Cyberpunk 2077gives you quite a lot of freedom when making your character, giving you one of three backstories to pick which radically alters events in the game. These backstories do much more than simply change the game’s opening though, and the recently releasedPhantom Libertyexpansion even alters new details about V based on whether you picked the Corpo, Street Kid, or Nomad lifepaths.
One such detail that was recently discovered is a text message exchange between V and Alena Xenakis (also known as Alex) in which the two talk about their first kills. No matter which lifepath you choose, you can’t change how much of a rough life that your character has had up until you take control, and V has already killed their fair share of people before you go rampaging through Night City.
The details of V’s first kill actually change quite dramatically depending on which lifepath you choose in the base game, each one fitting the type of character who grew up in your preferred backstory. For example, V’s first kill in the Nomad lifepath is quite sad, as they put a bullet in the eye of a Raven Shiv scout assaulting their camp on their 16th birthday. The Street Kid lifepath is also quite harrowing, as V stabs a homeless war veteran who is attempting to kill one of his friends.
Both backstories are tragic enough to make even Keanu Reeves sad,the meme of which you’re able to now actually find in Cyberpunk 2077after Update 2.1
In stark contrast, V’s first kill in the Corpo lifepath is quite cold, having planned it out from the beginning and even providing details about who they murdered. According to the text, Corpo V bumped off a divorced Arasaka sales department employee after discovering he was spying for rival Petrochem. They made it look like the poor man slipped in the shower and was showered with praise and promotions for their deed. Definitely do not mess with Corpo V.
While definitely not necessary to give V such an interchangable first kill, it’s another example of how much care and thought CD Projekt Red has put into the Phantom Liberty expansion and all the game’s update patches. More and more cool things are being added with each patch, with the developer more recently havingcompletely overhauled the Adam Smasher boss fightafter fan feedback with Update 2.1.
Unfortunately, it seems as though Cyberpunk 2077’s journey from a steaming pile of rubbish to a critically acclaimed RPG has come to an end, this time for real. CD Projekt Red has confirmed thatthe game’s most recent update will be its last one, as developers have moved onto other projects within the studio. Cyberpunk 2077 will now stand as an example to all developers that even the most disastrous launch can be salvaged with maximum effort and a whole lot of cash.
