Cyberpunk 2077: David Martinez Build | Edgerunners (Patch 2.31)

Welcome to the best David Martinez Build for Cyberpunk 2077 (Patch 2.3). David is one of the main characters in Cyberpunk Edgerunners. This build will stay true to his identity as a Night City legend rocking the military-grade Sandevistan with explosive arms.

This late-show David Martinez build pairs Sandevistan speed, explosive arm rockets, and heavy firearms to annihilate enemies in Cyberpunk 2077.

Table of Contents for the David Martinez Build:

• Build Overview
• Attributes
• Perks (Skills)
• Cyberware
• Weapons
• Gear (David’s Jacket)
• Skill Progression
• Leveling Tips
  • Perfect Start
  • How to make Money
  • Upgrade Weapons
  • How Gear Scaling Works
  • How to get Perk Points Fast
  • Dogtown Consumables
• David Character Model Creation

Strengths and Weaknesses list for the Explosive David Build:

Cyberpunk 2077 David Build Overview

This Cyberpunk 2077: David Martinez Build focuses on dealing insane damage with explosive arm rockets, a variety of weapons, and the Sandevistan tech that allows you to slow down time and annihilate enemies before they know what hit them.

Attributes – David Martinez Build (Arm Rocket)

Distributing Attributes correctly for the David Explosive Build is important. Attributes delegate the direction of the build and give access to different tier of perks depending how much points you invest in each category.

The Cyberpunk 2077 David Martinez Build’s Attributes are spread out between Body, Technical Ability, Reflexes, and Cool.  Intelligence takes the backseat here, and let’s be honest, it isn’t really David’s specialty to stay true to his Edgerunner identity.

David Martinez Start Attributes

At the start of the game, select the following Attribute allocation to give us the optimal start for the David Martinez Build (Edgerunner) in Cyberpunk 2077.

Attribute	Points	Description
Intelligence	None	N/A
Technical Ability	+3	Unlocks the first tier of perks.
Reflexes	+1	Unlocks the first tier of perks.
Cool	None	N/A
Body	+3	Unlocks the first tier of perks.

Max Level Attributes

At max level, you want to have the following distribution of Attributes for the explosive David Martinez Build for Cyberpunk 2077:

• 20 Technical Ability
• 18 Reflexes
• 20 Body
• 20 Cool
• 3 Intelligence

Perks – David Martinez Build Cyberpunk 2077

In this section of the Cyberpunk 2077 David Build (Arm Rockets), I will explain the perks that we use for each attribute.

• Technical Ability
• Reflexes
• Body
• Cool
• Intelligence
• Relic

Perk Points: To get perk points, you can either simply level up or farm Perk Shards. Read our guide on all 13 Perk Shard Locations in Cyberpunk 2077, with map locations, screenshots, and the nearest fast travel point for each shard.

Technical Ability Perks

The Technical Ability Perk-Tree is very important; we focus on the perks that give us Cyberware upgrades and recharge times for health, grenades and projectile launch system. This is great for our Cyberpunk 2077: David Martinez Build.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

We take one level 4 perk here, purely as the gateway into the grenade and Projectile Launch System side of the tree.

Perk	Description
Glutton for War	Instantly recharges 5% of your health items and grenades whenever you neutralize an enemy. A small but constant refund that keeps your rockets and heals flowing during longer fights.

Level 9 Perks

Level 9 is where the Cyberware scaling starts. These perks give us the capacity and stat modifiers we need before committing to Edgerunner later on.

Perk	Description
All Things Cyber	Boosts all cyberware stat modifiers by 10% and cuts Cyberware Capacity cost by 20% for Integumentary System and Skeleton chrome. Both ranks are essential for fitting the heavy chrome this build wants.
Driver Update	Adds a secondary stat modifier to all cyberware slots. Free passive stats across your whole build, which is why it goes in as soon as the milestone unlocks.
Renaissance Punk	Grants +4 Cyberware Capacity for every Attribute at 9 or higher. With four attributes sitting at 18 or above, this is a large chunk of free capacity and it feeds directly into Edgerunner.
Chrome Constitution	Reduces incoming damage by 5% while your Integumentary System and Skeleton slots are all filled. Cheap mitigation that matters once Edgerunner starts eating your max health.
Health Freak	Speeds up recharge for health items and grenades, then adds an extra health item charge and a large out of combat recharge bonus at rank 2. The connector into Pyromania, and a solid sustain boost on its own.
Lucky Day	Increases crafting components gained from looting by 25%. Purely a quality of life pick, useful while you are still upgrading gear but safe to skip if you need the point elsewhere.

Level 15 Perks

This is the biggest tier in the build. The left side turns the Projectile Launch System into a primary weapon, while the central side adds armor and two extra Cyberware slots.

Perk	Description
Pyromania	The core of the explosive side of the build. Adds grenade and Projectile Launch System recharge speed, then +10% explosion radius, and finally a stacking buff granting +5% movement speed and +10% explosion damage for 12 seconds per stack, up to 5 stacks. Taking damage from your own blast adds 2 stacks instead of 1.
Doomlauncher	The single most important perk if you are running the rocket launcher. Gives the Projectile Launch System +1 max charge, +20% recharge speed, a further +25% while empty, +200% out of combat, and a 5% instant recharge on every kill. It also inherits the Burn This City bonus.
Burn This City	Converts 5 stacks of Pyromania into an instant grenade charge while keeping all stack bonuses live for another 6 seconds. Combined with Doomlauncher this is what keeps rockets coming back almost as fast as you can fire them.
Friendlier Fire	Gives 50% resistance to damage and effects from your own explosions. Necessary insurance when you are deliberately firing rockets at close range to build Pyromania stacks faster.
Heat Shield	Adds +10% Mitigation Chance per stack of Pyromania. At full stacks that is a huge defensive swing, and it rewards you for staying aggressive rather than backing off.
License to Chrome	Another +10% to all cyberware stat modifiers, +40 armor, and a new Skeleton slot with boosted stats on all Skeleton chrome. Max this out, it carries both your defense and your passive scaling.
Ambidextrous	Unlocks an additional Hands cyberware slot. More chrome means more capacity used, which is exactly what you want when Edgerunner is rewarding you for going over.
Cyborg	Reduces cyberware cooldowns by 15% if all available slots are filled. Keeps your Sandevistan and Projectile Launch System available more often.
Extended Warranty	Increases the duration of all active cyberware effects by 15%. Straightforward value, and it stretches every Sandevistan window.

