

Best Athletics Perks
Best Annihilation Perks
Best Street Brawler Perks
Best Breach Protocol Perks
Best Quickhacking Perks
Best Stealth Perks
Best Cold Blood Perks
Best Crafting Perks
Best Engineering Perks
Best Assault Perks
Best Handguns Perks
Best Blades Perks
Cyberpunk 2077 Related Links

Best Athletics Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
Invincible	Increases max Health by 10%.	More health will let you take more damage before dying. Always good.
Divided Attention	Allows you to reload weapons while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.	It allows you to stay mobile during fights without having to stop and reload. Good on any weapon, great on shotguns and other low mag size guns.
Steel Shell	Increases Armor by 10%.	Increases your armor's effectiveness, making you tankier. Gives more survivability.
Indestructible	Reduces all incoming damage by 10%.	Damage reduction to every type of damage is useful in every situation
Hard Motherfucker	When entering combat, Armor and Resistances increase by 10% for 10 sec. +1% per Perk level.	More reduction to damage taken is always good.

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
True Grit	Increases max Stamina by 10%.	More stamina is good for any build to let you dodge and run more, and even better on melee builds
Steel And Chrome	Increases melee damage by 10%.	A must have in any Melee build. The increased damage is always useful.
Multitasker	Allows you to shoot while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.	Useful in builds that love to run and gun. This makes you hard to hit and still allow you to dish out damage.

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
Pack Mule	Increases carrying capacity by 60.	Increased carrying capacity is useful, but inventory management is fairly easy when your vehicle is also a mobile stash. Pack Mule will only increase the time before you need to do inventory management.
Epimorphosis	Health regenerates up to 70% of max Health outside of combat.	This is a nice quality of life perk, but is not necessary to have in the long run as there are a ton of healing items you can use.
Like A Butterfly	Dodging does not drain Stamina.	Useful in Beat on the Brat and in any melee build. Outside of those situations not very impactful.
Marathoner	Sprinting does not drain Stamina.	Unlocks at body 14. By that level, for sprinting to make a noticeable affect on your stamina you would need to be sprinting for a pretty long time. Something you wont be doing often. A useful application is to make sure you can run away after spending some stamina with melee attacks

C

Perk	Effect	Reason
Regeneration	Health slowly regenerates during combat.	Regenerating in combat takes too long to start and regens too slow. Using Healing items are much more effective
Soft On Your Feet	Reduces fall damage by 5%.	Decreased fall damage isn't something you will find useful through your playthrough in any build or situation.
Gladiator	Reduces the amount of Stamina consumed when blocking melee attacks by 20%.	Most enemies you will be fighting are not going to be the melee enemy type.
Cardio Cure	Health regenerates 25% faster as you move.	Increase in health regen is so small it is negligible. Not a problem when healing items are abundant.
Stronger Together	Increases damage you deal while carrying a body.	This perk requires Transporter. You can get around double damage but only with pistols.
Transporter	Allows you to shoot with Pistols and Revolvers or sprint while carrying a body.	Only relevant in a few situations/objectives. Outside of those situations it is pretty useless.
Human Shield	Increases Armor by 20% when grappling an enemy.	You wont be in a lot of situations where you will be grappling someone and getting shot at. You cannot grapple someone when combat has started making it even more useless.
Dog of War	Increases Health regen in combat by 15%.	Health regen in combat takes too long to start and regenerates too slow. There is an abundance of healing items, making this perk redundant.
Wolverine	Health regen activates 50% faster during combat.	Even with 90% faster regen, it is still too slow to have an impact during combat. Using health items are much more effective and you will always have one.
The Rock	Enemies cannot knock you down.	Immunity to knockdown isn't very useful when there aren't many enemies that can have the effect. There is also an added side effect of cars dealing even more damage to you when running into you.

Best Annihilation Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
In Your Face	Reduces reload time of Shotguns and Light Machine Guns by 20%.	Give you a significant increase in DPS by reducing downtime of reloads. This allows you attack more and be vulnerable less.
Dead Center	Increases damage to torsos by 10%.	The damage increase is good. Only applies to Shotguns and LMGs.
Massacre	Increases Crit Damage with Shotguns and Light Machine Guns by 15%.	More Critical Damage is always good on shotguns and LMGs. Pairs well with Bulldozer.

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
Hail of Bullets	Shotguns and Light Machine Guns deal 3% more damage.	Gives a nice damage increase to LMG and shotguns.
Bulldozer	Increases Crit Chance with Shotguns and Light Machine Guns by 10%.	A crit chance will increase your DPS. Good on shotguns as each of the pellets from a shotgun has its own chance to crit.
Momentum Shift	Defeating an enemy increases movement speedy by 10% for 10 sec.	Movement speed after taking out an enemy can help you get in and out of combat when you need it. Only works for Shotguns and LMGs
Skeet Shooter	Deal 15% more damage to moving targets.	If you are moving around while you fight, so will the enemies. This will increase your damage, although not consistently. Only works with Shotguns and LMGs.
Speed Demon	You deal more damage the faster you're moving.	Can increase your damage a bit when walking and shooting and increases it even more when running and shooting. Only works for Shotguns and LMG.

