Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is still several days away, and while it provides extensive new content, quests, the Relic tree and more, Update 2.0 is officially available. CD Projekt RED promised multiple new features, from improved combat AI and an overhauled police system to revamped perks, vehicular combat, car chases and much more. Did it deliver? Yes, and then some. Let’s dive deep into some crazier changes with Update 2.0 and why even Night City Legends should start a new save to experience it.
UI Changes
On top of overhauling the Quest Journal’s look, the phone UI has also changed and feels like…well, using an actual phone. You can now untrack quests, so no more having to meet a certain someone at the Embers, and the minimap zooms dynamically based on how fast you’re going. It’s now possible to preview clothes and weapons in your inventory, check the status of active Cyberware in your HUD and much more.
Weapon Changes
Not only have new weapons been added (like a Thermal Katana), but the entire system has been significantly overhauled. Some weapon mods have been removed, existing mods have been revamped, and entirely new mods are now available. You can no longer equip silencers on revolvers or scopes on submachine guns, but you can now use smoke grenades, craft a mod using two of lower quality and utilize new melee finishers. Multiple components are also unnecessary for upgrading and crafting – now you only need one.
Equip Weapon Animation and Tiers
That’s not all – the snazzy animation that plays when you equip a weapon for the first time? You can now see it as many times as you want by double-tapping Triangle on PlayStation, Y on Xbox or Alt on PC with a holstered weapon. V’s stash wall is also larger and can display all Iconic weapons, allowing collectors to showcase their entire arsenal in style. It’s also worth noting outside of cyberware, only Iconic weapons are upgradeable, with Tiers now replacing Rarity levels.
More Immersive Cyberware
You can now purchase any Cyberware in Night City. However, on top of new Cyberware being added to the game and certain slots unlocking after equipping specific Perks, the installation process is much more immersive. V will now sit in a chair for the operation, and different animations will play depending on the cyberware installed. The other underrated new feature is clothing no longer having mod slots, letting you wear whatever you want without worrying about messing up stats.
Perk Changes
When you load into the game from an existing save, you’ll notice that all of your Perk Points have been refunded (with an option to reset Attributes once, though you can no longer refund them continuously). Allocating points into Attributes still allows for unlocking Perks, but several new options like Hack Queue for queuing multiple hacks on an enemy, Air Dash for dashing through the air, Acquisition Specialist where reloading a Smart weapon no longer interrupts target lock and Lead and Steel for deflecting bullets with a katana have been added.
Skills also provide new passive buffs every five levels, and instead of resetting all of your Perks, you can now reset individual options at no extra cost. Also, for Edgerunners fans, take a peek at the perks Die! Die! Die! and Edgerunner. You may find some references to beloved characters.
Health, Grenade and Stamina Changes
Annoyed at constantly running out of stamina when running around Night City? When you’re out of combat, sprinting, sliding and jumping no longer consume stamina. However, health items and grenades have been overhauled. Instead of possessing multiple amounts of each, they now have limited charges. Using one requires waiting for it to recharge after a short period. It may seem like a step back, but it’s one of several factors that make for a more challenging experience.
Enemy AI Improvements
Not only are the higher difficulties challenging, but enemies are smarter overall. They sport improved reactions to grenades and flanks and can detect you faster if you’re walking or sprinting instead of sneaking. While silenced shots won’t give away your immediate position, enemies will become alerted at the impact points for bullets and look around for anything suspicious. Finally, beware of hostile Netrunners – not only has their AI improved, but if you use Sandevistan, they’ll activate their own to counter you.
Don’t Underestimate MaxTac
With overhauls to the police system, you’ll be pursued by officers after committing crimes, whether on foot or in vehicles. The challenge scales with your Heat level, and it’s not longer before NCPD is busting out blockades or calling on MaxTac to hunt you down. A note on MaxTac: They’ll swoop in via AVs when called, and there are different types to fight, like snipers, netrunners and even Mantis Blade wielders. Don’t take them lightly if you favor living.
New Arcade Mini-Game and Secrets
Night City has new secrets to discover, like a new vehicle that pays tribute to Ken Block. You can also converse with Johnny Silverhand in the Megabuilding H10 apartment and benefit from buffs based on the properties owned. There’s a new arcade mini-game, Trauma Drama which offers new rewards.
NPC Improvements
Outside of combat, there are several improvements to the AI for Night City’s general population. While in cars, they’ll switch lanes naturally to bypass obstacles and no longer walk straight into other moving vehicles to meet their quick demise. Be careful when hijacking any cars, as some NPCs won’t take kindly to it and try to fight back. Traffic density also varies based on day or night, thus making the city feel more bustling. More importantly, they’ll try to veer away when you’re crossing, so no more getting run over. Well, less getting run over, anyway.
Driving Improvements
Vehicular combat has been covered extensively, with auto aim while driving, mounted weapons, melee combat on bikes, hacking cars (and even causing them to detonate), and much more. However, what’s more surprising is how much the core driving experience has improved. The braking force on vehicles has been adjusted. Gravity now realistically affects suspension, and you’ll feel the effects of different terrain while driving. There’s new speed-sensitive steering, and several vehicles are fully retuned, with torque curves for different engine types, giving them much more personality.
Level Scaling
Not every change is guaranteed to gel with players. Weapons now scale their damage based on the tier, and loot scales to your level, which is good. The amount of random loot found lying around has been significantly lowered, which is also good, and you can now earn a decent amount of money from selling weapons. However, all NPCs scale to your level, regardless of the area in Night City. Various factions also have different enemy tiers with Low, Medium or High armor, making them even more challenging, though the difficulties have been rebalanced to compensate.