★ 2.1 Update and Ultimate Edition are now available!
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★ Phantom Liberty: Dogtown Map & Relics System
★ See our Best Update 2.0 Builds here!
┗ HOT: Blades Build, Netrunner Build, & Assassin Build
★ Update 2.0: Changes to Perks, Cyberware, & UI
This is a guide to the Update 2.1 Best Blades Build for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. Read our guide for details about the build, what attributes to level up, which perks to choose, and what weapons and cyberwares to use.
List of Contents
Blades Build | |
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Main Attributes | |
Main Weapons / Arm Cyberware | ・ Byakko ・ Kongou / Her Majesty ・ Overwatch ・Mantis Blades |
Operating System | ・Militech “Apogee” Sandevistan |
This build is extremely strong when used with a Katana and a Sandevistan that slows time. This allows you to quickly dispatch any enemy even if they are in a group! Update 2.0 introduced a lot of new mobility enhancements for V, so a melee swordmaster build is extremely fun to use now!
The build relies heavily on jumping in and taking on multiple enemies at the same time, so it won't be very effective when stealth is required for a certain mission. Additionally, the player is required to jump in face-to-face with an enemy so they will inevitably soak up a lot of damage. This may not be very effective against high HP enemies like bosses.
Also since we are using a Sandevistan, note that V won't have access to any quickhacks in this build.
Build Attributes | |||||
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Lv. | Body | Reflex | Tech | Intel | Cool |
1 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
10 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
50 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 3 | 8 |
60 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 3 | 18 |
The max level is only up until 50 in the base game. Purchase Phantom Liberty to reach level 60.
When starting out, add points to Reflexes first. Reflexes are the main attribute of this build, due to the access it gives to the Blades perk tree. This attribute also provides perks that enable V to dash in and out of combat.
Body is your second-most important attribute, as it gives you access to perks that will not only reduce the damage you take in combat but also regenerate your health. Meanwhile, you will find yourself leveling up your Technical Ability attribute to unlock perks that enable you to increase cyberware capacity and reduce cooldowns for certain cyberwares like the Sandevistan.
We will not put any points in Intelligence mostly because our Operating Systems would be primarily a Sandevistan. V won't have access to any quickhacks in this build, so be wary of that.
This is the full list of perks that you can get if you achieve the maximum level 60 with the Phantom Liberty DLC. Optional perks are also listed in their own section in case you have not purchased the DLC.
Jump to Each Attribute for Their Perks! | |||
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Optional Perks |
Most Reflexes perks for this build give you mobility options as you dash in and out of battle. Dash will help you easily cut the distance between you and an enemy or give you the capability to jump out of battle when low on health.
Air Dash, on the other hand, will help you leap across platforms or buildings to more easily access enemies. Jumping around also makes effective use of the Flash and Thunderclap perk!
Main Perk | Secondary Perk(s) |
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Final Perks | |||
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Perk | Requirement |
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Get this perk when you have specific secondary perks unlocked.
Vehicle Perk | ||
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Points are also invested in Body to promote maximum defense, and health regeneration. This is very important as you will be exposed to damage as you hack and slash your way to victory.
Main Perk | Secondary Perk(s) |
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Final Perks | |||
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Vehicle Perk | ||
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Perks from Technical Ability allows you to increase your cyberware capacity which also increases your overall armor and health. This also provides access to the Ticking Time Bomb perk that stuns enemies whenever the Sandevistan is active.
Main Perk | Secondary Perk(s) |
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Final Perks | |||
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Vehicle Perk | ||
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This attribute focuses on the stealth aspect of the Blades build. Having access to these gives V an alternative to just going in and slashing their way through hoards of enemies.
Main Perk | Secondary Perk(s) |
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Main Perk Only |
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Vehicle Perk | ||
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If you still have not purchased the Phantom Liberty DLC and have no access to the 10 additional perk points that came with it, these perks are optional and can be removed.