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
Bloodrush	Increases movement speed in combat by 5% while carrying a Shotgun or Light Machine Gun.	The slight speed boost isn't very noticeable. Speed boost can help a bit and doesn't hurt.
Manic	When entering combat, your movement speed increases by 20% for 10 sec.	Useful to get in close for shotguns at the start of fights. But its duration is short. Only works for Shotguns and LMGs.
Unstoppable	Dismembering an enemy increases fire rate by 10% for 8 sec. Stocks up to 3 times.	Can increase their fire rate but the relies on dismembering to do so, making it less consistent. Only applies to Shotguns and LMGs.
Burn Baby Burn	Doubles the duration of Burn.	Works with the Overheat Quickhack and other burn effects that come from Shotguns and LMGs. The increase length can add more damage but takes time.
Biathlete	Weapon spread does not increase whle moving.	Good, but only if you take multitasker perk, allowing you to run and gun.
Bloodbath	Dismembering enemies reduces weapon recoil by 50% for 6 sec. +1 per Perk level.	Decreased recoil is useful but there are not a lot of weapons that can dismember and benefits from such a large recoil reduction.

C

Perk	Effect	Reason
Pump It, Louder!	Reduces recoil of Shotguns and Light Machine Guns by 10%.	Recoil on these guns are not a big deal and with shotguns you will have to be really close and recoil will not be a problem at that range.
Mongoose	Increases Evasion by 25% while reloading.	Evasion perks in the game are bugged and do not work as intended at the time of rating this perk.
Heavy Lead	Shotguns and Light Machine Guns knock back enemies with more force.	Its effects are hard to notice. Even without it you still knockback enemies with enough force for them to get knocked down.
Poppin' Off	Shotguns have a 25% higher chance of dismembering enemies.	The ability to dismember does not increase your combat effectiveness. Dismembering only happens upon killing an enemy. It can help with other perks that require dismembering, unfortunately they are not good enough to warrant getting this perk.
Hit the Deck	Increases damage to staggered and knocked-down enemies by 10%.	Can find a use in certain shotguns builds.

Best Street Brawler Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
Flurry	Increases damage from combo attacks with Blunt Weapons by 30%.	A large increase in your DPS. This makes spamming Light Attacks deal so much more damage. A must have in any melee build.
Juggernaut	Increases Armor by 15% while blocking with a Blunt Weapon.	If you are using a melee build you will be taking damage as you try and close the distance. This will increase your defense by a significant amount and let you tank more damage.
Efficient Blows	Reduces the Stamina cost of all attacks with Blunt Weapons by 25%.	This allows you attack way more times before worrying about running out of stamina. Even without the stamina regen perks, you can still keep attacking without worrying about running out of stamina.
Payback	Increases damage with Blunt Weapons by 1% for every 1% of missing Health.	Greatly increases your damage at health lower than 50% when maxed. Can help you clutch dire situations with the damage increase.
Frenzy	Defeating an enemy increases damage with Blunt Weapons by 100% for 10 sec.	A must have in any melee build. A 100% DPS increase is nothing to scoff at.

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
Crushing Blows	Increases damage from Strong Attacks with Blunt Weapons by 30%.	Large increased damage for Strong Attacks will increase your overall DPS. But the fact it requires Strong Attacks which are slow, makes it less effective.
Dazed	All attacks with Blunt Weapns have a 15% chance to apply Stun.	Useful to help stun enemies and activate other Perks that activate when attacking a stunned enemy.
Rush	Successful attacks with Blunt Weapons regenerate 3% Health over 2 sec.	Healing while attacking is mandatory for melee builds as you will be taking a lot of damage trying to get in close to your enemies. This will help you survive much longer in fights when you are on the offense.
Opportune Strike	Increases damage with Blunt Weapons against enemies affected by Stun by 50%.	Stunning enemies with blunt weapons isn't difficult. This will procc often, increasing your overall DPS.
Breathing Space	Increases Stamina regen while blocking with Blunt Weapons by 50%.	Regens your stamina fairly quickly. Useful in any melee build and more so in the Beat on the Brat fights.
Relentless	Successful attacks with Blunt Weapons against enemies affected by Stun restore 20% Stamina.	This will give you back some stamina every so often. Efficient Blows is much better as it keeps your stamina up consistently.
Thrash	Strong Attacks with Blunt Weapons reduce the target's Armor by 30% for 10 sec.	Increases your DPS if you start off with a Heavy Attack.
Unshakable	Successful attacks with Blunt Weapons against enemies affected by Stun restore 5% Health and 5% Stamina.	Even if the heal amount is a bit low, any amount of heal as you relentlessly attack can help you. The stamina regen is also a plus, especially when combined with Relentless.
Guerrilla	Increases Crit Damage by 60% for 10 sec. after entering combat. +2% per Perk level.	Increases Crit damage greatly. More effective in other builds than melee build

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
Human Fortress	Reduces the Stamina cost of blocking attacks by 50% while using a Blunt Weapon.	Just like Biding Time, it is useless outside of melee fights. But can help you win the Beat on the Brat fights.
Reinvigorate	Defeating an enemy by performing a Strong Attack with a Blunt Weapon restores 10% Stamina.	There are better stamina perks that cost less points to be effective in Street Brawler. You also will need to slow down with a Strong Attack that costs more stamina in order to regen stamina.

C

Perk	Effect	Reason
Biding Time	Blocking attacks with a Blunt Weapon restores 5% Health.	Blocking melee attacks will regenerate your health. But against guns this perk is useless. Very useful in the Beat on the Brat fights, but outside of that you won't see much use.