Level 20 Perks

At level 20 we take both capstones. Edgerunner is the payoff for all the capacity we stacked, and Ticking Time Bomb turns every Sandevistan activation into an area attack.

Perk	Description
Edgerunner	Lets you exceed Cyberware Capacity by up to 50 points at a cost of 0.5% max health per point over. Every neutralization gives a 0.1% chance per point over capacity to trigger Fury: +10% damage, +30% critical chance, +50% critical damage for 12 seconds, extended by 3 seconds per kill while active.
Ticking Time Bomb	Whenever you activate an Operating System cyberware such as Sandevistan or Berserk, or trigger Overclock, you charge an EMP that detonates after 3 seconds. It Stuns nearby enemies and scales its damage with the quantity and tier of your installed chrome, and you take 50% reduced damage while it charges.

Reflexes Perks

The Reflexes Perk-Tree focuses only on perks that increase our movement. This is great for our Cyberpunk 2077: David David Martinez Build as we want to move quickly between positions.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

These perks cover the basics of moving and shooting at the same time, plus the vehicle combat unlock that fits the Edgerunners fantasy.

Perk	Description
Slippery	The faster you move, the harder you are to hit, and the effect scales up while dashing, dodging, sliding, sprinting and vaulting. The foundation of this build’s defense, since we never stand still.
Multitasker	Lets you fire your weapon while sprinting, sliding and vaulting. Removes the usual pause between moving and shooting, which is exactly how this build wants to fight.
Muscle Memory	Lets you reload while sprinting, sliding and vaulting. Pairs directly with Multitasker so you never have to stop to get back in the fight.
Power Slide	Increases your slide distance. A small pick, but it feeds Slippery and helps you cover ground between cover points.
Parkour!	Increases vaulting and climbing speed. Keeps your traversal smooth when you are chaining dashes across rooftops and balconies.
Stuntjock	Unlocks jumping and sliding out of moving vehicles, and lets you draw and fire mid-stunt. While driving you also get no movement bullet spread penalty and 50% less spread overall. Pure style, and it makes drive-by fights viable.

Level 9 Perks

Level 9 is where the build’s movement comes together. Dash replaces your dodge and everything around it turns dashing into both offense and defense.

Perk	Description
Dash	Rank 1 cuts dodge and dash stamina cost by 20%, rank 2 unlocks the Dash itself. It replaces dodging, covers far more ground and auto-vaults low obstacles. The single most important Reflexes pick in the build.
Can’t Touch This	+100% mitigation chance while dashing. Combined with Slippery this makes you extremely hard to punish during repositioning, which is what keeps you alive at close range.
Steady Grip	Lets you shoot while dashing. Turns the dash from a purely defensive move into an attack, and it is what makes the constant-motion playstyle work.
Mean Streak	Restores 40% stamina when you neutralize an enemy while dashing. Keeps the dash chain going through longer fights instead of forcing a pause to recover.

Level 15 Perks

We take the Air Dash line to finish the mobility package. This is what lets you fight in three dimensions instead of two.

Perk	Description
Air Dash	Another 20% off dash stamina cost, +20% dash speed, and finally the ability to dash in midair. Max this out, it is the payoff for the whole branch and it stacks with everything below it.
Aerial Acrobat	Improves your midair maneuverability. Gives you real control over where you land after an air dash, which matters when you are lining up a rocket or a melee finisher.

Level 20 Perks

We don’t use any level 20 perks. Reflexes sits at 18 in this build, so the capstones are out of reach and the points are better spent in Technical Ability.

Body Perks

The Body Perk-Tree allows us to slowly regen health, increase our max health and boost overal survivability. It also boosts Shotguns, LMGs and HMGs.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The level 4 perks give us health regeneration, which is what lets this build stay in the open instead of hiding behind cover.

Perk	Description
Painkiller	Unlocks passive health regeneration during combat. Everything else in this tier multiplies it, so it is the first pick and the foundation of the build’s sustain.
Comeback Kid	+1% health regen rate for every percent of health you are missing. The lower you drop the faster you recover, which matters a lot once Edgerunner starts cutting into your max health.
Army of One	+10% health regen rate for each nearby enemy. Rewards wading into groups, which is exactly where the shotgun and rocket side of this build wants to be.
Speed Junkie	+60% health regen rate while sprinting. Free value given how much this build sprints, dashes and slides between targets.
Dorph-head	Grants +100% mitigation chance for 2 seconds after using a health item or Blood Pump cyberware. A short window of near-total damage reduction, and it lines up neatly with the Adrenaline Rush cycle later in the tree.

Level 9 Perks

Level 9 is the start of the shotgun and machine gun branch. Every perk in this tier is tied to fighting at low stamina, so the tree wants you firing constantly rather than pacing yourself.

Perk	Description
Die! Die! Die!	+12.5% crit chance at low stamina, then increased fire rate and better handling as stamina drains. The core of the Body damage branch. Only affects shotguns, LMGs and HMGs.
Like a Feather	Removes the movement speed penalty from shotguns, LMGs and HMGs. Essential here, since the whole build is built on staying mobile and the heavy weapons would otherwise slow you to a crawl.
Don’t Stop Me Now	Below 33% stamina you gain +15% mitigation chance and +5% mitigation strength. Turns the low stamina window from a liability into a defensive bonus.
Bullet Ballet	Reduces bullet spread by 25% while moving. Keeps your heavy weapons accurate during the constant repositioning this build relies on.

