Cyberpunk 2077 Best Cyberware Guide

Introduction

No matter your background, Nomad, Corpo, or Street Kid, if you’re going to survive the Corps and Cyberpsychos prowling the streets of Night City, you will need Cyberware. But I’m not going to show you any old piece of junk Cyberlimb; my goal is to bring you the best Cyberware that the Ripperdocs offers to help immortalize V’s name in the Afterlife club.

2023 is a great time to return to Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt RED has been busy, and rightly so; the release of the Cyberpunk Edgerunners anime show, gameplay update, and the teasing of the Phantom Legacy DLC starring Idris Alba highlights a lot of reasons to return to Night City. I’ve spent hours running, gunning, and driving all over Night City to find the most potent Cyberware that will keep your metal beating.

So throw the Jackie Welles, and Eddie Martinez drinks down the hatch and honor the fallen. We’ve got Chrome to install.

Bottom Line-Up Front

Is Johnny Silverhands shouting at you to stop reading articles on the “Net” and instead go raise hell at Arasaka HQ? Then this section is for you. I’ve included all the important details on the best Cyberware in Cyberpunk 2077 here:

• Kiroshi Optics Mk.3: The best Ocular System Cyberware implant in the game. Victor Vector can install it after completing the “Paid in Full” Side Gig.
• Mantis Blades: Activating Mantis Blades protrude blades from V’s arms. Allows V to pounce on targets with a Heavy Attack. They can be obtained early as level twenty Streek Cred.
• Gorilla Arms: Allows V to punch enemies with metal fists that can strike through; blocking enemies also improves V’s Body attribute. It can be obtained at level 20 Street Cred.
• Monowire: Gives V a wire melee weapon that can be charged to deal bonus damage to enemies. Leveling the Blades skill tree will increase the Monowire’s damage.
• Projectile Launch System: Turns V’s arm into a grenade launcher with moddable rounds that can be charged up to increase its explosive radius.
• Kerenzikov: Allows V to aim and shoot while dodging and sliding; the Kerenzikov will slow down every few seconds depending on the installednstalled.
• Militech Berserk Mk.5: An Operating System Cyberware mod that buHealths health and armor and reduces weapon recoil and sway. It also slightly increases V’s melee weapon damage and rHealths Health per kill.
• NetWatch Netdriver Mk.5: One of the best Cyberdeck Operating Systems in Cyberpunk 2077, includes 11 units of RAM and spreads Quick Hacks to three other targets. It holds six mod slots and recovers nine units of RAM per minute so the player can horrify a group of enemies as they install a Suicide hack that spreads from enemy to enemy.
• Militech “Falcon” Sandevistan Mk.5: Slows time to 30% for 18 second, increases damage by 15%, and Crit Chance and Critical Damage by 20%. Can be obtained from the Ripperdoc in Wellsprings.
• Fortified Ankles: Allows V to jump higher, hover in the air, and receive less fall damage. It can be acquired as early as level 12 Street Cred costing 30,000 Eddies.

Selection Criteria

Before we jump into the bulk of the article, we need to take a deeper look into what factors go into making a great Cyberware implant. There’s a long list of available Cyberware Implants to acquire in Cyberpunk 2077 that grant V all kinds of powerful combat abilities and movement and can even provide utility. Here are the factors I took into consideration to piece together this list:

• Cyberpunk 2077 is an Action RPG that gives the player various gameplay approaches. Therefore, I have considered the best Cyberware for all gameplay approaches, from a stealthy ninjutsu approach to the all-guns-blazing annihilation approach to the Netrunner hanging back, causing chaos with a lethal Cyber Deck.
• Not all Cyberware are weapons as many Implants can protect V, whether its movement speed or armor, to name a few. Therefore, I’ve taken into account Cyberware that improves survivability.

Kiroshi Optics Mk.3

When planning to siege a gang hideout or sneak into a Corpo building, details are everything. The Kiroshi Optics Mk.3 is the best Ocular System in the game. There’s not much difference between the Mk.3 and the previous Kiroshi Optics models, as it provides the same magnification and scanning features.

