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Cyberpunk’s expansion totally overhauls the original game | VGC

www.videogameschronicle.com Cyberpunk’s expansion totally overhauls the original game | VGC

CD Projekt Red explains how Phantom Liberty is rebuilding perks, skill trees, vehicle combat, AI…

Copying this from another comment /edit: all of these updates are coming to the base game

TL;DR: This is not a DLC. This is Cyberpunk 2.0.

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        •	virtually every system of the main game has been changed and/or updated
    •	police system is completely reworked with multiple tiers of NCPD/mercs chasing you down in vehicles according to your wanted level, apparently on level 5 maxtac will chase you down and it will be some sort of bossfight against them (source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riK1i8lQwRM&t=511s)
    •	perks and skills have been completely overhauled, no longer simple passive stat boosts, much more active abilities like different melee finishers, a dash, or the ability to deflect bullets with melee weapons
    •	the difficulty curve is reworked/rebalanced
    •	the loot tiers are reworked
    •	archetypes of enemies have been redone for more variety in combat encounters
    •	an entirely new 6th skill tree that uses a different type of skill points (relic points) that will be used to add new abilities to your cyberware
    •	installing cyberware now has an effect on your body and you cant install too much or else you will go cyberpsycho (no idea what that looks like in game)
    •	installing cyberware now has a first person cutscene added to it, just like in the prologue at Vik’s clinic
    •	you can now “attune” cyberware to one of your attributes, making it more efficient if you have invested in that attribute; example here optical camo is attuned to the “cool” attribute: https://i.imgur.com/1UI9SEX.png
    •	armor is no longer tied to clothing, it instead tied to your cybernetics
    •	vehicle combat is added to the game, you can even use your katana on your bike
    •	vehicles are no longer bought from fixers, but bought through a website set up by mama welles
    •	some vehicles have guns installed on them (machine guns, rocket launchers)
    •	new type of infinitely replayable/repeatable missions are being added where you need to steal certain vehicles marked on your map
    •	new activity introduced “airdrops”, loot caches that drop randomly on the map that you can fight over and retrieve for yourself
    •	tons of new random events/activities are added to make the world feel more alive, like car chases and gang fights

Patient Gamers @kbin.social

Cyberpunk’s expansion totally overhauls the original game

www.videogameschronicle.com /features/cyberpunks-expansion-totally-overhauls-the-original-game/

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Gaming @lemmy.ml

Cyberpunk’s expansion totally overhauls the original game | VGC

www.videogameschronicle.com /features/cyberpunks-expansion-totally-overhauls-the-original-game/

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195 comments

Dont get baited into preorders. The game is not going anywhere and there is unlimited number of copies.
- Wish there was a pin comment feature here.
  I’m very excited for this expansion, but at best I’m buying it on the release date
  
  I honestly don't understand the rush. There is a shitload of good games to play till then. I just started Persona5 and I am good for some time now. Once I finish, I will come and grab the PL DLC (maybe even discounted) free of hype and bullshit, maybe even with a fixed bug or two.

It sounds like we're finally getting close to the original game we were promised. I'm glad that they're giving updates to the original owners as well
- I so wanted this game to be good, but it was just.. average. Which is massively disappointing after the hype it had.
  Looking forward to trying it again with the new update.
  
  Likewise! This game had the most hype out of any game in our gaming group and was a complete disappointment on release.
  I just told one of my friends that I was excited to see that Diablo IV was at least working on launch, which is a pretty sad bar that many AAA games aren't reaching.
  But I agree, I've been wanting to hop back into Cyberpunk again and this is the fulcrum that I needed!
- finally getting close to the original game we were promised
  Ehhhhh.... the things in that change list are nice, but I'm not sure they're fundamental enough to get this to the game it was originally presented to be.
  That said, it might be enough to where the game would at least be worth my time. But I'm not going to trust this list to be delivered (relatively) bug-free and as good as it sounds until it's done and proven to be so.
  I'll at least keep tabs on it when it drops, which is a lot more consideration than CP2077 was getting from me yesterday.
- It feels like we're close but miles away from what we were promised at launch. Their marketing was such an incredible barrel of lies I can't believe that anyone is entrusting them with what they're saying. I'm optimistic that it'll be a good expansion pack, but I'm definitely going to wait for a bit before I purchase this one.

sooo… they’re charging 30$ to fix their own game?
- for the new story. Base game owners will receive these updates as well
  
  ah. this is interesting.
- I paid like $20 for Cyberpunk and loved it. I would be happy with just that, I still haven't tried the alternate endings. $30 for a rework and new storyline is a good deal to me.
  
