Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty: Everything You Need to Know

Almost 3 years after the release of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt is releasing the first and only major DLC: Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty. We will step back into the boots of our favorite mercenary V, who is on a mission to save the NUSA president.

I really can’t describe to you how excited I am for this DLC to drop. To this day Cyberpunk 2077 is one of my favorite games, even though its release was a bit questionable for people with low-end hardware. I even love the Cyberpunk Edgerunners anime. Get ready, here is everything you need to know about the game and the DLC before you buy it!

Cyberpunk 2077 Release

Cyberpunk 2077 was released back in December 2020. I still remember it as if it was yesterday. I pre-ordered the game, preloaded it on my battle-hardened release day PS4, and waited for midnight to play it. As midnight came, I got into the character creation where I spent an hour minimum customizing V. I obviously chose the Corpo origin story, and after trying out all 3 origins I still prefer the Corpo.

After the intro scene at the Corpo Plaza, I finally got to see Night City. And even though my graphics were a bit disappointing (it was a PS4, I don’t know what I expected), I immediately fell in love with Night City.

Yet despite my love for the game and the city, it did not turn out what we all expected it would be. The graphical problems and bugs were not the only thing giving players headaches. Night City was and still is beautiful, but it felt empty outside of the main storyline and some of the larger quest lines. I quickly got bored of doing the same gigs all over again and not having some meaningful lore behind them. I get it, you are a mercenary. You get paid to do a job, no questions asked. But in The Witcher 3, your role is basically the same. You show up and get paid to deal with the monster, no questions asked. Why did that experience feel incomparably better?

‘’But why do you still love this game so much’’ you might ask. Well, even though the game had its issues, I don’t think it’s bad. Night City was supposed to be a place of endless opportunity. We were supposed to explore every inch of the city and have unique conversations with every NPC with its own story – and that was impossible to live up to at the time. They did an incredible job story-wise and with designing the prominent characters.

Almost 3 years later, the next major DLC Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty seeks to improve the experience for the players. Can it help Cyberpunk 2077 become what it was meant to be? Can it beat the Witchers DLC Blood and Wine as THE BEST DLC of all time? Let’s check out what we know so far.

Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty

The Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty expansion not only aims to bring a ton of new content to the game but also improve the experience entirely, changing some fundamental things. A new storyline, a new explorable Night City district, and many interesting new characters like Idris Elba’s Solomon Reed are some of the things players get to look forward to.

Cyberware Rework

Yes, it’s true. The developers are adding cyberpsychosis to the game. You only get one body in your life, and you must be careful about putting too much chrome into it. You will no longer be able to visit your local Ripperdoc clinic whenever you desire just to test out some upgrades without risking a hp decrease.

The cyberware system will also get changed, with the goal of making it more engaging and customizable than before. You will now get all your armor stats from cyberware, not from your clothing, so you can focus purely on style now. The cyberware overhaul appears to be patched in the base game, so you won’t have to buy the DLC to enjoy it.

Skill Trees Rework

Probably the biggest change in Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty is the total skill tree rework. The devs are planning on moving the game away from the percentage-based skill tree and want to give us more actual abilities we can use in the game.

This is one of the features I’m most excited about. The skill tree in the base game left much to be desired as everything we got were basically damage multipliers. I still laugh when I think back to one-shotting chooms with a random handgun I found.

Not only is the skill tree getting an overhaul, but we will also get a whole new category! The new category will add further abilities and twists, that will be based on what cyberware you have installed on your character. We are still not sure, but the use of the new skill tree will probably require a DLC purchase.

Police System Rework

Finally, the police are getting a rework. Their AI was horrible, you literally just had to walk out of their sight, and they completely forgot about you. With the update, we will be getting different levels and archetypes of police, who will chase V when committing criminal activity. The new district Dogtown will also have its own militia, which will be some more capable enemies for V to deal with.

Another feature we will get to experience is appearance changing. We will be able to evade the police by altering our clothing significantly, or maybe even more than just clothing.

Final Thoughts

It feels like the developers are taking a look at the bigger picture and aren’t holding back on making huge and dramatic changes. If we consider this is the first and ONLY expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, a lot of its fate rests on this DLC’s shoulders. It could be the first step to setting up the sequel which CD Projekt will be working on after the DLC.

The Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty will be available on all platforms on September 26, 2023 and will be available for $29.99. Will you be preordering the expansion? What is the new feature you are looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments below!