Cyberpunk 2077: Hammer Build | Blunt + Berserk (Patch 2.31)

Welcome to the best Hammer Build for Cyberpunk 2077 (Patch 2.31). This blunt weapon build makes you feel like the Juggernaut. It is built around Sasquatch’s Hammer, a boss weapon that hits harder than almost anything in the game and goes straight through armor.

The Hammer Build pairs Sasquatch’s Hammer with an invulnerable Militech Berserk, Quake ground slams and stacked damage reduction.

Table of Contents for the Hammer 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 Hammer Build:

Cyberpunk 2077 Hammer Build Overview

This Cyberpunk 2077: Hammer Build is a pure bruiser. Most swings either kill an enemy outright or knock them flat, Quake slams the whole group to the ground, and when things get dangerous, Militech Berserk makes you invulnerable while your hammer swings cost no stamina at all. SMGs cover the moments when you need to move fast or reach something in the air.

Attributes – Hammer Build

Distributing Attributes correctly for the Hammer 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 Hammer Build’s Attributes are spread out between Body, Technical Ability, and Reflexes, all maxed, with Cool taking the remaining points and Intelligence staying at 3.

Hammer Build Start Attributes

At the start of the game, select the following Attribute allocation to give us the optimal start for the Hammer Build in Cyberpunk 2077.

Attribute	Points	Description
Intelligence	None	N/A
Technical Ability	+2	Gets you moving toward the health item perks and All Things Cyber at 9.
Reflexes	+1	Unlocks the first tier of perks.
Cool	None	N/A
Body	+4	Body is where all the blunt weapon perks are. Gets you close to Wrecking Ball and Breakthrough at 9.

Max Level Attributes

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

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

Why 18 Cool? I barely use the Cool perk tree, but the attribute itself is worth it. Every point of Cool adds +1.25% Crit Damage, so 18 Cool is +22.5% Crit Damage on every hammer swing. On top of that, the Revulsor loses 0.25 seconds of cooldown per Cool point. Reflexes at 20 adds +10% Crit Chance in the same way.

Perks – Hammer Build Cyberpunk 2077

In this section of the Cyberpunk 2077 Hammer Build, I will explain the perks that we use for each attribute.

• Body
• Technical Ability
• Reflexes
• 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.

Spare Points: The bold perks are the core of the build, so pick them up before the non-bold ones. This build uses all 80 Perk Points available at level 60, including Ripple Effect as the last one. The perks marked as optional are for vehicle combat and utility grenades, so feel free to move those points elsewhere.

Body Perks

The Body Perk-Tree is the core of the Hammer Build. The right side is all Blunt Weapons, which covers the hammer, clubs and Gorilla Arms, and the middle gives us health regen and Adrenaline Rush. Max it out to 20.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The full health regen row.

Perk	Description
Painkiller	Unlocks passive health regeneration during combat. Everything else in this row 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.
Speed Junkie	More health regen while sprinting. Only works when the hammer is holstered.
Army of One	+10% health regen rate for each nearby enemy. A hammer build is always in the crowd.

Level 9 Perks

Level 9 opens the Blunt Weapon branch. Wrecking Ball is the gate, and the four perks above it all matter for a hammer.

Perk	Description
Wrecking Ball	-15% stamina cost for Blunt Weapons, then the ability to barrel into enemies while sprinting and blocking. The barrel charge needs you to sprint, so it does not work with Sasquatch’s Hammer. Swap to Gorilla Arms or an SMG, barrel forward, then swap back.
Breakthrough	Strips enemy Armor for 7 seconds after you hit them with a Strong Attack. Stack it with the hammer’s own +75% Armor Penetration and even heavily armored enemies take full damage. Open with a Strong Attack or a Quake, then keep swinging.
Kinetic Absorption	Blocking an attack restores stamina and gives a damage bonus with Blunt Weapons for 5 seconds. Raising the hammer against gunfire is not just defense.
Fly Swatter	Much less incoming ranged damage while blocking with Blunt Weapons.
Clapback	Defensive Attacks knock enemies down and Counterattacks stun them.

Level 15 Perks

The big tier. Quake on the right, Adrenaline Rush in the middle.

