Cyberpunk 2077 has officially hit digital storefronts and game retailers and fans are already rabidly enjoying CD Projekt Red's latest offering. It's been a long time coming and the feedback has been mixed but players have generally found enjoyment with the title. Cyberpunk has so much to offer as an open-world sandbox set in a fictional futuristic landscape. There's so much content that you'd be forgiven for not even knowing where to begin.
Fortunately for you, we compiled everything you need to know to start off your own Cyberpunk adventure. Here's your quick start guide to choosing a starting life path on Cyberpunk 2077.
Which path should I take?
Every game begins with a choice of one of three life paths. These paths add flavor to your very own journey but it doesn't hijack everything about the story. It mostly serves as an additional color for player character V's past. Cyberpunk does a very good job of making its players feel that their own save file is wholly their own. Rest assured that your life path choice doesn't gravely affect the rest of your playthrough. At the very least, there are a few things that you want to worry about when making your first in-game decision, besides properly setting your graphic settings so your device doesn't burn before Night City does.
Game elements unaffected by Life Paths
- Character perks
- Leveling tree
- V's Attributes
- Possible romance options
- Game endings
You're pretty much free to enjoy the game normally if you don't want to bother with the life path choices. Of course, it's entirely feasible for players to just run through the game three times. If you want to be a little more decisive about your path in life, let's take a look at the things that do matter when choosing life paths.
We have a city to burn
Life paths will affect your character's social status and kickoff point. It doesn't break campaign progression but it's a neat way to nudge the story towards the direction you feel like going from the beginning. Here are the game elements affected by your life path.
Game elements affected by Life Paths
- The campaign starting point varies between paths
- The entirety of the prologue is different depending on the path
- Some dialogue options will only be available to certain paths
- V's starting outfit will vary greatly
- Characters you can encounter in the world will also vary
If these things matter to you when playing a game then you need to discern your life path choice well. Cyberpunk is a well-crafted RPG so even the most mundane dialogue choices could skew your entire story by miles. Every Life Path offers exclusive missions that other paths just won't have. The key difference in-game elements would have to be the dialogue options and possible character interactions. This means that Life Path choices relate more towards social and roleplaying aspects of the game and that can make or break the experience depending on the player. We'll be taking a closer look at the three Life Path choices available on Cyberpunk 2077
Path 1: Streetsmart Night City Lurker
The Street Kid Life Path kicks off V as a citizen of Night City's gritty underbelly. You know all the seedy alleys and hiding places in the sprawling city owing to your experience prowling its streets at night. This specific Path starts your Cyberpunk 2077 journey in Heywood. This playthrough, unsurprisingly, has you fighting and dealing with gangs around the city.
Heywood is a section of Night City where violence and gang activity is prominent. If you find yourself preferring dealing with the rougher folk in any of your RPGs then considering taking this Life Path for your first romp through Cyberpunk 2077.
Path 2: The Corporate Slave
Unlike the Street Kid path, the Corpo Life Path sees players starting off on the straight and narrow, as straight as any corporation could be. V works as an agent for the elite of a certain mega-corporation in Night City. Undoubtedly, you'd be dealing more with the upper crust of the city as you handle your corporate dealings.
You begin smack dab in the middle of the city's sprawling business district known as the City Center. You'll definitely have fewer chances dealing with riff-raff but you'll be well equipped holding your own in a conversation with the more fortunate members of Night City's citizenry.
Path 3: The Way of the Nomad
Players that prefer to keep to themselves also have a starting point in Cyberpunk 2077. The third and final Life Path, the Nomad path, sees V as a newcomer to Night City. V enters the glistening city from the Badlands in search of a brand new life. Nomad V has had to pick up questionable skills in order to survive out in the Badlands and now all that experience will be felt by the unsuspecting city.
Nomads are looked down upon by the general public but they are business-savvy enough to survive in any environment. Chief of V's skill in this life path will revolve around smuggling questionable contraband to earn some money. You kick off your own story in this life path out in the Badlands and is the only one to start outside of Night City.
This specific life path will have you dealing mostly with fellow-Nomads as you try and traverse your way around Night City. You might find it harder to deal with some regular folk given how much Nomads are reviled by the citizens of Night City. Nevertheless, you will have to find your own way to survive in this new place as you go through your campaign.
Wake up, Samurai
Each long and winding road through Cyberpunk 2077 starts with a seemingly innocuous decision. It seems harmless but it can definitely affect how you see the world and how its characters see you. You only get one chance to select your Life Path per save file so make sure you know just what you're getting into. As previously stated, you can still opt to try out each Life Path for yourself to see firsthand just how different the experiences will be. Good luck, Samurai. Happy city-burning.
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