Cyberpunk 2077 Skill Progression: A Comprehensive Guide
Cyberpunk 2077 skill progression has undergone a significant overhaul in the game’s free 2.0 update. The developers, CDPR, have made changes to the way skills are categorized and leveled up, allowing players to stack bonuses in a more streamlined manner. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the changes to skill progression, how to level up all five skills, and the rewards you can expect to receive.
How Does Cyberpunk 2077 Skill Progression Work?
Each of the five skill groups in Cyberpunk 2077 requires different actions to level up. However, most of these actions are related to tasks you would naturally perform while playing the game. For example, the Headhunter skill group levels up when you use firearms and land headshots, while the Shinobi branch levels up as you use movement abilities. The beauty of these skill upgrades is that they are entirely separate from perk points, meaning you can rank up all five skills by simply playing the game normally.
It’s worth noting that progress made in previous versions of Cyberpunk carries over to the 2.0 version. So, if you notice random progress in certain skill categories when playing an old save file, that’s because of this carry-over effect.
Cyberpunk 2077 Solo Skill Progression
Leveling up the Solo skill group is a bit different from the others. This category combines heavy weapons, carrying capacity, and health under one banner, but you can only level it up by using fists, gorilla weapons, clubs, and shotguns repeatedly. Even if you don’t use heavy weapons frequently, it’s still worth incorporating them into your gameplay to benefit from the rank bonuses, such as increased health and carrying capacity.
Solo Skill Rank Bonuses:
- Rank five: Increases carrying capacity by 50
- Rank 10: Increases health by 10
- Rank 15: +1 perk point
- Rank 20: Fists and Gorilla Arms have +20% damage and +20% attack speed. Fists may cause bleeding.
- Rank 25: Carrying capacity increases by 100
- Rank 30: Health increases by 15
- Rank 35: +1 perk point
- Rank 40: +10% critical hit chance against enemies within five meters
- Rank 45: Strong attacks and quick melee attacks deal 25% more damage
- Rank 50: +25% health after a finisher
- Rank 55: When Adrenaline Rush is active, Adrenaline decays 50% more slowly and cannot decay below 10%
- Rank 60: Berserk triggers: +30% enemy health threshold to perform Finishers, +50% health from performing finishers, and +30% Bersker duration
Cyberpunk 2077 Netrunner Skill Progression
Unlocking the full potential of the Netrunner skill group requires a focus on hacking. Use quickhacks on both people and terminals whenever possible to level up this skill quickly. Some players suggest that any action tied to Intelligence can also contribute to Netrunner rank progression. However, hacking remains the most efficient way to increase your Netrunner skill.
Netrunner Skill Rank Bonuses:
- Rank five: Increases RAM recovery rate by 5%
- Rank 10: Increases RAM by one
- Rank 15: +1 perk point
- Rank 20: Increases lock-on range by 20% with smart weapons
- Rank 25: Increases RAM recovery rate by 5%
- Rank 30: Increases RAM by one
- Rank 35: +1 perk point
- Rank 40: -20% RAM cost for quickhacks used on devices and vehicles
- Rank 45: +15% duration for control and convert Quickhacks, and +5% damage with combat quickhacks
- Rank 50: +40% duration for overclock
- Rank 55: -10% health loss from using Quickhacks during overclock
- Rank 60: When active, Overclock reveals enemies within 10 meters and allows you to Quickhack non-Netrunner enemies through cover
Cyberpunk 2077 Headhunter Skill Progression
The Headhunter skill group is relatively straightforward to level up. Landing headshots is the key to increasing your rank in this category. Weapon techniques and targeting weak points also contribute to progress. Interestingly, even using handguns without any fancy moves can earn you small gains. So, if you’re not comfortable with heavy weapons or intricate combat maneuvers, handguns can still help you progress in this skill.
Headhunter Skill Rank Bonuses:
- Rank five: Decreases visibility to enemies by 10%
- Rank 10: +10% headshot damage and +10% damage against vulnerabilities
- Rank 15: +1 perk point
- Rank 20: No weapon sway when crouched
- Rank 25: Decreases visibility to enemies by 10%
- Rank 30: +15% headshot damage and +15% damage against vulnerabilities
- Rank 35: +1 perk point
- Rank 40: Optical Camo is active while grappling enemies
- Rank 45: Decreases recovery time after a throw by 30%
- Rank 50: 30% faster when crouch-walking and crouch-sprinting
- Rank 55: Damage bonus from being undetected outside of combat persists for three seconds after entering combat
- Rank 60: +15% Optical Camo charge when neutralizing an enemy in one of the following ways: During focus mode, during Deadeye Mode, or with a thrown weapon
Cyberpunk 2077 Shinobi Skill Progression
Raising your Shinobi skill rank requires using movement abilities such as dashing, dodging, and climbing while in combat. Additionally, using katanas and other swords also contributes to your skill progress. If mobility isn’t your strong suit, focusing on swordplay can still help you rank up in this skill.
Shinobi Skill Rank Bonuses:
- Rank five: Increases movement speed by 5%
- Rank 10: -5% stamina cost from dodging and dashing
- Rank 15: +1 perk point
- Rank 20: Improved accuracy after dodging or dashing for a short time
- Rank 25: Movement speed increased by 5%
- Rank 30: -10% stamina cost for dodging and dashing
- Rank 35: +1 perk point
- Rank 40: Increased mitigation chance the faster you move
- Rank 45: +25 damage with fast attacks
- Rank 50: Air dashing and sliding reload 20% of your equipped weapon’s ammo
- Rank 55: Low stamina does not affect ranged accuracy or melee attack speed when attacking from midair or while time is slowed
- Rank 60: When Sandevistan is active: +40% critical hit chance and no stamina cost for any movement
Cyberpunk 2077 Engineer Skill Progression
The Engineer skill group is the easiest to level up as it mainly focuses on the use of smart weapons, throwable items, and crafting. Crafting can be a particularly efficient way to rank up this skill without even needing to use smart weapons. However, the bonuses associated with smart weapons do make these weapons more appealing and useful to your gameplay.
Engineer Skill Rank Bonuses:
- Rank five: Increases armor by 15
- Rank 10: Increases Cyberware capacity by five
- Rank 15: +1 perk point
- Rank 20: +10% grenade damage and explosion radius
- Rank 25: Increases armor by 25
- Rank 30: Increases Cyberware capacity by 10
- Rank 35: +1 perk point
- Rank 40: Increased shock chance from charging a tech weapon or electric baton
- Rank 45: Health item effectiveness +15%
- Rank 50: +30% for all Cyberware stat modifiers
- Rank 55: +10% damage from Bolt Shots and +40% burn chance with Bolt Shots. Chain Lightning will set enemies on fire
- Rank 60: When Fury is active, you may cause an EMP blast
If you’re seeking new adventures in Night City, check out our guide on how to start Phantom Liberty and meet Solomon Reed. Additionally, explore the best way to achieve the top Phantom Liberty ending. Enjoy your journey in Cyberpunk 2077’s dynamic world!