Welcome to the best Assault Rifle Build for Cyberpunk 2077 (Patch 2.5). This build is all about holding the trigger: two iconic assault rifles that get more dangerous with every hit, an SMG for when the magazine runs dry, the Falcon Sandevistan to slow the whole fight down and a Projectile Launch System in my arm for backup.
The Assault Rifle Build combines Carmen, Psalm 11:6, Sharpshooter, the Falcon Sandevistan and arm rockets: rifles that crit harder with every shot, a Sandevistan that starts every fight with an EMP, and a rocket launcher in your arm that keeps recharging itself.
You can find more builds here on the Cyberpunk 2077 Builds Database page.
Table of Contents for the Assault Rifle Build:
Strengths and Weaknesses list for the Assault Rifle Build:
Strengths
Weaknesses
Prefer a shotgun up close? Read my Rebecca Build. If you would rather shoot from a rooftop than walk into the room, check out my Sniper Build.
Cyberpunk 2077 Assault Rifle Build Overview
This Cyberpunk 2077: Assault Rifle Build is loud and fast. I open every fight with the Falcon Sandevistan, and Ticking Time Bomb sends out an EMP a second later that stuns everyone around me. Anyone behind cover gets a rocket from my arm. Then I hold the trigger: every hit adds a Sharpshooter stack, which means more Crit Chance and Crit Damage with Practice Makes Perfect and more Armor Penetration with Shoot to Chill, and the 7th shot on the same target hits extra hard with Salt in the Wound. I never stand still while I do it. I shoot while sprinting, sliding and dashing, and when I jump and aim in midair, Kerenzikov keeps me hanging in the air in slow motion.
My rotation: This is how almost every fight goes for me.
- Sandevistan: Pop the Falcon. Ticking Time Bomb charges an EMP that stuns everyone nearby 1 second later.
- Rockets: Fire the Projectile Launch System into the biggest group, or hold the button for the five-rocket burst. Every explosion adds a Pyromania stack, and at 6 stacks Burn This City gives you a charge back.
- Hold the trigger: Stay on one target with Carmen. Every hit adds a Sharpshooter stack, and the 7th shot triggers Salt in the Wound. Keep moving, Carmen hits harder while you run, jump or slide.
- Empty magazine: Don’t reload, swap to the Fenrir. Submachine Fun reloads it during the swap and gives it extra fire rate. Reload the rifle later while sprinting or sliding with Muscle Memory.
- Go airborne: Double jump, Air Dash and aim. Kerenzikov slows time and Air Kerenzikov keeps you floating above the group while you shoot down. Tailwind gives the Stamina back.
- Heal: Kills during the Sandevistan restore Health, Heal-on-Kill adds more, and the Blood Pump and Biomonitor fill up Adrenaline Rush when it gets close.
Before the iconics: You can get the Psalm 11:6 crafting spec and the Fenrir early in Watson, so most of the build comes together in Act 1. Until then, any Ajax or Copperhead from a weapon vendor does the job. The Dynalar Sandevistan from level 10 holds the Operating System slot until the Falcon unlocks at level 30, and Carmen comes later with Phantom Liberty.
Attributes – Assault Rifle Build
Distributing Attributes correctly for the Assault Rifle Build is important. Attributes dictate 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 Assault Rifle Build’s primary Attribute is 
Reflexes, because assault rifles and SMGs are Reflexes weapons. We also invest points in 
Technical Ability, 
Cool and 
Body. 
Intelligence stays at 3.
Assault Rifle Build Start Attributes
At the start of the game, select the following Attribute allocation to give us the optimal start for the Assault Rifle Build in Cyberpunk 2077.
| Attribute | Points | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
|
+3 |
|
|
Technical Ability |
+2 |
|
|
Body |
+1 |
|
|
Cool |
+1 |
|
|
Intelligence |
None |
|
Max Level Attributes
At max level, you want to have the following distribution of Attributes for the Assault Rifle Build in Cyberpunk 2077:
- 20 Reflexes
- 20 Technical Ability
- 20 Cool
- 18 Body
- 3 Intelligence
Why these numbers: Reflexes goes to 20 for Salt in the Wound, Submachine Fun and Tailwind, and Technical Ability goes to 20 for Edgerunner and Ticking Time Bomb. Body sits at 18, which covers Adrenaline Rush at 15 and adds +2 Max Health per point. Cool only has 4 perks in this build, but it still goes to 20: every Cool point adds +1.25% Crit Damage, so that is +25% Crit Damage on every bullet. Body, Reflexes, Technical Ability and Cool are all at 9 or higher, so Renaissance Punk gives +16 Cyberware Capacity.
