Gameplay Changes in Cyberpunk Patch 2.0

Learn about Perks, Attributes, and Skill Trees in cyberpunk 2077 Patch 2.0. Grenades and healing now use cooldowns instead of consumables.

Perks and Attributes:

In cyberpunk 2077, you earn EXP by completing quests and defeating enemies. Gaining enough EXP levels you up, granting a perk point and an attribute point. Perks and attributes remain connected, with perk trees segregated into four tiers requiring specific attribute benchmarks: Rookie (4), Pro (9), Phenom (15), and Legend (20). Perk trees are reorganized with new perks and a more traditional interconnected structure, where some perks must be purchased in a specific order. Perks and attributes no longer directly influence skills, and there are generally fewer perk points.

Skill Trees:

Prior to patch 2.0, cyberpunk 2077 had twelve skill trees, each with twenty ranks, intrinsically bound to attributes and perk trees. Attributes ranged from 3 to 20, and each had associated perk subtrees (e.g., Body had Athletics, Annihilation, Street Brawler). Skill trees governed weapon types or combat aspects (Blades, Handguns, Quickhacks, etc.), with ranks yielding passive bonuses, capped by the governing attribute. For example, with ten Body, you could only reach rank 10 in Athletics, Annihilation, and Street Brawler.

As of patch 2.0, these twelve trees are reduced to five, with combined functions. Gaining skill EXP is less clear-cut. For example, killing with a pistol grants Headhunter EXP, using a tech pistol's alternate fire grants Engineer EXP, using a smart pistol's targeting grants Netrunner EXP, and pistol whipping grants Solo EXP. How you use a weapon can matter as much as the weapon itself. These five skills can each reach rank 60, but only every fifth rank (5, 10, 15, etc.) provides a benefit, resulting in fewer trees, fewer rewards per tree, and more ways to earn EXP.

Grenades and Healing:

Previously, grenades and healing items were consumables that you had to buy, find, or craft, cluttering inventory. In patch 2.0, healing items and grenades are on cooldowns. You can generally bank two charges of each, managing usage and timers instead of crafting components and stock.

Health Regeneration:

In patch 2.0, health fully regenerates when you are not in combat. By default, health does not regenerate during combat. Previously, health regenerated to a certain threshold both in and out of combat, which could be increased by investing in the Epimorphosis perk (Body 7+). This is replaced by the Painkiller perk (Body 4+) in patch 2.0, allowing full health regeneration in combat.

Stamina Consumption:

Before patch 2.0, stamina was consumed when jumping, sprinting, or performing melee attacks, and generally did not affect gun usage. Now, firing guns consumes stamina. You cannot attack in melee if you run out of stamina, and your accuracy is decreased if you run out of stamina.