Prepare for gunfights in Night City with this Cyberpunk 2077 weapons primer

What types of Cyberpunk 2077 weapons are there? There are tons of guns in CD Projekt's first-person RPG. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, and more. Excluding some low-fi melee weapons, guns are split between three mains categories: Tech, Smart, and Power. 

You'll be encountering all sorts of them in your forays through Night City and the surrounding Badlands, so I'm here to give you a primer breaking down everything you need to know about the game's damage-dealers, from the different types of Cyberpunk 2077 guns, and how you'll be getting them.

Cyberpunk 2077 weapons: Everything you should know

As I've already mentioned, there are all sorts of different weapon types in Cyberpunk 2077, with guns falling into the Tech, Smart, and Power categories. Weapon stats are also influenced by the corporation that made them. There are 12 different corporations in Cyberpunk, each manufacturing different weapons. Guns also fall under several ranks, be they Lower, Middle, or Upper Tier. The higher the tier of weapon, the rarer and more expensive it is.

Not only can weapons be purchased from vendors spread across Night City, they can also be taken from the corpses of enemies or pilfered from loot caches. Tougher opponents can also yield valuable legendary weapons should you defeat them in combat. 

Legendary weapons are more bespoke—highly stylised compared to regular guns. The best of these are tied to specific questlines in the game. Earning them will often relate to the choices you make, including the NPCs you choose to kill or spare. You may have to choose between a potential ally and their enticing Legendary weapon at key moments of certain quests. 

CD Projekt has stated certain legendaries have highly specific functions, so may not always be suitable for general-purpose shootouts. Some may be tailored for stealth, but lack the requisite firepower to get you out of a jam if you're suddenly jumped by a dozen gangsters. Legendary weapons also sport unique decals and designs you won't see repeated anywhere else.

Cyberpunk 2077 Power weapons

The most traditional weapons in Cyberpunk 2077, these guns use conventional ammo, making them the least futuristic weapons you can wield. Power weapons include SMGs, machine guns, revolvers, shotguns, and pistols, with many exhibiting higher recoil than the other gun classes. To counter this weakness, bullets from Power weapons ricochet off surfaces, giving you the chance to kill enemies who may be hiding behind cover. If tactics aren't your thing, this weapon type is ideal for taking enemy strongholds guns-blazing. 

Cyberpunk 2077 Tech weapons

Now we're getting into sci-fi territory. These weapons use rail gun technology, meaning they use electromagnetism to fire projectiles at high velocity. Bullets from tech weapons can punch through walls, handy for adding some impromptu ventilation to both your home and your enemies. Typically using caseless ammo, tech weapons don't boast a terribly high rate of fire. But what they lack in speed, they more than make up for in punch.

Cyberpunk 2077 Smart weapons

If you're not a crack shot in most first-person shooters, you'll probably favour this weapon type. Smart weapons fire guided ammo capable of tracking enemies once the bullets leave your chamber. A fine example is a ludicrous shotgun made by the Kang Tao corporation, which can track and shred up to eight enemies at once. The effectiveness of Smart weapons is linked to the type of grips and optics V uses in the field. 

Cyberpunk 2077 Melee weapons

Cyberpunk isn't all about guns, melee weapons feature heavily, too. Considering how much melee combat there was in the Witcher 3, this isn't surprising. Melee weapons are split between three classes: Blades, Two-Handed, and Athletics. 

Blades cover weapons like machetes and daggers, with their effectiveness governed by V's Reflexes Attribute. Two-Handed weapons are heavy implements like sledgehammers, which are affected by your Body Attribute. Athletics also fall under the Body Attribute, covering weapons specifically related to your fists and other appendages. These include the Arasaka corporation's Gorilla Arms, which improve V's strength and endurance. 

Cyberpunk 2077 guns: How to tweak your weaponry

Cyberpunk 2077's weapons can also be tweaked with attachments and software mods. The former cover accessories like scopes and silencers that can provide statistical advantages during shootouts. You'll see V physically bolt attachments to a weapon whenever you equip them. 

Software mods are small chips you install in a weapon which improve a gun's core stats. Some mods improve accuracy, while others increase fire rate. Mods also expand to the type of rounds you're using. Non-lethal rounds are available to those planning on a non-lethal playthrough, while biochemical rounds are an option for those who want make enemy deaths extra nasty.

Returning to corporations, each manufacturer caters to a specific faction or group throughout Night City. Further enriching the lore of Cyberpunk, the Arasaka Corporation makes Japanese weapons, often favoured by the police and other security firms. By contrast, the less stylish or showy Midnight Arms manufacture heavy duty weaponry, more suited to gangs than elite companies. 

Certain corporations choose to specialize in specific weapon tiers. Tsunami Defense Systems—who make the formidable Tsunami Nekomata wall-piercing sniper rifle—only manufacture Upper Tier weapons, while the aptly named Budget Arms are limited to Lower Tier guns. In a world of sharply drawn class divides, the weapons your V chooses to brandish are as much a status symbol as a mode of personal defence.