Cyberpunk 2077 was in rough shape when it launched in 2020. Gradually, it inched toward the game it was promised to be, and the 2.0 update that comes alongside the first expansion, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, will be the next step on its journey. Will it ever be the game that we were all hoping for? My answer might be different from yours. Nonetheless, one thing that I can confirm is that these are all the changes coming in 2.0 and Phantom Liberty.
Cybernetics systems overhaul
After you update Cyberpunk 2077 to 2.0, you’ll be notified to visit a Ripperdoc for a systems upgrade. Once there, you’ll find all your augments have been stripped, and you need to reapply them. But not until you do an asinine tutorial for the basics.
The biggest change to the cybernetics system is the addition of the concepts of armor and capacity. These are somewhat self-explanatory, but they simply didn’t exist before. Capacity limits how much chrome you can replace your flesh with. You can technically slap more steel on your bones after the update, but you’ll probably need to pick and choose which you have equipped. That is, unless, you use perks to expand your capacity. Then the sky is the limit.
Speaking of which, the other concept is armor. This used to be exclusively tied to what your character is wearing, but now you can offload that onto your upgrades. Again, this can be expanded with perks, but each piece of cyberwear you’re rocking also has an armor rating. This obviously helps mitigate damage.
Finally, you can use components to upgrade your cyberwear. This changes the stat modifiers on the upgrade, as well as increasing its armor rating. Each piece can only be upgraded a couple of times, but it’s a good way of expanding its usefulness.
Perk and Skill systems change
The Perk system has been rewritten, but it’s more or less the same idea. However, it tends to lean more toward abilities than just stat enhancements. There are still five stat categories to pour your points into, and those unlock different tiers of perks. You can then climb the perks to unlock things like mid-air dashes and special finishers. The perks are also organized by which system they affect, so it’s easy to differentiate which ones will boost your blades, and which will buff your buckshot.
Meanwhile, there is the skill system, which is simplified. Previously, you needed to gain experience in certain skills to unlock various levels of perks. Now, it’s a separate system where you’ll gain more points and passive buffs as you build them.
Also added as part of the Phantom Liberty expansion are perks related to the Relic. This was a section that was locked out in the main game. However, you can now gain additional abilities by gathering Relic Points found at Relic Terminals hidden around the new district, Dogtown.
Car combat
Previously, your options when it came to vehicular combat were ramming and evading. Sometimes, you’d have a partner who would take potshots at enemies, but that was about it. Unless you were in a tank.
With 2.0, you can now pull your gun out of your pants, point it at another car, and send ballistics their way. Beyond that, certain cars will also come equipped with mounted guns. These come in machine gun and missile flavors. Unfortunately, if you want the missiles, you’re going to have to have the Phantom Liberty expansion.
Reworked police
Police were largely the flaccid arm of the law in Cyberpunk 2077. They’d generally leave you alone as long as you weren’t gunning down citizens in broad daylight, and even if you did get into a fight, they were easy to evade or eliminate.
The 2.0 update adopts a five-star Grand Theft Auto approach. At the first level of alertness, you just deal with patrol cars gunning for you. As you commit more crimes, that level builds, and the police get more and more heavily armored. At the fifth level, MaxTac shows up.
Previously, police would largely leave you alone and weren’t present as often. As of 2.0, that’s pretty much the same. However, if you’re the type to give in to cyber-psychosis, then you’ll be rewarded with heavier police presence.
Expanded Story
The main selling point of the Phantom Liberty expansion is an extension of the main narrative. It kicks off with you having to save the president (are you a bad enough dude?) and gives you the motivation of a way to save V from a slow death by Keanu Reeves. Does it work? Will it have an effect on the main storyline’s ending? That would be telling.
New district
Has Dogtown been there the whole time? Have I just been driving past it and not noticing that an entire chunk of the city was inaccessible? Maybe. If you buy Phantom Liberty, you’ll get ushered into Dogtown as part of the storyline. It’s a section of a city that’s been sealed off and militarized. It’s largely a slum, but it’s a dangerous one. More importantly, though, it’s where the new storyline takes place. However, if you want to visit, you need the expansion.
And so on
The rest of the additions are largely just content. The combat AI has allegedly been upgraded, but I honestly can’t tell the difference. There are new quests, gigs, and some endlessly repeatable missions, like one where you need to steal cars and deliver them to a drop point. If you have the Phantom Liberty expansion, there are some additional fashion choices, weapons, vehicles, and fashion. Plus, the level cap is extended to 60.
It’s a lot. If you already dug Cyberpunk 2077 and were hungry for more, both the 2.0 update and the Phantom Liberty expansion should satisfy you.
