2.1 Best Gunslinger Build (Pistol Build)

This is a guide to the best Update 2.1 Gunslinger 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.

Gunslinger Build Overview

Build Basic Information

Gunslinger Build
Main Attributes	Cool Technical Ability Body Reflexes
Main Weapons / Arm Cyberware	・Crash / Rosco ・Overture / Ol' Reliable ・Guts ・Toxic Gorilla Arms
Operating System	・Militech “Apogee” Sandevistan

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

This Gunslinger build lets you play as the meanest cyber-cowboy in Night City. Whip out your revolver, aim at your targets' heads, and take them out in a one, clean shot at a distance.

Perks from the Reflexes attribute will give you mobility options, which you can use to quickly reposition or retreat in case things get messy, while Adrenaline Rush under Body can give you extra health when you get stuck in heated gunfights.

This build also incorporates the use of shotguns as your secondary weapon solely against enemies who wish to meet you up close.

Weaknesses

The core Handgun perks under the Cool attribute heavily relies on maintaining full stamina every time you shoot, so you need to wait for your stamina bar to be filled to take advantage these perks.

Revolvers also have small clip sizes, so you will be constantly reloading your weapon which makes you vulnerable.

Gunslinger Best Attribute Build

Attribute Progression

The max level is only up until 50 in the base game. Purchase Phantom Liberty to reach level 60.

This Gunslinger build uses several perks across four attributes.

Key handgun perks which enable this build to eliminate targets in a single headshot fall under the Cool attribute, which you should get early so your revolvers can be effective.

As you level up, health item recharge and cyberware perks are obtained under the Technical Ability tree. These give you more survivability and boosts your equipped cyberware.

Upon reaching midgame and up to the level cap, you can then incorporate mobility perks under Reflexes, as well as shotgun and health regen perks under the Body tree.

If you have Phantom Liberty, you can use the additional attribute points to max out the Body tree and get more shotgun perks and use the rest on Reflexes so you can get Air Dash.

Gunslinger Build Best Perks

This is the full list of 2.0 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!
Cool	Technical Ability	Body	Reflexes
Optional Perks

Cool Attribute

The main attribute for handguns are found under Cool, with the perks Focus and Deadeye giving you additional headshot and weak spot damage.

Focus removes stamina costs per shot when you aim for 2.5 seconds, which you can reset by killing a target with the Head to Head perk. Focus is then used in conjunction with Deadeye, which is active when you have 85% stamina.

This means that you can have both Focus and Deadeye active as long as you can keep killing enemies.

This is further improved by Nerves of Tungsten-Steel, which you can get after reaching level 20 in Cool. This perk guarantees that every weak spot or headshot is a critical hit as long as Deadeye is active!

Perk List

Main Perk	Secondary Perk(s)
Focus (2 pt)	No Sweat Rinse and Reload Head to Head Deep Breath Pull!
Deadeye (3 pt)	California Reaper High Noon Long Shot Quick Draw

Final Perks

Final Perks
Nerves of Tungsten-Steel

Technical Ability Attribute

After the 2.0 update, you can no longer spam health items to heal as these are now locked behind cooldowns per use, which warranted the need of some perks under the reworked Technical Ability tree to be included in this build.

The Glutton for War and Health Freak perks improve health item usage and will also lower its cooldown. These two will also benefit from buffs received from Adrenaline Rush perks, which is under the Body attribute.

For cyberwares, the Edgerunner and its connected perks will improve all of your equipped cyberwares. Edgerunner also has a chance to activate Fury, which will make you deal even more damage.

Perk List

Main Perk	Secondary Perk(s)
Glutton for War (1 pt)	First Aid Transfusion
All Things Cyber (2 pt)	Chrome Constitution Renaissance Punk Driver Update Chipware Connoisseur Lucky Day
Health Freak (2 pt)	Borrowed Time Field Medic Demolitions Surplus Coming In Hot
License to Chrome (3 pt)	Extended Warranty Ambidextrous Built Different

Final Perks

Final Perks
Edgerunner

Body Attribute

Perks under the Body tree are centered around health regen and Adrenaline Rush, a buff which gives you extra survivabilty upon using your Blood Pump cyberware.

Some perks under the shotgun tree are also obtained to improve its usage. Shotguns are meant to be used as secondary weapons for this build, in case you encounter an enemy up close.

If you have Phantom Liberty, you can get more shotgun perks with the additional points you will get from the raised level cap.