Best Breach Protocol Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
Mass Vulnerability	Unlocks the Mass Vulnerability daemon, which reduces the Physical Resistance for all enemies in the network by 30% for 3 min.	Increases your overall DPS against every enemy with a quick Breach Protocol.
Datamine Mastermind	Upgrades the Datamine daemon, increasing the amount of components acquired from Access Points by 50%.	You get more components for crafting Quickhacks. If you are using a Netrunner build, getting this as soon as possible is important in order to have enough material to craft higher tier Quickhacks.
Total Recall	The ICEpick daemon reduces all quickhack costs by an additional 1 RAM unit(s).	This makes Icepick even stronger. Allowing you to use more Quickhacks. A must have against high level enemies.
Cloud Cache	Completing a Breach Protocol reduces the RAM cost of your next quickhack by 1 time(s) the number of daemons uploaded.	This can be especially powerful when you have the other Daemons unlocked. This can help you start off a fight with a powerful Quickhack as its cost will be greatly reduced.
Mass Vulnerability: Quickhacks	Upgrades the Mass Vulnerability daemon, causing enemies in the network to also take 30% more damage from quickhacks.	Makes mass vulnerability stronger. Quickhacks are already powerful, this will make them hit even harder.
Totaler Recall	The ICEpick daemon reduces all quickhack costs by an additional 1 RAM unit(s).	Also increases the effectiveness of Icepick. Making Quickhacks cheaper to use.
Compression	Reduces the lengths of the sequences required to upload daemons by 1. Cannot be reduced below 2.	This will make Breach protocol much easier. And makes uploading more than 1 Daemon more viable.

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
Big Sleep	Unlocks the Big Sleep daemon, which disables all cameras in the network for 3 min.	Not having to worry about cameras for awhile without having to spend RAM and hacking each one individually is convenient and efficient. Mandatory if you wish to use Hackathon and Efficiency.
Advanced Datamine	Upgrades the Datamine daemon, increasing the amount of eurodollars acquired from Access Points by 50%.	More eddies to spend is always welcome.
Mass Vulnerability: Resistances	Upgrades the Mass Vulnerability daemon, reducing all Resistances for enemies in the network by 30%.	Decreases all resistances making Mass Vulnerability help you deal even more damage.
Turret Tamer	Unlocks the Turret Tamer daemon, which sets the status of every turret in the network to friendly for 3 min.	Very powerful if there are turrets in the network. Can help proc Hackathon and Efficiency.
Efficiency	Uploading 3 or more daemons in the same Breach Protocol increases cyberdeck RAM recovery rate by 3 unit(s) per 60 sec. Lasts 5 min.	The regeneration is significant and will allow you to use up more Quickhacks in a shorter amount of time. The only downside is that it requires 2 other perks that will give you more Daemons for Breach Protocol. It is also required there are cameras or turrets in the network, making it less reliable.
Head Start	Automatically uploads the first daemon in the list at the start of Breach Protocol.	This will ensure that Icepick or the first level of Datamine will always succeed. This will also give you less strings to put in your buffer. Downside is that because the first one is successful, you cannot quit and try again if you make a mistake.
Hackathon	Uploading 3 or more daemons in the same Breach Protocol shortens quickhack cooldowns by 33% for 5 min.	Significant cooldown decrease. What stops it from being S tier is that it requires at least 2 perks to work and the network has cameras or turrets
Buffer Optimization	Increases the duration of daemon effects by 100%.	Doubles the duration of your effects of Daemons. This can be useful for harder fights that can take longer to beat.

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
Almost In!	Increases the breach time for Breach Protocol by 20%.	The increased time for Breach Protocol is not very useful as you should be planning ahead before starting on the hack. Making the need for more time redundant. Can help you when you make a mistake or when there are many Daemons you can upload.
Turret Shutdown	Unlocks the Turret Shutdown daemon, which disables security turrets in the network for 3 min.	A weaker version of Turret Tamer. Can still be used to activate Efficiency and Hackathon perks.
Datamine Virtuoso	Upgrades the Datamine daemon, increasing the chance to acquire a quickhack from Access Points by 50%.	Even with the increased 100% chance, the odds of getting a Quickhack is low. There is a chance of getting Epic Quickhacks, but that requires a lot of Datamining and some luck.

C

Perk	Effect	Reason
Extended Network Interface	Automatically highlights nearby Access Points.	Access points already show up when you are near them, having them highlighted is just redundant.
Transmigration	Increases the breach time of Breach Protocol by 50%.	Longer Breach Protocol time is not necessary to successfully Breach Protocol.

Best Quickhacking Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C	-

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
Biosynergy	Allows RAM to recover during combat. Recover 4 RAM unit(s) every 60 sec.	A must have in almost any build that uses Quickhacks. It is the most reliable and consistent way of recovering RAM during combat.
Bloodware	Quickhacks deal 10% more damage.	Quickhacks dealing more damage is always good in any Netrunner build.
Daisy Chain	Eliminating a target affected by a quickhack reduces the existing cooldowns for all other active quickhacks by 10%.	This can significantly reduce the cooldown of the more powerful Quickhacks like Suicide. Synergizes well with Quickhacks that spread, making your Quickhacks go off cooldown even faster.
Subliminal Message	Quickhacks deal 50% more damage to unaware targets.	Increases the damage two fold if used stealthily. More reliable damage is always worth it.
Hacker Overlord	Unlocks Crafting Specs for Epic quickhacks.	This is necessary in order to get Epic Quickhacks, which is needed to get Legendary Quickhacks.
Bartmoss' Legacy	Unlocks Crafting Specs for Legendary quickhacks.	The best way to get Legendary Quickhacks.
Master Ram Liberator	Increases RAM recovery rate by 50%. +1% per Perk level.	This will make managing RAM a thing of the past. The increased recovery rate makes your already good RAM recovery perks even better!

