Cyberpunk 2077: Adam Smasher Build | Annihilator (Patch 2.31)

Welcome to the best Adam Smasher Build for Cyberpunk 2077 (Patch 2.31). When you picture Adam Smasher, your mind goes straight to complete destruction, and that is exactly what this build is about: light machine guns firing explosive rounds, an overcharged rocket launcher in your arm, and the annihilation of anything in your path.

The Adam Smasher Build turns explosive LMG rounds, Obliterate instant kills and a near-endless Projectile Launch System into total annihilation in Cyberpunk 2077.

Table of Contents for the Adam Smasher Build:

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

Strengths and Weaknesses list for the Adam Smasher LMG Build:

Cyberpunk 2077 Adam Smasher Build Overview

This Cyberpunk 2077: Adam Smasher Build stacks explosions and area damage on two fronts. Your main gun is a light machine gun with the Firecracker mod, so every round explodes, and your arm carries an overcharged Projectile Launch System that fires five rockets at once and recharges almost as fast as you can use it.

Attributes – Adam Smasher Build

Distributing Attributes correctly for the Adam Smasher Build is important. Attributes delegate the direction of the build and give access to different tiers of perks depending on how many points you invest in each category.

The Cyberpunk 2077 Adam Smasher Build’s Attributes are spread out between Body, Technical Ability, and Reflexes, all maxed. Cool takes the leftover points and Intelligence stays at 3.

Adam Smasher Start Attributes

At the start of the game, select the following Attribute allocation to give us the optimal start for the Adam Smasher Build in Cyberpunk 2077. Start with Body, since it is the most important tree for this build.

Attribute	Points	Description
Intelligence	None	N/A
Technical Ability	+2	Gets you moving toward All Things Cyber and the health item perks at 9.
Reflexes	+1	Unlocks the first tier of perks.
Cool	None	N/A
Body	+4	Body is the most important attribute here. Unlocks the health regen chain and gets you close to Die! Die! Die! at 9.

Max Level Attributes

At max level, you want to have the following distribution of Attributes for the Adam Smasher Build in Cyberpunk 2077:

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

Why 18 Cool with no Cool perks? Body, Reflexes and Technical Ability are maxed, so the leftover attribute points have to go somewhere. They are not wasted, though: the Revulsor cyberware is attuned to Cool and loses 0.25 seconds of cooldown per Cool point, so 18 Cool cuts 4.5 seconds off its cooldown.

Perks – Adam Smasher Build Cyberpunk 2077

In this section of the Cyberpunk 2077 Adam Smasher Build (LMG), I will explain the perks that we use for each attribute.

• Body
• Technical Ability
• Reflexes
• Cool
• Intelligence
• Relic
• Spare Perk Points

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.

Spare Points: The bold perks are the core of the build, so pick them up before the non-bold ones. This build uses 72 of the 80 Perk Points available at level 60. See Spare Perk Points for where the last 8 can go.

Body Perks

The Body Perk-Tree is the most important tree in the Adam Smasher Build. The left side powers up LMGs, HMGs and shotguns, and the middle gives us health regen and Adrenaline Rush. Max it out to 20 and start here.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The full health regen row, plus one perk for vehicle combat.

Perk	Description
Painkiller	Unlocks passive health regeneration during combat. Everything else here multiplies it.
Comeback Kid	The lower your health, the faster you regenerate.
Dorph-head	A burst of mitigation chance right after using a health item or the Blood Pump, which this build runs.
Speed Junkie	More health regen while sprinting.
Army of One	+10% health regen rate for each nearby enemy. Adam Smasher is always surrounded.
Fury Road	Vehicle combat bonuses. Purely for fun, and the first perk to drop if you want the point elsewhere.

Level 9 Perks

Level 9 opens the heavy weapons branch on the left.

Perk	Description
Die! Die! Die!	Boosts stamina regen and weapon handling for shotguns, LMGs and HMGs. The gateway to the whole branch.
Like a Feather	No more movement penalties with shotguns, LMGs and HMGs equipped. You stay as nimble as any other build while carrying the heaviest guns in the game.
Don’t Stop Me Now	Extra mitigation while your stamina is low.
Bullet Ballet	Less bullet spread while moving.

Level 15 Perks

The big tier. Obliterate on the left, Adrenaline Rush in the middle, and Bloodlust linking the two.

