Understanding and Elevating Skills in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 Update

The highly anticipated update 2.0 for the popular game Cyberpunk 2077 brought an array of changes to the gameplay and user experience. The progression of skills is among these key enhancements, with players now capable of leveling up to five skills while completing gigs in Night City. This article delves into the new set of skills and the optimal way to level them up.

Unveiling a New Chapter: The 2.0 Update

Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 update represents a significant milestone in the game's journey. It addresses and rectifies a multitude of issues that have been highlighted by gamers since the game’s launch in 2020. In addition to the impressive improvements in visuals, stability, and overall performance, there is now seamless gameplay across various devices.

An Overhauled Skill Progression System

The updated version also introduced several additional features and an improved system for enhancing one’s skills. The Skill Progression system, a crucial aspect of the game, underwent substantial changes.

Some previously available skills are retained, while others have been incorporated. The skills feature prominently during combats and other activities around Night City. In the 2.0 update, the skills offer passive benefits to players, falling under five main categories: Headhunter, Netrunner, Shinobi, Solo, and Engineer. Essentially, the newly added Skill Progression system has replaced the previous Perks system.

Exploring the Skills

Each skill supplies a different set of benefits. For instance, the Headhunter skill during the game increases headshot damage, whereas the Netrunner skill enhances your quick hacking capabilities. The skills affect how powerful and diversified your character is in the five categories.

This new system provides stat boosts without the need for points spent on perks. Instead, players can create the character’s build independently and augment the stats through Skills. Each skill can be scaled up to Rank 60, with each rank achievement delivering more bonuses to your character.

Below is a breakdown of the skills and their respective Rank bonuses in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0.

1. The Headhunter skill: This skill offers a range of benefits, including decreased enemy visibility, increased headshot damage and damage against vulnerabilities, perk points, and increased crouch walking speed, among others.

2. The Netrunner skill: Through this skill, players can enjoy an increased RAM recovery rate, lock-on range with smart weapons, reduced RAM cost for quick hacks used on devices and vehicles, increased damage with quick combat hacks, and more.

3. The Shinobi skill: This option provides increased movement speed, reduced stamina cost from dodging and dashing, increased accuracy, and damage with fast attacks, among others.

4. The Solo skill: This skill pathway increases the carrying capacity, health, crit chance against enemies within 5 meters, damage with strong attacks and quick melee attacks, health after performing a finisher, and other benefits.

5. The Engineer skill: This skill enhances armor, cyber ware capacity, grenade damage and explosion radius, shock chance from charging a tech weapon or electronic baton, item health effectiveness, damage with bolt shots, and offers various other benefits.

Accelerating Skill Progression

Early on, it's effortless to level up each skill category under the Skill Progression menu. However, as is the case with most role-playing games, leveling up along a Skill Progression path gradually becomes more challenging. You can, at the beginning, unknowingly score several points under each major Skill category. Still, players who aspire to reach the highest levels will need to focus on a particular Skill Progression path by executing specific activities during gameplay.

The specific method for leveling up each skill is as follows:

1. Headhunter: Players gain experience in the Headhunter skill by achieving certain objectives in combat. The most efficient way to level up the Headhunter Skill is by hitting enemies on the head with any weapon.

2. Netrunner: To level up Netrunner skills, hack everything possible. Hacking items around Night City can help level up, but using quick hacks provides the most consistent path to progression.

3. Shinobi: Advancing the Shinobi progression path requires using exotic ninja-type weapons and performing acrobatic actions such as running, dashing, sliding, and climbing.

4. Solo: Progress in Solo is solely achieved with close-range weapons. A melee-based approach will expedite leveling up.

5. Engineer: The Engineer path involves using a variety of thrown explosives, elemental powers, as well as Smart Weapons, Projectiles, Cyberware, Bolts, and Crafting.

Using Skill and Progression Shards is another speedy method of leveling up skills. The shards can be found around Night City or in Dogtown (Phantom Liberty). With the Phantom Liberty DLC, players can purchase Progression Shards from a Junk Dealer in Dogtown to instantly enhance skill levels.

In conclusion, the 2.0 update of Cyberpunk 2077 has added new layers of complexity and enjoyment to the gameplay. By understanding and leveraging these new skill categories, players will gain a competitive edge in their journey in the Night City.