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Cyberpunk 2077 has three distinct lifepaths which determine a character’s background and the opportunities that arise as a result of their know-how (or know-who) (via Eurogamer).
These are similar to the stories for characters in Dragon Age: Origins, which would affect what options were available for the player character and how other characters would react to them. Here in Night City, there are the Street Kid, Nomad, and Corpo lifepaths. The Street Kid is explanatory: a person who was born and raised in the grimy and glimmering metropolis. These characters are able to tap into the criminal enterprises driving the city’s day-to-day activities, whereas the Nomads are attempting to cut themselves a slice of the cake.
An “outcast among outcasts,” this lifepath describes a person who knows the Badlands like the back of their hand. Leaving their desert clan for the promise of a better life inside the city limits, they’ve got their own sort of savvy, like the Corpos. A member of the Arasaka Corporation, they might not have gotten their hands dirty like the Street Kids or the Nomads, but that’s not to say they’re not a force to be reckoned with. Their acumen and network of contacts will prove useful time and time again. Last but by no means least, CD Projekt Red mentioned that the lifepaths will continue to affect gameplay and narrative throughout the game.
In addition, the developer showed off that there will be three classes of weaponry in Cyberpunk 2077, if your schmoozing skills fall flat. These are melee, ranged, and cyberware. This Night City Wire event focused on guns, which come in another three categories: Power, Tech, and Smart. Power Weapons are your run of the mill guns that shoot lots of bullets very quickly and very painfully. These bullets will bounce off of surfaces, though, for an added level of lethality. Tech Weapons use electromagnetism to fire metal projectiles at a terrifying velocity, straight through walls if needs must. And, the Smart Weapons (is there such a thing as a Smart gun?) possess tracking abilities to follow an enemy as they dive into cover.
The player character’s proficiency with weapons will increase over the course of the game, as per the standard with RPG conventions. Plus, weapons will get modifications like scopes and silencers, as well as software mods which change the stats of the weapon. Weapons also come in different rarities, and legendary weapons may only be gained by prising them from NPCs. How that is achieved is down to the player.
Cyberpunk 2077 is launching for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 19, 2020. Check out the new trailers below.
