With the release of Update 2.0 for Cyberpunk 2077, melee weapons builds like Katanas are finally much more viable. While there might not be a lot of Katanas in the game, you can still live out your Cyborg Samurai fantasy with the Cyberpunk 2077 Katana build we have crafted for you. While this Katana build works perfectly with just Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0, it would be better to have access to Phantom Liberty expansion.
Best attributes and perks for Katana build in Cyberpunk 2077
Since we are using blades for our Katana build in Cyberpunk 2077, our main attribute focus needs to be on Reflexes, which directly benefits katanas and Technical Ability, so we can unlock Edgerunner to lift the Cyberware capacity limit.
The recommended starting attributes for katana blade build in Cyberpunk 2077 are
- Reflexes +3
- Technical Ability +1
- Body +3
By the time you reach level 60, your attribute distribution should look like this
- Reflexes 20
- Body 15
- Technical Ability 20
- Cool 20
- Intelligence 6
You will notice that we have put more focus on Technical Ability despite having very little initial investment in it. That’s because you can’t take advantage of the perks offered by Technical in the early game, so no point in wasting points there at the start.
If your character isn’t level 60 yet, you will not have the same attribute distribution as us. But you should aim to max out Reflexes and Technical Ability skills before going for any other attribute tree.
Technical Ability perks
- All Things Cyber (2) and all connected nodes
- License to Chrome (3) and all connected nodes
- Edgerunner
Reflexes perks
- Slippery
- Dash (2)
- Air Dash (3)
- Lead and Steel (2)
- Finisher: Bladerunner (3)
- Slaughterhouse
- Tailwind
Body perks
- Painkiller
- Adrenaline Rush (3)
- Comeback Kid
- Speed Junkie
- Juggernaut
Cool perks
- Feline Footwork
- Ninjutsu (3)
- Killer Instinct
- Scorpion Sting (2)
- Juggler (3)
- Style Over Substance
Recommended gear
As should be evident, we will obviously need at least one Katana as the weapon of choice for the CP2077 Katana build. If you want a purely melee build, you can just stick with that one katana. Alternatively, you can pair it with a throwing knife or gun.
Weapon 1: Satori or Errata Katana. Satori is a better choice because we are going for a crit build, and it pairs well with our second weapon.
Weapon 2: Nehan knife. This will be used as a throwing weapon instead of melee attacks.
The reason we went for this weapon combo for our Katana build in Cyberpunk 2077 is how well both weapons work together. Nehan is guaranteed to cause enemies to bleed when thrown. So Nehan will basically be the range initiator that you will use to inflict bleeding on your enemies. Once the enemy is bleeding, switch to Satori and start slashing at them.
While Satori itself also causes bleeding, it has a unique hemorrhaging effect. If an enemy is already bleeding due to damage from Nehan, any further hits from Satori will heal you for the damage you deal.
So basically, with the Satori and Nehan combo, you are getting a constant lifesteal, making it an almost immortal katana build in Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.0
Best Cyberware for Cyberpunk 2077 Katana build
Since we aren’t using guns, our cyberware for Katana build after Cyberpunk 2077 patch 2.0 will need to be fine-tuned for survivability, whether as healing or movement speed. The bulk of our armor will come from the Skeleton and Integumentary System implants.
Skeleton
Dense Marrow: Increases melee damage and gives armor
Para Bellum: Gives 13% bonus armor
Frontal Cortex implants
- Mechatronic Core
- Axolotl: Whenever you kill an enemy, all your cyberware implants gain cooldown reduction.
- Quantum Tuner: instantly restores another implant’s cooldown by 30-50s. You need to side with Songbird in Firestarter and then send her to the moon in The Killing Moon. After a few days, you will get a message from her to go to her favorite spot where you can pick up the Quantum Tuner.
Operating System
Militech Berserk: Makes you invulnerable once activated. Since you are using a pure melee build anyway, the restriction of only being able to use melee weapons shouldn’t be an issue. In exchange, your movement and attack speed are increased, and your attacks have basically no stamina cost. Once the effect ends, you get healed for the number of enemies you killed.
Face
Kiroshi Cockatrice Optics: increases crit chance
Circulatory System
Blood Pump: Acts as a bonus health item. When activated, you instantly gain a part of your health and regenerate the rest for the next 6 seconds.
Heal on Kill: We are already going with lifesteal with our update 2.0 Katana build in Cyberpunk 2077, so why not go all out? Each enemy killed grants you a percentage of your health.
Microrotors: You gain a 25% attack speed bonus. With a melee build like this, you need to have an insane amount of attack speed to be able to out DPS guns. That is where Microrotors and other similar cyberware implants come in.
Legs
This is mainly a personal preference category. You can either go for implants that give a double jump or an overall sprint speed bonus. My personal recommendation would be Jenkins’ Tendons. Your sprint speed is increased by 60% when you start sprinting but goes down slowly.
Integumentary System
Integumentary implants are where you will gain most of your armor for Cyberpunk 2077 katana build.
Carapace: your armor is more effective when enemies attack you from your flanks or the rear.
Nanoplating: 7% chance to block incoming projectiles. While this chance on its own is very low, the implant can increase it up to 100% after you dodge or dash. Since our build is all about mobility, you will be dodging or dashing a lot.
Nervous System
Stabber: increases Crit chance with blades and thrown weapons. Both weapons in our build fall under the blade or thrown category so this bonus is perfect for us.
Reflex Tuner: slows down time by 60% when your health drops below 25%