Level 15 Perks

This is the biggest tier in the tree. The left branch adds dismemberment and instant kills, while the central branch unlocks Adrenaline Rush, which acts as a second health bar.

Perk	Description
Spontaneous Obliteration	More crit chance at low stamina, +10% damage to nearby enemies, and finally Obliterate, a chance to instantly kill and dismember wounded enemies, scaling up to 20% as their health drops. Max it out. Only affects shotguns, LMGs and HMGs.
Adrenaline Rush	+35 max health, +20% to all health regen from every source, then unlocks Adrenaline Rush itself. Health items and Blood Pump now also grant Adrenaline worth 30% of max health, capped at 50%, which absorbs damage as a separate yellow bar. This is what keeps you standing while over cyberware capacity.
Bloodlust	While Adrenaline Rush is active, dismembering a nearby enemy grants +50 Adrenaline. The link between the two branches, and the reason the dismemberment perks are worth taking. Only affects shotguns, LMGs and HMGs.
Juggernaut	While Adrenaline Rush is active you gain +20% movement speed and +10% damage. Rewards keeping Adrenaline topped up rather than treating it as an emergency button.
Unstoppable Force	While Adrenaline Rush is active you become immune to movement penalties and non-damaging status effects such as knockdown and blinding. Removes the crowd control that would otherwise interrupt your dash chains.
Dread	Ranged attacks reduce enemy armor by 15%, and dismemberment spreads the effect to nearby enemies. Quietly one of the strongest damage multipliers in the tree. Only affects shotguns, LMGs and HMGs.
Close-quarters Carnage	Increases your Obliterate chance at close range by up to 10%. Stacks with Spontaneous Obliteration and pushes you to fight at shotgun distance. Only affects shotguns, LMGs and HMGs.
Rush of Blood	+20% reload speed for 8 seconds after dismembering an enemy. Keeps the pressure on once Obliterate starts chaining. Only affects shotguns, LMGs and HMGs.

Level 20 Perks

We don’t use any level 20 perks. Body is at 20 so all three capstones are available, but the points are committed to Technical Ability and Cool instead.

Cool Perks

The Cool Perk-Tree increases our overall damage with Pistols, Revolvers, Precision Rifles and Sniper Rifles. Especially headshot damage will be tremendously higher with this setup. Additionally, you can now also use your Sandevistan while driving.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

Only one level 4 perk here, and it is taken for the driving and Sandevistan interaction rather than for raw combat value.

Perk	Description
Road Warrior	Lets you trigger Sandevistan to slow time while driving, allows Kerenzikov to fire when you aim and handbrake at the same time, and grants +25% weapon damage while your vehicle is drifting or airborne. The Edgerunners fantasy perk, and it makes vehicle combat genuinely usable.

Level 9 Perks

Level 9 unlocks Focus, which is the entry point to the whole precision shooting branch. Everything in this tier extends it or reduces what it costs you.

Perk	Description
Focus	+10% headshot and weak spot damage, then unlocks Focus mode, which activates automatically when you aim at full stamina. While active, shooting costs no stamina, giving you a 2.5 second window of free accurate fire before a 40 stamina hit. Only affects pistols, revolvers, precision rifles and sniper rifles.
Deep Breath	Slows time by 25% for you and enemies while Focus is active. Stacks with your Sandevistan and makes headshots inside the Focus window far easier to land. Only affects pistols, revolvers, precision rifles and sniper rifles.
No Sweat	Cuts the stamina cost of Focus by 50% for every enemy you neutralize while it was active. The perk that makes Focus sustainable instead of a once-per-fight burst. Only affects pistols, revolvers, precision rifles and sniper rifles.
Head to Head	Neutralizing an enemy with a ranged attack while Focus is active resets its duration. Chain kills and the window never closes. Only affects pistols, revolvers, precision rifles and sniper rifles.
Rinse and Reload	+10 reload speed on your next reload after a kill while aiming, stacking twice. Small, but it keeps you firing during the short Focus window. Only affects pistols, revolvers, precision rifles and sniper rifles.
Pull!	Makes shooting grenades out of the air easier while Focus is active, and increases the resulting blast. Situational, but it covers grenade-heavy encounters neatly. Only affects pistols, revolvers, precision rifles and sniper rifles.

Level 15 Perks

Level 15 replaces Focus as your main mode with Deadeye, which runs off high stamina rather than a timer. The perks around it convert headshots back into stamina so it stays up.

Perk	Description
Deadeye	+10% headshot and weak spot damage, -25% stamina cost for shooting, then Deadeye mode itself, active whenever you are above 85% stamina. While active you gain +25% headshot damage, +25% weak spot damage and zero bullet spread. Max this out. Only affects pistols, revolvers, precision rifles and sniper rifles.
California Reaper	+30% stamina after a ranged headshot or weak spot kill. This is what keeps you above the 85% threshold, so without it Deadeye falls off after two shots. Only affects pistols, revolvers, precision rifles and sniper rifles.
High Noon	While Deadeye is active, a headshot or weak spot kill grants +35% reload speed for 3 seconds and slows time by 50% during the reload. Removes the one moment where precision weapons leave you exposed. Only affects pistols, revolvers, precision rifles and sniper rifles.
Long Shot	While Deadeye is active your shots deal full damage at any range. Eliminates falloff entirely, which matters most on revolvers and precision rifles. Only affects pistols, revolvers, precision rifles and sniper rifles.

Level 20 Perks

Cool is at 20, so we take one capstone.

Perk	Description
Run ‘N’ Gun	Hip-firing no longer consumes stamina, and you gain +25% movement speed while Focus is active. Pairs with the constant-motion playstyle from Reflexes and gives you a way to fight without aiming down sights. Only affects pistols.

