Best Assault Rifle Build for Patch 1.6 | Cyberpunk 2077

This is a guide to the Best Assault Rifle 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.

Assault Rifle Build Overview

Build Basic Information

Assault Rifle Build
Main Attributes	• Reflexes • Body • Technical Ability
Main Perk Trees	• Assault (Reflexes) • Athletics (Body) • Crafting (Technical Ability)
Main Weapons / Arm Cyberware	• Psalm 11:6 • Moron Labe • Divided We Stand • Projectile Launch System
Operating System	• Biodyne Berserk MK.4 / QianT "Warp Dancer" Sandevistan MK.5

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	Weaknesses
• High DPS shreds through groups of enemies quickly • Usable from a long distance	• Reload time and recoil take some adjustment • Forgoes quickhacking and stealth for direct combat

Assault Rifle Best Attribute Build

Attribute Progression

Assault Rifles require Body and Reflexes to be effective. As you'll likely be exposed while firing, survivability is needed by getting perks from the Athletics skill tree while weapon effectiveness improves with Assault perks. Technical Ability is also added in for the ability to craft Legendary weapons later in the game while improving Armor.

Build Attributes
Lv.	Body	Reflex	Tech	Intel	Cool
1	6	4	6	3	3
10	10	7	8	3	3
50	20	20	18	7	6

Assault Rifle Build Best Perks

Assault (Reflexes)

Perk	Effect at Lv. 1
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.
Bulletjock	Increases damage with rifles by 3%.
Eagle Eye	Reduces time to aim down sight with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 10%.
Covering Killshot	Increases Crit Chance with Rifles by 4% when firing from behind cover.
Too Close For Comfort	Quick melee attacks with Rifles deal 75% more damage.
Bullseye	Increases Rifle and Sumachine Gun damage while aiming by 10%
Executioner	Deal 25% more damage with Rifles and Submachine Guns to enemies whose Health is above 50%.
Duck Hunter	Increases Rifle and Submachine Gun damage to moving enemies by 10%
Shoot, Reload, Repeat	Defeating an enemy with a Rifle or Submachine Gun reduces reload time by 20% for 5 seconds.
Nerves of Steel	Increases headshot damage with Sniper Rifles and Precision Rifles by 10%.
Feel the Flow	Reduces reload time for Assault Rifles and Submachine Guns by 10%.
Trench Warfare	Increases Rifle and Submachine Gun damage by 5% when firing from behind cover.
Hunter's Hands	Reduces recoil with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 5% when firing from behind cover.
Named Bullets	Increases Crit Damage with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 20%.
Skull Skipper	Each headshot reduces recoil with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 4% for 10 sec. Stacks up to 5 times.
Bunker	Increases Armor and Resistances by 15% when shooting with Rifles and Submachine Guns from behind cover.
Recoil Wrangler	Reduces recoil with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 5%.
In Perspective	Bullets fired from Rifles and Submachine Guns ricochet an additional 1 time(s).
Long Shot	Rifle and Submachine Gun damage increases the farther you are located from enemies.
Savage Stoic	Increases damage with Rifles and Submachine Guns by 35% when standing still.

Assault Perks help improve the handling and damage of Assault Rifles. Skills like Shoot, Reload, Repeat and Feel the Flow make reloads faster, so you'll have more time shooting. Damage skills like Bulletjock and Savage Stoic are also recommended for mowing down your enemies quickly.

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%.

Athletics lets you survive taking multiple hits so you can return fire without worrying about flatlining. Perks such as Indestructible and Steel Shell will reduce damage while Regeneration and related skills like Dog of War 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 Assault Rifles the best they can be. Adding skills like Cutting Edge only makes them better.

Assault Rifle Build Best Weapons

Psalm 11:6

Effect	Pure hellfire. This gun deals additional Thermal damage, greatly increasing the chance to apply Burn.

This weapon gives the phrase 'Light 'em up' new meaning by setting your enemies ablaze! This Assault Rifle packs enough firepower (and fire) to wipe out your enemies while letting any survivors burn to a crisp.

