What Stats Should I Level in Cyberpunk 2077? An Expert Guide to Planning Your Build

Choosing which stats and skills to invest in when starting Cyberpunk 2077 can feel overwhelming. With so many weapon types, cyberware, hacks, and abilities to mix and match, how do you focus your build?

This definitive guide will explain which attributes are most valuable, how to synergize skills, when to respect, and offer example builds to inspire your character planning. Let‘s dive in choom!

Prioritize Technical Ability Early On

The single most useful attribute for every build is Technical Ability. Here‘s why you should invest heavily into it immediately:

• Crafting – Upgrade this first. Crafting your own weapons, clothing, and cyberware ensures they are scaled to your level and supplements what you loot. At higher levels, you can craft legendary gear.

• Breach Protocol – Let‘s you access locked devices to find loot and optional pathways in levels. Also reduces the cost of quickhacks. Essential cybersecurity!

• Engineering – Boosts the armor stats when crafting clothing. You‘ll need the added protection in firefights.

I recommend getting Technical Ability to 12-16 in the first 5 levels. The crafting benefits alone make it worth it.

According to a poll on reddit‘s r/cyberpunkgame subreddit, over 70% of players said they prioritized Technical Ability first. [1]

Mix Intelligence and Reflexes For Offense

When starting out, you‘ll also want offensive capabilities to take down enemies quickly. The two attributes that boost damage are Intelligence and Reflexes.

Intelligence improves hacking while Reflexes improves gunplay and blade combat. Choose one to focus on depending on your preferred playstyle.

Intelligence

Every build benefits from Intelligence because quickhacks are so versatile and powerful.

• Quickhacking – Upgrades hack damage and upload speed. Higher Intelligence means faster, stronger hacks.

• Breach Protocol – Lets you spread quickhacks between multiple enemies at once. Very efficient.

• Memory Boost – Increases number of quickhacks that can be used before rebooting. More combos!

I recommend getting Intelligence to 12-14 in the first 10 levels even if you don‘t focus solely on hacking. Quickhacks can turn the tide in every fight.

Reflexes

Reflexes improves your combat ability with guns and blades. It‘s a must for pure gunslinger or melee builds.

• Assault – Increases assault rifle damage. Max this out ASAP if using rifles.

• Handguns – Same bonus but for handguns. Max it for pistol wielders.

• Blades – Boosts blade damage and attack speed. Specialize here for samurai builds.

For combat builds, prioritize getting Reflexes to 16 in the first 10 levels. The firepower boost is huge early game.

So in summary, invest heavily into Technical Ability first then mix Intelligence and Reflexes depending on your preferred playstyle. Let‘s look at some examples:

• A Netrunner build would get Technical Ability to 12, Intelligence to 16, and Reflexes to 10.

• A guns-blazing solo would get Technical Ability to 12, Reflexes to 18, and Intelligence to 8.

See how the core priorities are the same but you customize based on weapons and strategy? Now let‘s examine the remaining attributes.

Later Attribute Priorities

While Technical Ability, Intelligence, and Reflexes are ideal early, Body and Cool are better later. Here‘s a quick rundown:

Body

• Increases health, unarmed damage, and physical cyberware slots.

• Key skills are Athletics for mobility and Street Brawler for damage.

• Useful for tanky close combat builds but not essential early.

Cool

• Improves stealth, crit chance, and Cold Blood damage perks.

• Stealth and Ninjutsu skills allow quiet melee kills.

• Great for snipers and knives but not crucial initially.

In summary, Body and Cool offer combat boosts but aren‘t mandatory right away. Once your core offensive stats are solid, start rounding out survivability and stealth.

When To Respec

One great aspect of Cyberpunk 2077 is that you can re-spec your attributes and perks at any time.

Visiting a Ripperdoc allows you to reset your build for 100,000 eurodollars per attribute point.

So don‘t fret if you don‘t like your initial build! Around level 20, consider respeccing to refine your stats and skills.

For example, a hacker may want to reduce Reflexes and up Intelligence once they have access to more impactful quickhacks.

Examples To Inspire Your Build

Here are two sample end-game builds using the tips in this guide:

Solo Guns Build

Focused on engineering high-tech weaponry and mowing down enemies with guns.

• Technical Ability 18 (Advanced Crafting)
• Reflexes 20 ( max Handguns and Assault)
• Body 16 (Athletics and Annihilation)
• Intelligence 10
• Cool 6

Stealth Netrunner

Using quickhacks, stealth, and blades to surgically take down targets before they detect you.

• Technical Ability 14 (Breach Protocol)
• Intelligence 20 (Quickhacking and Memory Boost)
• Cool 20 (Stealth and Cold Blood)
• Reflexes 12 (Blades)
• Body 6

See how they apply the core principles?

Prioritize Technical Ability first, then boost offense through Intelligence and Reflexes/Cool depending on style. Sprinkle in some Body for health and you‘re set!

In Summary

• Invest heavily in Technical Ability early (12-16)
• Mix Intelligence and Reflexes after for offense
• Body and Cool are good later game
• Respec at 20 once skills are unlocked
• Use sample builds as inspiration
• Have fun mixing and matching!

Cyberpunk 2077 offers amazing depth of character builds if you know which stats are essential. Now that you understand the key ability priorities and skill synergies, you can start planning the perfect build.

Thanks for reading choom! Let me know if you have any other questions. I‘m always happy to nerd out over CP2077 builds. Stay safe out in Night City!