Perks – Assault Rifle Build Cyberpunk 2077
In this section of the Cyberpunk 2077 Assault Rifle Build, I will explain the perks that we use for each attribute.
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.
Perk Order: The bold perks are the core of the build, so pick them up before the non-bold ones. While you are leveling, rush Reflexes: Ready, Rested, Reloaded and Dash at 9, then Sharpshooter, Practice Makes Perfect and Air Dash at 15. Technical Ability to 9 comes next for All Things Cyber and Renaissance Punk, then Pyromania and Doomlauncher at 15 once you have the rocket arm. Salt in the Wound, Edgerunner and Ticking Time Bomb come last, since they need 20.
Perk Points: This build uses all 80 Perk Points at level 60: 33 in Reflexes, 32 in Technical Ability, 11 in Body and 4 in Cool.
Reflexes Perks
The Reflexes Perk-Tree is the heart of the Assault Rifle Build, and we max it out at 20. Assault rifles and SMGs are Reflexes weapons, so we take the whole gun branch on the left, plus the movement branch in the middle for Dash and Air Dash.
Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.
Level 4 Perks
Slippery and the movement row, and Stuntjock for shooting from vehicles.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
The faster you move, the harder you are to hit. It also opens the movement branch. |
|
Shoot while sprinting, sliding and vaulting. You never have to stop shooting. |
|
Reload while sprinting, sliding and vaulting. Run to the next cover and arrive with a full magazine. |
|
Longer slides. Carmen gets better handling and more damage while you slide, so a long slide is a good slide. |
|
Faster vaulting and climbing. |
|
New ways to exit a vehicle: jump out or slide out at high speed, and you can draw and fire your weapons during these stunts. While driving, movement no longer adds bullet spread. |
Level 9 Perks
Ready, Rested, Reloaded on the left, Dash in the middle.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
-10% Stamina cost for shooting with Assault Rifles and SMGs, then +30% reload speed while you are above 50% Stamina. It opens the whole gun branch. |
|
Faster weapon swaps, and less bullet spread for a moment after swapping. Exactly what happens every time I swap from a rifle to the Fenrir. |
|
+20% effective range and accuracy. Assault rifles lose damage over distance, and this pushes that point further out. |
|
-75% recoil when aiming. Carmen and the Psalm fire fast, and this keeps them on the target. |
|
Rank 1 cuts dodge and dash stamina cost, rank 2 unlocks the Dash itself. Aim during a Dash and Kerenzikov slows time. |
|
+100% mitigation chance while dashing. |
|
Shoot while dashing. Dash to the next cover without letting go of the trigger. |
|
+100% Dash range toward enemies. |
|
+40% Stamina after a kill while dashing. |
Level 15 Perks
Sharpshooter and everything behind it, plus Air Dash.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
Faster aiming and better weapon handling, then Sharpshooter stacks. Every successful shot adds a stack, and each stack lowers your Stamina cost and speeds up Stamina regen for a few seconds. Two of the best perks in this build feed off those stacks. |
|
+2% Crit Chance and +2% Crit Damage per Sharpshooter stack. The longer you hold the trigger, the harder you crit. |
|
+2% Armor Penetration with automatic weapons per Sharpshooter stack. Armored enemies melt the same way. |
|
-10% Stamina cost for hip-firing. |
|
Aiming no longer slows you down, and you can shoot while vaulting. Carmen wants you moving, and now you can aim and move at full speed. |
|
Activating Kerenzikov in midair keeps you floating and extends its duration. Double jump, Air Dash, aim, and shoot down into the group in slow motion. |
|
Lower dash stamina cost, faster dashes, then the ability to dash in midair. Tailwind and Air Kerenzikov both need it. |
|
Better control in midair. |
|
A big boost to Mitigation Strength while you are in midair. You spend a lot of time up there with Air Kerenzikov. |
Level 20 Perks
Reflexes is at 20, so we take three capstones.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
The 7th consecutive shot on the same target deals bonus damage based on all the shots before it. Assault rifles only, and the reason I stay on one target instead of spraying the room. |
|
Swapping to an SMG is faster and reloads it automatically, and it fires faster until you reload it normally. This is why the Fenrir is in the build: when a rifle runs empty, I swap instead of reloading. |
|
Air Dashes no longer cost Stamina, and Air Dashes and double jumps give you Stamina back. More Stamina means more shooting. |
Technical Ability Perks
The Technical Ability Perk-Tree keeps you alive and turns the arm rockets into a real weapon. The left branch gives us more health items and the explosive perks that lead to Doomlauncher and Ticking Time Bomb, and the middle branch handles the cyberware and leads to Edgerunner. Max it out to 20.
Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.
Level 4 Perks
The health item perks on the left.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
+1 health item charge. Every health item also fills your Adrenaline once Adrenaline Rush is unlocked. |
|
+15% recharge speed for health items when you have only used one charge. |
|
+30% health from the final charge of your health item. |
Level 9 Perks
Health items and grenades on the left, the Cyberware perks in the middle.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
Faster recharge for health items and grenades, then an instant partial recharge after every kill. Max it out. |
|
If you are below 25% health and out of health item charges, your next kill instantly recharges a health item. |
|
+1 grenade charge, and much faster grenade recharge outside of combat. |
|
15% faster health item use in combat. |
|
+50% grenade recharge speed when you have no grenades left. |
|
+10% to all cyberware stat modifiers and -20% Cyberware Capacity cost for Integumentary System and Skeleton chrome. That discount alone saves about 20 capacity in this build. Max it out. |
|
Every cyberware gets an additional stat modifier. |
|
When you upgrade cyberware, you can choose between two stat modifiers, and from Tier 3 between three. You get to pick Crit Chance and Crit Damage instead of hoping for them. |
|
+25% crafting components from looting. You craft the Psalm 11:6 yourself, and upgrading two iconic rifles to Tier 5++ eats a lot of components. |
|
+4 Cyberware Capacity for each Attribute at 9 or higher. Reflexes, Technical Ability, Cool and Body all count, so that is +16 capacity. |
|
-5% incoming damage while all your Integumentary System and Skeleton slots are filled. This build fills all of them. |
Level 15 Perks
Pyromania and the explosive perks on the left, chrome in the middle.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
Faster health item and grenade recharge, a bigger explosion radius for grenades and the Projectile Launch System, then Pyromania stacks when your explosions hit enemies. Ticking Time Bomb sits behind it. |
|
At 6 Pyromania stacks, the stacks are used up to instantly give you a grenade charge back, and their bonuses stay active for 1 more second. With Doomlauncher, the Projectile Launch System gets the same bonus. |
|
Every Pyromania stack gives you Mitigation Chance. Rocket first, then walk in. |
|
+50% resistance to damage and effects from your own explosions. Rockets at close range hurt you a lot less. |
|
More Projectile Launch System charges and much faster recharge, faster still when you are out of charges or out of combat, plus 20% of a charge back after every kill. Together with Launch Capacity Override, the rocket arm is almost always ready. |
|
+10% to all cyberware stat modifiers, +40 armor and an extra Skeleton slot. Max it out. |
|
A second Hands slot, which holds the Ballistic Coprocessor. |
|
+15% duration for all cyberware effects. The Sandevistan and Kerenzikov both last longer. |
|
-15% cooldown for all cyberware while every cyberware slot is filled. This build fills every one, so the Sandevistan comes back faster. |
|
Unlocks the Cellular Adapter for the Integumentary System, which you can then buy and install at any Ripperdoc. This perk is also what makes it work properly. |
Level 20 Perks
Technical Ability is at 20, so we take two capstones.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
Every time you activate the Sandevistan, you charge an EMP that hits nearby enemies 1 second later. It stuns them and deals damage based on how many cyberware implants you have and their tier, and you take less damage while it charges. Every fight starts with the whole group stunned. |
|
Go up to 50 points over your Cyberware Capacity, for -0.5% Max Health per point. Kills can also put you into a Fury state with +10% damage, +30% Crit Chance and +50% Crit Damage, and the further you are over capacity, the higher the chance. This build sits about 26 points over, see the Cyberware section. |
Body Perks
The Body Perk-Tree is only used for its middle branch: health regen and Adrenaline Rush. You are always in the middle of the fight with this build, and Body keeps you there. Body sits at 18.
Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.
Level 4 Perks
The health regen row.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
Unlocks passive health regeneration during combat. |
|
The lower your health, the faster you regenerate. |
|
More health regen for each nearby enemy. |
|
+100% Health Regen while sprinting. You sprint a lot with Multitasker. |
|
Using the Blood Pump or a health item gives you a big boost to Mitigation Chance for 1 second. |
Level 9 Perks
We don’t use any level 9 perks. They are all for Body weapons and Blunt weapons.
Level 15 Perks
Adrenaline Rush and the perks that branch off it.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
+35 max health, +20% to all health regen, then Adrenaline Rush itself. Health items and the Blood Pump now also give Adrenaline equal to 30% of your max health, shown as a yellow second health bar. |
|
+20% movement speed and +10% damage while Adrenaline Rush is active. |
|
Immunity to movement penalties, knockdown and blinding while Adrenaline Rush is active. Nothing stops you mid-burst. |
|
A 3 second delay before Adrenaline starts decaying. |
Level 20 Perks
We don’t use any level 20 perks. Body sits at 18.
Cool Perks
The Cool Perk-Tree is mostly here for its Attribute bonus: every Cool point adds +1.25% Crit Damage, so 20 Cool means +25% Crit Damage on every bullet. We only spend 4 perk points here.
Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.
Level 4 Perks
Four cheap perks for the start of a fight and for your car.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
+25% damage with silenced guns outside of combat, plus a preview of the damage you will deal. Put a silencer on Carmen and the first burst of every fight hits harder. |
|
Hit an enemy right after they detect you, and the enemies around them take longer to detect you. |
|
A burst of movement speed after a kill while you are undetected. |
|
Use the Sandevistan to slow time while driving, and +25% weapon damage while your vehicle is drifting or in the air. Together with Stuntjock, your car becomes part of the fight. |
Level 9, 15 and 20 Perks
We don’t use any perks above level 4. The Cool weapon perks are for handguns, precision rifles and sniper rifles, not assault rifles.
Intelligence Perks
We don’t spend any perk points or Attribute Points in Intelligence. It stays at 3.
Relic Perks (Phantom Liberty DLC)
The Relic tree runs on Relic points from Phantom Liberty rather than attribute levels, so there are no level tiers here. We spend 4 points across two branches: one to turn the Projectile Launch System into a real weapon, and one to make every bullet from the rifles count.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
|
Unlocks new abilities for all Arm cyberware, and for this build specifically it overhauls the Projectile Launch System. Holding the button overcharges the launcher into a burst of five projectiles covering a much wider area. It is the reason the rocket arm works so well. |
|
+1 Projectile Launch System charge. Stacks with the extra charge from Doomlauncher in Technical Ability. |
|
Lets you spot Vulnerabilities in enemy armor and cyberware during combat. Hitting one gives 100% crit chance and +25% armor penetration, and destroying it sets off an EMP blast in a 3 metre radius. Assault rifles put a lot of bullets into them. |
|
Destroying a Vulnerability makes new ones appear more often and grants crit damage against them, stacking five times with the effects doubled at max stacks. |
Cyberware for the Assault Rifle Build in Cyberpunk 2077
Crits, slow motion, rockets and staying alive: The Face and Hands make every bullet crit more and hit harder, the Sandevistan and Kerenzikov slow time, the Projectile Launch System handles cover and cars, and the Skeleton, Integumentary and Circulatory Systems keep you standing in the middle of it. Every slot is filled, so Cyborg and Chrome Constitution are always on.
Cyberware Capacity: At level 60 you have 201 Cyberware Capacity, plus 15 from the Engineer skill tree and 16 from Renaissance Punk, so 232 in total. Everything marked bold or without a note below costs about 258 at Tier 5++, already including the -20% from All Things Cyber on the Skeleton and Integumentary System.