How to Get the Psalm 11:6

Moron Labe

Effect	High dismembering probability and fire rate.

Defy your enemies like a Spartan with this Assault Rifle. Morons who dare to challenge this weapon's user will sooner find themselves filled with bullets thanks to its increased firing rate. If they're really unlucky, their body parts might just come off.

How to Get the Moron Labe

Divided We Stand

Effect	A modified automatic targeting system allows the weapon to target up to five targets simultaneously with decreased accuracy. Bullets may explode into Biohazard clouds, dealing Chemical damage and applying Poison.

Our pick for a Smart Weapon is the Divided We Stand. Even in an Assault Rifle build, it's useful for its automated targeting system and the fact that it can hit five targets at once.

How to Get the Divided We Stand

Assault Rifle Build Best Cyberwares

Operating System

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 is useful for Assault Rifle users thanks to its recoil reduction and armor improvements. The Biodyne Berserk is our top choice for the Operating System as it also improves ranged damage while active.

QianT Warp Dancer Sandevistan MK.5

Cyberware	Effect (Legendary/Iconic)
QianT "Warp Dancer" Sandevistan MK.5	Slows time by 10% for 8 sec. Cooldown 30 sec. ・Increases any damage dealt by 15%, Crit Chance by 10%, and Crit Damage by 50% when Sandevistan is active.

A Sandevistan can also be used for a more offensive style as time can be slowed while increasing the damage dealt. Do note that your reload speed is also affected by slowed time, so make sure you've got enough bullets ready before activating it.

Arms Cyberware

Projectile Launch System

Cyberware	Effect (Legendary)
Projectile Launch System	The Projectile Launcher allows you to unleash various powerful projectiles, dealing various types of damage as well as causing explosions and applying status effects. But most importantly, it wreaks mayhem and destruction. Three slot available (missiles, wiring, universal).

The Projectile Launch System can serve as a handy backup in case you run out of rifle ammo or can't reload on the fly.

Other Cyberwares

Heal-On-Kill

Cyberware	Effect (Legendary)
Heal-on-Kill	Instantly restores 10% Health after defeating an enemy.

This is a fantastic cyberware for survivability, requiring less time for healing if you can take down multiple enemies successively.

Subdermal Armor

Cyberware	Effect (Legendary)
Subdermal Armor	Increases Armor by 300.

More Armor means less damage taken while in a shootout. Equip this to supplement your defenses.

Biomonitor

Cyberware	Effect (Legendary)
Biomonitor	Instantly restores 100% Health when Health drops to 15%. Cooldown 120 sec.

This can effectively give you a second chance if your Health drops too low. Make sure to use it well, as the long cooldown could mean you'll flatline if you mess up again.

Bionic Joints

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

Assault Rifles tend to have heavy recoil, so reducing it as much as possible is necessary to keep your aim straight.

How to Play the Assault Rifle Build

Go Berserk When Possible

The bonuses provided by the Biodyne Berserk are worth using as much as possible. Make the most of your enhanced stats by eliminating as many targets as you can before it expires.

Keep Your Health Up

As you're more than likely to end up in a firefight with an Assault Rifle, you'll have to make sure your enemies go out before you do. Take advantage of cover to heal up and reload safely, and equip cyberware and perks that reduce damage and help regen Health when you're open firing.

Watch Out for Recoil and Reload Times

Recoil affects how much your aim moves about every time you shoot, so reducing this can help make your firing more steady, leading to more accurate hits. Reload time is also a concern for Assault Rifles since they take a while longer than other weapons. Thankfully, perks can reduce this, so you can improve your DPS by firing more often.

Cyberpunk 2077 Related Guides

Best Character Builds

All Build Guides

Best Builds
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

All Cyberpunk 2077 Guides

Guides by Category
News and Game Info	Quests and Walkthrough
Perks and Attributes	Weapons
Clothing and Armor	Cyberware
Cars and Vehicles	Items and Gear
Quickhacks	Mods and Attachments
Tips and Tricks	Game Mechanics
Characters	Best Builds
Best Weapons	Best Armor
Maps and Locations	Lifepaths
Factions	Trophies
Message Boards