The latest update to Cyberpunk 2077 brings out a whole new, redesigned skill tree that vastly improves the previous model. The points you spend can now be much more clearly distributed, designing your build to suit your needs. The previous game had a lot of complex menus and sub-menus, whereas the new Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update lays out the skill tree in a simple-to-understand way.
Understanding the new Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 skill tree
The new skill tree breaks the types of perks into 5 categories. This is extended to 6 if you have also purchased the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion. The categories are Body, Reflexes, Technical Ability, Cool, and Intelligence. Relic perk points are added with the expansion.
This is not an exhaustive list of all perks and skills in the newest Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update. However, it should give you the starting blocks to really get the foundation of your build down. Each of the trees is explained; how you tweak them is up to you.
Body skill tree
This skill tree in the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update focuses on LMGs, Shotguns, Melee weapons, and health regeneration. This provides +2 health points per spent attribute point.
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Shotgun and heavy weapons
The far left path allows you to improve your shotgun and heavy weapon skills. As you progress this tree, you will eventually be able to unlock a skill that can cause dismemberment. The peak of the skill tree gives Rip and Tear; a skill that causes 100% damage to both melee and shotgun attacks. Furthermore, you can obtain Onslaught, which grants 20% ammo after neutralizing an enemy. This essentially results in endless ammo in a crowd.
Adrenaline and health
The center path has all to do with adrenaline and health. The new skill tree in the 2.0 update allows you to focus on gaining more health through various acts. The Adrenaline Rush perk will help you create an overshield through cyberware. With the final perk on the center path of the Body skill tree, Pain to Gain will grant the player 20% for every neutralized player during Adrenaline Rush.
Melee
The far-right skill path on the Body perk list is all about melee damage. If you’re a fan of the hammers and blades, this one is for you. The tree lowers the stamina cost and heightens the speed and damage of handheld melee weapons. The final tree unlocks that great finisher we all saw in the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 trailer.
Reflex skill tree
The reflex skill tree is all about maneuverability and evasion. It also focuses on Assault Rifle proficiency. Along with the combat benefits, it will also improve a number of your conversation choices in the game. Every point in this tree provides a +0.5% crit chance.
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Submachine and Assault rifles
The far left of the reflex skill tree in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 is all about Submachine Guns and Assault Rifles. The final step in the left tree is Salt in the Wound, which makes the 7th consecutive shot of an Assault Rifle equal to 100% of the previous shots. Submachine Fun is an amazing final perk on the skill tree that immediately reloads submachine guns when switched to, speeds up the switching speed, and boosts the damage output.
Movement
The center path is all about evasion, with the first perk in the new 2.0 skill tree making your evasion of enemies much better when sprinting. As you progress, you will unlock air dashes and better weapon evasion. By the final perk in the center skill tree, you will be able to do air dashes and double jumps with no stamina costs and actually gain stamina from performing them.
Blades
The far right of the Reflex skill tree in Cyberpunks 2.0 update focuses on bladed weapons. As you progress through the skill tree, it becomes possible to deflect bullets with your blade and perform devastating counterattacks. Finally, with the Slaughterhouse perk, deflection, attacks, and counterattacks cause bleeding damage.
Technical Ability skill tree
The tech tree is all about hacking, cyberware, and proficiency with tech weapons and explosives. If you have a love for grenades, then put your points into this one. Every attribute point spent in the 2.0 tech tree provides +2 armor.
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Health and grenades
The far left will improve both your grenade and health item recharge rates, eventually improving your blast radius and fire damage. The final perk, called Ticking Time Bomb, slowly charges an EMP blast as you use cyberware and other perks unlocked in the 2.0 Cyberpunk skill tree. Once unleashed, it deals damage and stun to nearby enemies.
Cyberware and Health
To boost your health, cyberware, and slots, the center skill tree provides. You are able to add new slots to your arms, legs, body, and other cyberware slots, turning you into a fully augmented machine of death.
Once you reach the end of this skill tree, you can opt for the EMP perk listed above or choose Edgerunner. This 2.0 Cyberpunk perk allows you to take a dip in health to surpass your cyberware capacity.
Tech Weapons
If you love your tech weapons, then focus your points on the far right of the Technical Ability skill tree. As you progress this tree, you reduce the charge time and increase the damage done by tech weapons. The core of the perk upgrades applies Bolt, which acts as a fully charged tech shot but with an earlier release on the trigger and heavier damage. Chain Lightning, the final perk on the new Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 skill tree, makes your Bolt shots into an arching electric burst, leaping from enemy to enemy.
Cool skill tree
Staying cool under pressure is important for V. Every attribute point you put into this tree results in +1.25% Crit Damage. The tree focuses on your skill with Throwables, Snipers, Handguns, and Precision Rifles. You can become the perfect, calm-headed assassin. This skill tree is one of the most improved and vast in the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update.
