Cyberpunk 2077 Builds - Best Starting Skills
Builds in Cyberpunk 2077 are closely connected with the best potential starting skills, as well as Attributes and Perks. Fortunately, CDPR has designed the game in such a manner that all CP2077 builds are relatively equally viable, and there’s always some way to solve any given problem. That, of course, does not mean that we can’t give you some tips and point you into the right direction of the kind of character you want to build in CP2077. With that said, in our Cyberpunk 2077 Builds – Best Starting Skills guide, we’re going to show you the best builds in Cyberpunk 2077, as well as best starting Attributes, Perks, and skills.
Best Builds in Cyberpunk 2077
We’ll start off our Best Cyberpunk 2077 builds with a build that’s meant for all of you with itchy trigger fingers that want to go in and clear the room like Neo. You’re going to want to invest a lot of points into Reflexes, and focus on perks from the Assault and/or Handguns trees, depending on your preferences. Also, make sure to save some for Body, just for the sake of health and stamina, and also the neat perks under Athletics. Consider also investing a bit into Cool, because of increased Crit damage and other potential benefits from the Cold Blood perk tree.
If, on the other hand, you’d prefer to live and die by the blade (or melee in general), then you should go for what we’ll dub the Samurai build in Cyberpunk 2077. Obviously, if this is what you’re going for, you want to invest heavily in Reflexes, because that’s the Attribute that regulates the Blades skill. All the perks within this skill tree are designed to make you onto a buzzsaw. Add some points to Body for extra stamina, and a dash of Cool for those sweet, sweet Crit and stealth bonuses, with body being the tertiary one. Perks to consider: “Slow and Steady” and “Sting like a bee.”
For those of you that want to just stand there and inhale bullets like nobody’s business, there’s the option of the CP2077 Tank build. The stat you want to focus on most is Body, and for two reasons. The first one is that it lets you soak up more punishment, and the second one is that it lets you wield heavy weapons, be they firearms or melee. If melee is your thing, focus more on perks from the Street Brawler tree. If it’s heavy weapons, go for Annihilation. Either way, never disregard Athletics. The second Attribute for you is Cool, for the resistances it grants you.
If you’re the exact opposite, and prefer the stealthy approach, we’ve got you covered. Your Attribute of choice is definitely going to be Cool, both the Stealth and Cold Blood perk trees. These allow you to be much more efficient in taking down opponents stealthily, even allowing for a sniper build, if you should so choose. Consider also the Reflex Attribute and what it has to offer. Perks to consider: “Dagger Dealer” and “Silent and Deadly.”
Wanna be more hands-off? No problem, choomba, here’s a CP2077 build for a hacker! Your Attribute of choice is going to be Intelligence, because that’s where all those perks lie, both in quickhacking and breach protocol. Don’t forget to spare some change for the Cool Attribute, however, because it increases your stealth capabilities, and you don’t wanna be seen in the middle of a breaching sequence, now, do you? Perks to consider: “Bloodware” and “Critical Error” for quickhacking and “Compression” and “Extended Network Interface” for breach protocol.
Last, but not least, you can be an Engineer in Cyberpunk 2077, just like mamma wanted. This isn’t as lame as it sounds, because you can craft not only grenades, but all kinds of weapons, and even turn low-rate weapons into Legendary. Not only that, but you can also handle Tech Weapons really well. Obviously, you want to give almost everything you’ve got into the Technical Abilities Attribute, and the rest is really up to you. Perks to consider: “Innovation” and “Edgerunner Artisan.”
Best Starting Attributes in Cyberpunk 2077
Your best starting Attributes in Cyberpunk 2077 to invest in are going to depend on the type of build that you’re trying to make. However, every single build that you make can benefit from investing a little bit into the Cool Attribute, because the perks that you receive in that skill tree are valuable for everyone. Also important to note; Attributes go up to a maximum of 20, and cannot be reallocated. So, with that said, let’s go through the individual Attributes and what they do, shall we?
