Cyberpunk 2077: Sniper Build | Overwatch + Sandevistan (P2.31)

Welcome to the best Sniper Build for Cyberpunk 2077 (Patch 2.31). I built this one around Panam’s Overwatch, a silenced iconic sniper rifle, and the idea is simple: find a rooftop, drop the first target before anyone knows I am there, and be gone before they find me.

The Sniper Build combines the silenced Overwatch, Deadeye, Nerves of Tungsten-Steel, the Apogee Sandevistan and Optical Camo: guaranteed headshot crits from long range, several kills per Sandevistan, and an exit before the fight ever reaches you.

Table of Contents for the Sniper 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 Sniper Build:

Another cool focused build? Read my Weak Kingsley Build for revolvers. For a loud shotgun build with the Borzaya sniper on the side, check out my Rebecca Build.

Cyberpunk 2077 Sniper Build Overview

This Cyberpunk 2077: Sniper Build is all about the first shot and the exit. I crouch behind cover on high ground, wait until my Stamina is above 85% for Deadeye, and take the first headshot outside of combat for the Killer Instinct bonus. Once the group knows something is wrong, the Apogee Sandevistan slows time by 85% and I drop the rest one by one, while every kill extends the Sandevistan and refills my Stamina. If someone still finds me, I slide off the roof, Vanishing Act turns on Optical Camo and I find a new spot.

My rotation: This is how almost every fight goes for me.

1. Get high: Double jump with the Reinforced Tendons and find a rooftop or a ledge with cover.
2. Scout: Scan with the Cockatrice’s 10x zoom. Eye in the Sky shows me the cameras before they show me to anyone.
3. First shot: Crouch, aim from cover and wait for Deadeye. The first headshot happens outside of combat, so Killer Instinct adds +25% damage.
4. Sandevistan: Pop the Apogee and drop the rest of the group. High Noon and Rinse and Reload keep the reloads short.
5. Vanish: If they find me, I slide or crouch-sprint away. Vanishing Act turns Optical Camo on, and Emergency Cloaking makes them lose track of me.

Before the Overwatch: Panam gives you the Overwatch at the end of Riders on the Storm, which is a few hours into Act 2. Until then I use a Grad or an NDI Osprey from any weapon vendor. Every Cool perk works the same with them, the silencer is the only thing missing. The Dynalar Sandevistan from level 10 holds the Operating System slot until the Apogee unlocks at level 40.

Attributes – Sniper Build

Distributing Attributes correctly for the Sniper 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 Sniper Build’s primary Attribute is Cool. We also invest points in Technical Ability, Reflexes and Body. Intelligence only goes to 9, because that is what Renaissance Punk needs.

Sniper Build Start Attributes

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

Attribute	Points	Description
Cool	+3	Unlocks Feline Footwork and Killer Instinct right away, and gets you closer to Focus at 9.
Technical Ability	+2	Unlocks Glutton for War for an extra health item charge.
Reflexes	+1	Unlocks Slippery, Multitasker and Muscle Memory, so you can shoot and reload on the move.
Body	+1	Unlocks Painkiller and the health regen row.
Intelligence	None	N/A

Max Level Attributes

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

• 20 Cool
• 20 Technical Ability
• 17 Reflexes
• 15 Body
• 9 Intelligence

Why these numbers: Cool and Technical Ability go to 20 for Nerves of Tungsten-Steel and Edgerunner. Body stops at 15, because Adrenaline Rush is all I need there, and Intelligence stops at 9, the minimum for Renaissance Punk. The 2 extra Reflexes points still do something: every point adds +0.5% Crit Chance and +0.1 seconds to the Apogee Sandevistan. Every Cool point also adds +1.25% Crit Damage, +0.1 seconds of Optical Camo and more headshot damage through the Shock Absorber.

Perks – Sniper Build Cyberpunk 2077

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

• Cool
• Technical Ability
• Reflexes
• Body
• 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.

