There is a lot that goes into creating a new character in Cyberpunk 2077. You must endure the deep character customization, choose your lifepath, and then finally decide where to spend your starting attribute points in Cyberpunk 2077.
There are a total of five attributes that define your character in the game: Body, Cool, Intelligence, Reflexes, and Technical Ability. Phantom Liberty added a sixth attribute called Relic which we will go into later.
Putting your first points in the right attributes gives you a head start in whatever build you want to make. This is important because you now have a limited amount of attribute points and perk points after the 2.0 update.
You can now also only reset your attributes once, so you need to be careful about where to spend them to create the best build possible.
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Attributes explained in Cyberpunk 2077
Attributes work as core stats for your character. Each attribute has its own set of perks that unlock after you spend 4, 9, 15, and 20 points. Finding the best perks goes hand in hand with your attributes after the long-awaited 2.0 update. You now also have a new skill progression path that works separately.
Body
This attribute gives you +2 maximum health per point. It gives you raw power to force open locked doors and intimidate characters for bonus dialogue choices. You also get to improve your proficiency with Shotguns, Light Machine Guns, and Blunt Weapons.
Reflexes
This attribute gives you a +0.5 percent critical chance per point. It is all about improving your aggressive playstyle with Assault Rifles, Sub-Machine Guns, and Melee Weapons.
Technical Ability
This attribute gives you +2 armor per point. It is needed to improve your handling of Tech Weapons. You can also bypass locks and open locked doors. This attribute leans more on a non-combative approach.
Intelligence
This attribute gives you +1 maximum RAM per 4 points. If the name alone did not give it away, you get to improve your proficiency with Smart Weapons. Its main advantage, though, is your improved hacking abilities, especially to quickhack enemies during combat.
Cool
This attribute gives you +1.25 percent critical damage per point. It improves your profiency with Precision Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Handguns, and Throwable Weapons. If you are going for a stealth-based character, you need this attribute.
Relic
This new attribute has its own point system called Relic Points. You get them from Militech Data Terminals in Dogtown. Since they are separate from Perk Points, you can level them up without worrying about taking away points from another attribute.
The Relic attribute improves your cyberware, especially your arm mods. They are excellent if you are looking to get the Mantis Blades.
Where to spend your starting attribute points?
During the character-creation screen, your base attributes start with 3 points each. You will have a total of 7 attribute points to spend as you wish. If you are a new player or returning after the massive 2.0 update, you are likely going to need help in figuring out the best attribute spending to start Cyberpunk 2077 with.
This is also where you should understand that spending attribute points is mostly about what kind of playstyle you want. That, however, requires a deep understanding of the game. Worry not though. We are going to let you choose your starting attributes from a list of available builds and playstyles.
To improve weapon efficiency
Body: 4 points
Reflexes: 6 points
Technical Ability: 3 points
Intelligence: 3 points
Cool: 6 points
If you have not decided what weapon type to main in the game, you can spend your first points on both Reflexes and Cool. This improves your efficiency with all the main weapons: Reflexes for Assault Rifles, SMGs, and Blades; Cool for Sniper Rifles, Handguns, and Throwable Weapons.
To unlock additional dialogues
Body: 4 points
Reflexes: 4 points
Technical Ability: 4 points
Intelligence: 4 points
Cool: 6 points
Focusing on Cool will let you access more dialogue options in the early game, especially in the first act. Most players tend to create a new character once they realize that they need more Cool to gain an upper hand during certain story points, at least in the early game. This attribute spending ensures that you are a smooth talker at the start of Cyberpunk 2077.
To open locked doors for loot
Body: 6 points
Reflexes: 3 points
Technical Ability: 6 points
Intelligence: 3 points
Cool: 3 points
There are a few locked doors in the early game that you can only unlock by spending your first points on the Body and Technical Ability attributes. This will let you access new areas for bonus loot. The high Body points will also let you hijack cars in the open world once you are through with the prologue.
Best starting attributes for Phantom Liberty
Body: 5 points
Reflexes: 9 points
Technical Ability: 4 points
Intelligence: 9 points
Cool: 9 points
If you are creating a new character for Phantom Liberty, you will have a total of 15 attribute points to spend at the start. This is because you are going to be level 15.
Phantom Liberty throws more gigs and missions your way, most of which are fairly easy to complete. Since stealth and netrunner abilities received a boost with the 2.0 update, you only need to invest in Cool and Intelligence, with a bit of Body. This will give you the most optimized Phantom Liberty build to start Cyberpunk 2077.
Best 2.0 builds for each attribute
Since perks are designed around specific playstyles, you also need to know what builds you can make by spending all your points in each attribute.
Body attribute:
Best for a Tank build and a Blunt Weapon Build.
Reflexes attribute:
Best for an Assault Rifle Build and a Katana Build.
Technical attribute:
Best for a Tech Weapon Build.
Intelligence attribute:
Best for a Netrunner Build and a Smart Weapon Build.
Cool attribute:
Best for a Stealth Assassin Build and a Pistol Build.
Maximum attribute points in Cyberpunk 2077
The new Phantom Liberty expansion increases your maximum attribute points to 81 in Cyberpunk 2077. The base game offers you 71 but you can again an extra 10 points by purchasing the DLC. Consequently, your max level cap becomes 60.
You can technically spend a maximum of 20 points in each of the five attributes. However, you can only earn a total of 81 attribute points in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, so it is impossible to max out all of the attributes that require 100 points.
Hence, you should be careful in spending your 81 points among the five attributes. Make sure that you know beforehand what kind of character and playstyle you want.
How to reset your attribute points
You can reset your attributes at any point to refund your points and perks in Cyberpunk 2077. This can be done from your character screen. There is a “reset attributes” button in the bottom-left corner.
However, you can only reset attributes once per character or playthrough after the 2.0 update. This is extremely important to know because if you do decide to respec your attributes, you better know what to do with them.