That is 26 points over, and Edgerunner lets you go up to 50 over. It costs -0.5% Max Health per point, so about -13% Max Health, which the Epimorphic Skeleton and Adrenaline Rush give back. Edgerunner needs 20 Technical Ability, so until you have it, use the Kiroshi “Sentry” Optics instead of the Cockatrice. That brings you down to about 230, inside the limit.
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% with +20% headshot damage, +20% Crit Chance and +20% Crit Damage, but only for 6 seconds, and kills give Stamina instead of Health. More damage, less sustain. |
Dynalar Sandevistan |
Slows time by 50% with +15% Crit Chance and +15% Crit Damage for 9 seconds. The Sandevistan I use until the Falcon unlocks, and it only costs 18 capacity. |
Location of items:
- Militech “Falcon” Sandevistan: Iconic, any Ripperdoc after level 30. You also get it during Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos (Phantom Liberty) if you enlist Carol Emeka’s help.
- Militech “Apogee” Sandevistan: Iconic, any Ripperdoc once you reach level 40.
- Dynalar Sandevistan: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with tier improving as you level.
Frontal Cortex
| Cyberware | Description |
|---|---|
|
Improves Kerenzikov: no Stamina cost for shooting while it is active, and time slows even more. Every Air Kerenzikov becomes a free burst. Only 3 capacity. |
|
+40% damage against drones, robots, mechs and turrets. Only 5 capacity. |
|
Automatically negates an enemy quickhack, with a 20 second cooldown. Only 5 capacity. |
Axolotl |
-7.5% cooldown for all your cyberware after every kill. Great with the Sandevistan, but it costs 48 capacity, so only once you have Capacity Shards to spare. |
Location of items:
- Kerenzikov Boost System: Any Ripperdoc after level 20, scaling up to Tier 5.
- Mechatronic Core: Sold by Ripperdocs, with quality scaling as you level.
- Self-ICE: Any Ripperdoc after level 20.
- Axolotl: Iconic, from Regina Jones after the gig Last Call, also sold by Dogtown Ripperdocs and found in airdrops.
Face
| Cyberware | Description |
|---|---|
|
+35% Crit Chance for every bullet. Practice Makes Perfect stacks on top of it. |
Kiroshi “Sentry” Optics |
Highlights cameras and turrets when scanning. Only 2 capacity, so it is my pick until I reach Dogtown and have Edgerunner. |
Location of items:
- Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs from level 35 (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.
- Kiroshi “Sentry” Optics: Any Ripperdoc.
Arms
| Cyberware | Description |
|---|---|
|
|
Update 2.5 added Glamdocs, so you can now give the Projectile Launch System a new look. Visit one of the 5 Glamdocs (spray paint icon on the map) once you have it installed.
Location of items:
- Projectile Launch System: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with quality scaling as you level.
Hands
| Cyberware | Description |
|---|---|
|
Reloading an empty weapon makes your next shot release an electroshock that deals up to 250 Electrical damage around the point of impact. Assault rifles and SMGs run empty all the time. |
|
Increased ricochet chance with Power weapons, +35% ricochet damage and a preview of the ricochet path. Carmen, the Psalm 11:6 and the Fenrir are all Power weapons. Only 2 capacity. |
Shock Absorber |
-24% recoil, and every Cool point adds +0.2% headshot and weakspot damage, so +4% at 20 Cool. Swap it in for the Microgenerator if the rifles still kick too much for you. |
Ambidextrous gives you the second Hands slot.
Location of items:
- Microgenerator: Sold by any Ripperdoc from level 10 onward.
- Ballistic Coprocessor: You get it during the intro quest The Ripperdoc, and Ripperdocs sell better versions as you level.
- Shock Absorber: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with quality scaling by level.
Skeleton
| Cyberware | Description |
|---|---|
|
+13% Max Health. It gives back what Edgerunner takes. |
|
+16% Mitigation Strength. Slippery, Can’t Touch This, Neofiber and Heat Shield all give Mitigation Chance, and this makes every one of those mitigated hits hurt less. |
|
+16% Mitigation Chance while your Stamina is above 85%. Sharpshooter, Tailwind and Ready, Rested, Reloaded keep your Stamina high. |
License to Chrome gives you the third Skeleton slot. Fill all three for Chrome Constitution.