Perk Order: This build uses 78 of the 80 Perk Points available at level 60. The bold perks are the core of the build, so pick them up before the non-bold ones. While you are leveling, rush Cool: Focus at 9, then Deadeye, High Noon and Long Shot at 15. Technical Ability to 9 comes next for All Things Cyber and Renaissance Punk. Edgerunner and Nerves of Tungsten-Steel come last, since both need 20.

2 spare Perk Points: That leaves 2 points. I put them into Calm Mind (Body) for a longer Adrenaline Rush and Pull! (Cool) to shoot grenades out of the air, but they are yours to spend.

Cool Perks

The Cool Perk-Tree is the heart of the Sniper Build, and we max it out at 20. We take the gun branch with Focus, Deadeye and Nerves of Tungsten-Steel, and the stealth branch with Ninjutsu and Vanishing Act.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

Crouch and cover perks, and a bonus for the first silenced shot.

Perk	Description
Feline Footwork	+15% movement speed and +15% Mitigation Chance while crouched. I spend most of this build crouched behind cover.
Unexposed	A big boost to Mitigation Chance while aiming from cover. That is where every shot of this build comes from.
Small Target	Even more Mitigation Chance while crouched and not moving. Exactly what I do while lining up a shot.
Blind Spot	While crouched, the higher your Mitigation Chance, the longer enemies take to detect you. The three perks above all feed into it.
Killer Instinct	+25% damage with silenced guns outside of combat, plus a preview of the damage you will deal. The Overwatch comes with a silencer, so the first shot of every fight gets it.
Gag Order	Hit an enemy right after they detect you, and the enemies around them take longer to detect you as well. Shoot the guy who spotted you and his friends stay clueless a little longer.
Quick Getaway	A burst of movement speed after a kill while you are undetected. Shoot, then move to the next spot before anyone knows where the shot came from.

Level 9 Perks

Focus and the reload perks.

Perk	Description
Focus	+10% headshot and weakspot damage, then Focus mode. Aim at full Stamina and shooting costs no Stamina for 2.5 seconds.
Head to Head	While Focus is active, a ranged kill resets its duration. It also leads to Deep Breath.
Deep Breath	Slows time by 25% while Focus is active. A free bit of slow motion every time I scope in at full Stamina, which makes moving targets a lot easier.
No Sweat	Every kill while Focus is active lowers the Stamina that Focus costs when it ends.
Rinse and Reload	A much faster reload after a kill while aiming, stacking twice. Sniper rifles reload slowly, and this fixes it.

Level 15 Perks

Deadeye and everything behind it, plus the Ninjutsu branch.

Perk	Description
Deadeye	+10% headshot and weakspot damage, -25% Stamina cost for shooting, then Deadeye mode. Above 85% Stamina you get +20% headshot damage, +20% weakspot damage and no bullet spread. A lot of this build is about staying above 85% Stamina.
Quick Draw	Faster weapon swaps to Sniper Rifles, and some Stamina back when you swap during combat.
High Noon	While Deadeye is active, a headshot kill gives you a much faster next reload, and time slows while you reload. Headshot, reload in slow motion, next headshot.
Long Shot	While Deadeye is active, your shots always deal full damage regardless of distance. No damage falloff, no matter how far away the rooftop is.
California Reaper	+30% Stamina after a ranged headshot kill. It keeps you above 85% Stamina for Deadeye.
Ninjutsu	+15% crouch movement speed, +15% Mitigation Chance while crouched, then crouch-sprinting. My way from one rooftop to the next.
Creeping Death	Kills while Optical Camo is active or while you are undetected restore Health and Stamina, and give you a short movement speed boost.
Serpentine	A big boost to Mitigation Chance while crouch-sprinting.
Shinobi Sprint	-75% Stamina cost for crouch-sprinting during combat, so you still have Stamina for Deadeye when you get to the next spot.
Vanishing Act	Optical Camo turns on by itself while you crouch-sprint or slide, and uses its charge as you go. Slide off the roof and you are gone.

Level 20 Perks

Cool is at 20, so we take the capstone the whole build is built around.

Perk	Description
Nerves of Tungsten-Steel	While Deadeye is active, headshots and weakspot hits are guaranteed Crits, and your damage increases with distance, up to +25%. Every Crit Damage bonus in this build now hits every single headshot.