Perk	Description
Spontaneous Obliteration	The lower an enemy’s health, the higher your chance to Obliterate them: instantly dismember and kill them. Up to a 20% chance at max rank. Max it out.
Close-quarters Carnage	Raises your Obliterate chance to 30% at close range. You will be close to enemies anyway, so take it.
Dread	Strong armor penetration that spreads to nearby enemies whenever you dismember someone. With Obliterate dismembering constantly, it spreads all the time.
Skullcracker	More Quick Melee damage as your stamina drains.
Rush of Blood	Faster reloads after a dismemberment. Required for Bloodlust.
Adrenaline Rush	+35 max health, +20% to all health regen, then Adrenaline Rush itself. Health items and Blood Pump also grant Adrenaline, a yellow bar that absorbs damage before your health.
Calm Mind	Adds a 3 second delay before Adrenaline starts decaying.
Unstoppable Force	No more knockdowns or blinding while Adrenaline Rush is active.
Juggernaut	+20% movement speed and +10% damage while Adrenaline Rush is active. That extra damage goes straight into your LMG.
Bloodlust	+50 Adrenaline whenever you dismember a nearby enemy while Adrenaline Rush is active. With Obliterate and explosive rounds, you are refilling your second health bar constantly. Needs both Juggernaut and Rush of Blood.

Level 20 Perks

Body is at 20, so we take three capstones.

Perk	Description
Onslaught	20% ammo refill every time you take down an enemy with an LMG. As long as you keep getting kills, you practically never reload.
Pain to Gain	+20% Health Item recharge after neutralizing an enemy while Adrenaline Rush is active.
Rip and Tear	Shotguns only. +100% damage on your next quick melee after a shotgun hit, and vice versa. This build leaves room for a shotgun, so this covers the Guts option.

Technical Ability Perks

The Technical Ability Perk-Tree is where the rockets come from. The left side covers health items and explosives, and the perks around Pyromania are what make the Projectile Launch System nearly endless. Max it out to 20.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The bottom row on the left. These feed your health items and gate everything above them.

Perk	Description
Glutton for War	An extra Health Item charge and faster out of combat recharge. Required for everything above it.
First Aid	Faster Health Item recharge when you have only used one charge.
Transfusion	The final charge of your Health Item heals for more.

Level 9 Perks

Cyberware scaling in the middle, health item support on the left.

Perk	Description
All Things Cyber	+10% to all cyberware stat modifiers and -20% Cyberware Capacity cost for Integumentary System and Skeleton chrome. Max it out.
Driver Update	Adds a secondary stat modifier to all cyberware.
Renaissance Punk	+4 Cyberware Capacity for every Attribute above the threshold. With four attributes at 18 or higher, this is a lot of free capacity.
Health Freak	Another Health Item charge and better healing. Max it out, it gates Pyromania.
Chrome Constitution	Reduces incoming damage by 5% while your Integumentary System and Skeleton slots are full.
Chipware Connoisseur	Two stat modifier options instead of one when upgrading cyberware. Once your chrome is fully upgraded, you can refund this point.
Field Medic	Health Items restore more health and recharge faster.
Borrowed Time	Instantly recharges a Health Item on a kill when you are low and out of charges.

Level 15 Perks

This is the engine of the build. Pyromania, Burn This City and Doomlauncher together keep the rockets flying.

Perk	Description
Pyromania	Every explosion that hits an enemy, from grenades and from your Projectile Launch System, grants extra movement speed and explosion damage, stacking five times. Max it out.
Burn This City	At five stacks of Pyromania, the stacks are consumed to instantly replenish a grenade charge, while the Pyromania bonuses stay active for another 6 seconds.
Friendlier Fire	Resistance to your own explosions. Mandatory when your bullets explode at point blank range. Together with Ambidextrous it also gates Doomlauncher.
Doomlauncher	Extra Projectile Launch System charges and recharge speed, and Burn This City now works on the launcher too. Every time you hit five targets with rockets, you instantly get a rocket charge back, so you can fire them almost constantly.
License to Chrome	+10% to all cyberware stat modifiers, +40 armor and an extra Skeleton slot. Max it out.
Ambidextrous	An extra Hands cyberware slot. Also required for Doomlauncher, along with Friendlier Fire.
Cyborg	Reduces cyberware cooldowns by 15% when all available slots are filled, so we want every slot full.
Extended Warranty	+15% duration for active cyberware effects, including your Sandevistan.

