If you tuned into the Gamescom 2023 Opening Night stream, you might have caught an exciting trailer for Cyberpunk 2077, which has the Phantom Liberty DLC arriving on September 26th. However, the team’s Gameplay Designer, Yulia Pryimak, came out on stage to clarify that the “major overhaul of the game experience” is coming out for free for everyone who already owns a copy of Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. In short, we are all due for a massive Update 2.0 here in about a month (assuming you aren’t on last-gen consoles, that is).
So, you might be wondering, what’s can we expect to arrive with Phantom Liberty?
The trailer features a list: among it is the new Vehicle Combat, revamped Police and Combat AI, redesigned Cyberware, Perks, Perk trees, new Level Cap, new Items, and the Endless Dynamic Events & Missions – a lot of the features long-awaited by the community.
The Endless Dynamic Events & Missions alone have spurred a lot of response from players who have invested hundreds of hours into the endgame
CD Projekt RED didn’t leave us with merely a list, however. A few of these features have gotten a flashy gameplay preview. Let’s take a look!
Update 2.0 New Weapons
Showcased in the trailer are the following:
ORDER — Weapon Type: Shotgun (Illegal)
GRIT — Weapon Type: Handgun (Illegal)
WARDEN — Weapon Type: SMG (Illegal)
OSPREY — Weapon Type: Sniper Rifle
HERCULES — Weapon Type: Special
RASETSU — Weapon Type: Sniper Rifle
Then, we get a close-up on the Sniper Rifle RASETSU, with V commenting, “damn, preem view.”
Out of the Sniper Rifles we are already familiar with, we know that their strength lies in their range: with an addition of a Scope, they are designed for obliterating kill shots from a distance, and take unique Sniper Ammo and some time to reload in exchange. We have already seen explosive and piercing projectiles on the unique Rifles, so we will see what the powerful-looking RASETSU can offer us.
A peculiar weapon we don’t get to see up close is HERCULES, a “Special” weapon. It doesn’t seem to be a Weapon Class description, so perhaps it’s closer to something we get to use as a part of a quest or a particular assault (think stripping guns off of turrets). We don’t really have any information on it as of yet.
Update 2.0 Redesigned Cyberware
Is that just me or does it look like we are installing some cyber pinto beans into our brain?
We don’t get too good of a look at the new Cyberware system, but the UI now looks significantly more involved. In the trailer V mentions “[overclocking] your Chrome before the fight” as we take a look at the 3 Frontal Cortex slots getting filled (that bit remains unchanged). Perhaps the complexity and power of the individual pieces will force some limitations on the body, imitating the issue of cyberpsychosis (psychotic disorders caused by the implant overload) in the Cyberpunk setting.
From quick glimpses, it looks like the Ocular System is now named “Face,” the “Immune System” is nowhere to be seen, and Nervous System, Skeleton, and Hands each gets a new additional slot.
It’s important to note that this isn’t all of the updates the Cyberware is going to get: below we will also discuss the new Relic Skill Tree featured in the trailer, along with its Perks.
Update 2.0 Revamped & New Perks
We haven’t a lot of changes made to Perks since release, so this one is definitely new. A few adjustments have been made, targeting individual Perks like Cold Blood, but this time it looks like the UI is getting a redesign, and it looks like it’s quite a bit more streamlined this time around. Many of the familiar perks are still there, but the presentation of and the connective tissue between them has been cleaned up. It’s likely that the individual scaling and powers have been adjusted accordingly.
Doesn’t look like any of the Skills were renamed, in case you were proud of your cool Cool build
Here are the new Perks featured in the trailer (along with our description of the action):
Finisher: Bladerunner — V slices off the head with her katana
Bullet Deflect — V reflects bullets back at the shooter with her katana
Opportunist — V plunges her chainsaw into the neck in close combat
Air Dash — V dashes in a straight line, landing a shot from the air
Finisher: Savage Sling — V throws an unconscious body into another target
Pull! — V pulls herself towards the target she is facing
Deadeye — V lands a clean headshot with her handgun from a close distance
Finisher: BladerunnerBullet DeflectOpportunistAir DashFinisher: Savage SlingPull!Deadeye
Update 2.0 New Relic Skill Tree
We already knew that assault Cyberware needed something to carry it through higher levels in the game: eventually, most of the Arms attachments are overshadowed by just about any weapon, so the only reason to keep Mantis Blades, Monowire, Gorilla Arms, or the Projectile Launcher equipped was for the looks. However, it appears the cap on their power is about to be lifted, based on the assault Perks we can see in the trailer.
Looks like we will finally see some benefits from the Relic to counterbalance Johnny abusing our liver whenever he gets control
Relic Skill Tree Perks we saw in the trailer were:
The trailer then did a quick showcase of new vehicles, which seem to cover most of the categories we are used to seeing in the game. However, what followed next that involved these sleek beauties was even more exciting.
New Vehicle Combat
With the Update 2.0, the new vehicle combat system is added to the game: the ability to take shots from the car, mounted weapons, remotely launching your car into a group of enemies, and — as we can see below — even Quickhack attacks.
Convenient way to politely ask a car to please go explode itself
The flashy gameplay sequences demonstrate mounted rocket launchers, floods of bullets, massive explosions, and sending motorbike drivers flying into the air with a precise shot out of the driver’s window. Looks like car combat is about to become much, much more deadly.
And more fun.
Police Chase AI
Another highlight of the Update 2.0 is the revamped Police AI. Finally, we can see the enforcer vehicles ram into ours, form blockades, land from helicopters and open fire, and generally put a little bit more feeling behind “your actions are illegal!”
NCPD finally stepped up their budget after the disgraceful “Half-Life Cockroach > Cyberpunk 2077 AI” memes
This bit is definitely something the community wanted to see for a while, since any police encounters were resolved rather quickly, and amounted to just a few tricks of outrunning the clumsy, slow vehicles. CD Projekt RED addressed some of the most blatant issues with the police arriving on the scene in previous patches, but the police actually posing a real threat to the player is long overdue.
Update 2.0 “New Ways to Play” Official Trailer
You can see everything we have discussed in this overview, including many of the flashy gameplay demonstrations, in the official trailer below:
What are your thoughts on the list of upcoming features? Did you notice something we haven’t? Let us know in the comments below!
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Mila Grish
Dedicated contributor at EIP Gaming and a part-time collector of books she will never have time to actually read. Jumps on the newest releases just as quickly as on the uncovered dusty collections from the basement. For her, shiny graphics can never be an excuse to not have a polished player experience or an immersive story.