Perk	Description
Quake	Lower blunt stamina cost, +20% blunt attack speed, then the ground slam. Press it in the air or on the ground to slam down for big area damage. With the hammer it knocks enemies down almost every time. Max it out.
Epicenter	A Quake performed from midair scales its area and damage with your fall speed and distance. The more air you get, the bigger the slam, so use the double jump and jump off ledges and rooftops onto your targets.
Aftershock	+30 Stamina for every enemy hit by Quake. Pays for your next few swings.
Ripple Effect (Last Perk Point)	+15% Health for every enemy hit by Quake. One slam into a group of five refills most of your health bar. Needs both Calm Mind and Quake.
Adrenaline Rush	+35 max health, +20% to all health regen, then Adrenaline Rush itself. Health items also grant Adrenaline worth up to 50% of your max health, which soaks damage as a separate bar.
Calm Mind	A 3 second delay before Adrenaline starts decaying. Also required for Ripple Effect.
Unstoppable Force	Immunity to knockdown, blinding and movement penalties while Adrenaline Rush is active. That includes the hammer’s movement penalty.
Juggernaut	+20% movement speed and +10% damage while Adrenaline Rush is active.

Level 20 Perks

Body is at 20, so we take two capstones.

Perk	Description
Finisher: Savage Sling	Unlocks the Blunt Weapon Finisher, which restores 200% Health. Stunned enemies are more susceptible, and the hammer stuns a lot. Hold the button instead to throw the enemy into their friends.
Pain to Gain	+20% Health Item recharge after neutralizing an enemy while Adrenaline Rush is active.

Technical Ability Perks

The Technical Ability Perk-Tree does two jobs. The middle is Cyberware, because this build needs as much armor and damage reduction as it can install, which only works with License to Chrome and Edgerunner. The left side keeps your health items coming back.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The health item basics, plus one vehicle perk.

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.
Gearhead (Optional)	Vehicle health and vehicle-mounted weapon damage. Only matters in vehicle combat.

Level 9 Perks

Cyberware scaling in the middle, healing and grenades on the left.

Perk	Description
All Things Cyber	+10% to all cyberware stat modifiers and lower Cyberware Capacity cost for Integumentary System and Skeleton chrome. Both slots are full of expensive armor here, so max it out.
Driver Update	Adds a secondary stat modifier to all cyberware.
Renaissance Punk	+4 Cyberware Capacity for every Attribute above the threshold.
Health Freak	Another Health Item charge and better healing. Max it out.
Chrome Constitution	-5% incoming damage while your Integumentary System and Skeleton slots are full.
Lucky Day	More crafting components from looting.
Chipware Connoisseur	Two stat modifier options instead of one when upgrading cyberware.
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.
Coming in Hot	Faster grenade recharge when you have none left.
Demolitions Surplus	+1 grenade charge.

Level 15 Perks

Armor and Cyberware slots in the middle, the grenade line on the left.

Perk	Description
License to Chrome	+10% to all cyberware stat modifiers, +40 armor and an extra Skeleton slot. This is how we fit Dense Marrow, Rara Avis and the Universal Booster at once. Max it out.
Cyborg	-15% cyberware cooldowns when all slots are filled, which means a faster Berserk.
Extended Warranty	+15% duration for active cyberware, so Berserk lasts longer.
Ambidextrous	An extra Hands cyberware slot.
Pyromania	Explosions that hit enemies grant stacking movement speed and explosion damage.
Burn This City	At five Pyromania stacks, the stacks are consumed to refill a grenade charge.
Friendlier Fire	Resistance to your own explosions.
Heat Shield	Mitigation chance per stack of Pyromania.
Built Different (Optional)	Unlocks the Cellular Adapter. Not a must-have; you can run one if you want.
Flash Sale (Optional)	Double charges and recharge rate for Flash, Smoke and Recon grenades. Only useful if you carry one of those.

Level 20 Perks

Two capstones.

Perk	Description
Edgerunner	Exceed Cyberware Capacity by up to 50 points at 0.5% max health per point. You need the extra room for all this armor, and kills can trigger Fury for bonus damage, crit chance and crit damage.
Ticking Time Bomb	Every time you activate Berserk, you release a powerful EMP that stuns and damages everyone around you, scaled by how much cyberware you have installed. You go Berserk in the middle of a group anyway, so this lands on everyone.