Intelligence Perks

We don’t spend any points in the Intelligence perk tree, which fits David Martinez Edgerunner appearance and lore (kinda).

Relic Perks (Phantom Liberty DLC)

The Relic Perk tree works differently from the five standard attribute trees. It was introduced in the Phantom Liberty DLC. The Relic tree doesn’t care about minor stat bumps; it is entirely focused on fundamentally changing how your existing high-tier cyberware functions or adding brand-new active combat mechanics.

In the standard trees, you earn Attribute and Perk points as you level up. The Relic tree completely ignores your character level.

• Availability: Only after you start the Phantom Liberty DLC.
• Unique Currency: It uses Relic Points instead of Perk Points.
• How to Get Them: You are given a handful of points automatically during the main story of the Phantom Liberty DLC. The rest must be found out in the world by hunting down and downloading data from hidden Militech Data Terminals scattered exclusively around Dogtown.

Relic Perks

The Relic tree runs on Relic points from Phantom Liberty rather than attribute levels, so there are no level tiers here. We spend 8 points across two branches: one to turn the Projectile Launch System into a real weapon, and one to make every shot from the revolver count.

Perk	Description
Jailbreak	Unlocks new abilities for all Arm cyberware, and for this build specifically it overhauls the Projectile Launch System. Holding middle mouse overcharges the launcher into a burst of five projectiles covering a much wider area. It also upgrades Gorilla Arms, Mantis Blades and Monowire if you swap arms later. Max this out, it is the reason the rocket build works.
Launch Capacity Override	+1 Projectile Launch System charge. Stacks with the extra charge from Doomlauncher in Technical Ability, so you are carrying two more rockets than a default build before recharge speed is even considered.
Vulnerability Analytics	Lets you spot Vulnerabilities in enemy armor and cyberware during combat. Hitting one gives 100% crit chance, +25% armor penetration and weak spot damage bonuses, and destroying it sets off an EMP blast in a 3 metre radius. It feeds directly into the revolver headshot damage from the Cool tree.
Machine Learning	Destroying a Vulnerability grants +10% Vulnerability spawn frequency and +5% crit damage against them for 25 seconds, stacking five times with the effects doubled at max stacks. Turns Vulnerability Analytics from an occasional bonus into something you can keep running all fight.

Cyberware for the David Martinez Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Using the correct Cyberware for the Cyberpunk 2077: David Martinez Build is important. This will make the build a lot more powerful. However, don’t sweat it if you can’t get every piece.

Important: Priority Cyberware is marked in bold.

• Operating System (Most Important)
• Frontal Cortex
• Face
• Arms
• Hands
• Skeleton
• Nervous System
• Circulatory System
• Integumentary System
• Legs

Operating System

Cyberware	Description
Militech “Apogee” Sandevistan	David’s signature cyberware and the centrepiece of the build. Slows time by 85% on activation, the strongest slowdown available. +15% headshot damage, crit chance and crit damage while active. Neutralizing an enemy extends the duration by 20% and restores 22 stamina, which feeds straight back into Deadeye and Focus. Activating it also triggers Ticking Time Bomb from the Technical tree, charging an EMP that stuns everything nearby.
Militech “Falcon” Sandevistan	The canon-accurate and cheaper alternative. 70% time slow, +10% damage, crit chance and crit damage, and a smaller duration extension on kill. Costs less Cyberware Capacity, which matters if you are not yet deep into the Technical tree.

Location of items:

• Militech “Apogee” Sandevistan: Ripperdoc, level 40+
• Militech “Falcon” Sandevistan: Ripperdoc, level 30+

Frontal Cortex

Cyberware	Description
Newton Module	Instantly reduces all cyberware cooldowns by a percentage whenever you neutralize an enemy. With a Sandevistan and a rocket arm both on cooldown, this is the strongest frontal cortex option for the build.
Mechatronic Core	Increases damage dealt to drones, robots, mechs and turrets. Covers the one enemy type this build otherwise struggles against.
Self-ICE	Negates incoming quickhacks from enemy netrunners. Not canon, but with Intelligence at 3 you have no other defence against being hacked.

Location of items:

• Newton Module: Ripperdoc, level 10
• Mechatronic Core: Ripperdoc, level 10
• Self-ICE: Ripperdoc, level 20

Face

Cyberware	Description
Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics	Flat crit chance increase with no conditions attached. This build makes no attempt at stealth, so a permanent damage bonus beats any scanning utility.

Location of items:

• Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdoc, level 35

Arms

Cyberware

Description

Projectile Launch System

David’s rocket arm, and the weapon the whole build is designed around. Counts as a grenade, so it uses your grenade button and scales with every grenade perk in Technical Ability. Jailbreak lets you hold the button to overcharge it into a burst of five projectiles. Doomlauncher and Launch Capacity Override together add two extra charges plus large recharge bonuses. Every explosion builds Pyromania stacks, which convert back into free charges through Burn This City.

Location of items:

• Projectile Launch System: Ripperdoc, level 10

Hands

Cyberware	Description
Ballistic Coprocessor	Increases ricochet chance and ricochet damage for power weapons. Chosen over Smart Link because David’s weapons are power and tech rather than smart, so the smart link bonus would go unused.
Shock Absorber	Reduces weapon recoil. Straightforward help for the revolver and shotgun, both of which kick hard.

Location of items:

• Ballistic Coprocessor: Ripperdoc, level 10
• Shock Absorber: Ripperdoc, level 10

Skeleton

Cyberware	Description
Epimorphic Skeleton	A large percentage increase to maximum health. Edgerunner takes health away in exchange for exceeding capacity, so a bigger pool directly buys you more chrome.
Bionic Joints	A straightforward boost to Armor. Reliable mitigation that pairs with the extra Skeleton slot from License to Chrome.
Para Bellum	A percentage bonus to Armor. Replaces Dense Marrow here, since without Gorilla Arms the melee damage would do nothing for this build.