Getting these eyes early in the game, however, is essential if you’re playing Cyberpunk 2077 on Hard or Very Hard, as you can install up to three mods for the Mk.3, such as:

• Target Analysis: Smart Weapons target limbs and weapons become non-lethal. (Perfect for knocking out Cyberpsychos to receive a fatter bag of Eddies in Cyberpsycho gigs.)
• Explosive Analysis: View grenade trajectory and area of effect.
• Threat Detector: Enemies are highlighted if they detect you.
• Trajectory Analysis: Increase headshot damage by 25%.
• Trajectory Generator: Bullet ricochet is visible while aiming.
• Weakspot Detection: Increase Crit Chance by 2%.

To unlock the Kiroshi Optics Mk.3 from Victor Vector, you must complete the “Paid in Full” Side Gig by paying Victor twenty-one thousand Eddies back. The player can pay Victor back anytime after he installs the Kiroshi Optics Mk.1 and the Ballistic Coprocessor in The Ripperdoc Main Job as long as they have the required Eurodollars.

You can quickly earn the Eddies to pay Victor back in several ways. The fastest way is to keep the €$10,000 cred chip that Meredith Stout gives you in “The Pickup” optional objective and kill Royce in the Maelstrom hideout. 

I recommend contacting Regina Jones, a Fixer who will supply you with Gigs all over Watson. It won’t take long to make an extra eleven thousand Eddies to pay off Victor.

Mantis Blades

Designed by the shady Arasaka Corporation, Mantis Blades are a favorite of mine for when I want to go full-on sneaky ninjutsu on my enemies. There’s nothing more fun than activating these bad boys and slicing up a gang of Malestroms Arnold Schwarzenegger Predator style.

There are many reasons why an Edgerunner may want to be chromed up with Mantis Blades. For starters, Mantis Blades do not take up precious inventory space, so the player can haul more items and make more Eddies (isn’t this what the whole Cyberpunk lifestyle was about?)

Secondly, you won’t have to worry about swapping out Mantis Blades as frequently as Kitanas, Baseball Bats, and Knives melee weapons as Cyberware weapons scale with the player’s level. Still, it’s not like you can throw away your cyberlimbs every ten minutes for a shinier one.

There are only three types of Mantis Blades in Cyberpunk 2077:

Rarity	Street Cred Level	Mod Slots	Cost
Rare Mantis Blades	20	1	€$12,750
Epic Mantis Blades	25	2	€$20,450
Legendary Mantis Blades	45	3	€$35,550

Mantis Blades have unlimited light combo attacks, allowing you to leap on targets and dismember them by dashing forward with a Heavy Attack. It’s a lot of fun but, more importantly, can be used in open spaces and excels at stealthy close-quarter combat.

Numerous mods can be installed in your Mantis Blades that mix up how the Cyberware behaves when slicing up Gonks in Night City:

Edge Mods such as Blade increase the chance of dismemberment and cause your targets to bleed. Then there’s Chemical and Thermal that deal chemical and burn damage to the unlucky fella.

Rotor Mods increase the attack speed of Mantis Blades, starting at a 20% increase with the Slow Rotor, 35% with the Fast Rotor, and 45% with the HAMING-8 ROTOR.

Gorilla Arms

Gorilla Arms is hands down one of the best Cyberware Implants to acquire in Cyberpunk 2077. They are great in a brawl and allow V extra Body Attribute points, allowing V to open locked areas via Body check.

Installing the Legendary Gorilla Arms Implant will grant V a significant boost to his Body attribute, improving his max health and stamina, reducing weapon spread when firing weapons, and increasing melee damage. So Gorilla Arms is a fantastic implanHealthonsider even if you’re not playing V as a Street Brawler.

To use Gorilla Arms effectively, use Strong Attacks to break enemy guards. You can charge your Gorilla Arms power by using regular melee attacks. At max charge, Gorilla Arms will devastate the unlucky Gonk standing in your way. I recommend unlocking the Crushing Blows perk to improve your Strong Attack damage by 50% at max rank, with the Dazed perk stuns your opponent, allowing you to give them the one or two and end them.

• These big smashy hands were my savior in completing those buggy Beat on the Brat frustrating boxing side gigs dotted around Night City.