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
Forget-Me-Not	Eliminating a target affected by a quickhack instantly recovers 1 RAM unit(s).	1 Ram does not seem a lot by itself, but adds up if using Quickhacks with longer duration and spreads. This can help you get the one more RAM a bit more quicker.
Weak Link	Reduces the required cyberdeck RAM for quickhacks used on devices by 1 unit(s).	Cheapens the device Quickhacks, saving you RAM for Quickhacks on enemies.
Signal Support	Increases quickhack duration by 25%.	The increased duration is nice for the support type Quickhacks. Synergizes with Daisy Chain well.
Diffusion	Quickhack spread distance is increased by 2 times.	Makes the Quickhacks like Contagion even more consistent by making sure it ends up spreading to an enemy. Works well with a lot of high tier Quickhacks.
Mnemonic	Reduces the cost of quickhacks used against an enemy already affected by a quickhack by 2 RAM units.	Pairs well with support Quickhacks that have long duration and spreads to other enemies. Giving you a discount on multiple enemies.
School of Hard Hacks	Unlocks Crafting Specs for Rare quickhacks.	You will need this to upgrade your Quickhacks to rare for it to get to Epic then Legendary.
Plague	Quickhacks that spread can jump to 1 additional targets.	You will need this to upgrade your Quickhacks to rare for it to get to Epic then Legendary.
Critical Error	Quickhacks can now deal Crit Hits based on your Crit Chance and Crit Damage stats.	Requires you to have some Crit chance and Damage stats to get value. Can greatly increase your DPS in the right build.
Optimization	Reduces the cost of quickhacks by 1 RAM unit(s).	Decreases the cost of the Quickhacks by 1, not big but can stack with other RAM reduction.

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
Hacker's Manual	Unlocks Crafting Specs for Uncommon quickhacks.	Uncommon Quickhacks can be bought at Netrunner shops and Ripperdocs, making this perk not as relevant. Can be a cheap way of obtaining Quickhacks if you have the components.

C

Perk	Effect	Reason
I Spy	Reveals an enemy netrunner when they're attempting to hack you.	Enemy Netrunners are highlighted momentarily orange if already tagged with your optics or through other Quickhacks. Looking for the enemy Netrunner is not difficult without this perk.
Anamnesis	Available cyberdeck RAM cannot drop below 2 unit(s).	It does not actually work the way it is described. It will regen you 2/3/4 RAM when you reach 0 RAM and there is no RAM recovery active. This effect is very weak and requires you to not have any RAM recovery or to spend an exact amount for this perk to work consistently.

Unlisted Perk

According to our testing, the following perk does not appear to work. Therefore, we cannot recommend its use.

Perk	Effect
Anamnesis	Available cyberdeck RAM cannot drop below 2 unit(s).

Best Stealth Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
Sniper	Increases damage from headshots fired from outside combat by 30%.	When paired with Snipers that have a high headshot multipliers, this will almost ensure a one-hit kill on any target (except for bosses).
From The Shadows	Upon entering combat, Crit Chance increases by 25% for 7 sec.	Critical hits are particularly useful in finishing off opponents quickly - and making it happen more often is definitely helpful.
Cheat Death	When your Health drops below 50%, reduce all incoming damage by 50% for 10 sec. Cannot occur more than once per minute.	Useful especially against enemies that deal a lot of damage.
Ninjutsu	Crouch Attacks from stealth with melee weapons deal 100% more damage and guarantee a critical hit.	This almost guarantees a one-hit KO with any blade or blunt weapon.

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
Crouching Tiger	Increases movement speed while sneaking by 20%.	This perk helps in takedowns and sneaking around allowing you to maximize stealth (and increase Stealth EXP as well).
Strike From The Shadows	Increases your Crit Chance by 15% while sneaking.	Very useful when already equipped with weapons that has a high Critical chance.
Assassin	Deal 15% more damage to human enemies.	Pretty useful especially early in the game when more often, you battle human enemies.
Venomous Fangs	All knives apply Poison.	This is particularly useful when knives are used in melee combat (not thrown).
Silent Finisher	Enemies with less than 15% Health are defeated instantly when attacked with a Knife. Does not work on enemies with a Very High threat level.	This makes Knives even deadlier when added to the effects of Venomous Fangs, Rattlesnake, and Neurotoxin.
Restorative Shadows	While in stealth, increases Health regen by 25%.	This allows V to fight a bit more recklessly while in Stealth as it preserves his health.

