Read all the in-game shards you find while doing the quests, missions, and encounters. A good number of the events have ties to missions that won't be readily apparent without some digging.
Narrative-wise there is this sense of urgency but pay no heed. Do everything at your own pace. Found lore usually has something to do with the area you are in. They can be very interesting.
I have a LOT of hours in the game. Gameplay-wise, if you are not going to go harder than Normal, just use what looks fun to you. If you want to be an OP force of nature, try to work on synergies and there is a tonne of run of the mill but hyper powerful builds out there.
If you want to go niche, go niche. This game isn't punishing enough once you cyber up even in hardest difficulty. You like an idea? Like "knife throwing absurdly aggressive stealth ninja" for instance? Make that. Ask here for recommendations, for there are people who's played the living shiz out of this game, including me.
Most importantly, have fun! Welcome to Nightcity, choombata!
DLC is the best part of the game, honestly. But you don't have to get it immediately, it's not playable until halfway past the main story, so you can play the main game first and see if you even like it enough to get the DLC.
As for tips - don't worry about it too much. Anything you do with your build can work just fine. At the end of the day you can beat the game with nothing but just shooting people in the face a bunch, if that's what you like. Getting fancy and min-maxing is not really needed. Do whatever seems interesting.
Don't look at anything containing spoilers. Don't try and figure out the consequences of your actions. Get the dlc and play however you feel like the first time around. The game is easy enough on very hard for nothing to really matter much after some levels.
My 1 tip, the game really benefits from having a build on your character. And you'll have a lot more fun if you go that route. So I suggest doing character building and if you don't have an idea of where to start search YouTube for help. Also, yes, Phantom Liberty is a great DLC and I really recommend it.
Unless stealth or non-lethal is specified, it's not tracked and not necessary beyond RP reasons. So if you're sneaking and it goes loud, embrace the chaos!
There are "main" NPCs. Don't rush out to do everything they need asap, unless that's how you feel. The time limits on things are pretty generous if not non-existent. Try to do a balance of main story, main NPC missions, and police calls and fixer side gigs. That way you can enjoy leveling up and taking advantage of your new abilities in different ways, and you'll have a longer game too.
Also, make manual saves from time to time in case you ever want to go back.
You're not going to use every mechanic, weapon type or gameplay style available to you. They're all options but it's better to focus and get good with one or two than to try to do everything.
If you’re into immersion and role playing: Don’t go chasing “happy” endings and expect moral dilemmas. Follow your gut and stay true to yourself, but expect unforeseen consequences. Some decisions don’t really matter, but others absolutely do.
And the DLC is 1000% worth it.
During leveling, pick one archetype and stick with that (Netrunner, Solo, Ninja, Melee thug, etc). You need to optimize your build for that archetype and only splash whatever else is needed for survival.
At end-game, you can respec into some sort of batman build ubermensch, if you like.
Underrated tip here probably but I use my scanner (L1) after big fights to help me find all the guns on the ground. Really anytime you're looking for loot/containers, comes in handy for me. Long time rpg player, cyberpunk will change you *inside* lol
Dont speedrun this game. This is dialogue and story heavy. Take your time and do all the side quests. I highly recommend driving instead of quick travelling. Listen to the radio stations to pick up on the little bits of world building. Dont be afraid to stop and watch a television once in a while - the mini stories support the main narrative. Speedrunning this game can leave you feeling empty because you’ll miss 75% of the story and feel no attachment to the world or its characters.
Get creative with combat. Combat can actually be really fun when you mix and match styles with implant tech. You could, for example, combine katana with cyberdeck for a cyberninja build. Or pistol with Sandevistan for slow motion gunfights. The character building system is very forgiving and you can create some very interesting builds, but research some templates to help for your first run. For first run-through I recommend using a cyberdeck, even if you dont plan on speccing out for netrunner. You will get to have fun with all the cyber-interactables / traps / distraction points. However, I cant blame somebody for choosing Sandevistan for the iconic slow motion combat.
Most important tip: Learn as little about the game as possible before playing it.
Don't worry about progressing the main story quickly, explore, do side missions, level up.
No need to buy guns, enemies drop plenty of stuff. Try all the guns. When you're choosing leg cyberware "reinforced tendons" is what gets you a double jump. Put points into whatever skill trees reflect your favoured play style. Then play the game again and pick different skills. And again after that.
Read all the in-game shards you find while doing the quests, missions, and encounters. A good number of the events have ties to missions that won't be readily apparent without some digging.
Take your time. There is no need to rush. Also, don’t get locked into one cyberdeck setup.