Reflexes Perks

The Reflexes Perk-Tree is for the SMG side of the build. Sasquatch’s Hammer stops you from sprinting, dodging and dashing, so I keep an SMG ready to close gaps, shoot drones and reposition, then swap back to the hammer once I am in a good spot. Max it out to 20, which also adds +10% Crit Chance.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The bottom row of the middle path, plus one vehicle perk.

Perk	Description
Slippery	The faster you move, the harder you are to hit.
Multitasker	Shoot while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.
Muscle Memory	Reload while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.
Power Slide	Longer slides.
Parkour!	Faster vaulting and climbing.
Stuntjock (Optional)	Jump or slide out of moving vehicles and shoot during the stunt. Only matters in vehicle combat.

Level 9 Perks

The SMG handling perks on the left.

Perk	Description
Ready, Rested, Reloaded	Lower stamina cost for SMGs and faster reloads above 50% stamina. Max it out, it gates the SMG branch.
Spice of Life	Faster weapon swaps and less bullet spread right after swapping. This build swaps between hammer and SMG constantly.
Tunnel Vision	More effective range and accuracy.
Mind Over Matter	Less recoil while aiming.

Level 15 Perks

Sharpshooter and its follow-ups.

Perk	Description
Sharpshooter	Every successful SMG shot grants a stack that boosts stamina regen. Shoot for a few seconds and you have the stamina back for more hammer swings. Max it out.
Shoot to Chill	Armor penetration per Sharpshooter stack.
Spray and Pray	Lower stamina cost for hip fire.
Practice Makes Perfect	Crit chance and crit damage per Sharpshooter stack.
Gundancer	Aiming no longer slows your movement.

Level 20 Perks

One capstone.

Perk	Description
Submachine Fun	Swapping SMGs is faster, reloads them automatically and gives +22% fire rate. Carry two SMGs and swap instead of reloading.

Cool Perks

The Cool Perk-Tree is not why we have 18 Cool. The points are there for the Crit Damage and the Revulsor cooldown, so only two to three cheap perks go in here.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

Three perks, all at the bottom of the tree.

Perk	Description
Feline Footwork	Better crouched movement and extra Mitigation Chance while crouched.
Unexposed	Extra Mitigation Chance while aiming from cover. Useful during the SMG phases.
Road Warrior (Optional)	More weapon damage while your vehicle is drifting or airborne. Only matters in vehicle combat.

Intelligence Perks

We leave Intelligence at 3 and spend nothing here. The hammer does all the talking.

Relic Perks (Phantom Liberty DLC)

The Relic skill tree only exists if you own Phantom Liberty. I take the Vulnerability branch for the hammer and the Arms branch for the Gorilla Arms, which I swap to when I need to move fast.

Relic Perks

Perk	Description
Vulnerability Analytics	Shows Vulnerabilities on enemy armor and cyberware. Hitting one gives 100% crit chance and +25% armor penetration, and destroying it sets off an EMP blast. Quake and wide hammer swings can pop several of them at once.
Machine Learning	Destroying a Vulnerability makes new ones appear more often and grants crit damage against them, stacking five times.
Jailbreak	Gorilla Arms can be charged for a massive strike with a shockwave that staggers nearby enemies.
Limiter Removal	The shockwave from a charged Gorilla Arms attack knocks down every enemy in range.

Cyberware for the Hammer Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Using the right Cyberware for the Cyberpunk 2077: Hammer Build matters, because you are going to get shot a lot. I max out armor and stack as many separate damage reduction effects as I can. Done right, you barely take damage, and when you do, you have several safety nets before you go down.

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 Berserk

Invulnerable to damage for 12 seconds, with a 25 second cooldown. Melee attacks cost no stamina and gain +30% attack speed while it is active. The hammer’s high stamina cost simply disappears. +20% movement speed, which helps a lot with the hammer’s weight. More damage the lower your health, and +25% Health for every enemy you neutralized when it ends. You are limited to melee weapons and can’t use items while it runs, which doesn’t matter when nothing can hurt you. Activating it triggers Ticking Time Bomb.