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
Silent And Deadly	Increases damage dealt by silenced weapons by 25% while sneaking.	Silencers reduce damage by 15-30% themselves making this bonus only partially useful.
Dagger Dealer	Allows you to throw knives. Hold L2 to aim and press R2 to throw.	While knives are pretty common and oftentimes buyable, you lose them in the process making this skill a bit expensive to use.
Leg Up	Movement speed after a successful takedown is increased by 30% for 10 sec.	Movement speed increase is useful only in certain situations.
Cutthroat	Thrown knives deal 30% more damage.	While this could ensure a very high damaging single-shot attack, you lose whatever Knife you throw making this attack style very expensive.
Aggressive Antitoxins	Grants immunity to Poison.	There are very few opponents that use Poison related attacks making this skill only partially useful.
Ghost	Detection time is increased by 20%.	This skill is particulary useful in finishing missions in Stealth since it delays detection and unwanted battles.
Rattlesnake	Enemies affected by Poison are slowed.	This skill is highly dependent on applying Poison which can only be effective once Venomous Fangs is unlocked. Otherwise, this skill is very situational.
Hasty Retreat	Temporarily boosts movement speed by 50% for 5 sec. when detected by an enemy.	Good as an escape tactic however, it defeats the purpose of stealth which this skill tree is supposed to increase.
Neurotoxin	Damage from Poison is doubled.	Highly dependent on other skills and Poison-inducing weapons in order to be effective (such as Rattlesnake and Venomous Fangs)
Hasten The Inevitable	Deal 20% more damage to enemies affected by Poison.	Highly dependent on other skills as well as weapons that inflict Poison in order to be effective.
Toxicology	Increases the duration of Poison applied to enemies by 5 seconds. +0.2 sec. per Perk level.	This is highly dependent on skills that apply Poison immediately otherwise it would not be as effective.

C

Perk	Effect	Reason
Hidden Dragon	Allows you to perform lethal or non-lethal aerial takedowns on unaware targets.	While this takes advantage of height, there is rarely an opportunity for this skill to be maximized.
Clean Work	You can pick up an enemy's body immediately after performing a takedown by holding R3.	Unless you have the Transporter ability from the Athletics Skill Tree, this skill will render you unable to attack or sprint.
Stunning Blows	Quick Melee Attacks with ranged weapons stagger enemies, giving you an opportunity to grapple them.	It is very rare that you can find an opportunity to use Quick Melee Attacks, making this perk far less useful than others.
Commando	You cannot be detected under water.	There are very few missions that occur near bodies of water and for those that do, there is rarely a need for V to get into the water, making this school mostly useless.

Best Cold Blood Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
Frozen Precision	Increases headshot damage by 50%.	This is one of the most useful perks in the Cold Blood tree, making headshots even more lethal.

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
Cold Blood	After defeating an enemy, gain Cold Blood for 10 sec. and increase movement speed by 2%. Stacks up to 1 time.	With every enemy kill, it unlocks all of the bonuses afforded in this skill tree.
Critical Condition	Increases duration of Cold Blood by 5 sec.	This allows the effects of the entire Cold Blood perks to last much longer.
Rapid Bloodflow	Increase Health regen inside and outside combat by 50% per stack of Cold Blood.	Combined with the other defensive bonuses of the Cold Blood skill tree, this allows you to last much longer in battle.
Defensive Clotting	Increases Armor by 10% per stack of Cold Blood.	The increase is armor is pretty significant especially in higher levels when you start having armors that increase your total armor by 100 points.
Coldest Blood	Increases max stack amount for Cold Blood by 1.	This, in combination with Coolagulant, makes each Cold Blood last even much longer.
Predator	Increases attack speed by 10% per stack of Cold Blood.	The huge increase in attack speed is pretty significant especially with melee weapons.
Bloodswell	When your Health reaches 45%, a max stack of Cold Blood is automatically activated.	This allows an emergency response when your health becomes low, allowing you to find a way to fight back.
Coolagulant	Stacks of Cold Blood are removed one by one, not all at once.	This ensures that you maximize each stack of Cold Blood.
Unbreakable	Increases max stack amount for Cold Blood by 1.	This allows you to have a maximum of 5 stacks of Cold Blood (alongside Coldest Blood and maxed out Cold Blood). This ensures maximum usage of all Cold Blood benefits.
Pain Is An Illusion	While Cold Blood is active, reduces damage taken by 5%.	The damage decrease allows you to survive longer in battle and use the Cold Bood effects more.
Immunity	While Cold Blood is active, you are immune to Bleeding, Poison, Burn and Shock.	This is particularly useful as this allows you to battle any kind of opponent without worrying to much about negative status effects.
Merciless	While Cold Blood is active, increases Crit Chance by 10% and Crit Damage by 25%. +1% Crit Chance and +3% Crit Damage per Perk level.	This is a really useful perk to have as it allows critical hits to happen more often.

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
Will to Survive	Increases all Resistances by 2.5% per stack of Cold Blood.	While the increase to all Resistances is useful, the very low percentage of increase makes this skill somewhat less useful.
Icy Veins	Reduces weapon recoil by 2.5% per stack of Cold Blood.	Reducing recoil to all weapons is particularly useful but the increase itself is pretty small.
Frosty Synapses	Reduces quickhack cooldowns by 3% per stack of Cold Blood.	The reduction of Quickhack cooldowns is useful but the Hacking skill tree has far more useful beneficial perks.
Blood Brawl	While Cold Blood is active, increases damage with melee weapons by 5%.	The damage increase is not significant enough to land deadlier blows using blades or blunt weapons but if paired with other perks in the Cold Blood tree such as Predator, then, this perk will be more noticeable.
Cold and Calculating	Landing a Crit Hit has 25% chance of applying a stack of Cold Blood.	While the added chance of applying Cold Blood on you is great, there are far better bonuses to be had such as Unbreakable and Coldest Blood.