Rarity	Street Cred Level	Mod Slots	Cost
Rare Gorilla Arms	20	1	€$12,750
Epic Gorilla Arms	25	2	€$20,450
Legendary Gorilla Arms	45	3	€$35,450

You can double the damage output of your Gorilla Arms by installing the Legendary Black-Market Battery mod. Alternatively, the RIN3U mod can be installed to increase its charge by ten points and grant V the ability to fully restore his Stamina after killing an enemy.

With the Legendary Gorilla Arms, you can install three Cyberware mods allowing for powerful combinations such as using the RIN3U Battery mod and Black-Market Battery simultaneously with a Knuckles mod.

In my experience, two Knuckle mods, such as Chemical Knuckles and Animal Knuckles, on top of the 20% Status Effect from being Legendary Gorilla Arms, can turn V into an elemental pulverizer.

Monowire

Developed by the Kedanchi Corporation, the Monowire has the longest range of all melee cyberware and melee weapons. The Monowire is an awesome Cyberware weapon that can be used both aggressively and lands itself better towards a sneaky Ninjutsu Netrunner build by utilizing skills within the Cold Blooded skill tree under the Cool Attribute.

The Monowire will build charge up while equipped but will stop charging if used for an attack. The higher the Monowire’s charge, the higher the bonus damage it will deal. Bear in mind that each time you use the power attack, the chaorderd amount of bonus damage will decrease.

The Rememberefits from +3 damage for every Reflex Attribute point. Moreover, Manowire is affected by all perks within the Blades skill tree, so Roaring Waters, Flight of the Sparrow, Stuck Pig, and Crimson Dance can be used to increase bleed damage and reduce the stamina cost of Monowire attacks.

Rarity	Street Cred Level	Mod Slots	Cost
Rare Monowire	20	1	€$12,950
Epic Monowire	25	2	€$20,650
Legendary Monowire	45	3	€$35,650

Like the Gorilla Arms, the player can install up to three Cyberware mods for the Legendary Monowire. Because the Monowire has a 20% chance of applying a status effect to your target, I recommend installing a Monowire Physical Damage mod and both the Monowire Battery High-Capacity mod and Monowire Battery. Medium Capacity mod to increase the damage of the Monowire by 75%.

• Note that you cannot stack Cyberware mods in a Cyberware Implant. So I suggest purchasing all mods and storing them in V’s stash in his apartment so that you can switch whenever you like.

Projectile Launch System

It seems the Arasaka Corporation gets all the best toys in Night City. The Projectile Launch System is perfect for the player that loves to clear a room with grenades, a tactic that saved my skin more times than I can count. So you can imagine how fast you could take out a group of Tyger Claws!

The Projectile Launch System is one of the most fun Cyberware implants in the game as you can deal some serious carnage rocking up to gang fights as a third party and just lay waste to all the gangs and take all their loot for yourself.

For only 16,800 Eurodollars, you can get your hands on a Legendary Smart Link Cyberware Implant that can be purchased from and installed by Victor Vector for the low level of 11 Street Cred.

I recommend getting this implant as it will allow your projectiles to home on targets and deal 20% extra Critical Damage.

Rarity	Street Cred Level	Mod Slots	Cost
Rare Projectile Launch System	20	1	€$12,950
Epic Projectile Launch System	25	2	€$20,650
Legendary Projectile Launch System	45	3	€$35,650

The Legendary Projectile Launch System has three mod slots, and let me tell you, there is no shortage of mods for this explosive and Anarchy inducing Cyberware Implant.

There are six different round mods to choose from. However, my favorite is the Militech Incendiary Round mod, as a charged shot unleashes an explosion with a ball of fire, burning targets within the AOE and Tranquilizer Rounds mod, as this mod can one-shot all targets within the explosive radius.

Alongside a round mod, the player can install Plating mods that improve your character’s defenses:

• Titanium Plating: Increases Armor by 7%
• Metal Plating: Increases all resistances by 10%
• Neoplastic Plating: Increase Crit Chance by 10%

I recommend using the Neoplastic Plating and Metal Plating alongside a Round mod, as the 7% extra Armor is negligible. It can be made up via other Cyberware mods, such as the Legendary Subdermal Implant that increases armor by three-hundred points!