Location of items:

• Militech Berserk: Iconic, sold by all Ripperdocs after level 30, and also awarded through a Phantom Liberty ending.

Frontal Cortex

Cyberware	Description
Axolotl	-7.5% cooldown for all cyberware every time you neutralize an enemy. Berserk comes back after just a few kills, so you spend far more of each fight invulnerable.
Mechatronic Core	More damage to drones, robots, mechs and turrets.
Self-ICE	Negates an incoming enemy quickhack.

Location of items:

• Axolotl: Reward from Regina Jones for completing the gig ‘Last Call’, or from Dogtown Ripperdocs and airdrops.
• Mechatronic Core: Ripperdoc, level 10
• Self-ICE: Ripperdoc, level 20

Face

Cyberware	Description
Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics	A flat +35% Crit Chance. It costs a decent amount of Cyberware Capacity on top of all the defensive chrome, so this is an endgame addition once your capacity allows it.

Location of items:

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

Arms

Cyberware	Description
Gorilla Arms	Count as Blunt Weapons, so every Body perk in this build applies to them too. Unlike the hammer, you can sprint with them, so Wrecking Ball’s barrel charge works. With Jailbreak and Limiter Removal, a charged strike knocks down everything around you.

Location of items:

• Gorilla Arms: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.

Hands

Cyberware	Description
Shock Absorber	Less recoil for your SMGs.
Ballistic Coprocessor	Better ricochets for Power weapons like the Fenrir.

Nothing in the Hands slot helps the hammer itself, so these two support the SMG side. Ambidextrous gives you the second slot.

Location of items:

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

Skeleton

Cyberware	Description
Rara Avis	Iconic. +40% Armor at Tier 5++, plus extra Health per Body point.
Dense Marrow	+24% melee damage at the cost of +20% melee stamina cost. During Berserk your melee attacks cost no stamina at all, so you get the damage without the downside.
Universal Booster	Health items also give +9% Armor and -27% to all stamina costs for 5 seconds, and these stack. Heal between Berserks and your hammer swings get cheaper.

License to Chrome gives you the third Skeleton slot.

Location of items:

• Rara Avis: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.
• Dense Marrow: Any Ripperdoc from level 10.
• Universal Booster: Any Ripperdoc from level 20.

Nervous System

Cyberware	Description
Revulsor	Iconic. Slows time by 60% for 4.5 seconds when your health drops below 25%, without slowing you down. Its cooldown drops by 0.25 seconds per Cool point, so 18 Cool and Cyborg make it come back fast.
Adrenaline Converter	+40% movement speed for 9 seconds when entering combat. The hammer slows you down, and this gets you into melee range at the start of every fight.
Neofiber	More Mitigation Chance and Mitigation Strength, one more layer of damage reduction for the last slot.

Location of items:

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

Circulatory System

Cyberware	Description
Biomonitor	Automatically uses your health item when your health drops below 50%, and makes health items stronger. Every automatic heal also triggers Adrenaline Rush and the Universal Booster.
Adrenaline Booster	+25% Stamina whenever you neutralize an enemy with a melee weapon. Every kill pays for your next swing.
Heal-On-Kill	Health back on every kill, for the third slot.

Location of items:

• Biomonitor: Stocked by Ripperdocs, upgrading in tier as your level rises.
• Adrenaline Booster: Any Ripperdoc.
• Heal-On-Kill: Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.

Integumentary System

Cyberware	Description
Shock-n-Awe	Whenever you take damage, there is a 10% chance to release a large electroshock that hits all nearby enemies. You are always in their faces and always taking hits, so it goes off a lot more than on other builds.
Chitin	Iconic. Huge armor plus +10% Health Regen Rate per Body point, which is +200% at 20 Body.
Peripheral Inverse	Iconic. Up to -45% damage from enemies within 3 metres. This is a separate damage reduction on top of armor, and in melee range it is always active.

Location of items:

• Shock-n-Awe: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.
• Chitin: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.
• Peripheral Inverse: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.

Legs

Cyberware	Description
Reinforced Tendons	Double jump. More height means a bigger Quake thanks to Epicenter, and it is one of the few ways to gain height while holding the hammer.