C

Perk	Effect	Reason
Quick Transfer	Reduces quickhack upload time by 1% per stack of Cold Blood.	The reduction in quickhack upload time is useful but the bonus is too insignificant. More useful bonuses can be found in the Hacking skill tree.

Best Crafting Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
Sapper	Grenades deal 10% more damage.	Essential skill that makes grenade more effective at killing a group of enemies.

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
Mechanic	Gain more components when disassembling.	This skill is useful for obtaining crafting materials without having to loot caches.
Let There Be Light!	Reduces the component cost of upgrading items by 10%.	Very useful when you need to conserve crafting materials for other uses.
Cost Optimization	Reduces component cost of crafting items by 15%.	Very useful when you need to conserve crafting materials for other uses.
Waste Not Want Not	When disassembling an item, you get attached mods back.	Useful when you are able to loot an underwhelming item but with a high-quality mod attached.
Edgerunner Artisan	Allows you to craft Legendary items.	You're more likely to loot better Legendary items, but this skill can still be useful when you have Legendary Crafting Specs.
Cutting Edge	Improves damage and all damage-related stats of crafted weapons by 5%.	Makes any crafted weapon much deadlier, depending on the crafting spec's initial stats.

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
True Craftsman	Allows you to craft Rare items.	You're more likely to loot better Rare items, but this skill can still be useful when you have Rare Crafting Specs.
Scrapper	Junk items are automatically disassembled.	Makes disassembling items much more efficient, but this skill shouldn't be a priority.
Workshop	Disassembling items grants a 5% chance to gain a free component of the same quality as the disassembled item.	The small increase in chance doesn't make this skill worthwhile.
Innovation	Consumables are 25% more effective.	Consumables are scattered all over the game world, which makes this skill beneficial to you if you loot them often.
Field Technician	Crafted weapons deal 2.5% more damage.	It would be better to look for weapons around the world, but this skill can still come in handy when you have Crafting Specs for high-quality weapons.
Ex Nihilo	Grants a 20% chance to craft an item for free.	The chances of crafting a free random item are too low for this skill to be worth it.
Grease Monkey	Allows you to craft Epic items.	You're more likely to loot better Epic items, but this skill can still be useful when you have Epic Crafting Specs.
Efficient Upgrades	Grants a 10% chance to upgrade an item for free.	This skill is beneficial when it randomly upgrades an item that you need, but the chances of it happening are too low for this skill to be worth it.
Tune-Up	Allows you to upgrade lower quality components into higher quality ones.	Can be useful when you're in need of high-quality crafting materials.

C

Perk	Effect	Reason
200% Efficiency	Crafted clothes gain 2.5% more armor.	You're more likely to loot better clothing, making this skill not worth your perk point.
Crazy Science	Increases the sale price of crafted items by 10%. +1% per Perk level.	You could sell better using other items that you have. The small increase in sale price doesn't make this skill worthwhile.

Best Engineering Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
Lock And Load	Increases Smart Weapon reload speed by 5%.	Essential skill that improves your flow with Smart weapons.
Bigger Booms	Grenades deal 5% more damage.	Essential skill that makes your grenades much deadlier.
Superconductor	Tech weapons ignore Armor.	Very useful against heavy enemies, as it pierces through Armor which can deal more damage.
Revamp	Increases damage from Tech weapons by 25%. Increases charge damage from all chargeable weapons and cyberware by 10%. +1% charge damage per Perk level.	This increases your Tech weapon's overall effects, making it a valuble skill to have.

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
Blast Shielding	Reduces damage taken from explosions by 10%.	Useful when enemies throw grenades at you, as it increases your protection from the explosion.
Can't Touch This	Grants immunity to all effects from your own grenades.	You can use this to throw non-lethal grenades at yourself when you're being surrounded by enemies.
Grenadier	The explosion radius is visible.	Useful for calculating a grenade's blast radius before throwing it.
Up To 11	Allows you to charge Tech weapons up to 75% capacity.	Very useful against heavy enemies, as this skill increases the damage that a charged Tech weapon can cause.
Bladerunner	Increases damage to drones, mechs and robots by 20%.	Very useful against drones, robots, and other mechanical enemies.
Lightning Bolt	Increases Crit Chance with tech weapons by 3%.	Critical Hits are particularly useful in finishing off opponents quickly - and making it happen more often is definitely helpful.
Tesla	Increases the charge multiplier for Tech weapons by 15%.	Very useful against heavy enemies with large Health, as this can potentially damage them severely.
Gun Whisperer	Fully charged Tech weapons do not shoot automatically.	Useful for controlling your Tech weapon's charge.
Insulation	Grants immunity to Shock.	Some weapons have a Shock effect that can insta-kill you, so having this skill will prevent that.
Übercharge	Fully charged Tech weapons deal 50% more damage.	With a powerful charge from your Tech weapon, this skill can guarantee a one-hit kill on any target.
Jackpot	Enables grenades to deal Crit Hits.	Critical Hits are useful in finishing off enemies quickly, so having it enabled in grenades is helpful.