Kerenzikov

I had to add the Kerenzikov to the list of best Cyberware in the game. This Nervous System Cyberware Implant allows V to aim, shoot and dodge while sliding and dodging. If that isn’t good enough, it will even slow down time. Of course, you’ll want the Legendary Kerenzikov, as this slows down time by 90% and reduces the cooldown to 3.5 seconds.

I recommend acquiring a Kerenzikov as early as possible it will not only unlock new gameplay mechanics in combat, making the game more fun but will get you used slowing down time before you get your hands on a Sandevistan.

Moreover, the Kerenzikov can be used in combination with the time-warping Sandevistan to great effect for all character builds and combat situations. Such as a melee build where the Kerenzikov allows V to dodge enemy gunfire while blocking. The Kerenzikov is your failsafe for getting out of trouble and alive longer when you’ve been made attempting to sneak around.

There are two slots available for V’s Nervous System, and you can combo the Kerenzikov with a flurry of other implants to improve its output.

For example, the Reflex Tuner slows down time when V’s health drops below 25%, or the Synaptic Accelerator slows down time when an enemy detects you, which is very handy for when you geHealthht sneaking. However, the Nanorelays is a great option for installing Sandevistan and Kerenzikov in your body. If you own the Epic variant, it increases both implants’ duration by 2 seconds.

Militech Berserk Mk.5 Operating System

If you’re the sneaky type that likes throwing knives in the backs of Arasaka Corpos or sitting back and picking enemies off with Tech Snipers from afar, this isn’t the Cyberware for you.

Once activated, the Militech Berserk Mk. 5 will turn V into a high-octane killing machine resembling Maine’s psychotic last stand as he descends into madness in the Girl on Fire episode of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime show. The Implant increases V’s Armor and all Resistances by 10% and increases V’s max Health and Stamina by 40% for sixty seconds, allowing V to get up close and personal in combat.

While active, the Militech Berserk Mk.5 reduces weapon sway and recoil by 15% and increases melee weapon damage by 15%. Lastly, the Implant will restore 5% of V’s max Health per kill.

You can get even more effects from the Militech Berserk Mk.5 by installing up to three Berserk Fragment mods. I rHealthnd installing the following mods:

• Sharpened Berserk: Increases Critical Hit damage by 25%
• Legendary Invigorating Berserk: Increases Health regeneration by 24%

No Berserk Fragment mod will top the Beast Mode mod for melee character builds. Once activated, the Beast Mode mod will increase V’s Armor Resistances and Health regeneration by 15% and increase Melee attack damage by 100%. This implant is the best Berserk Operating System for players with melee builds and is perfect when combined with Mantis Blades and Gorilla Arms.

With this barbaric Cyberware, active V won’t ever lose to those blasted “Beat on the Brat” boxing Gigs again. The Beast Mode Berserk mod will only set you back 1,050 Eurodollars.

• You can purchase the Militech Berserk Mk.5 Operating System from Nina Kraviz, located in Charter Hill of the Westbrook District, for 35,000 eddies and 29 Steet Cred.

NetWatch Netdriver Mk.5

The Netwatch Netdriver Mk.5 is a tiny Cyberdeck Operating System implant that provides enough RAM and Quickhack upload speed that by the time a Cyberpunk pulls out their Carnage shotgun, the gonks have already killed each other and themselves.

The Netwatch Netdriver Mk.5 features 11 units of RAM and six mod slots and has a fast Cyberdeck RAM recovery rate of 9 units per minute. However, it’s the 30% damage bonus and its ability to spread Quickhacks to three extra targets that make this Cyberdeck lethal.

Take it like this, a single upload of the Cyberpsychosis Ultimate Quickhack will spread to three other targets adding four crazy Cyberpyschos to the battle that will both kill each other, your enemies allowing you to either sneak past or finish the survivors off once the Quickhack has worn off.

I don’t think it will top the Detonate Grenade Quickhack, though, as this will cause a chain reaction of grenades going off in enemy pockets. This Quickhack is best used when enemies are near explosives.