Level 20 Perks

Two capstones.

Perk	Description
Edgerunner	Lets you exceed Cyberware Capacity by up to 50 points at 0.5% max health per point. Kills have a chance to trigger Fury for extra damage, crit chance and crit damage.
Ticking Time Bomb	Every Sandevistan activation charges an EMP blast that stuns and damages nearby enemies, and you take much less damage while it charges. One more explosion for the pile.

Reflexes Perks

The Reflexes Perk-Tree is all about the middle path. We don’t care about Assault Rifles or SMGs, we want Dash all the way up to Tailwind so we can bunny hop all over the battlefield without running out of stamina.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The whole bottom row. Multitasker and Muscle Memory are what let you use your LMG while jumping and vaulting.

Perk	Description
Slippery	The faster you move, the harder you are to hit. Required for everything above it.
Multitasker	Shoot while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.
Muscle Memory	Reload while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.
Power Slide	Longer slides.
Parkour!	Faster vaulting and climbing.

Level 9 Perks

Dash and everything around it.

Perk	Description
Dash	Rank 1 cuts dash stamina cost, rank 2 unlocks the Dash itself.
Steady Grip	Shoot while dashing, so your LMG never stops firing.
Can’t Touch This	+100% mitigation chance while dashing.
Mean Streak	Restores 40% stamina when you neutralize an enemy while dashing.
Mad Dash	+100% dash range toward enemies.

Level 15 Perks

The Air Dash line.

Perk	Description
Air Dash	Lower dash stamina cost, +20% dash speed and the ability to dash in midair.
Aerial Acrobat	Better midair maneuverability.
Aerodynamic	Massively increased mitigation strength while in midair.

Level 20 Perks

Reflexes is at 20, so we take the movement capstone.

Perk	Description
Tailwind	Air Dashes cost no stamina, and air dashes and double jumps restore stamina. You can bunny hop around the battlefield forever and still have stamina left for your LMG.

Cool Perks

We don’t spend any perk points in Cool. The 18 attribute points are there because Body, Reflexes and Technical Ability are maxed, and they still pay off by shortening the Revulsor’s cooldown. Cool’s perks are built around pistols, precision rifles, sniper rifles, knives and stealth, none of which an Adam Smasher build uses.

Intelligence Perks

We leave Intelligence at 3 and spend nothing here. Adam Smasher doesn’t hack people, he smashes them.

Relic Perks (Phantom Liberty DLC)

The Relic skill tree only exists if you own Phantom Liberty, and for this build you definitely want it. You unlock Relic points by finding Relic Data Terminals in Dogtown, and most of them can be collected within the first hour of the expansion.

Relic Perks

Perk	Description
Jailbreak	Lets you overcharge the Projectile Launch System to fire five rockets at once. This is the main reason the launcher becomes a primary weapon instead of a utility.
Launch Capacity Override	+1 Projectile Launch System charge, on top of the extra charges from Doomlauncher.
Vulnerability Analytics	Lets you shoot enemy Vulnerabilities for 100% crit chance, +25% armor penetration and weak spot damage, and they explode into an EMP blast when destroyed. Especially strong against MaxTac.
Machine Learning	Destroying a Vulnerability makes new ones appear more often and grants crit damage against them, stacking five times.

Spare Perk Points

This build uses 72 of the 80 Perk Points available at level 60, so you have 8 left over. Everything worth having for an LMG and explosives build is already taken, so these are optional upgrades rather than missing pieces. In order of value:

Perk	Description
Built Different	Unlocks the Cellular Adapter cyberware, which costs only 8 Cyberware Capacity and, at 20 Technical Ability, gives +20% explosion damage resistance plus faster grenade and Health Item recharge. Your rounds explode at point blank range, so this is the best use of a spare point.
Heat Shield	Mitigation chance for every stack of Pyromania. You are stacking Pyromania all fight long, so this is close to permanent damage reduction.
Demolitions Surplus	+1 grenade charge and much faster out of combat grenade recharge. More grenades means more Pyromania stacks for Burn This City.
Lucky Day	More crafting components from looting. Your LMG eats heavy ammo, and you will be crafting a lot of it.
Coming in Hot	+50% grenade recharge speed when you have no grenades left.

That leaves 3 points with nothing important to buy. Keep them as a buffer to respec, or refund Chipware Connoisseur once your cyberware is fully upgraded for a fourth.