  I was about to say, only paid 20 euoros. I basically paid half for half
  
  I bought for 20 last year on gog. Loved the game. Sank some 300+ hours in. Found some cool mods. Game is definitely not broken. Looking forwards to dlc!

"CDPR says"
They said a lot of stuff before the release of the game, and none of it was true. Nope, sorry, not gonna fall for those lies again.
- They're doing a big tour across a bunch of countries to show the game off to the public soon, so we won't have to take their word for long.
  My guess is that are doing it specifically because they know there is very little trust. I think it's probably a good sign for the state of the expansion as well.
  
  They did a big tour of the base game before release too, tons of reviewers and gaming outlets hyped the game based off of E3 demo they played only to be bamboozled by the actual game. I'm not buying into any hype around this game until the promised improvements are actually released and been poked through by the public
- Wait for release for sure, always worth doing really and truly.

Might consider playing again when this IS out, very exciting stuff!
- I've been holding off playing to see if the main game would get an overhaul alongside the DLC. Looks like its worth continuing to wait!

Are we going to see NMS like redemption story on Cyberpunk? Hope so.
- Haven't they said this is it for CP2077? One expansion, load of upgrades, and nothing else is planned.

Hey, they finally finished the game!

Nah, I'll wait it out again. Fuck pre-orders. I'm pretty burnt out on this game from the buggy release on console.
The fact that you people here are excited to pay for features as a DLC that should have been available on release confirms cuckoldry is acceptable here.
- base game owners will also receive the updates, according to the link

Damn getting the no man’s sky treatment, not bad

From what I read, most of these features are coming to the base game and aren’t tied to the DLC, I can’t wait to start a new playthrough with all these changes

Oh, looks like the time is coming to finally buy this game.

It all sounds great but I'm bummed that you need to get the DLC to get all these overhauls. This is the game they promised us way back and now people will have to pay extra to get it. It's like paying twice to get what they promised.
- Base game owners will also receive these updates
  
  Oh, that sounds like an excellent excuse to replay the base game before the DLC!
  
  The changes sound extensive enough that even if base game owners get the updates, the save file may not be compatible.
  
  This is what I was curious about! Never finished it all up, mainly due to getting too busy with mods 🤣

I know I'm in the minority, but I think this game really missed out on not including third person toggle. I know they said it was an artistic choice, but to me RPGs and third person (at least as a toggle) go hand in hand.
The fact that I had so many options to customize my character and wear different stuff only for it to be never be seen except in the menu and some cutscenes was a bit of a let down.
- A quick perspective toggle would have been very cool, and would allow you to tackle situations (combat, infiltration etc) in a more tactical way. But given the issues they had at launch with the engine, I could only imagine how much of a challenge it would have been to stop the 3rd person camera from glitching through the environment. It's still a shame though as you can go 3rd person when on a bike.

This feels like my all-time patient gamer W. Will keep an eye out for reviews. I feel fortunate that my first experience in Night City will hopefully be the best possible version.

Hold tight, no preorders!

I thought I couldn't get any more excited about this upcoming DLC. Turns out I wss wrong. I love how all of this sounds!

Looking forward to trying it out in 2025.
- heh, same here
  just gotta finish TOTK, then Pikmin 4, then Cities Skylines 2, then go back and finish Elden Ring, then get Elding Ring DLC, then Armored Core 6...

I never managed to look past the initial issues people complained about so I never tried the game. Is it a good buy at this point?
- Cyberpunk 2077 is the very definition of "It's alright" game. Nothing spectacular, but there's good times to be had.
  
