Netrunners in Cyberpunk 2077 are crafty and resourceful, favoring dexterity and precision over brute force tactics. Through absolute control and evasive maneuvers, they are more than capable of turning the tables in a firefight, dispatching enemies with devastating blows, and moving on to the next in mere moments.
With the 2.0 update, a lot of things changed like the Cyberware system and much-needed revised perks. The Monowire, the most used weapon in Netrunner builds, is now classified as Arms Cyberware. This means that all melee weapon-related bonuses are no longer applicable to it which caused a lot of change in the builds.
Additionally, armor is no longer related to your clothes and you can acquire it from perks and Cyberware, giving you more freedom to express yourself however you want.
If you are looking for a 2.0 Netrunner build in Cyberpunk 2077 to live your hacker hitman dream in Night City, then we have got you covered.
Table of contents
Required attribute points
The Body is one of the best-starting attributes because it boosts both your strength and survivability. It boosts your HP and health regen that lets you compromise on your armor for more damage stats. We recommend getting it to 20 first because it has generally good versatile skills that form the basis of any build.
Intelligence and Technical Ability go hand in hand, as they are both end-game attributes and form the basis of 2.0 Netrunner build in Cyberpunk 2077. The former grants you the ability to Quickhack while the other boosts your Cyberware capacity and effects. You will need to get both of them up to 20 but we recommend to start investing in them when you reach mid-game to make better use of them.
Reflexes is a dump stat where you can put all your remaining skill points in. It helps with movement and flexibility, making it easier for you to maneuver around the battlefield. We recommend putting your attribute points here alternatively at the start and then resetting your Attributes to invest them in better places.
Note that you will get an additional 10 Attributes with Phantom Liberty DLC so you can raise Reflexes more or grab pistol proficiency under Cool.
| Attributes | Allocated Points |
|---|---|
| Body | 20 |
| Intelligence | 20 |
| Technical Ability | 20 |
| Reflexes | 8 (18 with Phantom Liberty) |
| Cool | 3 |
Recommended perks and relics
Body and Reflexes have the best perks you can invest to start your Netrunner build, but later you will need to grab Quickhacks and Technical Ability to bring it to its final form.
Body
Best perks: Painkiller, Adrenaline Rush, Juggernaut, Calm Mind, Pain To Gain
First Tree
It is more related to Shotguns and LMGs so if you prefer close-ranged combat, it is the best place to boost their damage. We recommend pairing it with your build because the skills complement your whole kit nicely.
Middle Tree
The middle Tree boosts Health, regen rates and efficiency, damage mitigation, and overall sustainability. It is the main tree you should start investing in for your 2.0 Netrunner build.
Last Tree
This tree is related to boosts for Blunt weapons which is mostly not related to Netrunner build.
Intelligence
Best perks: Overclock, Data Recycler, Queue Acceleration, Embedded Exploit, Optimization
You will be grabbing almost all of the perks under the Intelligence tree because of the Quickhack skills and RAM optimizations forming the core of Netrunner after the 2.0 update.
First Tree
This Tree provides RAM and Quickhack optimizations like cost reductions, upload speed, and increasing Access points for enemies.
Middle Tree
The Middle Tree boosts your damage, RAM recovery rates, RAM RAM-related health regen, while reducing trace progress and activation costs.
Last Tree
It is related to the Smart Weapons, their damage increase, recoil reduction, target-lock enhancements, and attack speed. If you are going to equip a Smart Weapon, then we recommend investing your points here.
Technical Ability
Best perks: All Things Cyber, License To Chrome, Edgerunner, Pyromania, Heat Shield, Extended Warranty
First Tree
The First Tree is related to Health abilities which you will need for sustainability since there are limited sources of Armor in this build. It provides the usual Health regen and boosts and also includes Damage Mitigation and Elemental Damage Resistance which are both pretty useful stats.