The Body Attribute in Cyberpunk 2077 regulates your strength and stamina. It also increases damage you deal with your fists and and melee weapons, including blades. Since it gives you more strength, it also lets you rip off turrets and lessens the movement penalty when handling heavy weapons. Also, it lets you rip open doors fairly often. So, this is the Attribute you want to invest in if you plan to be a Street Brawler or a master of the blade. Oh, also shotguns.
The Cyberpunk 2077 Intelligence Attribute should be a high priority for those of you that plan to be netrunners. It regulates the strength and duration of your quickhacks, as well as your RAM capacity, which kinda works like mana for hacking. If you don’t have any plans to mess around with hacking much, such as disarming cameras and using turrets to your advantage, you can safely ignore this skill.
The Reflex Attribute in CP2077 is in charge of your movement speed and dodging capabilities, as well as blade combat, handguns, and assault weapons and rifles. In other words, it’s an incredibly versatile Attribute that any build can profit from. It’s what you want to go for if DPS is your ultimate goal; it can very effectively turn you into an absolute buzzsaw in combat. Also, it comes up surprisingly often as an extra dialogue option.
The CP2077 Technical Ability Attribute is definitely not as versatile like others, but that doesn’t mean it’s useless. This is the Attribute for those of you that want to craft grenades and tech weapons, as well as upgrade existing weapons and make durable armor. It also lets you jerry rig doors open, hot-wire cars, etc. Honestly, it’s slightly interchangeable with Intelligence but for the crafting.
The Cool Cyberpunk 2077 Attribute, as mentioned already, is a marvelous supplemental choice for any build, and is crucial to focus on if you plan to have a stealth build. It increases both your stealth capabilities and stealth damage. Plus, it can give great bonuses to Crit damage, hence why you can use a splash of it in any build. Oh, and snipers, it makes you really good with snipers. Naturally, it often gives you extra dialogue options.
Cyberpunk 2077 Best Starting Skills
There’s not much to be said about the best starting skills in Cyberpunk 2077, because you don’t invest any points in them. Instead, you increase any given skill by using it during the game. So, for example, if you want to get better with handguns, you simply have to use handguns. However, there are two things that we do have to mention when it comes to Cyberpunk 2077 skills. The first one is that the number on the Attribute related to that skill functions as a cap on how far it can go.
The second thing we have to mention is that you unlock perk points and passive bonuses by leveling skills up. The Perks are locked, and you’re granted access to them by increasing the related Attribute; the skill level has nothing to do with it. Plus, you can spend perk points on any perk, not just within the skill you’ve unlocked it on, as long as you have the Attribute to back it up. So, for example, if you get a perk point for leveling up Handguns, you can still invest it in Blades, as long as you have a high enough Reflex Attribute. The only exception is the final perk in each tree.
What Are Best Cyberpunk 2077 Starting Perks?
The best starting perks in Cyberpunk 2077 are going to depend on which build you’re gunning for, as is the case with Attributes. However, one that we absolutely recommend you get is the Cold Blood perk under the Cool Attribute. It’s the only skill that you have to invest perk points into right from the top, and it’ll pay in dividends. See, the Cold Blood perk gives you a passive effect whenever you kill someone, making you 2% faster for ten seconds, and it stacks up to three times. Plus, considering you’ll be doing a lot of flat-lining of fools, you’re gonna earn perk points in Cold Blood pretty fast, so it’ll pay for itself.
The rest is more or less entirely up to you. The game absolutely won’t punish you for fanning out and experimenting with a lot of perk trees, nor will it make your day harder if you railroad your character into just a handful of them. Either way, you’ll always have a method of dealing with the situation. Sure, some options might be off the table, but rest assured, you’ll be able to see basically the entirety of the game no matter the perks you choose in Cyberpunk 2077. So, go crazy, experiment, get creative, choom!
If you need help with anything else in the game, we have guides for you to check out. For example, if you don’t know how to remove the virus from the chip and find the Militech Datashard correct cack sequence we can help. Or, can you save Jackie in Cyberpunk 2077? We'll also help with your first Cyberpunk 2077 braindance during the Information quest.