Alternative: if you love the Kerenzikov, spend 7 points on Air Kerenzikov instead, which keeps you suspended in midair while Kerenzikov is active. The catch is that it sits behind Ready, Rested, Reloaded, Sharpshooter and Gundancer, which are Assault Rifle and SMG perks, so 6 of those 7 points do nothing for an LMG.

Cyberware for the Adam Smasher Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Using the right Cyberware for the Cyberpunk 2077: Adam Smasher Build matters. The core of it is slow motion from three sources, a poison rocket launcher with a damage bonus against poisoned enemies, and enough armor and healing to stand in the middle of your own explosions.

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	Slows time by 85%, the same slow motion Adam Smasher uses in the anime. Bonuses to damage, crit chance and crit damage while active. Every activation also charges Ticking Time Bomb from Technical Ability.
Militech Berserk	The alternative. While active you are invulnerable to damage, which is very strong against MaxTac. The catch: Berserk limits you to melee weapons while it runs, so you can’t fire your LMG during it. Use it to wade in and tank, then shoot once it ends.

Location of items:

• Militech “Apogee” Sandevistan: Ripperdoc, level 40+
• Militech Berserk: Iconic, sold by all Ripperdocs after level 30.

Frontal Cortex

Cyberware	Description
Axolotl	Every kill reduces the cooldown of all your cyberware. Pair it with the Sandevistan or Berserk to keep your OS available as often as possible.
Mechatronic Core	Increased damage to drones, robots, mechs and turrets.
Self-ICE	Negates an incoming enemy quickhack. Fills the slot for Cyborg.

Location of items:

• Axolotl: Reward from Regina Jones for completing her gigs in Watson, or from the Dogtown Ripperdoc.
• Mechatronic Core: Ripperdoc, level 10
• Self-ICE: Ripperdoc, level 20

Face

Cyberware	Description
Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics	A big flat Crit Chance bonus. It costs around 30 Cyberware Capacity, so it is a damage upgrade for when you feel you are not hitting hard enough, rather than a must-have.

Location of items:

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

Arms

Cyberware

Description

Toxic Projectile Launch System

Fires an explosive projectile that deals massive Chemical damage with a chance to Poison. Charged shots gain more damage, explosion radius and Poison chance. With Jailbreak from the Relic tree it fires five rockets at once, so you are almost always Poisoning something. Poisoned enemies take extra damage from Black Mamba, which is a strong way to take down bosses. Doomlauncher and Burn This City refill its charges as you hit enemies.

Location of items:

• Toxic Projectile Launch System: Sold by Ripperdocs across Night City, with availability scaling to your level and Street Cred.

Hands

Cyberware	Description
Immovable Force	Iconic. Less recoil and bullet spread, and ranged weapon effects that normally only trigger behind cover are always active. LMGs kick hard, so this keeps your explosive rounds on target.
Shock Absorber	Straightforward recoil reduction for the second Hands slot from Ambidextrous.

Location of items:

• Immovable Force: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.
• Shock Absorber: Ripperdoc, level 10

Skeleton

Cyberware	Description
Epimorphic Skeleton	A large percentage increase to your maximum health.
Bionic Joints	A solid chunk of armor for very little Cyberware Capacity.
Para Bellum	A percentage bonus to your armor. Swap in the iconic version, Rara Avis, if you have the capacity.

License to Chrome gives you the third Skeleton slot.

Location of items:

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

Nervous System

Cyberware	Description
Kerenzikov	Slows time by 60% when you aim while sliding, dodging or dashing, with only a 6 second cooldown. With Dash, Air Dash and the double jump, you trigger it constantly.
Revulsor	Iconic. Slows time by 60% for 4.5 seconds when your health drops below 25%, without slowing you down. Its cooldown shrinks with Cool, which is where your 18 Cool points pay off. Between this, Kerenzikov and the Apogee, you are almost always moving in slow motion like the real Adam Smasher.
Neofiber	More Mitigation Chance and Mitigation Strength for the last slot.

Location of items:

• Kerenzikov: Any Ripperdoc from level 10.
• Revulsor: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.
• Neofiber: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 20.

Circulatory System

Cyberware	Description
Blood Pump	An instant, powerful heal with no animation, by far the best healing in the game. It also triggers Adrenaline Rush and Dorph-head.
Black Mamba	Up to +22% damage against Poisoned enemies, at the cost of most of your own Poison damage. The Toxic launcher keeps everything Poisoned, so this is a flat damage boost for your LMG.
Heal-On-Kill	Restores health on every kill, so you survive longer on the battlefield.