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
Mech Looter	When looting drones, mechs and robots, there is a 25% chance of looting a weapon mod or attachment.	You won't encounter metal enemies that often, but this skill can still come in handy when you get the chance to destroy some of them.
Shrapnel	All grenade types deal 20 damage in addition to their normal effects.	Useful for increasing your grenade's damage effect against enemies.
Fuck All Walls	Reduces the charge amount needed for Tech weapons to penetrate walls by 30%.	Useful for penetrating walls, but it depends on how often you can wall bang enemies.
Play The Angles	Ricochets deal an additional 50% damage.	Calculating a bullet's ricochet can be difficult, but this skill can still be helpful when it happens.
Lickety Split	Tech weapon charge time is reduced by 10%.	This skill will slightly increase your Tech weapon's fire rate, but it shouldn't be a priority as a single shot can already have devastating effects.

C

There are no Perks with this ranking.

Best Assault Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
Bulletjock	Increases damage with rifles by 3%.	Essential skill that causes more damage to enemies, especially if you use Rifles or Submachine Guns often.
Nerves of Steel	Increases headshot damage with Sniper Rifles and Precision Rifles by 20%.	With the right Sniper, this skill can guarantee a one-hit kill on any target.
Feel the Flow	Reduces reload time for Assault Rifles and Submachine Guns by 10%.	Essential skill that improves your flow with Assault Rifles and Submachine Guns.
Recoil Wrangler	Reduces recoil with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 10%.	Essential skill that improves your Rifle and Submachine Gun handling, especially when you spray bullets uncontrollably.

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
Covering Killshot	Increases Crit Chance with Rifles by 10% when firing from behind cover.	Can be useful in finishing off enemies when you're in a tight spot.
Bullseye	Increases Rifle and Sumachine Gun damage while aiming by 10%	Useful when shooting enemies from a distance, as well as to people who are more accustomed to using iron sights.
Executioner	Deal 25% more damage with Rifles and Submachine Guns to enemies whose Health is above 50%.	Useful against enemies with large Health, as it would significantly damage them with your first shots.
Trench Warfare	Increases Rifle and Submachine Gun damage by 5% when firing from behind cover.	If you often find yourself hiding behind cover, this skill can be very helpful when you're being flanked.
Hunter's Hands	Reduces recoil with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 20% when firing from behind cover.	Useful when shooting behind cover, as it improves your Rifle and Submachine Gun handling.
Named Bullets	Increases Crit Damage with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 35%.	Adding Critical Damage is helpful in finishing off enemies.
Bunker	Increases Armor and Resistances by 15% when shooting with Rifles and Submachine Guns from behind cover.	Paired with a protective Cyberware and Clothing, this skill can grant you significant protection while shooting behind cover.
Long Shot	Rifle and Submachine Gun damage increases the farther you are located from enemies.	Useful when shooting enemies from a distance.
Punisher	After defeating an enemy with a Rifle or Submachine Gun, weapon sway is nullified and weapon spread does not increase for 10 sec. +0.2 sec. per Perk level.	Useful when fighting a group of enemies, as it increases your focus every kill that you get.

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
Eagle Eye	Reduces time to aim down sight with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 10%.	Useful when shooting enemies from a distance, as well as to people who are more accustomed to using iron sights.
Too Close For Comfort	Quick melee attacks with Rifles deal 50% more damage.	Quick Melee Attacks barely do significant damage, but it can be useful in knocking off enemies.
Duck Hunter	Increases Rifle and Submachine Gun damage to moving enemies by 10%	Unless you have a steady aim, this can be useful in taking out maneuvering enemies before they can find cover.
Shoot Reload Repeat	Defeating an enemy with a Rifle or Submachine Gun reduces reload time by 20% for 5 seconds.	Can be useful in critical situations where you suddenly have to reload in the middle of combat.
Skull Skipper	Each headshot reduces recoil with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 5% for 10 sec. Stacks up to 5 times.	This skill can help balance your Rifle and Submachine Gun handling, but only if you get headshots.
Savage Stoic	Increases damage with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 35% when standing still	With the game's fast-paced combat, you are expected to move around a lot, so you might not benefit from this perk that often.

C

Perk	Effect	Reason
In Perspective	Bullets fired from Rifles and Submachine Guns ricochet an additional 2 time(s).	This skill doesn't really add much to your overall shooting abilities, as it depends on how much you pay attention to ricocheting bullets.

Best Handguns Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
Gunslinger	Reduces reload time for Pistols and Revolvers by 10%.	Essential skill that improves your flow with Pistols and Revolvers.
Rio Bravo	Increases headshot damage multiplier with Pistols and Revolvers by 10%.	With a powerful Pistol or Revolver, this skill can guarantee a one-hit kill on any target.
Desperado	Increases damage with Pistols and Revolvers by 3%.	Essential skill that causes more damage to enemies, especially if you use Pitols or Revolvers often.
O.K. Corral	Deal 50% more damage with Pistols and Revolvers to enemies whose Health is below 25%.	Useful for finishing off enemies with low Health.