Location of items:

• Epimorphic Skeleton: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 30.
• Bionic Joints: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.
• Para Bellum: Ripperdoc upon reaching level 20.

Nervous System

Cyberware	Description
Neofiber	Boosts Mitigation Chance and Mitigation Strength. Stacks with Heat Shield and Can’t Touch This, which is how a build this aggressive survives in the open.
Reflex Tuner	Triggers a strong time slow when your health drops below 25%. A necessary safety net once Edgerunner has cut into your maximum health. Visual Cortex Support is the alternative if you prefer crit chance at range.
Adreno-Trigger	Iconic. +30% movement speed for 60 seconds on entering combat. Feeds Slippery, Pyromania and the whole constant-motion playstyle. Adrenaline Converter is the non-iconic version with a much shorter duration.

Location of items:

• Neofiber: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 20.
• Reflex Tuner: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.
• Adreno-Trigger: Iconic, Phantom Liberty Dogtom Ripperdoc, level 35

Circulatory System

Cyberware	Description
Blood Pump	Replaces your health item with a powerful instant injector on a cooldown, with no use animation. Mandatory for this build, not optional. Dorph-head grants +100% mitigation chance for 2 seconds every time you use it. Adrenaline Rush converts it into up to 50% of your max health as a second yellow bar. Health Freak gives you an extra charge of it.
Heal-On-Kill	Restores a percentage of health on every kill. Constant passive sustain that stacks on top of the Painkiller regen chain from the Body tree.
Clutch Padding	Reduces the stamina cost of shooting. Replaces Microrotors here, and it directly supports Deadeye, which only stays active above 85% stamina.

Location of items:

• Blood Pump: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.
• Heal-On-Kill: Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.
• Clutch Padding: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.

Integumentary System

Cyberware	Description
Subdermal Armor	A large flat increase to Armor. The baseline defensive layer, and it helps satisfy Chrome Constitution, which needs your Integumentary and Skeleton slots full.
Pain Editor	Reduces all incoming damage by a flat percentage. Unconditional mitigation, which is exactly what you want when Edgerunner is shrinking your health pool.
ProxiShield	The closer an enemy is, the less damage they deal to you. Built for a shotgun and rocket build that fights at close range on purpose.

Location of items:

• Subdermal Armor: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.
• Pain Editor: Ripperdoc, level 30
• ProxiShield: Ripperdoc, level 10

Legs

Cyberware	Description
Reinforced Tendons	Unlocks the double jump. Combined with Air Dash from Reflexes this gives you full three-dimensional movement, which is the fastest way to build Pyromania stacks safely.
Fortified Ankles	The canon-accurate alternative. Unlocks the charged jump and the superhero landing, and it is required if you ever want to use Quake from the Body tree.

Location of items:

• Reinforced Tendons: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.
• Fortified Ankles: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.

Weapons for the David Martinez Build in Cyberpunk 2077

This Cyberpunk 2077: David Martinez Build (Explosive) leans on its weapons heavily. The Projectile Launch System is your burst damage, but the perk trees are built around two specific weapon families and you need one of each to get full value out of them.

• Body perks like Die! Die! Die!, Spontaneous Obliteration and Dread only affect Shotguns, LMGs and HMGs.
• Cool perks like Focus, Deadeye and California Reaper only affect Pistols, Revolvers, Precision Rifles and Sniper Rifles.

That split is why the loadout below carries a shotgun for close range and a pistol plus a sniper for everything else. Note that Run ‘N’ Gun is Pistols only, so it works with the Malorian but not with a revolver. If you would rather run a revolver, swap Run ‘N’ Gun for Nerves of Tungsten-Steel, which grants guaranteed crits on headshots and weak spots while Deadeye is active.

Upgrade: Weapons can be upgraded when you go to the crafting section and then swap to upgrades.

Item	Description
Guts	Rebecca’s iconic shotgun from the Edgerunners anime. This is the weapon that activates the entire left side of the Body tree, including Obliterate and the dismemberment chain into Bloodlust.
Malorian Arms 3516	Johnny Silverhand’s iconic pistol. Feeds the Cool tree’s Focus and Deadeye modes, and being a Pistol it is the one weapon that benefits from the Run ‘N’ Gun capstone.
O’Five	Iconic power sniper with explosive incendiary rounds. Its explosions build Pyromania stacks, so it feeds the same engine as the rocket arm while covering long range.

Canonically, David is seen using a power pistol, the M-10AF Lexington, and the DB-2 Satara tech shotgun. The Satara still works, but this build puts nothing into Tech weapon damage, so it is a flavour pick rather than an optimal one.

Alternative weapons

If you don’t have the three above yet, any of these will keep the perk trees working. Shotguns feed the Body tree, revolvers and pistols feed the Cool tree.

• Order (Shotgun)
• Sovereign (Shotgun)
• Alabai (Shotgun)
• Dezerter (Shotgun)
• Bloody Maria (Shotgun)
• Mox (Shotgun)
• Rosco (Revolver)
• Taigan (Revolver)
• Ol’ Reliable (Revolver)
• Crash (Revolver)
• Cheetah (Pistol)
• Pride (Pistol)
• Dying Night (Pistol)

Guts (Iconic Power Shotgun)

Guts is a modified Carnage power shotgun and Rebecca’s signature weapon in the anime. It fires two shots in quick succession before pumping, hits extremely hard at close range, and as a power weapon its rounds ricochet, which pairs with the Ballistic Coprocessor in your Hands slot. The recoil is brutal and the reload is slow, so this is a weapon for a high Body build, which is exactly what we have.

There is no quest attached. It is a world drop, available once the Watson lockdown lifts after The Heist.