  I don't agree with this at all. Some of what it does is absolutely fantastic, some is fairly basic. It's a game of very high highs, but some of the lows bring the game down. The game has improved a lot since launch though, and this xpac seems to improve it a lot more. Nothing's guaranteed but I'm cautiously optimistic.
- I've done 2 playthroughs now and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I wouldn't say they added what was promised but as someone who didn't buy into the hype, I've been pleasantly surprised.
  I'm looking forward to this new DLC, I won't pre-order but if the reviews are positive I'll definitely go for a 3rd run through.
  
  ditto. I was totally surprised by the game. It's not completely polished, but it's totally worth playing. Might have even become one of my favourites!
  I did not pay full price, and I think that was for the best; some of the jankiness was a little annoying and would have been much more so if I paid $70 or whatever.
- The game is pretty stable at this point. I personally loved it, but it helps to set your expectations. It's a story-driven game with diamond-style story branching ala the Witcher 3, with a heavy focus on narrative. The world is an awesome backdrop, but it is more backdrop than simulation. It's not GTA.
  Given how massive this overhaul looks, I would honestly wait for the 2.0 patch. It looks like it's going to address a lot of the shortcomings of the mechanics.
  
  I didn't like it, I played about 10 hours or so.
  It just felt like a worse version of Deus Ex mixed with GTAV.
  I had some really bad bugs too like enemies seeing through walls on missions and immediately triggering alerts and combat.
  I'd rather just re-play Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (or even the original).
- It's a fine game. They manage to nail the Cyberpunk atmosphere, but the story is kinda a mess because they set a time limit (it isn't enforced, but it's mentioned every second dialogue) while allowing you to goof of in any direction. Most of the bugs are ironed out, but the city still feels rather lifeless/bland once you try to look behind the façade.
- I am conflicted about it, it had some of the highest highs for me, but also some of the lowest lows. My main thought while playing it was "damn, this is good but could have been so much better" because I kept stumbling over weird design decisions, bad gameplay elements that get in the way, lack of balance that made endgame combat boring, tedium when it comes to gearing and leveling, etc.
  I still think it's worth playing if you're into sci-fi, cyberpunk or FPS RPGs. If they actually address those issues then it'd be a definite recommendation from me.
- If you like games that are mostly a map covered in markers that represent 1000 hours of busywork and 2 hours of cool content, and you're into the cyberpunk coat of paint that's been slapped on it, then with all the bugfixes this is a good version of that. Otherwise I'd still pass.
- I loved it. I didn’t follow it much prior to release and wrote it off after the launch fiasco. I gave it a try maybe a year later after a big patch. I didn’t really have any expectations going in.
  It’s one of my favorite games ever. The gameplay is good, I enjoyed the story, and I loved the characters. There are a few you get close to and I actually cared about them. That part reminded me a little bit of Mass Effect. I was genuinely disappointed when it was over and it was time to say goodbye.
  It’s not a technical masterpiece, but there’s something special there. Again, I’ll make a comparison to Mass Effect. The first game had some warts and parts of the world felt empty, but it was also such an interesting place with memorable characters. That series didn’t really come into its own until the second one.
  I’m thrilled that we are getting more Cyberpunk. I expect it will just keep getting better the way the Witcher series did.
- ~~Pretty rough in WINE if you're on Linux. Couldn't keep 20 FPS on low settings with a 4060. > Linux~~
  This was apparently some kind of driver issue, just tried on my AMD card and it runs great.
  
  Have you tried using proton instead of just wine ?

Maybe I should finish the game, before the patch and then after, to experience the differences!
... Who am I kidding, I will probably procrastinate playing, since my backlog is too long and then maybe play it in September. Looking forward to the DLC, it sounds great!

Damn. I don't usually replay story-driven games like Cyberpunk (especially ones with the sort of... finality that Cyberpunk has) but it seems like CDPR is making it a much more immersive experience. We'll have to see how that rumored new ending turns out. I get that they had a story they wanted to tell (and I felt it was a good one), but it was more than a bit of a downer that ::: spoiler spoiler all of V's efforts boiled down to a few different ways to be chewed up, spit out, and dying at the end. :::
I like for my RPGs to give me more than an illusion of freedom (Phantom Liberty, nudge nudge?) , or else why indulge in the escapism?
- I personally liked the ending, there aren't many games that are willing to commit to something bittersweet, and it perfectly fits the Cyberpunk genre. Besides, you can literally drive off into the sunset with Judy and Panam in one of the endings.
  