Location of items:

• Reinforced Tendons: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.

Weapons for the Hammer Build in Cyberpunk 2077

The hammer does the damage, and an SMG handles everything the hammer can’t reach. The perks behind them:

• Body perks like Breakthrough, Quake and Finisher: Savage Sling boost Blunt Weapons, including Gorilla Arms.
• Reflexes perks like Sharpshooter and Submachine Fun boost SMGs.

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

Item	Description
Sasquatch’s Hammer	The heaviest weapon in the game, and one of the few boss weapons you can take. +75% Armor Penetration, +20% Stun chance, and a high knockdown chance on every hit. It swings slowly but hits incredibly hard. The downside: it is very heavy, so you move slower, jump lower and can’t sprint, dodge or dash while it is equipped.
Fenrir	Iconic Power SMG with crazy attack speed. Its rounds deal Electrical damage with a chance to disable enemy cyberware, which shuts down enemies that keep dodging with a Sandevistan. Available early in the game.
Raiju	Iconic Tech SMG from Phantom Liberty. Its shots penetrate cover without charging, headshots have extra Crit Chance, and it is very easy to use at short to medium range.

Other Blunt Weapons: everything in this build works with any blunt weapon, so a club, a baseball bat or Gorilla Arms carry you until you reach Sasquatch in Act 2.

Sasquatch’s Hammer (Iconic Hammer)

The leader of the Animals carries the biggest hammer in Night City. It is the heaviest item in the game: slow, hard to move with, and absolutely devastating. Most of the time a single swing either kills an enemy outright or knocks them down.

• Prerequisites: Act 2, main job I Walk the Line.
• Where: Grand Imperial Mall, Arroyo, Santo Domingo.
• How to Get It: The hammer lies on the ground in the room where you meet and fight Sasquatch.
• What to Do: If you stay undetected, you can grab it before Sasquatch picks it up. Otherwise, she fights with it, and you loot it after the fight.
• Note: Missed it? Herold Lowe sells missed iconics at the EBM Petrochem Stadium in Dogtown.

Fenrir (Iconic SMG)

A Power SMG that belches fire like a dragon with heartburn. It is my go-to for closing gaps and dealing with drones, and its chance to disable cyberware stops Sandevistan users from dancing around the hammer.

• Prerequisites: Early game, Watson.
• Where: The side job Losing My Religion in Northside, Watson.
• How to Get It: It sits on a table beside the captive monk.
• What to Do: Clear the Maelstrom in the area, free the monk, and take the SMG from the table next to him.
• Note: Maelstrom gangoons will piss themselves at the sight of this weapon.

Outfit Gear for the Hammer 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 Rara Avis, Chitin, Peripheral Inverse and Militech Berserk.

If you want to recreate my outfit, here are the items:

• Head: Damaged Ballistic Mask
  • Location: Purchased from Satoshi Ueno (Clothing Vendor) at the Longshore Stacks in Dogtown (Requires Phantom Liberty).
• Outer Torso: Arctic Quick-Release Tac Vest
  • Location: Purchased from David Walker (Clothing Vendor) at the EBM Petrochem Stadium market in Dogtown (Requires Phantom Liberty).
• Inner Torso: Arasaka Waterproof Combat Turtleneck
  • Location: Purchased from the Clothing Vendor in Northside, Watson. It can also randomly drop as boss loot when defeating Sandayu Oda during the main quest Play It Safe.
• Legs: Reinforced Duolayer Techie Cargo Pants
  • Location: World loot found on a corpse in a parking lot near the Dam Viewpoint in Rancho Coronado, Santo Domingo (part of the Legendary Techie set).
• Feet: Reinforced Snake-Skin Cowboy Boots
  • Location: Purchased from the Clothing Vendor in Rancho Coronado, Santo Domingo.

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: Hammer Build you want to focus on Solo, Engineer and Shinobi. Solo levels from blunt weapon kills and gives the biggest melee bonuses, and Engineer level 30 adds Cyberware Capacity for all that armor.

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 Hammer Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Here are a few general leveling tips for the Hammer 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 Hammer 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