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Cars
There is one standalone perk in the new skill tree that simply allows you to slow time while driving cars. This ties in with the new ability to shoot not only from a car but also with a car in the Cyberpunk 2.0 update. Grab the Road Warrior perk to become a demon on wheels.
Pure aim
The left side of the skill tree has perks that will improve your aim in the game while using Precision Rifles, Snipers, and Handguns. The first perk will allow you to slow time while aiming at full stamina. As you climb the skill tree, you will eventually unlock Deadeye, which stops bullet spread, boosts headshot and weak point damage, and lowers the stamina cost for shooting. Deadeye is only active while aiming at over 85% stamina.
Once you have Deadeye, the final perk in the aiming tree will grant you Nerves of Tungsten-Steel which guarantees critical hits in Deadeye mode and increases damage depending on distance. The further, the better.
The other perk on the aiming skill tree is called Run and Gun, which boosts movement speed and removes any stamina cost for hip firing.
Sneak
Being sneaky in Cyberpunk 2077 is a perfectly valid option for those of us who want to take a more peaceful approach to the game. The first two perks in the new 2.0 sneak skill tree provide mitigation and a lot more movement speed while crouching, eventually leading to the ability to sprint while crouched. I would love to see that in real life.
Mitigation is a stackable perk that reduces incoming damage.
Throwables
The far right is all about throwable weapons for stealth kill from the shadows. The perk tree will reduce cooldown times and apply greater damage as you upgrade through the updated 2.0 skill tree.
The final upgrade is shared with the sneak tree. It guarantees critical hits when using throwables while sliding, dashing, crouch sprinting, and dodging. This perk is called Style Over Substance, and it’s reserved for the showy players out there.
Killer instinct
Another standalone perk in the Cool skill tree added for the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update is the ability to use throwables out of combat with a preview of damage and +25% damage.
Intelligence skill tree
This provides +1 RAM for every 4 attribute points spent. The Intelligence branch is a good one for anyone looking to blow up cars, just like advertised in the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 trailer. Intelligence dictates your smart weapon use and ability to access a lot of the tech around the world. This tree has been quite significantly updated in the 2.0 patch.
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Hacks
The left side is all about hack speed, environmental access, and RAM efficiency. As you put perk points into this side of the perk tree, you will gain more RAM and more options for interacting with your environment. The Hack Queue perk allows you to stack hacks on enemies, piling one attack right into another with ease.
The final perk, called Queue Mastery, is simple but very effective. The perk allows you to add another quickhack to the queue, reduces the last quickhack RAM cost by 50%, and adds +15% damage to all hacks.
Efficiency and damage
Climbing the center of the Intelligence tree will result in much quicker RAM recovery and the ability to overclock. Overclocking means you can surpass your needed RAM to perform quickhacks, at the cost of health. However, the final perk in this new 2.0 Cyberpunk tree means that when Overclock is active, there is a 50% chance for the hack to spread to nearby enemies.
Car damage
This is a new standalone perk added to the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update. It allows you to use quickhacks to interact with vehicles. You can stop them, make them accelerate, and for a heavy RAM price, blow them up.
Smart weapons
If you like to use smart weapons and their homing bullets, then focus your points on the right side of the perk tree. These all improve target lock, allowing you to do things like target multiple enemies, hip fire with target lock, and switch weapons without losing your target lock.
The final perk is also shared with the Overclocking tree. It allows you to instantly gain target lock when Overclock is active and adds 25% damage to any enemy affected by a quickhack. Perfect synergy in the new Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update.
Relic skill tree
If you have decided to purchase the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion, you will have access to the Relic skill tree. This is my favorite addition to the game, and I think the perks really encourage a new playstyle that the previous game lacked.
A total of 15 Relic points can be collected from around Dogtown to build your perfect Relic build in the all-new perk tree.
Screenshot: PC Invasion
Augmented Arms
The first thing you will unlock is the ability to use your arm augmentation in a much more effective way. From this one upgrade, you will have a boost no matter what you use. From there, you can then specialize in either Gorilla Arms, Monowire, Projectile Launch System, or the Mantis Blades.
Stealth or vulnerability
Once you have put your points into arm perks, you can then focus on one of two options. They both require a total of 3 relic points to unlock in the new Cyberpunk 2077 skill tree but provide some pretty great skills.
The left focuses on cloaking and can turn you invisible. When discovered, time slows, giving you time to kill them before the alarm raises.
The right side is all about picking out vulnerabilities in enemies’ armor and exploiting them for huge damage.
Published: Sep 21, 2023 10:37 am