Location of items:
- Epimorphic Skeleton: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 30.
- Spring Joints: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with quality scaling by level.
- Kinetic Frame: Any Ripperdoc, with quality scaling as you level.
Nervous System
| Cyberware | Description |
|---|---|
|
Aim during a slide, dodge or Dash and time slows by 60% for 3.75 seconds, with a 6 second cooldown. Air Kerenzikov and the Kerenzikov Boost System both need it. |
|
+11% Mitigation Chance and +11% Mitigation Strength, so you simply take less damage in the middle of the fight. |
|
Slows time by 60% for 4.5 seconds when your Health drops below 25%. Time to heal, dash away or finish the last guy. Only 5 capacity. |
Visual Cortex Support |
More Crit Chance the further away you are, up to +30% at 30 metres. Swap it in for the Reflex Tuner if you have the capacity. |
Location of items:
- Kerenzikov: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with quality scaling by level.
- Neofiber: Any Ripperdoc after level 20.
- Reflex Tuner: Sold by Ripperdocs, with quality scaling as you level.
- Visual Cortex Support: Sold by Ripperdocs, with quality scaling as you level.
Circulatory System
| Cyberware | Description |
|---|---|
|
Works as a second health item: 110 health right away, then 23 health per second for 6 seconds. With Adrenaline Rush it also fills your Adrenaline. |
|
Automatically uses your health item when your health drops below 50%, and +16% health item effectiveness. Both hands stay on the rifle. |
|
+7.5% Health for every kill. With the Falcon’s 12% on top, every kill during the Sandevistan heals you for almost 20%. |
Location of items:
- Blood Pump: Ripperdocs from level 10.
- Biomonitor: Sold by Ripperdocs, with quality scaling as you level.
- Heal-on-Kill: Sold by Ripperdocs, with quality scaling as you level.
Integumentary System
| Cyberware | Description |
|---|---|
|
A lot of Armor for only 10 capacity, plus explosion resistance and faster health item and grenade recharge for every Technical Ability point. It only shows up at Ripperdocs once you have the Built Different perk. |
|
+50% Mitigation Chance for 4 seconds when you lose 35% of your health within 3 seconds. |
|
A big chunk of Armor for only 5 capacity, and it fills the third slot for Chrome Constitution. |
Location of items:
- Cellular Adapter: Any Ripperdoc once you have the Built Different perk.
- Countershell: Sold by Ripperdocs, with quality scaling as you level.
- Subdermal Armor: You get it during the intro quest The Ripperdoc, and Ripperdocs sell better versions as you level.
Legs
| Cyberware | Description |
|---|---|
|
Double jump. Every double jump gives Stamina back with Tailwind, and it is how you get high enough for Air Kerenzikov. |
Location of items:
- Reinforced Tendons: Any Ripperdoc from level 10.
Weapons for the Assault Rifle Build in Cyberpunk 2077
Two assault rifles and one SMG: Carmen and the Psalm 11:6 do the damage, and the Fenrir is the weapon I swap to when a rifle runs empty, so I don’t have to stand still and reload. Assault rifles and SMGs are both Reflexes weapons, so every gun perk in this build works with all three.
- Reflexes perks like Sharpshooter, Practice Makes Perfect and Shoot to Chill boost assault rifles and SMGs.
- Salt in the Wound only works with assault rifles, and Submachine Fun only with SMGs.
- Assault rifles and SMGs both use Rifle Ammo. The SMG doesn’t save ammo, it saves reloads: Submachine Fun reloads it for you during the swap.
- The Ballistic Coprocessor boosts ricochets, and every weapon in this list is a Power weapon.