Middle Tree
It is one of the most important Perk Tree due to the Cyberware upgrades it provides. You will get increased damage, effect duration, stat modifiers, Cyberware capacity, and cooldown reductions which will all contribute towards smooth skill rotations for your Netrunner build in Cyberpunk 2077
Last Tree
Like most weapon Trees, it is also exclusive to buffs but for Tech weapons only so you know where to get them if you have some equipped.
Reflexes
Best perks: Tailwind, Dash, Air Dash, Slippery, Steady Grip, Multitasker, Finisher: Bladerunner
First Tree
It provides optimization and boosts for Assault Rifles and SMGs.
Middle Tree
This Tree has all the movement skills that are needed to pull the Netrunner 2.0 build in Cyberpunk 2077 together. It provides movement speed, Dashing, increased Dash range, and Stamina reductions.
Last Tree
It boosts damage, Attack speed, and finisher range and also reduces Stamina costs for Blades only.
Relic Perks
Best Relic: Jailbreak with Data Tunneling / Spatial Mapping / Limiter Removal
Relic Perks appear under the Relic Skill Tree and are only available through Phantom Liberty DLC.
The best Relic choice is Jailbreak which grants additional unique abilities to your Arm Cyberware. This is important because you can use Quickhacks with Monowire, deal increased damage with Mantis Blades, or use charged attacks with Gorilla Arms.
Data Tunneling is the most recommended for your Netrunner build in 2.0 Cyberpunk 2077 because it makes your Monowire upload Quickhacks and if an enemy is attacked under this effect, it deals increased damage and spreads the Quickhacks to other enemies.
Spatial Mapping cripples enemies attacked by the leap attack of Mantis Blades. It serves as a good alternative to Monowire but you will lose out on a lot of utility this way.
Gorilla Arms are also a great option and with Limiter Removal, they knock enemies within a certain range down with the charged attack.
Recommended cyberware mods
Netrunners are masters of cyberware. Sure they can use weapons but their strength lies in quickhacks and other gadgets. To help you make the best Netrunner that Night City has seen since Lucy, below are our recommendations for the best Cyberware to equip at Ripperdocs.
Frontal Cortex
Axolotl upon neutralizing your enemy reduces the cooldown of all Cyberware.
Cox-2 Cybersomatic Optimizer makes your Quickhacks deal guaranteed Crit Hits.
RAM Allocator and Camillo RAM Manager both provide RAM recovery so you can choose either one that is available to you.
Arms
Monowire deals elemental damage to close-ranged targets and can be modified using Quickhacks. You can use any version, Physical, Electrical, Thermal, or Toxic with your Netrunner build in Cyberpunk 2077.
Gorilla Arms and Mantis Blades are also viable alternatives that also provide elemental damage and a chance to apply the corresponding element’s damage status.
Skeleton
Epimorphic Skeleton increases Max Health.
Para Bellum increases Armor by a certain percentage.
Bionic Joint increases Armor by a flat number.
Nervous System
Reflex Tuner slows down time for 4.5 seconds when your Health drops below 25%.
Synaptic Accelerator slows time down for 3.5 seconds when enemy detection reaches 50%
Adrenaline Converter greatly improves your movement speed when in combat.
If you are using Blades then Stabber is a good option as well.
Integumentary System
Subdermal Armor increases the Armor
Carapace increases Armor effectiveness when you are attacked from the sides or rear.
Pain Editor reduces incoming damage and increases Damage Resistance and Mitigation
Operating System
The Tetratronic is more versatile while Militech is catered towards Monowires specifically, so choose the one that better suits your Netrunner build.
Tetratronic Rippler MK.5 allows you to Quickhack enemies and devices while scanning. It also increases weapon damage by 15% to enemies affected by non-combat Quickhacks. This drops by 40% if non-combat Quickhacks are immediately applied after combat Quickhacks in the queue.
It also increases Max RAM and applies Reboot Optics and Weapon Glitch after Overclock is activated to enemies within an 8m radius.
Militech Paraline MK.4 is a good alternative that also applies Quickhacks while scanning. It increases Quickhack Damage and Monowire damage, increases upload speed after shooting Quickhacked enemies with Smart Weapons, and deals additional Electrical damage when Overclock is active.
