Your default weapons are going to take you so far in Night City. You will eventually need to upgrade your weapons to gain an edge in Cyberpunk 2077 against enemies packing the latest cyberware modifications.
We are following a simple rule here: the stronger the weapons, the higher the damage, the quicker enemies die.
This might be possible with certain weapons in the early game, but reach the mid-game and your damage will start falling off.
Here is how you keep your favorite weapons from becoming obsolete in Cyberpunk 2077.
How to upgrade weapons after Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0
The long-awaited Phantom Liberty 2.0 Update has completely changed how you upgrade weapons in Cyberpunk 2077. It is now a much simpler and less complicated process.
First and foremost, unlike before, upgrading a weapon now does not depend upon your level. This means that no matter what level your player is at, you can upgrade a weapon as much as you wish.
Secondly, the rarity system has been changed to the Tier system. Now, instead of weapons being classified between common and legendary, they are classified in Tiers ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 5++.
Lastly, after update 2.0, you can now only upgrade iconic weapons.
You will also be happy to know that you can also no longer dismantle or drop iconic weapons in the game, making the days of accidentally dropping these weapons and losing them a thing of the past.
How to upgrade iconic weapons
Upgrading weapons in Cyberpunk 2077 is a relatively easy process. All you have to do is open your crafting menu and select upgrades, where you will see all your iconic weapons listed.
Choose the weapon you want to upgrade and as long as you have the required amount of crafting components, you will be able to upgrade the weapon.
Keep in mind, however, that you will need crafting components of a similar tier as the tier of your weapon you want to upgrade.
This also means that you cannot upgrade weapons without crafting. However, you can use high-tier weapons that you find or loot in Night City.
You can get crafting components in Cyberpunk 2077 by looting enemies you killed, or loot boxes that you find in the game. Furthermore, you can also disassemble weapons and clothes you don’t need in order to get crafting components.
Is upgrading weapons worth it in Cyberpunk 2077?
Upgrading iconic weapons makes them incredibly powerful in Cyberpunk 2077, but it all depends on their unique modifiers or perks.
Some weapons, for example, might be pretty valuable at the start, and upgrading them might not increase their damage as much as you would expect.
Hence, thinking about whether upgrading weapons is even worth it is a legitimate concern in Night City when you can dismantle iconic weapons for rare crafting materials.
Is there a weapon upgrade limit in Cyberpunk 2077?
There is indeed a limit to how many times you can upgrade a weapon. Following the 2.0 update, you can only upgrade weapons to Tier 5++ in Cyberpunk 2077.
If you are unable to see a weapon in your list of upgrade-able weapons crafting menu, it means that the weapon is already fully upgraded.
Best weapons to upgrade, and weapons not worth upgrading
Below are some of the best weapons in Cyberpunk 2077 that you should always consider to upgrade. Increasing their tiers gives a massive boost to their unique capabilities that will make the end-game easy.
Skippy: One of the most powerful guns in the game, a smart weapon that comes with two modes, Skippy’s damage-causing capability is extremely useful, and upgrading the weapon will make eliminating enemies all the more easier.
Rosco: Imagine the colossal weapon you would end up with after you upgrade this power revolver that already has the capability to cause guaranteed critical damage with a headshot to a downed opponent.
Gwinbliedd: A melee weapon that is actually useful against bosses as it deals additional damage, and one that guarantees critical hits when low on health or on a killing spree. An upgraded version of the Gwinbliedd will make you unstoppable.
Alternatively, here are some weapons that are not worth upgrading. Save your crafting materials and make do with these weapons in their default tiers.
Plan B: A gun that literally costs you to fire it but has average DPS would hardly be worth upgrading.
Laika: A tech revolver that can burst flames unto your enemy sounds useful, but upgrading it will not make it any better. You will still be unable to sustain the flames and you need to keep it charged anyway.
Chaos: A gun that holds true to its name due to the nature of its changing damage type upon change of clip. Its poor DPS and recurring charge time make an upgrade, or for that matter, the use of this weapon seem unworthwhile.