  > Besides, you can literally drive off into the sunset with Judy and Panam in one of the endings.
  Guess which ending I did :)
  But yeah, I get your point, and I do agree, at least partially. The game's world is a classic cyberpunk dystopia, and it is honestly one of the few representations of that world that really drives home what an oppressive and controlling reality that would be. I think that the way that CDPR doesn't flinch away from telling a story where the hero and all their friends unload everything they have at the Powers That Be and it barely even leaves a mark is admirable... but at the end of the day I play games to get away from our miserable reality, and CP2077 felt just a bit to on-the-nose. I know why there's no ending where V conspires with Johnny and Alt to colony-drop the Arasaka orbitals on Corpo Plaza, and establishes a solarpunk anarcho-syndicalist commune in the wreckage, but I still kinda want it, you know?

Looks like WoW going from Vanilla to Burning Crusade. Lots of cool stuff I see.
Disclaimer: Sorry, I’m old
PS: Dang that Lemmy thing is so cool.

I actually had no issues on my PC at launch so I have already finished the game but this will really make it interesting to spin it up again.
Great news!
- Same here. I was lucky to somehow miss most of the major bugs when I played day one. I've gone back and played it a couple of times after release and I'm super excited for what looks like a complete overhaul of the game.

I still need to play this game. Is this like how NMS got better after a push to launch by a certain calendar date?
- I was thinking the same thing.
  I never got swept up with the hype at release so this could be a good chance to play it with all the improvements from millions of customers/ playtesters
  
  Do it, you won't regret it. I didn't have a powerful enough PC to play it until a month ago and I've already put 80 hours into it. It's a crazy ride, in my top 5 games now.
  It's crazy looking back at NMS and Cyberpunk and how they scuffed the landing, but now its pretty much expected at this point. AAA studios just cant release games correctly anymore, its really frustrating. For what its worth, I think CD Project has no choice but to clean up the game. This IP has soooo much potential and can stand besides Witcher and bring another incredible source of revenue for them. In the times of the Arcane, the Witcher and Edgerunners shows its more important than ever to have strong IPs with vibrant worlds that can be expanded outside of the video game space.

I liked Cyberpunk when it launched (despite the false promises from Projekt Red), but THIS is very promising. I will surely replay the game

Just wanting to clarify a difference from the copy paste edit, particularly the claim about cyberpsychosis. Here’s the paragraph from the article, parentheses are my addition:
A new Edgerunners perk allows you to even surpass that (the limit of cyberware), while accepting some penalties, like having a health debuff. “It’s all about this balance between risk and reward,” Sasko explained. “We are not going as far as the introduction of cyberpsychosis though, have that in mind.”
I would probably enjoy some gameplay mechanic of cyberpsychosis but I’m not sure how they would pull that off outside of a scripted story sequence. For the most part, players are already gunning down everyone in the room, so cyberpsychosis only has meaningful impact if you end up killing someone you wanted to protect. I imagine it would be hard for that situation to show up organically.
- Maybe it'll be a mechanic like malaria in Far Cry 2

Does it include balancing updates to current owners without the expansion??
- According to SkillUp on Youtube: Yes. The only thing locked to the DLC is the new location, story and missions. All other changes are going to be in the base game.
  
  Love it. I’ll have to keep a close eye on this then.

No mans sky vibes, anyone?
- I hope so, but definitely waiting for reviews on this one.
  
  As we always should. I'm pretty excited for this one but I'll wait as well.

One of the things I miss most about what was marketed was about the NPC's, and how each would have their own thing going, and so on. Currently I think everything inside the main quest is "mostly fine", but the rest of the world feels a bit dead. I haven't played since launch and maybe that changed, though.
- It's no S.T.A.L.K.E.R., but once they marked all the scanner locations the world filled in a good bit.

Oooooh. I adored the original. (Well, I played it in 2022, so the bugs were worked out). I can't wait for this!

Oh wow, I had no idea this was so extensive. I doubt I'll have time for this on release, but I'm looking forward to trying it out. Sometime...