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
Long Shot Drop Pop	Increases damage with Pistols and Revolvers to enemies 5+ meters away by 15%.	Useful when shooting enemies from a distance, especially with the right scope attached.
A Fistful of Eurodollars	Increases Crit Damage with Pistols and Revolvers by 10%.	Adding Critical Damage is helpful in finishing off enemies.
Grand Finale	The last round in a Pistol or Revolver clip deals double damage.	Your last shot can be a lifesaver in certain situations, so it would be wise to get this skill as soon as possible.
Attritional Fire	Firing consecutive shots with a Pistol or Revolver at the same target increases damage by 10%.	This skill makes your Pistol and Revolver deadlier against opponents.
Wild West	Removes the damage penalty from Pistols and Revolvers when shooting from a distance.	Useful when shooting enemies from a distance, especially with the right scope attached.
Snowball Effect	After defeating an enemy, fire rate for Pistols and Revolvers increases by 5% for 6 sec. Stacks up to 5 times.	Useful for chaining kills after defeating an enemy.
Brainpower	After a successful headshot with a Pistol or Revolver, Crit Chance increases by 25% for 5 sec.	Can be useful in finishing off enemies quickly after getting a headshot.
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly	After a successful Crit Hit with a Pistol or Revolver, damage and Armor increase by 30% for 5 seconds. +1% per Perk level.	Useful when fighting a group of enemies, as it increases your damage and protection after getting a Critical Hit.

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
High Noon	Increases Crit Chance with Pistols and Revolvers by 4%.	Adding Critical Damage is helpful in finishing off enemies, but the small amount it adds shouldn't make this skill your priority.
From Head to Toe	Increases damage to limbs with Pistols and Revolvers by 7%.	Unless you don't actively aim for the limbs, this can be helpful when hip-firing as you might randomly hit a limb.
Acrobat	You can now perform dodges while aiming a Pistol or Revolver.	Can be useful when you need to adjust your position while aiming.
Westworld	Increases Crit Chance for Pistols and Revolvers by 10% if fully modded.	Only useful if you invest in modding Pistols or Revolvers.
Lead Sponge	Enables you to shoot with Pistols and Revolvers while dodging.	Unless you have a steady aim, this can be useful in shooting enemies while you're maneuvering.

C

Perk	Effect	Reason
On the Fly	Reduces draw/holster time for Pistols and Revolvers by 25%.	Unless you only use guns, this skill can be useful in switching to your sidearm faster. However, there are better weapons to switch to when your primary weapon runs out of ammo.
Steady Hand	Reduces Pistol and Revolver recoil by 30%.	Since most Pistols and Revolvers fire a single shot, it may be easier to just adjust your aim after doing so.
Vanishing Point	Evasion increases by 25% for 6 sec. after performing a dodge with a Pistol or Revolver equipped.	Small status effect buff doesn't make this skill worthwhile.

Best Blades Perks

Click to Jump Ahead to a Skill Tree
Athletics	Annihilation	Street Brawler	Breach Protocol
Quickhacking	Stealth	Cold Blood	Crafting
Engineering	Assault	Handguns	Blades

Tiers
S	A	B	C

S

Perk	Effect	Reason
Sting Like a Bee	Increases attack speed with Blades by 10%.	Useful for performing Blade Combos much faster.
Roaring Waters	Strong Attacks with Blades deal 30% more damage.	Essential skill that makes your Blade weapon even deadlier.
Flight of the Sparrow	Reduces the Stamina cost of all attack with Blades by 30%	Essential skill that improves your flow with Blades and making your Stamina less of a worry.
Float Like a Butterfly	Dodging increases damage with Blades by 35% for 5 sec.	Perfect for performing counterattacks against melee-wielding enemies.
Judge, Jury and Executioner	Increases damage with Blades by 50% against enemies with max Health.	Very useful when beginning a fight, as you can kill initial targets with full Health quicker.
Fiery Blast	Increases damage with Blades by 1% for every 1% of Health the enemy is missing.	Makes your Blade weapon much deadlier every time you cause damage against enemies.
Dragon Strike	Increases Crit Damage with Blades by 25%. +1% per Perk level.	Adding Critical Damage is helpful in finishing off enemies.

A

Perk	Effect	Reason
Crimson Dance	Combos with Blades have a 15% chance to apply Bleeding.	Useful against enemies with large Health, as Bleeding would kill them much faster.
Slow and Steady	Armor is increased by 15% while moving.	This allows you to survive longer in combat, as it increases your protection whilst maneuvering around enemies.
Shifting Sands	Dodging recovers 15% Stamina.	Useful for recovering your Stamina in critical situations.
Stuck Pig	Increases Bleeding duration by 3 sec.	Applying Bleeding causes enemies to suffer damage over time, so making it last longer is definitely helpful.
Blessed Blade	Increases Crit Chance with Blades by 20%.	Critical Hits are particularly useful in finishing off opponents quickly - and making it happen more often is definitely helpful.
Crimson Tide	Bleeding applied with Blades can stack 3 times.	Applying Bleeding causes enemies to suffer damage over time, so stacking the effect multiple times is definitely helpful.
Deathbolt	While wielding a Blade, defeating an enemy restores 20% Health and increases movement speed by 30% for 5 sec.	Useful for recovering your Health and evading enemies after getting a kill.

B

Perk	Effect	Reason
Offensive Defense	Defensive Attacks with Blades deal 200% more damage.	Defensive Attacks can be tricky to pull-off sometimes, so this skill shouldn't be a priority to acquire.
Unbroken Spirit	Successful Counterattacks with Blades restore 25% Health and Stamina.	Useful for recovering your Health and Stamina in critical situations.

C

Perk	Effect	Reason
Bloodlust	While wielding a Blade, recovers 7% Health when applying Bleeding to an enemy or hitting an enemy affected by Bleeding.	The amount of Health that can be recovered with this skill doesn't make it worthwhile.

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