One of the features CDPR have been promoting in Cyberpunk 2077 are the origin stories that will introduce you to the seamy streets of Night City. These lifepaths are major details to the setting of your character; they don’t just introduce you to the game’s world, it will choose where you begin, who you meet and how other characters will react to you. This is an in-depth look into each lifepath before your character, V, hits the streets.
Corporate
“Few leave the corporate world with their loves – fewer still with their souls intact. You’ve been there – you’ve bent the rules, exploited secrets, and weaponized information. There’s no such thing as a fair game, only winners and losers.”
You’ll start in as a counter-intelligence agent for the megacorporation Arasaka. This is cutthroat security company with colleagues setting each other up for failure to climb higher up the ladder. The lifepath takes place after receiving a promotion that lands V a seat at the boardroom but attention like that brings envious people and corporate sabotage. Keeping true to the tabletop lore, everything an employee owns the company truly owns and what does an agent do to consolidate power from fellow agents? The fight is an internal war rather one on the streets.
With a corporate background you’ll be under estimated and not familiar with the streets, interaction will be difficult but you’ll able to see through any lies other corpos will try to pull. Your best advantages is being able to use people against each other and can get an easy advantage around any authority.
Nomad
“Roaming the Badlands, looting scrapyards, raiding fuel depots – life on the road wasn’t easy. But growing up in a nomad clan has its perks. Honesty, integrity, and a love of freedom – qualities that few in Night City possess, and no amount of money can buy.”
Nomads live in the outskirts of Night City in the Badlands. Family means everything to a nomad. They are nomadic survivalists who favor freedom on the road from corporate dystopian cities. The Nomad will be from a tribe but may have a strained relationship therefore is looking for different opportunities that will be in Night City.
Your playthrough will be literally an outsider moving into Night City having no ties to anyone. Nomads are one of the most educated groups in the Cyberpunk universe but are notorious for their experience with vehicles and understanding of transportation into Night City.
Street Kid
“They say if you wanna understand the streets, you gotta live ’em. Gangs, fixers, dolls, small-time pushers – you were raised by them all. Down here the law of the jungle dictates the weak serve the strong – the only law in Night City you have yet to break.”
Residing the streets of Haywood, a dangerous neighborhood of Night City. The Street Kid survived the urban jungle of Night City while making connections. Already starting on the streets, relationships are already set since you grew up doing jobs for fixers, you’ve associated with gangs while avoiding the NCPD and corporate agents.
You’ll know your way around dealing with gangs and can talk your way out of situations from them while struggling to read between any lines a corpo will give you. The main fixer in Haywood, Padre, will have a strong standing with the Street Kid whereas the other paths would need to earn trust and a reputation.
Sources: Life Paths Guide
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