Upgrade: Weapons can be upgraded when you go to the crafting section and then swap to upgrades.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
Carmen |
My main rifle. Shots to limbs have a higher Crit Chance, and while you run, jump or slide, its handling improves and it deals more damage and Bleeding. This build is moving all the time, so that bonus is almost always on. 40 rounds and a very high fire rate. |
Psalm 11:6 |
The second rifle. It sets enemies on fire, so the damage keeps going while you switch targets. 30 rounds, a high fire rate, and you can craft it early in Watson. |
Fenrir |
The SMG. Electrical damage with a chance to disable enemy cyberware, 40 rounds and a very high fire rate. With Submachine Fun, swapping to it reloads it and gives it extra fire rate. |
Problem Solver |
A modified Saratoga that fires almost 1000 rounds per minute. Swap it in for the Fenrir if you want even more fire rate. |
Ajax |
The standard Militech assault rifle. Sold by weapon vendors and found as loot, so it is what I use until I have the iconics. |
Location of items:
- Carmen: Reward from Paco Torres in the Phantom Liberty gig Balls to the Wall, or bought from Herold Lowe at the EBM Petrochem Stadium. See below.
- Psalm 11:6: Crafting spec from Tom Ayer during the Suspected Organized Crime Activity Just Say No in Northside, Watson. See below.
- Fenrir: On a table next to the captive monk during the side job Losing My Religion in Northside, Watson. See below.
- Problem Solver: Dropped by the big Wraith near the camp entrance during Riders on the Storm, or bought from Herold Lowe at the EBM Petrochem Stadium.
- Ajax: Sold by weapon vendors across Night City and found as loot, with quality scaling as you level.
Grenades: Any explosive grenade. Explosions build Pyromania stacks, Heat Shield turns those stacks into Mitigation Chance, and Burn This City gives you a charge back at 6 stacks. The Projectile Launch System uses the same perks.
Health item: MaxDOC MK.5 for the big instant heal.
Vehicle: Any car or bike you like. Road Warrior lets you use the Sandevistan while driving, and Stuntjock lets you jump out at full speed with your rifle already firing.
Carmen (Iconic Power Assault Rifle) – How To Get It
Paco Torres’ rifle, and the best assault rifle for a build that never stands still. You get it by helping Paco and Babs get out of Dogtown, so read this before you pick an option.
- Prerequisites: Phantom Liberty DLC, and Dogtown has to be unlocked.
- Where: The gig Balls to the Wall. Paco and Babs are in a tent in the middle of Dogtown, in front of the Black Sapphire.
- How to Get It: Help Paco instead of framing Yuri. If you call in favors from your contacts, Carmen is in a chest at the tent a day after Paco’s thank-you message. If you smuggle Paco out in your trunk, he gives it to you at the Afterlife a couple of days later.
- What to Do: Calling in favors needs Panam’s storyline, or both Rogue’s and River’s, finished. If you don’t have those yet, the trunk works too.
- Note: If you frame Yuri, Paco dies and there is no Carmen from the gig. Herold Lowe at the EBM Petrochem Stadium sells it in that case.
Psalm 11:6 (Iconic Power Assault Rifle) – How To Get It
“Let him rain coals on the wicked.” The Psalm 11:6 sets its targets on fire, and it is one of the few iconic rifles you can get early in Act 1.
- Prerequisites: None.
- Where: The Suspected Organized Crime Activity Just Say No in Northside, Watson.
- How to Get It: Clear the area and loot the crafting spec from Tom Ayer, the leader of the group.
- What to Do: Open the Crafting menu and craft the Psalm 11:6. Upgrade it later like any other weapon.
- Note: It is a crafting spec, not the rifle itself, so you need the components to craft it. Lucky Day helps with that.
Fenrir (Iconic Power SMG) – How To Get It
The Fenrir is one of the best early weapons in the game, and with Submachine Fun it stays useful all the way to the endgame.
- Prerequisites: None. It is available early in Act 1.
- Where: The side job Losing My Religion in Northside, Watson. Talk to the monk and agree to help rescue his brother from the Maelstrom.
- How to Get It: Clear the Maelstrom in the shipping area. The Fenrir is on a table next to the captive monk.
- Note: The monk asks you not to kill anyone, so use non-lethal takedowns or a non-lethal weapon mod. My Starter Build has more on the Fenrir.
Gear for the Assault Rifle 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 the Epimorphic Skeleton, the Cellular Adapter, Neofiber and Adrenaline Rush.
For the look, I wear the full NUS Infiltrator set:
- Head: NUS Infiltrator Headgear
- Outer Torso: NUS Infiltrator Jacket
- Legs: NUS Infiltrator Pants
- Feet: NUS Infiltrator Boots
Location: The clothing vendor in Japantown, near the Sagan & Diamond fast travel point. Update 2.5 added the set, and the clothing vendors in Kabuki sell it as well.