Removable Perks (10 pts) | |
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Priority | Main Skill | → | Branch Skill |
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1st |
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2nd |
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Blademasters would want to take Vulnerability Analytics first, as it gives them the capability to strike on weakspots of enemies. This is especially easy to do up close and while under the time slow effect of a Sandevistan. Take its branch skill Machine Learning next to further improve your damage against weakspots - very useful when fighting a boss.
Afterwards, focus on taking Jailbreak and branch off to Spatial Mapping to increase your Mantis Blades' damage.
Please take note that the Phantom Liberty expansion is needed to access the Relic Skill Tree.
Relic Skill Tree Guide and List
Recommended Weapons (Base Game only) |
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Byakko | Kongou | Overwatch |
Recommended Weapons (with Phantom Liberty) |
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Byakko | Her Majesty | Overwatch |
Jump to a Cyberware section! | ||||
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Operating System | Face | Hands | Circulatory System | |
Legs | Frontal Cortex | Arms | Skeleton | |
Nervous System | Integumentary System |
Cyberware | Effect (Tier 5) |
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Press L1 and R1 to activate and deactivate. It can be activated at any charged level. When active: Slows time by 85% (you are not slowed) +10% headshot damage +9% Crit Chance +13% Crit Damage Neutralizing an enemy when active gives: +20% extended duration +22% Stamina Max Duration: 8 sec. Cooldown: 30 sec. |
Equipping this time slow Sandevistan allows you to dash between multiple enemies with ease. Start by jumping to a group of enemies then picking them off one by one. If they start to inevitably swarm you, activate the Sandevistan.
This specific Sandevistan can also be activated at any charge level, so try to activate and deactivate it in the middle of fights to manage its charge levels.
Cyberware | Effect (Tier 5) |
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When active: Slows time by 70% (you are not slowed), +10% damage, +10% Crit Chance, +5% Crit Damage. Neutralizing an enemy when active gives: +10% extended duration, +5% Health. Max Duration: 9 sec., Cooldown: 35 sec. |
A good alternative to the Apogee, in case you missed it during the Riders On the Storm mission, as this can be bought in Ripperdocs all over Night City.
Cyberware | Effect (Tier 5) |
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Effect active when scanning: Highlights enemies within 17.5 m.including enemies behind cover. Highlights cameras and turrets within 35m. Highlights explosive devices and traps near your crosshair within 26m. |
The Oracle is a variant of Kiroshi Optics that lets you track enemies, cameras, and turrets near you. You can use this to identify the positioning of all enemies and plan your path along an area.
Cyberware | Effect (Tier 5) |
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Increased ricochet chance with Power weapons. +30% ricochet damage. |
The main purpose of this cyberware is to boost ricochet damage in case you need it while using your Pistol. This cyberware is low priority so slot it only when you have enough cyberware capacity.
Cyberware | Effect (Tier 5) |
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Stamina +23% whenever you use a melee weapon to neutralize an enemy. |
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Automatically heals you with your Health Item when your Health drops below 35%. +14% Health Item effectiveness. |
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Movement speed +25% when your Health drops to 25%. The more your health drops, the more movement speed increases (max. +35%). |
Both Blood Pumo and Threatevac help with your overall survival during fights especially when facing a large group of enemies.
Adrenaline Booster enables you to maintain your stamina while slashing through hoards of enemies.
Cyberware | Effect (Tier 5) |
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Press Space Bar in midair to perform a double jump. |
Reinforced Tendons enable double jumping, which is a valuable positioning move that lets you reach higher places, helping you get away or giving you a better vantage point. Do note that you can combine double jumps with air dashes, which lets you zip across areas easily.
This also makes effective use of the Flash and Thunderclap perk as jumping around basically creates greater distance between you and the enemy.
Cyberware | Effect (Tier 5) |
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-1.25% Cooldown instantly for all cyberware after neutralizing an enemy. |
Equipping Newton Module further improves Cyberware cooldowns - very important to maintain your Sandevistan's uptime. If you have extra cyberware capacity, you can also opt for the iconic Axolotl cyberware!