Technical Ability Perks

The Technical Ability Perk-Tree keeps the sniper alive and chromed. The left branch gives us more health items and doubles our Recon and Smoke grenades with Flash Sale, 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
Glutton for War	+1 health item charge. Every health item also fills your Adrenaline once Adrenaline Rush is unlocked.
First Aid	+15% recharge speed for health items when you have only used one charge.
Transfusion	+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
Health Freak	Faster recharge for health items and grenades, then an instant partial recharge after every kill. Max it out.
Borrowed Time	If you are below 25% health and out of health item charges, your next kill instantly recharges a health item.
Demolitions Surplus	+1 grenade charge, and much faster grenade recharge outside of combat. More Recon and Smoke grenades.
Field Medic	15% faster health item use in combat.
Coming in Hot	+50% grenade recharge speed when you have no grenades left.
All Things Cyber	+10% to all cyberware stat modifiers and -20% Cyberware Capacity cost for Integumentary System and Skeleton chrome. That discount alone saves about 22 capacity in this build. Max it out.
Driver Update	Every cyberware gets an additional stat modifier.
Renaissance Punk	+4 Cyberware Capacity for each Attribute at 9 or higher. Intelligence sits at 9 just for this, so all five Attributes count for +20 capacity.
Chrome Constitution	-5% incoming damage while all your Integumentary System and Skeleton slots are filled. This build fills all of them.

Level 15 Perks

Pyromania and Flash Sale on the left, chrome in the middle.

Perk	Description
Pyromania	Faster health item and grenade recharge and a bigger grenade explosion radius. We mainly take it because Flash Sale sits behind it.
Flash Sale	Double charges and double recharge rate for Flash, Smoke and Recon grenades. Recon grenades mark the group for me, Smoke grenades cover my exit.
License to Chrome	+10% to all cyberware stat modifiers, +40 armor and an extra Skeleton slot. Max it out.
Ambidextrous	A second Hands slot, which holds the Ballistic Coprocessor.
Extended Warranty	+15% duration for all cyberware effects. The Sandevistan and Optical Camo both last longer.

Level 20 Perks

Technical Ability is at 20, so we take one capstone.

Perk	Description
Edgerunner	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 41 points over, see the Cyberware section.

Skip: Cyborg only works when every cyberware slot is filled, and this build leaves the Arms slot empty.

Reflexes Perks

The Reflexes Perk-Tree is only used for its movement branch in the middle. A sniper has to get to the high ground and get away from it again, and this is how. Reflexes sits at 17.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

Slippery and the movement row behind it.

Perk	Description
Slippery	The faster you move, the harder you are to hit. It also opens the movement branch.
Multitasker	Shoot while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.
Muscle Memory	Reload while sprinting, sliding and vaulting. Run to the next spot and arrive with a full magazine.
Power Slide	Longer slides. With Vanishing Act every slide turns on Optical Camo, so a longer slide takes you further while invisible.
Parkour	Faster vaulting and climbing. You get to the rooftop sooner.

Level 9 Perks

Dash and the perks around it.

Perk	Description
Dash	Rank 1 cuts dodge and dash stamina cost, rank 2 unlocks the Dash itself. Aim during a Dash and Kerenzikov slows time.
Can’t Touch This	+100% mitigation chance while dashing.
Mad Dash	+100% Dash range toward enemies.
Steady Grip	Shoot while dashing. With Kerenzikov, every Dash can end in a slow motion shot.

Level 15 Perks

Air Dash and the midair perks.

Perk	Description
Air Dash	Lower dash stamina cost, faster dashes, then the ability to dash in midair. Double jump plus Air Dash gets you onto almost any roof.
Aerial Acrobat	Better control in midair, so you land exactly on the ledge you were aiming for.
Aerodynamic	A big boost to Mitigation Strength while you are in midair.

Level 20 Perks

We don’t use any level 20 perks. Reflexes sits at 17.

Body Perks

The Body Perk-Tree is only used for its middle branch: health regen and Adrenaline Rush. Edgerunner takes away some of your Max Health, and Body gives a lot of it back. Body sits at 15.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The health regen row.