• Where: Memorial Park, in the middle of Corpo Plaza, City Center (see image)
• How to Get It: Fast travel to the Arasaka Tower point, then take the stairs up to the highest level of the plaza where the holographic koi fish circle above the glass floor. Behind the monks.
• What to Do: Cross to the southern edge of the circle, directly opposite Arasaka Tower and facing the Militech building. You will find three monks meditating there, which is how you know you are in the right spot. Walk past them into the grass and search the bushes. The pickup icon sits under the first bush on the left.
• Note: Its tier scales to your level when you pick it up, but you can upgrade it through Crafting > Upgrades all the way to Tier 5++, so grabbing it early costs you nothing.

Malorian Arms 3516 (Iconic Power Pistol)

Johnny Silverhand’s handgun, and the best-feeling pistol in the game by a wide margin. It combines power and tech behaviour, and it replaces your quick melee with a fire attack. Mechanically it is the piece that makes the Cool tree pay off, since Focus and Deadeye both apply to it, and as a Pistol it is the only weapon here that benefits from Run ‘N’ Gun.

• Where: “Chippin’ In” (Side Job) Mission.
• How to Get It: The quest becomes available in Act 2 after Rogue’s questline opens up. It takes you to an oil field to deal with Jeremiah Grayson.
• What to Do: Grayson carries the Malorian. Take it from him during the confrontation and it is yours.
• Note: If you miss it, iconics can be bought later from the Black Market vendor in the Dogtown Stadium.

O’Five (Iconic Power Sniper Rifle)

The O’Five fires explosive rounds that set enemies alight, and the more enemies burning at once, the faster it reloads and the higher your crit chance climbs. Those explosions also generate Pyromania stacks, which means your sniper is feeding the same stack engine as the rocket arm rather than competing with it.

It is a very heavy weapon. You cannot sprint or dash while it is drawn, so treat it as a weapon you swap to for a shot rather than one you move with.

• Where: “Beat on the Brat: Arroyo” (Side Job) Mission.
• How to Get It: Head to the fight location north of the Megabuilding H4 fast travel point in Santo Domingo, Arroyo, and talk to Buck.
• What to Do: Do not take the standard €$2,900 bet. With enough Body you unlock a dialogue option to comment on his rifle, which raises the stake to €$12,000 and puts the O’Five in the pot. Beat Buck, then speak to him. He refuses to hand it over and four tough enemies jump you. Clear them, lethally or not, and pick the rifle up off the barrel.
• Note: Body 20 in this build clears the check comfortably, but grab it early if you can, since the bet is the only way to get it during that quest.

Gear – How To Get David’s Jacket in Cyberpunk 2077

Since gear is mostly only cosmetic, you can wear whatever you want. I will show you how to get the David Martinez jacket. All of this build’s defense comes from cyberware instead, mainly Subdermal Armor, Bionic Joints, Para Bellum and Pain Editor.

The bright yellow Edgerunners jacket is the one cosmetic that pulls the whole build together. It comes from a hidden side job called Over the Edge. The quest itself is easy, just a braindance and a few texts, but it is time-gated, so start it early and let it tick over while you play.

• Find David’s apartment: Megabuilding H4 in the Arroyo sub-district of Santo Domingo (See image). Fast travel to Megabuilding H4. It is the huge black-and-yellow skyscraper with the scrolling red NO ENTRY signs, and you cannot go inside.
• Find the braindance: Walk around the outside of the building until you reach an alleyway. Look for the neon green Edgerunners symbol sprayed on the wall, the same one from the back of the jacket. The trash can to its right holds a braindance harness.
• Play it: Put the braindance on to watch a sequence from the show. This starts Over the Edge.
• Text El Capitán: Message Muamar “El Capitán” Reyes from your phone and ask about David Martinez. He will tell you to wait while he digs.
• Wait: The game says 24 hours, but it often takes longer. Skip time a day or two and carry on playing normally. Eventually Falco texts you to say David’s crew has disbanded and that they left you something.
• Collect the jacket: A marker sends you to the Badlands Dam, where El Capitán hangs out. You do not need to talk to him. Head to the wall behind him and open the case to claim the jacket.

Heads up on spoilers: the texts in this quest reveal what happens to David and the Edgerunners crew. If you have not finished the anime, watch it first.

Skill Progression in Cyberpunk 2077

This is often overlooked; in the character menu, you can actually click on “Skill Progression”. This will send you to a very powerful mechanic in Cyberpunk 2077.

By leveling up these trees you gain powerful effects.

For our Cyberpunk 2077: David Martinez Build you want to focus on a few Headhunter, Shinobi, Solo and Engineer. Generally, while playing the game you will naturally level up these anyway. It still pays off to focus on one or two at the beginning.

Headhunter (Cool)

• Level 5: -10% Visibility to enemies
• Level 10: +10% Headshot & Vulnerability damage
• Level 15: +1 Perk Point
• Level 20: No weapon sway when crouched
• Level 25: -10% Visibility to enemies
• Level 30: +15% Headshot & Vulnerability damage
• Level 35: +1 Perk Point
• Level 40: Optical Camo is active while grappling enemies
• Level 45: -30% Recovery time after a throw
• Level 50: +30% Crouch walk & sprint speed
• Level 55: Undetected damage bonus lasts 3s in combat
• Level 60: +15% Optical Camo charge on stealth/special kills

How to Level Up Headhunter (Cool)

• Looting Skill Shards from chests and enemies.
• Perform stealth takedowns and neutralizations on unaware enemies.
• Get headshots and hit enemy weakspots using any weapon type.
• Defeat enemies using pistols, revolvers, sniper rifles, precision rifles, or thrown weapons (knives and axes).
• Deal damage and secure kills while crouching or using Optical Camo.