Perk List

Main Perk	Secondary Perk(s)
Painkiller (1 pt)	Comeback Kid Army of One Speed Junkie Dorph-Head
Die! Die! Die! (2 pt)	Bullet Ballet Don't Stop Me Now Like a Feather
Adrenaline Rush (3 pt)	Juggernaut Unstoppable Force Calm Mind
Spontaneous Obliteration (3 pt)	Close-Quarters Carnage Skullcracker Dread Rush of Blood

Final Perks

Final Perks
Rip and Tear	Pain to Gain

Cross-Branch Perk

Perk	Requirement
Bloodlust	Rush of Blood Juggernaut

Get this perk when you have specific secondary perks unlocked.

Reflexes Attribute

A few perks are obtained under Reflexes to give this build a few movement techs which you can use to reposition or retreat from a fight.

Dash lets you quickly move but consumes stamina per use. You can use this while Focus is active, although you will lose Deadeye if you use too much stamina. You can also use Dash to zip around enemies and get some easy kills.

If you have Phantom Liberty, you'll be able to squeeze in Air Dash with the extra perk points you can get from the raised level cap, further improving your mobility.

Perk List

Main Perk	Secondary Perk(s)
Slippery (1 pt)	Power Slide Parkour! Muscle Memory Multitasker
Dash (2 pt)	Steady Grip Can't Touch This Mean Streak Mad Dash
Air Dash (3 pt)	Aerial Acrobat Aerodynamic

Optional Perks

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)
Skullcracker	Rush of Blood
Bloodlust	Rip and Tear
Pain to Gain	Air Dash
Aerodynamic	Aerial Acrobat

Gunslinger Build Relic Skill Priority

Take Vulnerability Analytics and Machine Learning First

Priority	Main Skill	→	Branch Skill
1st	Vulnerability Analytics	→	Machine Learning
2nd	Jailbreak	→	Limiter Removal

Vulnerability Analytics and Machine Learning are the main Relic skills for guns in the game, including revolvers. These skills will highlight enemy weakspots that you can shoot to deal bonus damage.

Once you get these, you can next obtain Jailbreak and Limiter Removal to power up your equipped Gorilla Arms.

Relic Skill Tree Available in the DLC

Please take note that the Phantom Liberty expansion is needed to access the Relic Skill Tree.

Relic Skill Tree Guide and List

Gunslinger Build Recommended Weapons

Base Game Only

• Crash is an excellent revolver that has a high headshot modifier. It can also be charged when aiming to fire full auto, if you're confident enough with your aim and want to quickly land headshots.
• The regular Overture is also viable for this build. You can equip mods on the best Overture you have in your inventory and use it as your secondary revolver.
• Guts is a great shotgun to use as your secondary weapon. When an enemy gets up close, switch to this gun and blast them to bits.

Base Game + Phantom Liberty

• The Rosco can instantly eliminate a target if you shoot them in the leg then in the head. Perfect to easily pick off enemies one by one!
• Ol' Reliable is a great revolver when used from afar, but is locked behind a certain choice during the Shot By Both Sides side job. If you didn't get this weapon, you can stick with Crash.
• Guts is still a great shotgun to use in Phantom Liberty, especially if once it's powered-up by shotgun perks.

Gunslinger Build Best Cyberwares

Operating System

Cyberware	Effect (Tier 5)
Militech "Apogee" Sandevistan	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.

A Sandevistan is an important cyberware for this build as this will let you easily pop off heads with your revolver.

Get at a position where you have clear sight of all your targets, activate your Sandevistan, and aim for their heads. You can easily wipe out a group of enemies with this strategy.

Alternative: Militech Falcon Sandevistan

Cyberware	Effect (Tier 5)
Militech "Falcon" Sandevistan	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.

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Face

Cyberware	Effect (Tier 5)
Kiroshi "The Oracle" Optics	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 variant of a Kiroshi Optics lets you track enemies, which is useful to keep track of who to kill next.

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Hands

Cyberware	Effect (Tier 5)
Ballistic Coprocessor	Increased ricochet chance with Power weapons. +30% ricochet damage.
Shock Absorber	-20% Recoil

Power revolvers are to be used for this build, which is why you should equip a Ballistic Coprocessor so you can also capitalize on ricochets. A Shock Absorber, on the other hand, will reduce recoil.

Do note that you need the Ambidextrous perk to unlock a second cyberware slot for Hands.

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Circulatory System

Cyberware	Effect (Tier 5)
Blood Pump	Activate to instantly restore 90% of max Health. Cooldown 30 sec.
Clutch Padding	-18% Stamina cost for shooting.

Blood Pump is another key cyberware for this build, as this will activate Adrenaline Rush and all of its effects, apart from it being your main healing item.