Perk	Description
Painkiller	Unlocks passive health regeneration during combat.
Comeback Kid	The lower your health, the faster you regenerate.
Army of One	More health regen for each nearby enemy.
Speed Junkie	+100% Health Regen while sprinting. Run to the next rooftop and arrive healed.
Dorph-head	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.

Level 15 Perks

Adrenaline Rush and the perks that branch off it.

Perk	Description
Adrenaline Rush	+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.
Juggernaut	+20% movement speed and +10% damage while Adrenaline Rush is active.
Unstoppable Force	Immunity to movement penalties, knockdown and blinding while Adrenaline Rush is active. Nothing knocks you off your rooftop or ruins your aim.

Level 20 Perks

We don’t use any level 20 perks. Body sits at 15.

Intelligence Perks

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Eye in the Sky	Automatically highlights nearby Access Points and cameras. I mainly use it to see the cameras before they see me.

Relic Perks (Phantom Liberty DLC)

The Relic skill tree only exists if you own Phantom Liberty. This build uses two branches: Vulnerabilities for damage, and the Optical Camo branch to get out of a fight. The Jailbreak branch is for arm cyberware, which this build doesn’t use.

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. Nerves of Tungsten-Steel already makes headshots crit, and Vulnerabilities give body shots the same treatment.
Machine Learning	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.
Emergency Cloaking	Activate Optical Camo during combat and enemies lose track of you, giving you a chance to exit combat. Optical Camo has to be on your Combat Gadget quickslot for this.
Sensory Protocol	When you are crouched and an enemy detects you, time slows down. Dodge or Dash out of their line of sight and you leave combat right away.

Cyberware for the Sniper Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Crits, slow motion and a way out: The sniper’s chrome does three jobs. The Face, Hands and Nervous System pile on Crit Chance and headshot damage, the Sandevistan and Kerenzikov slow time for more shots, and Optical Camo plus the Skeleton keep you alive once they find you. The Arms slot stays empty.

Cyberware Capacity: At level 60 you have 201 Cyberware Capacity, plus 15 from the Engineer skill tree and 20 from Renaissance Punk, so 236 in total. Everything marked bold or without a note below costs about 277 at Tier 5++, already including the -20% from All Things Cyber on the Skeleton and Integumentary System. That is 41 points over, and Edgerunner lets you go up to 50 over. It costs -0.5% Max Health per point, so about -20.5% Max Health, which the Epimorphic Skeleton and Adrenaline Rush give most of back. Edgerunner needs 20 Technical Ability, so until you have it, leave the Kinetic Frame, Countershell, Synaptic Accelerator and Blood Pump out. That brings you down to about 235.

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% while you move at full speed, with +20% headshot damage, +20% Crit Chance and +20% Crit Damage on top. Every kill while it is active extends it by 10% and gives +22% Stamina, so you stay above 85% for Deadeye. Max duration 6 seconds, plus 0.1 seconds per Reflexes point and +15% from Extended Warranty. 25 second cooldown. You can activate it at any charge level, so even a half-charged Sandevistan is good for two or three headshots.
Dynalar Sandevistan (Early Game)	Slows time by 50% with +15% Crit Chance and +15% Crit Damage for 9 seconds. The Sandevistan I use until the Apogee unlocks, and it only costs 18 capacity.
Militech “Falcon” Sandevistan (Alternative)	Slows time by 70% for 10 seconds, with +10% damage, +15% Crit Chance and +10% Crit Damage, and kills restore Health. A little slower, but it lasts longer.
Chrome Compressor (Alternative)	No Sandevistan at all, but +70 Cyberware Capacity. With it, the whole setup fits without Edgerunner’s health cost. For players who would rather keep their Max Health than their slow motion.

Location of items:

• Militech “Apogee” Sandevistan: Iconic, any Ripperdoc once you reach level 40.
• Dynalar Sandevistan: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with tier improving as you level.
• 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.
• Chrome Compressor: Iconic, sold by Ripperdocs across Night City, with availability scaling to your level and Street Cred.