Shinobi (Reflexes)

• Level 5: +5% Movement Speed
• Level 10: -5% Dodge/Dash Stamina cost
• Level 15: +1 Perk Point
• Level 20: Better accuracy after dodging/dashing
• Level 25: +5% Movement Speed
• Level 30: -10% Dodge/Dash Stamina cost
• Level 35: +1 Perk Point
• Level 40: Increased Mitigation Chance the faster you move
• Level 45: +25% Fast Attack damage
• Level 50: Sliding & Air Dashing reload 20% of your weapon
• Level 55: Mid-air/Slow-mo: low stamina does not penalize combat
• Level 60: Sandevistan Mode: +40% Crit Chance; No movement Stamina cost

How to Level Up Shinobi (Reflexes)

• Looting Skill Shards from chests and enemies.
• Defeat enemies using blade weapons (Katanas, Machetes, Chainswords, or Mantis Blades).
• Actively dodge, dash, air-dash, slide, and vault while in active combat.
• Defeat enemies using Assault Rifles or Submachine Guns (SMGs), especially while moving at high speeds.

Solo (Body)

• Level 5: +50 Carrying Capacity
• Level 10: +10 Max Health
• Level 15: +1 Perk Point
• Level 20: +20% Fist/Gorilla Arms damage & speed (Fists bleed)
• Level 25: +100 Carrying Capacity
• Level 30: +15% Max Health
• Level 35: +1 Perk Point
• Level 40: +10% Crit Chance within 5 meters
• Level 45: +25% Strong/Quick Melee damage
• Level 50: +25% Health after performing a Finisher
• Level 55: Adrenaline decays 50% slower, min 10% floor
• Level 60: Berserk Mode: +30% Finisher threshold, +50% Finisher heal, +30% duration

How to Level Up Solo (Body)

• Looting Skill Shards from chests and enemies.
• Defeat enemies using Heavy Weapons (Shotguns, Light Machine Guns, and Heavy Machine Guns).
• Defeat enemies using blunt weapons, Gorilla Arms, or bare fists.
• Force open locked doors, rip heavy turrets from their mounts, and pass physical Body attribute checks in the world.
• Execute physical melee finishers.

Engineer (Technical Ability)

• Level 5: +15 Armor
• Level 10: +5 Cyberware Capacity
• Level 15: +1 Perk Point
• Level 20: +10% Grenade damage & explosion radius
• Level 25: +25 Armor
• Level 30: +10 Cyberware Capacity
• Level 35: +1 Perk Point
• Level 40: Increased Shock chance when charging Tech weapons
• Level 45: +15% Health Item effectiveness
• Level 50: +30% to all Cyberware stat modifiers
• Level 55: +10% Bolt damage, +40% Bolt burn, Chain Lightning burns
• Level 60: Fury Mode: You occasionally release a massive EMP blast

How to Level Up Engineer (Technical Ability)

• Looting Skill Shards from chests and enemies.
• Defeat enemies using Tech weapons, especially by firing fully charged shots or Bolt shots.
• Get kills using damage-dealing grenades or the Projectile Launch System (PLS) cyberware.
• Craft new weapons, quickhacks, and item components.
• Upgrade weapons and cyberware at Ripperdocs or through your crafting menu.
• Dismantle weapons, armor, and junk items into crafting components.

Netrunner (Intelligence)

• Level 5: +5% RAM Recovery Rate
• Level 10: +1 Max RAM
• Level 15: +1 Perk Point
• Level 20: +20% Smart Weapon lock-on range
• Level 25: +5% RAM Recovery Rate
• Level 30: +1 Max RAM
• Level 35: +1 Perk Point
• Level 40: -20% RAM cost for hacking devices/vehicles
• Level 45: +15% Control/Convert duration; +5% Combat hack damage
• Level 50: +40% Overclock duration
• Level 55: -10% Health loss during Overclock
• Level 60: Overclock Mode: Reveals enemies (10m) & hacks through cover

How to Level Up Netrunner (Intelligence)

• Looting Skill Shards from chests and enemies.
• Use offensive, control, or covert quickhacks on enemies during combat.
• Hack environmental objects, security cameras, and devices to distract enemies or trigger explosions.
• Successfully jack into and hack Access Points (Data Terminals) using Breach Protocol.
• Defeat enemies using Smart weapons or the Monowire.

Leveling Tips for the David Martinez Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Here are a few general leveling tips for the David Build in Cyberpunk 2077.

• Perfect Start
• How to make Money
• Upgrade Weapons
• How Gear Scaling Works
• How to get Perk Points Fast
• Dogtown Consumables

Perfect Start in Cyberpunk 2077

Here are the steps that I recommend taking with a new Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough.

Starter Build: You can also check out my Cyberpunk 2077 Starter Build that takes you from level 1 to level 15.

1. Regular Start (Don’t skip ahead to Phantom Liberty).
2. Immediately after the prologue, once you are out of your room and go downstairs before you enter the elevator.
   1. Weapon Vendor: Buy the Iconic pistol Dying Night.
   2. Coach Fred: Capacity Boosters (in case you get over capacity so you can still move).
3. Buff Routine: Sleep & Shower. This gives you 20% Skill XP acquisition and Health Regen.
4. Watson Clean Sweep (NCPD Missions):
   1. Watson is the first district you play in.
   2. Clearing all missions takes 1-2 hours. This will give you at least 10 levels, 15 Street Cred and over 150k Eddies Cash. 
   3. Loot all enemies and either disassemble for materials or sell them at the vendor for extra Eddies.
5. Get the Fenrir SMG from the monk mission. This SMG is insanely good at the start because it often stuns enemies.
6. Visit a Ripperdoc at level 10: After you have enough money, its time to get chromed up.
   1. Reinforced Tendons (Legs): Allow you to double jump
   2. Kerenzikov (Nervous System): Slows Time by 60% for 2s.
   3. Synaptic Accelerator (Nervous System): Slows time by 20% for 2s when enemy detection reaches 50%.
   4. Whatever else you can fit!
7. Time to start playing for real. The Pickup mission is waiting for you!