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: Assault Rifle Build you want to focus on Shinobi, Engineer and Solo. Shinobi is the big one: every assault rifle and SMG kill and every dash in combat levels it. At level 50, sliding and Air Dashing reload 20% of your weapon, and at level 60 the Sandevistan gives +40% Crit Chance and makes movement free of Stamina cost. Engineer gives you the extra Cyberware Capacity this build counts on, and Solo adds Max Health and slows down Adrenaline decay.
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.
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.
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.
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/Covert 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 Assault Rifle Build in Cyberpunk 2077
Here are a few general leveling tips for the Assault Rifle 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.
- Regular Start (Don’t skip ahead to Phantom Liberty).
- Immediately after the prologue, once you are out of your room and go downstairs before you enter the elevator.
- Weapon Vendor: Buy the Iconic pistol Dying Night.
- Coach Fred: Capacity Boosters (in case you get over capacity so you can still move).
- Buff Routine: Sleep & Shower. This gives you 20% Skill XP acquisition and Health Regen.
- Watson Clean Sweep (NCPD Missions):
- Watson is the first district you play in.
- Clearing all missions takes 1-2 hours. This will give you at least 10 levels, 15 Street Cred and over 150k Eddies Cash.
- Loot all enemies and either disassemble for materials or sell them at the vendor for extra Eddies.
- Get the Fenrir SMG from the monk mission. This SMG is insanely good at the start because it often stuns enemies.
- Visit a Ripperdoc at level 10: After you have enough money, it’s time to get chromed up.
- Dynalar Sandevistan (Operating System): Sold from level 10. Slow motion for your rifles until the Militech “Falcon” unlocks at level 30.
- Reinforced Tendons (Legs): Allow you to double jump
- Kerenzikov (Nervous System): Slows Time by 60% for 2s.
- Synaptic Accelerator (Nervous System): Slows time by 20% for 2s when enemy detection reaches 50%.
- Whatever else you can fit!
- 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 Assault Rifle Build in Cyberpunk 2077. Perks are the bread and butter of any CP2077 Build, as they significantly enhance your power.
- You get one Perk Point per character level.
- Skill Progression awards you with Perk Points.
- 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.
| Shard # | Exact Sub-Location | District | Nearest Fast Travel Point | Source Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abandoned Warehouse A B C (Garages) | Watson (Northside) | Offshore Street | Base Game |
| 2 | NCPD Scanner Alert (Car Trunk) | Westbrook (Japantown) | Dark Matter | Base Game |
| 3 | Roadside Crash Site (Billboard/Drone) | The Badlands | Sunset Motel | Base Game |
| 4 | Suspected Organized Crime Activity (NCPD) | The Badlands | Sunset Motel | Base Game |
| 5 | Dead Maintenance Worker at Ventilation Shaft | City Center (Corpo Plaza) | Corpo Plaza Apartment | Base Game |
| 6 | At Memorial Park, in a chest during NCPD Assault | City Center (Corpo Plaza) | Arasaka Tower | Base Game |
| 7 | Gang Activity under Bridge (NCPD) | Heywood (The Glen) | Ventura & Skyline | Base Game |
| 8 | Arasaka Park Entrance Building Upstairs | Santo Domingo (Arroyo) | Arasaka Industrial Park | Base Game |
| 9 | Reported Crime Garage (NCPD) | Santo Domingo (Rancho Coronado) | Woodhaven Street | Base Game |
| 10 | Riverside Garage (NCPD) | Santo Domingo (Arroyo) | Red Dirt Bar | Base Game |
| 11 | “Dog Eat Dog” Starter Quest | Dogtown | Dogtown Entrance | Phantom Liberty DLC |
| 12 | Red Van Junk Shop (Marcin) inside EBM Petrochem Stadium | Dogtown | EBM Petrochem Stadium | Phantom Liberty DLC |
| 13 | Longshore Stacks below Jung Store behind cardboard | Dogtown | Longshore Stacks | Phantom Liberty DLC |
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.
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 Dogtown. For example at the Longshore Stacks fast travel point, you also have vendors that sell you permanent upgrades.
