Cyberpunk 2077 features tons of customization options to help you modify your V to your liking. In addition to plenty of different weapons, including a talking gun that fancies the songs of Rihanna, there are cybernetic upgrades to uncover and equip to improve your character. The Cyberware system is rather expansive, so we've identified some of the best upgrades to invest in. This should help save some time and take the guesswork out of enhancing your V, so you don't waste energy or resources on upgrades that you don't really need. It will also make your V even more powerful and effective, both in and out of combat.
Along with breaking down some of the most powerful upgrades, we also explain where to find them in the game. We also highlight some notable upgrades that you might be better avoiding in order to save time and your hard-earned eddies.
Night City's Best Cyberware
Reinforced Tendons (Double Jump): Biomechanical connective tissue supporting leg muscles.
These leg upgrades will allow V to perform a double jump, a video game staple across many different action games and platformers. If your character is particularly agile, this upgrade is a must if you want to reach some of the harder reach areas around Night City, or just want to put some extra finesse into different combat encounters.
Requirements: This particular upgrade is a common one among the different Ripperdocs across Night City. The vendors in City Center, Watson, and Santa Domingo all have access to the rare variants of the Reinforced Tendons upgrade, which will set you back about 45,000 eddies.
Gorilla Arms: Classic and reliable replacements for natural limbs, suited for all kinds of hard labor.
The Gorilla Arms are an unarmed-focused cyberware upgrade that greatly strengthens your punches. Along with that, it can also amplify V's strength to rip open doors and pull guns off automated turrets.
Requirements: If you want a low-end version of the Gorilla Arms, you can find it from the first Ripperdoc Viktor in the Watson district. However, if you want the legendary version of the Gorilla Arms, you can find it at another Ripperdoc shop in the west side of the City Center. This variant is a massive upgrade compared to the base versions, but you'll need to have 45 Street Cred in order to purchase it at a high price.
Kerenzikov: A classic reflex booster.
This nervous system cyberware upgrade will slow down time by 90% for up to 3.5 seconds when blocking, aiming, or attacking during a dodge or slide maneuver. The Kerenzikov is useful for combat encounters when you're facing multiple foes or elite enemies, and want to slow down the pace to deal extra damage.
Requirements: To get this upgrade, you'll need to have 18 points in Reflexes for your character. Once you meet that requirement, you can find this upgrade from the Ripperdoc in Santa Domingo, on the west end of the district. This is a legendary upgrade costing upwards of 35000 eddies, so make sure you have enough money saved up.
Second Heart: Corrects one of nature's greatest flaws by giving you a second lease on life.
This circulatory system cyberware upgrade will restore 100% of your max health when your HP falls to zero. Essentially it's Cyberpunk 2077's take on the extra life. Once activated, it goes on a two-minute cooldown.
Requirements: For starters, to use this upgrade you'll need to at least have 16 points in the Body core stat. Once you do, you can purchase this cyberware upgrade from the Ripperdoc in Haywood, located near the western side of the district.
Syn-Lungs: Synthetic tissues designed to increase functional lung tissue surface area.
Another circulatory system upgrade, this piece of cyberware will boost your character's stamina regeneration. This particular upgrade is useful if you want to focus on a melee oriented build, using swords or your fists.
Requirements: Just like the Second Heart upgrade, you'll need 16 points in the Body stat to equip this piece of cyberware. Along with Second Heart, it can also be found from the Ripperdoc in Haywood.
Projectile Launch System (Arm Cannon): A missile launcher in the palm of your hand (more or less literally).
This arm cyberware upgrade stands as the most powerful attachment you can apply to your character. As the description says, you can transform V's arm into a missile launcher, which will deliver heavy explosive damage to enemies at a distance. The tradeoff, however, is that this cyberware upgrade will replace your traditional grenades, though you may not miss them once you get used to using this upgrade.
Requirements: You can actually find this arm upgrade from different Ripperdocs around Night City, including Viktor in Watson. However, in order to activate this upgrade, you'll first need the Smart Link cyberware, which enables many of the more advanced pieces of cyberware for V. To get the Smart Link, you'll need to buy the upgrade from the Ripperdoc in Watson, north of Kabuki. Once you have the Smart Link enabled, you can use the arm cannon.
Dynalar Sandevistan MK.4: Dynalar's greatest achievement to date. This implant boasts lightning fast connection speeds, combat system flexibility and optimized combat perceptiveness.
Similar to the Kerenzikov, this upgrade slows down time. Unlike the other upgrade, this piece of cyberware can be activated at will. Once engaged, it will slow down time by 25% for 16 seconds, and it will also boost damage you dish out by 15%, along with adding a 15% critical hit chance as well. This can be a fantastic upgrade if you use it for tactical purposes, and it helps make some of the more elite enemies in Night City pushovers.
Requirements: Firstly, this upgrade will require 16 points in reflexes. Once you meet that requirement, you can purchase this legendary cyberware upgrade from Viktor in Watson, which will cost 35,000 eddies.
Upgrades You Might Want To Avoid
We've shown you a list of cyberware upgrades to track down, but while visiting the shops, you may notice some other ones that may catch your eye. We want to take some time to single out some upgrades that may seem enticing, but we'd recommend you avoid some of the following.
Mantis Blades: While these upgrades have been shown off numerous times in the many trailers and gameplay demos for the game, the actual Mantis Blades in the game are somewhat underwhelming. They can do what was advertised, which is slicing and dicing enemies, but you're better off just sticking with a katana or another melee weapon in order to save on cyberware slots.
Charge Jump: An alternative to the Double Jump is the Charge Jump. By holding down the jump button, you can launch V up into the air at a significantly greater height. However, the Double Jump is actually much more of a useful upgrade due to its flexibility. The Charge Jump's static boost upward can feel a bit unwieldy when compared to the greater sense of control you have with the Double Jump, so we suggest you just invest in the latter instead.