Face
Kiroshi “The Oracle” Optics scans and highlights enemies within 20m, cameras and turrets within 40m, and devices and traps within a 30m radius. It also increases optical zoom by 10 times when scanning.
Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics increases Crit Chance by 35% and increases optical zoom by 10x.
Hands
Smart Link increases Max RAM, enables target-lock for Smart weapons, and boosts their Crit Damage.
Shock Absorber reduces recoil greatly.
Alternatively, Ballistic Coreprocessor is a good choice if you are using Power weapons.
Circulatory System
Blood Pump restores a fixed amount of Health instantly and then restores it in short bursts over the next 6 seconds.
Biomonitor automatically heals you using a health item when you drop below 35% Health.
Threatevac increases your movement speed when your Health falls below 50%.
Heal-on-Kill is also a good alternative that heals you after you neutralize an enemy.
Legs
Reinforced Tendons enable you to double jump.
Recommended weapons
Weapons are optional with the Netrunner 2.0 build in Cyberpunk 2077 so you have the freedom to work with anything you like. Smart Weapons are only especially recommended if you are using the Militech Paraline MK.4 Operating System because of the buffs it provides.
Here are our best weapon picks that you can use from both the base game and Phantom Liberty DLC.
Phantom Liberty
The Crimestopper is a Smart Pistol that has the ability to immobilize targets and deal shots that have their Crit Chance and Damage increased. It also has great Attack Speed and Base Damage, making it a reliable sidearm.
Raiju is a Tech Submachine Gun that increases its own Crit Chance by 33% but doubles it for Headshots. It has great attack speed and handling but what makes it so powerful is the fact that it can penetrate obstacles and armor on base shots, without needing to be charged.
Pizdets is a unique Smart Machine gun that increases its own Crit Chance, the longer it fires. It also has a massive 220% Headshot Multiplier which increases even more if Smart Link Cyberware is active.
Base Game
Sovereign is a Double-Barrel Shotgun with bullets that can ricochet off surfaces with great reload and attack speed. It can shoot two bullets at once with guaranteed Crit hits with its modifier at close range.
Prototype: Shingen Mark V is a Smart Machine Gun that auto-locks its bullets onto enemies that can be paired with Smart Link Cyberware for smart-targeting. It has the ability to inflict enemies with Burn with its thermal-infused shots and can shoot smart explosives as well.
Genjiroh is a Smart Pistol that has the ability to home its shot on enemies with Smart Link Cyberware. It has great attack speed and also deals electrical damage with its bullets with a chance of inflicting enemies with shock.
How to play the Netrunner Build in Cyberpunk 2077
The Netrunner build in Cyberpunk 2077 may seem complex but follows a three-step simple pattern, apply Quickhacks, deal damage using your preferred weapons, wait for Cooldowns to return, and then repeat. Here are a few tips to help you make the best of this build.
Running and gunning with Quickhacks will be your main style. Always make sure to apply Quickhacks first because your perks and Cyberware not only will increase its damage but also give your weapons a boost as well.
Stacking perks and making use of your Operating system enhancements is the best way to guarantee your victory even before getting into battle. A great way to do so is to use Monowire and let Data Tunneling take care of everything else.
In group encounters, make sure to hack and explode vehicles first owing to the Carhacker perk to throw opponents into a panic and gun them down. In addition, the Overclock and Spillover Perks synergize well. Overclock allows you to perform quickhacks beyond your RAM limit while Spillover increases the chances that these will spread to nearby enemies. This is particularly helpful in MaxTac encounters.
As they prepare to drop down from their Air Transport so you can stack multiple quickhacks onto them, then gun them down and go for a group Monowire cleave to make quick work of them.
Most of the other perks augment your RAM recovery as a Netrunner in Cyberpunk 2077, quickhack durations, and all sorts of other fringe benefits which will make you a fierce storm that devastates opponents in moments and disappears without a trace just as quickly.