How to make Money

It is actually fairly easy to make money in Cyberpunk 2077. The best way to make money is to clear all the NCPD and Cyberpsycho missions in each district. As previously mentioned, clearing most of the Watson district NCPD mission alone already gives you approximately 150k Eddies Cash.

Upgrade Weapons

This often gets overlooked, but you can upgrade early-game weapons in Cyberpunk 2077. Go to the crafting section, then move to the Upgrade tab. Here you can upgrade all weapons if you have the necessary crafting components.

Gear Scaling in Cyberpunk 2077

Gear scaling is automated in Cyberpunk 2077. The moment you reach a certain level, you will start finding more and more high-quality items. Meaning the faster you reach a higher level the sooner you will find better gear from chests or enemies. That counts for Gear, Weapons, Cyberware, Outfits, etc.

• Tier 1: Level 1-9
• Tier 2: Level 10-19
• Tier 3: Level 20-29
• Tier 4: Level 30-39
• Tier 5: Level 40-44
• Tier Iconic: Level 45-50

How to get Perk Points in Cyberpunk 2077

You need Perk Points to unlock additional Perks for the David Martinez Build in Cyberpunk 2077. Perks are the bread and butter of any CP2077 Build, as they significantly enhance your power.

1. You get one Perk Point per character level.
2. Skill Progression awards you with Perk Points.
3. You can farm up to 13 Perk Shards (10 base game, 3 Phantom Liberty DLC)

Perk Point per Character Level

Not much needs to be said here; leveling up gives you one extra Perk Point.

Skill Progression

This is often overlooked; the Skill Progression system also awards you Perk Points at 15 and 35. So you can get an additional 10 Perk Points from this.

Character menu > bottom right Skill Progression.

Perk Shards

There are 10 base-game Perk Shards and 3 Phantom Liberty DLC Perk Shards you can collect to earn additional perks in Cyberpunk 2077.

Read Guide: All 13 Perk Shard Locations in Cyberpunk 2077

Here is the full list, click on the hyperlink of each location to see images, it will send you to the full Cyberpunk 2077: Perk Shards Location Guide.

Dogtown Consumables (Phantom Liberty DLC)

During the starter quest of the Phantom Liberty DLC in Cyberpunk 2077 called “Dog Eat Dog” you eventually enter the marketplace area (You can also access the area later at any time). Here you can buy various new stuff that isn’t available in the base game. his will also still be availabl

Some vendors also sell permanent consumable upgrades, 12k each. Best you go talk to all the vendors in that area and see what they offer.

• Bartender Shop: Dendritic Protoplasma Supplier permanent +1% Ram Recovery Rate.
• Netrunner Shop: Dendritic Protoplasma Supplier permanent +2% Ram Recovery Rate.
  • Note: The items are called the same, but they both work, so you get a total of 3% Ram Recovery Rate.
• Food Vendor: Prototype Pseudo Embryonic Cell Builder permanent +2 Health.
• Meds Vendor: Prototype Pseudo Embryonic Cell Builder permanent +3 Health.
  • Note: The items are called the same, but they both work, so you get a total of +5 Health.
  • Note: You find the Meds vendor on the opposite side of the Netrunner Vendor in a hallway.
• Food Vendor: Military-Grade Lactic Acid Recyclers: +1% Stamina Regen Rate.
• Herold Weapon Vendor: Sells you all the Iconic Weapons you have missed during your playthrough.
• Marcin/ Michal Kicinski Junk Vendor: 1 Perk Shard and 1 Progression Shard of each type.

Additionally, make sure to check all other vendors in Dog Town. For example at the Longshore Stacks fast travel point, you also have vendors that sell you permanent upgrades.

David Character Creation in Cyberpunk 2077

There are two ways you can recreate David in Cyberpunk 2077. A closer version of the true David can be made with mods. Here I will show you how to get as close as possible to David without mods:

• Body Type: Male
• Voice Tone: Masculine
• Preset: 02
• Skin Tone: 01
• Skin Type: 01 (see note below)
• Hairstyle: 15 (see note below)
• Hair Color: 27 (brown)
• Eyes: 03
• Eye Color: 01
• Eyebrows: 02
• Eyebrow Color: 27 (brown)
• Eyelash Color: 06 (dark brown)
• Nose: 08
• Mouth: 10
• Jaw: 03
• Ears: 08
• Beard: Off
• Cyberware: Off
• Facial Scars: Off
• Facial Tattoos: Off
• Piercings: Off
• Teeth: 00
• Eye Makeup: Off
• Lip Makeup Style: Off
• Cheek Makeup: Off
• Blemishes: Off
• Nails: Short
• Nail Color: 01
• Body Tattoos: Off
• Body Scars: Off

Hairstyle: this is the hardest part to match, because David’s hair is tall and spiky on top with a hard fade and a pattern shaved into the side. Nothing in the creator reproduces the pattern. Option 15 gets the volume and cut right and has a fade at the neck, which is why it is listed above. Option 18 is closer from the front but adds a rat tail David doesn’t have. Try both and pick whichever you prefer.

Skin Type: 01 has the natural detail of an ordinary face. Type 05 is smoother and arguably matches the flat anime look better, but it comes with a beauty mark David doesn’t have. Your call.

Jaw and nose: David has a pointier chin and a more slender face than the creator really allows. Jaw 19 is the closest, with 03 as a reasonable alternative if you want him to read slightly older. Nose 08 is right; 18 exaggerates features that should barely register.

Finish the look with the Edgerunners jacket, and if you want to go further, the Appearance Change Unlocker and Edgerunners hairstyle mods on Nexus get much closer to the anime model than the base creator can.

Related Cyberpunk 2077 Content

• Cyberpunk 2077 Builds Database