Frontal Cortex

Cyberware	Description
Kerenzikov Boost System	Improves Kerenzikov: no Stamina cost for shooting while it is active, and time slows even more. A Dash into Kerenzikov is a free shot that doesn’t touch your Stamina. Only 3 capacity.
Self-ICE	Automatically negates an enemy quickhack, with a 20 second cooldown. Enemy netrunners are the only thing that can find a sniper on a rooftop, and this ruins their day. Only 5 capacity.
Axolotl (Alternative)	-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.

The third Frontal Cortex slot stays empty to save capacity.

Location of items:

• Kerenzikov Boost System: Any Ripperdoc after level 20, scaling up to Tier 5.
• 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
Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics	+35% Crit Chance and 10x optical zoom when scanning or aiming. More Crit Chance for every body shot, and the zoom to scout a whole area from one rooftop.
Kiroshi “Sentry” Optics (Early Game)	Highlights cameras and turrets within 39 metres when scanning, with the same 10x zoom. Only 2 capacity, so it is my pick until I reach Dogtown.

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 (Optional)

Cyberware	Description
Projectile Launch System (Optional)	An explosive projectile for when a group gets too close. Pyromania gives it a bigger explosion radius. It costs 8 capacity, which still fits inside Edgerunner, but every point costs Max Health.

I leave the Arms slot empty. A sniper shouldn’t be close enough to use arm cyberware, and every point of capacity over the limit costs Max Health. This is also why the build skips the Cyborg perk, which only works when every slot is filled.

Location of items:

• Projectile Launch System: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with quality scaling as you level.

Hands

Cyberware	Description
Shock Absorber	-24% recoil, and every Cool point adds +0.2% headshot and weakspot damage, so +4% at 20 Cool. Less recoil means the scope is back on the next head faster.
Ballistic Coprocessor	Increased ricochet chance with Power weapons, +35% ricochet damage and a preview of the ricochet path. The Overwatch is a Power sniper, so you can bounce shots around cover. Only 2 capacity.

Ambidextrous gives you the second Hands slot.

Location of items:

• Shock Absorber: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with quality scaling by level.
• Ballistic Coprocessor: You get it during the intro quest The Ripperdoc, and Ripperdocs sell better versions as you level.

Skeleton

Cyberware	Description
Epimorphic Skeleton	+13% Max Health. It gives back most of what Edgerunner takes.
Kinetic Frame	+16% Mitigation Chance while your Stamina is above 85%. Deadeye is active above 85% Stamina as well, so both turn on at the same time.
Spring Joints	+16% Mitigation Strength. Feline Footwork, Unexposed, Small Target, Serpentine and Can’t Touch This all give Mitigation Chance, and this makes every one of those mitigated hits hurt less.

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.
• Kinetic Frame: Any Ripperdoc, with quality scaling as you level.
• Spring Joints: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with quality scaling by level.

Nervous System

Cyberware	Description
Deep-field Visual Interface	Crit Chance increases the further you are from the enemy, up to +100% at 100 metres, plus +1% Crit Damage per Cool point, so +20% at 20 Cool. This is the sniper implant.
Kerenzikov	Aim during a slide, dodge or Dash and time slows by 60% for 3.75 seconds, with a 6 second cooldown. You need it for the Kerenzikov Boost System.
Synaptic Accelerator	Slows time by 50% for 4.5 seconds when enemy detection reaches 50%. When someone is about to spot you, you get time to take the shot first. Only 5 capacity.

Location of items:

• Deep-field Visual Interface: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.
• Kerenzikov: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with quality scaling by level.
• Synaptic Accelerator: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with quality scaling by level.

Circulatory System

Cyberware	Description
Blood Pump	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.
Biomonitor	Automatically uses your health item when your health drops below 50%, and +16% health item effectiveness. When I am focused on a head through the scope, I don’t always notice my own health.

The third Circulatory System slot stays empty to save capacity.

Location of items:

• Blood Pump: Ripperdocs from level 10.
• Biomonitor: Sold by Ripperdocs, with quality scaling as you level.