Alternatively, you can take out four enemies by Suicide and quickly restore your Cyberdeck RAM with the Legendary Suicide Quickhack.

• To get your hands, or should I say brain, on the Netwatch Netdriver Mk.5 Cyberdeck, you will need a Street Cred of 40 and 35,000 Eurodollars. You can purchase the Cyberdeck from the unnamed Ripperdoc in Wellsprings.

Militech “Falcon” Sandevistan Mk.5

It would be terrifying to encounter a Militech “Falcon” Sandevistan Mk.5 wielding Cyberpsycho in Night City. This is one of the best, if not the best, Sandevistan available on the market. This implant ain’t for the faint of heart, as it will require V to have at least level 49 Street Cred and level 20 Reflexes. To install this technological monstrosity into your body will cost you 43,750 Eurodollars.

I can’t say I don’t blame the Ripperdoc for charging these prices because whoever owns a Falcon Sandevistan is up to no good!

So what is all the hype about?

When activated, this Sandevistan slows time to 30% for 18 seconds; you can extend the time it’s active by installing the Nanorelays Nervous System implant or by modding the Sandevistan with the Sandevistan: Overclocked Processor. Alternatively, you could decrease its cooldown time by 4 seconds using the Legendary Sandevistan: Heatsink mod.

If slow-motion is your style, then consider the QianT “Warp Dancer” Sandevistan Mk.5. It will slow time to 10% for 8 seconds with a cooldown of 30 seconds. It increases damage by 15% and Critical damage by 50%, so this is the perfect Sandevistans for a gunslinging Cyberpunk with a revolver.

Epic Fortified Ankles

There are only three different Cyberware Implants to choose from in Cyberpunk 2077, and all are powerful and unique in their own right. The Fortified Ankles stands above the rest, though.

Fortified Ankles will enable V to hover in the air by activating the Fortified Ankles Hover Thrusters AKA holding Spacebar in mid-air. The player can make V jump higher by charging up the Fortified Ankles by holding the spacebar or the corresponding button while on the ground. Moreover, aiming while the Hover Thruster is active will allow you to stabilize your movement. Finally, the mod reduces fall damage by 15% to make those extra high jumps more tolerable.

Of course, to get all this, you will need the Epic Fortified Ankles, which will set you back a hefty 30,000 Eddies and require you to have level 12 Street Cred. However, if you pay back V’s favorite Ripperdoc, Victor will install them without needing the Street Cred. (Yep, Victor is damn good to V, so pay back your debts!)

The Lynx Paws Leg Cyberware Implants are decent, allowing you to run more quietly; however, if you’re building a stealth build, you can improve your V’s stealth by a flurry of perks within the Ninjutsu skill tree. Alternatively, the Reinforced Tendons Implant allows you to double jump in mid-air. This is a pretty cool ability and great for movement.

Here’s my argument V can increase his jump height with the Fortified Ankles Implant, and more so, while a double grants V more control in the air, V misses out on reduced fall damage and being able to hover in the air, which can be fantastic for raining death on enemies with the Projectile Launch System or just getting a line of sight on enemies that are in cover.

The rare budget variant of the Fortified Ankles will only give V a boost to his jump Height, and for a cheap implant, the Rare Fortified Ankles will quickly earn back your spent eddies by allowing you to jump to out-of-reach Breach Protocol locations.

• I recommend using the Maneuvering System Nervous System implant alongside the Fortified Ankles, as this will allow you to dodge incoming fire while in the air.

FAQs

Conclusion

In conclusion, Cyberpunk 2077 has gotten a bad reputation for its abundance of glitches (pretty ironic of the narrative if you ask me). However, the character progression in Cyberpunk 2077 is one of its biggest assets. There is an abundance amount of playstyles and builds for the player to explore and create from slowly building up your V’s attributes that dictate what avenue the player would like to play.

But no other game will come close to the unique Cyberware system in Cyberpunk 2077. Sure, you got your magic in Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt and Elder Scrolls, but with twenty Cyberware slots available to customize on V from his brain, eyes all the way down to his legs, and with just over a hundred different kinds of implants (including variants) to choose from it would give just about any RPG fan to tingle with excitement.

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