In this Cyberpunk 2077 Combat Guide, we will guide you on combat in Cyberpunk 2077. Night City is a dangerous place and you cannot expect to survive in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 unless you get up-to-speed with the in-game combat mechanics. This is why we have curated this combat guide for you which will help you master the art of combat in the game.
Combat Guide – Cyberpunk 2077
Our Cyberpunk 2077 Combat Guide details everything that you need to know about combat in Cyberpunk 2077.
Ranged Combat Basics
While entering combat, you can press Triangle to quickly draw your last used weapon. Pressing the triangle again will allow you to switch between your three weapons. You can store three ranged weapons in your quick-access menu at a single time. Press and hold Triangle to access this menu and choose the weapon that you want for combat. Once combat is over, you can double-tap the Triangle to holster your weapon.
Melee Combat Basics
Your melee weapons also go in your inventory and along with your ranged weapons in the Quick-Access menu. Make sure that you always keep one melee weapon in your Quick-Access because they are extremely useful in certain situations. You also have a lot of attacks with your melee weapons. We’ve detailed them below for you:
- Fast Attack: R2
- Strong Attack: Press and Hold R2 and then release R2 to land the charged attack
- Block: Hold L2 (Only works if you have the stamina)
- Counterattack: Press R2 right before the enemy attack connects with you
- Defensive Attack: Press R2 while blocking with L2
- Jump Attack: Press R2 while you are jumping or in the air
- Slide Attack: Press R2 while you are sliding
- Sprint Attack: Press R2 while you are sprinting
- Crouch Attack: Press R2 while you are crouching
- Quickdraw Attack: Hold R2 with a sheathed katana
Vehicle Combat Basics
While you are riding as a passenger in a vehicle, you can press Triangle to take out your weapon and enter the vehicle combat mode. You can look around with the left joystick and press L2 to aim with your weapon. Pressing R2 will shoot your weapon and if you want to reload, press Square. You can return back inside your vehicle by pressing and holding Circle. This only works while you are riding a vehicle as a passenger and not the driver.
Use Quickhacks During Combat
Quickhacks are a lifesaver in certain situations and depending on your situation, you can turn the tide of the battle with these handy tools. During your fight with your enemies, you can use Quickhacks to turn enemy cameras and turrets to your side and they will shoot at your enemies. You can also distract enemies to make them look away from you while you sneak in for a quick kill. You can also make the grenades in your enemy’s inventory to explode and if you have it unlocked, you can also make your enemies commit suicide by the power of hacking. It is an extremely deadly and powerful mechanic and you should use it in every chance that you get in the game.
Stay Behind Cover
Cover is vital for survival in Cyberpunk 2077. You will take plenty of damage if you remain out in the open and die quickly which is why you must stay in cover while you fight with your enemies. Pressing Circle behind tall covers will allow you to enter the cover mode. While in cover, you can either shoot blindly by pressing the R2 key or you can press L2 to aim from cover and shoot on the enemies. Staying in cover will drastically increase your survival chances in the game.
Keep an Eye Out on Your Health and Stamina Bars
Your health bar is on the top-left corner while the stamina bar is in the top-middle. You must always keep an eye on both of these bars because stamina is required for a lot of combat activities such as melee attacks, dodging, running, and jumping while health is critical for your survival in the game. During combat, your health does not auto-regenerate as well which makes it even more important to keep in check. If your health drops low, eat some food and it will replenish it quickly and for stamina, make sure that you some drinks with you at all times.
Go for Headshots
Since Cyberpunk 2077 takes an RPG approach towards its combat, enemies do not just fall instantly even if they match your level. However, you can increase the damage dealt to your enemies and save some ammo as well by trying to land as many headshots on your enemies as possible. Even if your enemies are in cover, chances are that a slight part of their head is always above the cover which makes it much easier for you to land headshots. They deal massive damage to your enemies and also take fewer bullets to kill them.
Always Upgrade Your Skills and Attributes
Every time you level up, you will earn Perk Points, and every three times you level up, you will earn Attribute Points. You must get new perks and upgrade your character’s upgrades because these will allow your character to get more powerful. Your damage is increased and with most perks, you will end up unlocking boosts or additional abilities that will help you kill enemies even quickly. Always make sure that you spend your acquired Perk Points and Attribute Points to make your character more powerful.
Find and Equip the Best Cyberware
Cyberware are mods that you will find and equip on your body throughout your playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077. These mods come with their own strengths and weaknesses and you can alter them according to your desired build. Some are offensive, some are defensive, some will make you smarter while some will increase your mechanical skills so every Cyberware mod is unique in its own way. You have different slots throughout your body such as your skeleton, hands, arms, legs, and everywhere else too. Find and equip the best cyberware mods that you can find in the game that compliment your playstyle to become powerful in the game.
Use the Environment to Your Advantage
During your missions, you will find plenty of items and situations in the environment that will allow you to kill your enemies in unique ways. Try to shoot at explosive barrels to kill a lot of enemies quickly or punch enemies to make them fall down heights. A lot of different opportunities will arise for you in various combat situations so make sure that you are always looking out for them and using them to your advantage.
That is all for our combat guide. If you want more help with the game, check out the additional guides in our Cyberpunk 2077 wiki.
This concludes our Cyberpunk 2077 Combat Guide. If you want to add anything to this guide, feel free to use the comments section below.