Cyberware | Effect (Tier 5) |
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+6.2% Bonus Stealth Damage +3.1% Melee Damage. |
Mantis Blades can serve as your melee backup in case you need a quick alternative to dispose of targets that have detected you. The base variant of Mantis Blades fits well for this build as they deal bonus melee damage!
Cyberware | Effect (Tier 5) |
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+24% melee damage +15% melee Stamina cost |
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+12% Armor |
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+22% Armor when below 50% Health. |
For Skeleton cyberwares, we focused mainly on improving V's overall defense. Dense Marrow is added to bolster this build's overall damage with the cost of some extra stamina.
Cyberware | Effect (Tier 5) |
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+40% movement speed for 7 sec. when entering combat. |
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+10% Mitigation Chance, +9% Mitigation Strength Mitigation grants a chance to reduce incoming damage by current Mitigation Strength (default: 50%). |
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+16.75% Crit Chance with Blades and throwable weapons. |
Both Adrenaline Converter and Stabber improve your overall damage and movement speed in battle.
We also added the Neofiber cyberware to improve your overall survivability during battle.
Cyberware | Effect (Tier 5) |
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7% chance to block an incoming projectile. +100% bonus chance after performing a dodge or Dash. This bonus lasts 1.7 sec. or until the next projectile is blocked, whichever comes first. Cannot block more than 3 projectiles in a 5 sec. span. +0.2 headshot and weakspot damage per Attribute Point. +1.3% Bonus Ricochet Damage +1.3% Decreased enemy vision |
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The closer an attacking enemy is, the less damage they deal to you. -20% incoming damage at 3 m. Damage reduction tapers off to 0% at 6 m. +0.5 Health per Attribute Point. +2.1% Melee Damage Resistance +2.5% Melee Damage |
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+0.5 Armor per Attribute Point. +1.3% Decreased enemy vision +2.6 Health |
All of the cyberwares listed above aim to improve V's overall survivability in fights. Nano-Plating works well with the Bullet Deflect perk to return incoming projectiles back to the enemy.
When it comes to using Blades, the key to surviving is to not let your enemies pin you down in one location. Keep moving and cut through each enemy one by one - leaping from one to the next. Make use of the improved Dashing perks to go in or out of battle when necessary.
With the addition of dashing-related perks, mobility using Bladed weapons is so much better than before. You can either use the improved mobility to pick each enemy one by one or dash away so you can recover your health. It's all about choosing the best time to strike and retreat.
Wielding the immense power of Blades comes at a cost. Always be mindful of your yellow stamina bar (found at the upper left corner of your screen) as each slash eats up part of your stamina bar. Stamina management can make or break your attack, so be careful of running out.
Though CDPR removed Cyberware mods in Update 2.0, Sandevistans that slows down time is still as effective as before though you have to choose your timings more carefully.
We suggest using the slow effect when you have a clear-cut path to mow down at least 3-4 enemies then deactivate the cyberware to recharge. Do this repeatedly during a fight and you'll be able to mow down hoards of enemies without dying.
Additionally, deactivate your Sandevistan when you initiate a Finisher move. The animation will eat up your duration, wasting precious active time.
Grenades are not only used to damage enemies but also to disorient them.
This is a godsend to melee fighters like Blademasters, so don't be afraid to throw a grenade or two in between fights. You can even use explosive materials scattered in the environment to create a chain explosion reaction for a wider area of effect!
You got Slaughterhouse as main perk but not Bladerunner? Also please tell us how much you invested in each skill or just give us a link to the build planner. It's kinda confusing how you put this together.
2.1 Best Blades Build (Katana Build)
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one of the thing that can be improved in this build, instead of "Newton Module" Cyberware which gives about 1.5% CD per kill, you can have the "Axolotl" which gives around 11% CD. (pretty sure its a reward for completing all Regina Jones Gigs).. which gives you a really high uptime (if not permanent) on Sandevistan effect, and you can focus more on movement/attack speed, stamina, and heal on kill.. casting aside some of the base low health survivability perks/module for more dps. ^^