Location of items:

• Blood Pump: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.
• Black Mamba: Ripperdoc, from level 20.
• Heal-On-Kill: Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.

Integumentary System

Cyberware	Description
Shock-n-Awe	A lot of armor and a chance to zap enemies with a huge electroshock whenever they hit you. You will be close to enemies with plenty of mitigation, so every hit hurts them more than it hurts you.
Chitin	Iconic. A lot of armor and crazy health regen that scales with Body. Expensive on capacity, so get it once you have the room.
Cellular Adapter	Only available with the Built Different perk from the spare perk points. Just 8 capacity for explosion damage resistance and faster grenade and Health Item recharge. Without it, use Subdermal Armor here.

Location of items:

• Shock-n-Awe: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.
• Chitin: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.
• Cellular Adapter: Any Ripperdoc, after unlocking the Built Different perk.

Legs

Cyberware	Description
Reinforced Tendons	Double jump and bunny hops, which also make it much easier to trigger Kerenzikov.

Location of items:

• Reinforced Tendons: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.

Weapons for the Adam Smasher Build in Cyberpunk 2077

This build lives on light machine guns, with room for a shotgun if you want one. The perks behind them:

• Body perks like Die! Die! Die!, Spontaneous Obliteration and Onslaught boost LMGs, HMGs and shotguns.
• Technical Ability perks like Pyromania and Doomlauncher boost explosions and the Projectile Launch System.

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

Item	Description
Defender	Power LMG with a very high rate of fire. With the Firecracker mod, every round explodes, so you are putting a string of firecrackers at every enemy’s feet.
MA70 HB	Power LMG that already fires explosive rounds. On this gun the Firecracker mod increases the damage of each round instead of adding explosions.
Guts	Optional backup shotgun.

Alternative: Wild Dog is an iconic Phantom Liberty LMG whose repeated hits increase fire rate and Crit Chance. It is a great match for Onslaught. You get it from Kurt Hansen during Firestarter, or from Herold Lowe at the EBM Petrochem Stadium.

Ammo: your LMGs eat a ton of heavy ammo, so craft more every now and then.

Firecracker (Iconic Power Weapon Mod)

This is the heart of the Adam Smasher Build. The Firecracker mod makes any Power weapon shoot explosive rounds, LMGs included. Combined with the very high fire rate of an LMG, you cause so many explosions that every enemy gets dismembered more often, which spreads Dread’s armor shred and triggers Bloodlust.

• Prerequisites: Phantom Liberty DLC.
• Where: At the end of the main Phantom Liberty job Spider and the Fly, after defeating the Chimera.
• How to Get It: The Chimera Core lies on the ground a few feet from the wreck, not on the body itself. Use your scanner to highlight it and pick it up before you leave.
• What to Do: Craft the Firecracker from the Active Chimera Core in the crafting menu.
• Note: There is only one Chimera Core per playthrough, and it can make one of four mods. Pick Firecracker. Unlike normal mods, it can be removed and moved to another weapon, and you get it back if you dismantle or sell the weapon it is on.

Gear for the Adam Smasher Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Since gear is mostly cosmetic, you can wear whatever you want. All of this build’s defense comes from cyberware instead, mainly Chitin, Shock-n-Awe, Epimorphic Skeleton, Bionic Joints and Para Bellum.

Without mods, you won’t get that close to an Adam Smasher look. However, here is the closest thing that resembles him:

• Torso: Arasaka ultralight hybrid tactical harness, a high-end black and red tactical piece worn by Arasaka forces, sold by the Northside clothing vendor. Alternative: Arasaka polycarbonate-laced bulletproof aramid vest, whose Legendary version drops from Oda in Play It Safe.
• Face: Arasaka Tactical Techgogs, sold at Appel De Paris and Jinguji, also craftable.
• Rest: Black tactical pants and combat boots. Japantown clothing shops mostly sell Arasaka gear, so restock there.

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: Adam Smasher Build you want to focus on Solo, Engineer and Shinobi. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Adam Smasher Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Here are a few general leveling tips for the Adam Smasher 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 Adam Smasher 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.

Related Cyberpunk 2077 Content

• Cyberpunk 2077 Builds Database