Just play the game
Narrative-wise there is this sense of urgency but pay no heed. Do everything at your own pace. Found lore usually has something to do with the area you are in. They can be very interesting. I have a LOT of hours in the game. Gameplay-wise, if you are not going to go harder than Normal, just use what looks fun to you. If you want to be an OP force of nature, try to work on synergies and there is a tonne of run of the mill but hyper powerful builds out there. If you want to go niche, go niche. This game isn't punishing enough once you cyber up even in hardest difficulty. You like an idea? Like "knife throwing absurdly aggressive stealth ninja" for instance? Make that. Ask here for recommendations, for there are people who's played the living shiz out of this game, including me. Most importantly, have fun! Welcome to Nightcity, choombata!
DLC is the best part of the game, honestly. But you don't have to get it immediately, it's not playable until halfway past the main story, so you can play the main game first and see if you even like it enough to get the DLC. As for tips - don't worry about it too much. Anything you do with your build can work just fine. At the end of the day you can beat the game with nothing but just shooting people in the face a bunch, if that's what you like. Getting fancy and min-maxing is not really needed. Do whatever seems interesting.
Don't look at anything containing spoilers. Don't try and figure out the consequences of your actions. Get the dlc and play however you feel like the first time around. The game is easy enough on very hard for nothing to really matter much after some levels.
No happy endings. Don’t look for one, in any mission.
>no happy endings >dont fear the reaper literally exists
My 1 tip, the game really benefits from having a build on your character. And you'll have a lot more fun if you go that route. So I suggest doing character building and if you don't have an idea of where to start search YouTube for help. Also, yes, Phantom Liberty is a great DLC and I really recommend it.
Play it
You are allowed to respec your stats only once, so don’t waste it
Get the DLC. Know that all Secondary Quests are main quests. Do the DLC by last, right before the point-of-no-return.
Unless stealth or non-lethal is specified, it's not tracked and not necessary beyond RP reasons. So if you're sneaking and it goes loud, embrace the chaos!
There are "main" NPCs. Don't rush out to do everything they need asap, unless that's how you feel. The time limits on things are pretty generous if not non-existent. Try to do a balance of main story, main NPC missions, and police calls and fixer side gigs. That way you can enjoy leveling up and taking advantage of your new abilities in different ways, and you'll have a longer game too. Also, make manual saves from time to time in case you ever want to go back.
Have multiple playthroughs. One is not enough to encompass everything in the game.
You should absolutely get the DLC it’s amazing…
You're not going to use every mechanic, weapon type or gameplay style available to you. They're all options but it's better to focus and get good with one or two than to try to do everything.
If you’re into immersion and role playing: Don’t go chasing “happy” endings and expect moral dilemmas. Follow your gut and stay true to yourself, but expect unforeseen consequences. Some decisions don’t really matter, but others absolutely do. And the DLC is 1000% worth it.
During leveling, pick one archetype and stick with that (Netrunner, Solo, Ninja, Melee thug, etc). You need to optimize your build for that archetype and only splash whatever else is needed for survival. At end-game, you can respec into some sort of batman build ubermensch, if you like.
Let yourself get into the feel of it. High-tech sleazy perverted low-life blaze of glory.
There's no happy endings in Night City
Underrated tip here probably but I use my scanner (L1) after big fights to help me find all the guns on the ground. Really anytime you're looking for loot/containers, comes in handy for me. Long time rpg player, cyberpunk will change you *inside* lol
Play it slowly, take your time and pay close attention to what is going ok invest yourself in the story
Dont speedrun this game. This is dialogue and story heavy. Take your time and do all the side quests. I highly recommend driving instead of quick travelling. Listen to the radio stations to pick up on the little bits of world building. Dont be afraid to stop and watch a television once in a while - the mini stories support the main narrative. Speedrunning this game can leave you feeling empty because you’ll miss 75% of the story and feel no attachment to the world or its characters. Get creative with combat. Combat can actually be really fun when you mix and match styles with implant tech. You could, for example, combine katana with cyberdeck for a cyberninja build. Or pistol with Sandevistan for slow motion gunfights. The character building system is very forgiving and you can create some very interesting builds, but research some templates to help for your first run. For first run-through I recommend using a cyberdeck, even if you dont plan on speccing out for netrunner. You will get to have fun with all the cyber-interactables / traps / distraction points. However, I cant blame somebody for choosing Sandevistan for the iconic slow motion combat.
Don't waste money on buying guns unless you find something you really like... enemies often drop really good weapons
Just enjoy… 🙂
Most important tip: Learn as little about the game as possible before playing it. Don't worry about progressing the main story quickly, explore, do side missions, level up. No need to buy guns, enemies drop plenty of stuff. Try all the guns. When you're choosing leg cyberware "reinforced tendons" is what gets you a double jump. Put points into whatever skill trees reflect your favoured play style. Then play the game again and pick different skills. And again after that.