Yea going to wait until user reviews start coming in before I purchase it. They promised a ton of shit at launch and it was lies plus the insane amount of bugs. Ended up playing it like a year later even though I bought it at launch.

As someone who has loved this game since launch, this is crazy. Pretty much every feature I wished the game had is being added.

no longer simple passive stat boosts
But I'm lazy! I love passive skills
On all honesty, I'm getting excited about playing again. Of course by playing again I mean clearing the map and standing up Hanako.
- Right?! Sometimes it's good to chill and not to try memorize all things you must do to activate something. I think there has to be a good balance on active v passive skills, and by balance I mean a good way to personalise it to your needs.

Took them a while but I can finally have epic chase battles with the police after committing accidental vehicular manslaughter.

Sounds like they are finally adding some of the things they promised before launch. Won't pre-order that but will probably buy in a sale if it actually lives up to the hype this time.

So are these updates free or only for Phantom Liberty owners?
- According to the link, base game owners will also receive these updates.
  I’m guessing that the expansion will include the story and (likely) new ending
  
  And I'm assuming the new area in Pacifica is also locked off to expansion owners?

So in september we get Starfield and Phantom Liberty? Damn, looks like that upgrade to my PC is gonna have to come sooner rather than later.

So maybe its time to play the next time there is a good sale?

This sounds very encouraging.
I haven't played CP2077 since launch. I didn't have that many problems with it, I put in 60 hours and shelved it. Hopefully this increases the replay value of the game.

Hotdamn thats amazing, gives me a bit of No Man's Sky vibes in terms of fixing what is broken or what they still didn't like. I cannot wait.
- Or like The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. This is always how CDPR worked.

All of these changes are exciting. It's what we were promised in the initial game.
The entire trailer and images feel as if something massive happened in the previous game. Like the government went down or something, and it's chaos in the streets.
TBH I didn't finish the last mission. I got to it, and didn't finish it.

Can anyone explain to me, a dumbass, what it means for my current save file? I haven't beaten the main quest yet because I've been doing everything else for over 120 hours (finally got all the gigs and NCPD scanners, at least), but I still don't see how an overhaul of that caliber is going to play well with the current balance of things. Judging by that one update that reset my skill and perk points, I think we can expect some resets again.
I think Phantom Liberty is my incentive to finally finish the game and then start a completely new playthrough, preferably with a consistent build and playstyle this time from start to finish. So much to choose from!

I'll remain skeptical until it releases, but hopefully this will be a reason to revisit the game. It has so much potential

This sounds like an incredible update. Can’t wait to replay this game.

This looks pretty sweet, but remember to wait for reviews before you buy!

I've been itching to play the base game since release, despite the bugs.
I might finally bite the bullet get a rig that can play it. I may even convince myself to get the Steam Deck for it!
Does the base game currently run smoothly on the Deck?
- I played it on the Steam Deck a few months ago and it ran perfectly.

I worry that people are reading too much into the police overhaul. It almost certainly won't be a GTA-style mechanism, but instead closer to "police enemies of various levels realistically spawn and pursue you."
Honestly the thing I'm looking forward to most is just the enemy AI overhaul.
- I don't think police chases need to have the depth of GTA in order to be entertaining in a game like this, but hopefully they are still a lot better than what the game launched with.

This sounds interesting. I've held off playing it waiting for at least a 75% or under $20 discount.
- It's funny, I have been waiting as well, and just bought it last night for 50% off. I think I'll wait for this update to actually start playing it, though

I still have not played the 1st one, is it something I should pick up and play in order to understand this second one??
- I haven't been paying super close attention to the DLC or its story so I can play it fresh, but I can reccomend the base game. I really enjoyed it on its own, very good story that was very well written and voice acted. It lacks the sandbox polish that something like GTA has, but has an incredible story, character ensemble, and the world building is top tier.
  I'm stoked for the DLC to drop so I can get some of these features and more story!

What the heck? Advertise THAT instead of story content for I game I have not played for more than a few hours.

I still haven't played through it yet, got it on steam sale, but with this announcement I'll probably hold off until this update is released.
- Same, might as well get the best experience.

195 comments