Clutch Padding will further decrease stamina used when shooting. This will shorten the time needed to wait for your stamina to fully replenish so you can get Focus again.

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Legs

Cyberware	Effect (Tier 5)
Reinforced Tendons	Press Space Bar in midair to perform a double jump.

Reinforced Tendons enable double jumping, which you can use to move around.

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Frontal Cortex

Cyberware	Effect (Tier 5)
Kerenzikov Boost System	When Kerenzikov is active: -100% stamina cost for shooting. Slows time by 15% relative to your enemies.
Mechatronic Core	+35% damage against drones, robots, mechs and turrets. +2 Max RAM.

Equipping a Kerenzikov Boost System will give you more stat boosts when you activate Kerenzikov.

Mechatronic Core will let you deal more damage against robots, which you will encounter as you progress through the game.

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Arms

Cyberware	Effect (Tier 5)
Toxic Gorilla Arms	+6 to Body Attribute checks. Deal Physical damage. 20% Poison chance

In case you need a quick melee kill, you can switch over to your Gorilla Arms to wallop your enemies. The Toxic variant can deal damage over time if you can poison your target.

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Skeleton

Cyberware	Effect (Tier 5)
Bionic Joints	Armor - Simple but effective.
Kinetic Frame	+16% Mitigation Chance when Stamina is above 85%.
Spring Joints	+19% Mitigation Strength (Total Mitigation Strength cannot exceed 90%) Mitigation grants achance to reduce incoming damage by current Mitigation Strength (default: 50%).

These Skeleton cyberware are slotted in to reduce the damage you will take.

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Nervous System

Cyberware	Effect (Tier 5)
Kerenzikov	Allows you to aim and perform ranged attacks while sliding, dodging or Dashing. Slows time by 60% for 3.5 sec. when you aim a ranged attack during a slide, dodge or Dash. Cooldown 6.5 sec.
Neofiber	+10% Mitigation Chance, +9% Mitigation Strength Mitigation grants a chance to reduce incoming damage by current Mitigation Strength (default: 50%).
Reflex Tuner	Slows time by 60% for 4 sec. when your Health drops below 25%. Cooldown 40 sec.

Kerenzikov acts as your second Sandevistan of sorts, which you can activate when dashing on the ground. As this will consume stamina, you will not be getting the effects of Focus, but you can still try to kill nearby enemies when time is slowed down.

Meanwhile, a Reflex Tuner can be you third time-slowing cyberware, but will only activate on low health, in which case you should use Blood Pump to heal.

Lastly, Neofiber is chipped in to get additional defense stats.

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Integumentary System

Cyberware	Effect (Tier 5)
Defenzikov	When Kerenzikove ends: +90% Mitigation Chance for 4 sec. Mitigation grants a chance to reduce incoming damage by current Mitigation Strength (default: 50%). +0.1% Crit Chance per Attribute Point. +2.6% Weapon Handling +2.1% Damage Over Time Resistance
Pain Editor	-7% all incoming damage +0.1% damage reduction per Attribute Point. +0.5% Mitigation Chance +2.1% Damage Over Time Resistance
Subdermal Armor	+0.5 Armor per Attribute Point. +1.3% Decreased enemy vision +2.6 Health

Defenzikov is a cyberware which gives Kerenzikov defensive stats after using it.

Pain Editor and Subdermal Armor are equipped to get another set of defense stats and damage reduction.

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How to Play the Gunslinger Build

Aim for the Head

In the middle of a gunfight, always aim at your enemies' heads to take advantage of the bonuses you get from handgun perks.

Once your stamina is full, use your Sandevistan, aim with your revolver to activate Focus and Deadeye, and start popping heads one by one.

Make sure to also shoot from a distance instead of running close to your target, as several perks give you extra damage if you shoot from far away.

Monitor Your Stamina

As Focus and Deadeye is stamina dependent, make sure to keep an eye out on your stamina bar before fully engaging in combat.

If it's full, you can start shooting. If it's not, wait for it to fully replenish before fighting. Eliminate any nearby enemies so you won't be overwhelmed while waiting for your stamina to be full.

Focus Status Displayed at Stamina Bar

If Focus is active, shooting with your revolver will not consume any stamina. You can determine if Focus is active if your stamina bar has a lock icon.

Use Your Shotgun Against Nearby Enemies

Switch to your shotgun whenever an enemy is closing in on you to quickly deal with them.

Several shotgun perks are included in the build to increase the damage you can do with it.

You can also use your equipped Gorilla Arms as another backup weapon.

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