Integumentary System

Cyberware	Description
Optical Camo	-90% visibility to enemies for 7 seconds, plus 0.1 seconds per Cool point and +15% from Extended Warranty. 50 second cooldown. Put it on your Combat Gadget quickslot for Emergency Cloaking, and Vanishing Act turns it on by itself when you crouch-sprint or slide.
Countershell	+50% Mitigation Chance for 4 seconds when you lose 35% of your health within 3 seconds. For when a sniper on the other side found you first.
Subdermal Armor	A big chunk of Armor for only 5 capacity, and it fills the third slot for Chrome Constitution.

Location of items:

• Optical Camo: Ripperdocs from level 10, with quality scaling by level.
• 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
Reinforced Tendons	Double jump. Together with Air Dash, this gets you onto almost any roof in Night City.

Location of items:

• Reinforced Tendons: Any Ripperdoc from level 10.

Weapons for the Sniper Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Sniper Rifles are Cool weapons, so every gun perk in the Cool tree works with them, and Nerves of Tungsten-Steel only works with Sniper Rifles and Precision Rifles.

• Cool perks like Deadeye, High Noon and Nerves of Tungsten-Steel boost Sniper Rifles.
• Killer Instinct only works with silenced guns, which is why the Overwatch is the main weapon.
• The Ballistic Coprocessor boosts ricochets, and every sniper rifle 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
Overwatch (Main)	The main weapon. Panam’s own sniper rifle. Faster reloads and a custom silencer, so the first shot always gets Killer Instinct’s +25% outside of combat. With the silencer, the rest of the group often has no idea where the shot came from.
Sparky (Alternative)	A Grad modded by the Scavs. Every headshot emits electric bolts, which is every shot in this build. No silencer, so I keep it as the loud option.
O’Five (Alternative)	The backup for big groups. Explosive rounds that set enemies on fire, and the more enemies burn at once, the faster it reloads and the higher your Crit Chance. It is a very heavy weapon, so you can’t sprint or dash while it is drawn.
Borzaya (Alternative)	The iconic Grad from Dogtown. Explosive rounds with a high Burn chance, and hitting a burning enemy always deals Crit Damage. A 5 round magazine, but just as heavy as the O’Five.
Grad (Early Game)	The standard Techtronika sniper rifle. Sold by weapon vendors and found as loot, so it is what I use until Panam hands me the Overwatch.
NDI Osprey (Early Game)	Nokota’s large caliber sniper rifle. Also sold by weapon vendors, and a good pick if the Grad doesn’t show up.

Location of items:

• Overwatch: Panam gives it to you at the end of Riders on the Storm. See below.
• Sparky: Terra Cognita, Dogtown (Phantom Liberty DLC), during an Increased Criminal Activity. See below.
• O’Five: Won from Buck in the side job Beat on the Brat: Arroyo. See below.
• Borzaya: An airdrop near the Brave Atlas in Golden Pacific, Dogtown, or Herold Lowe at the EBM Petrochem Stadium. See below.
• Grad: Sold by weapon vendors, for example Robert Wilson in Little China and the weapon vendor in Northside, so you can buy one early in Watson. Also found as loot.
• NDI Osprey: Sold by weapon vendors across Night City and found as loot, with quality scaling as you level.

Note: The Breakthrough is a Tech sniper rifle that shoots through walls. It plays completely differently, so I will give it its own build. Prefer a faster rifle? Nerves of Tungsten-Steel also works with Precision Rifles like the SOR-22.

Sidearm: If something reaches your rooftop, a pistol or revolver gets most of the same Cool perks, Nerves of Tungsten-Steel aside. Most of the time I would rather slide away with Vanishing Act than fight up close.

Grenades: Recon and Smoke grenades. Flash Sale doubles their charges and recharge rate, and Demolitions Surplus, Health Freak and Coming in Hot make them come back even faster. A Recon grenade marks the group before the first shot, and a Smoke grenade covers my exit.

Health item: MaxDOC MK.5 for the big instant heal.

Overwatch (Iconic Power Sniper Rifle) – How To Get It

Panam’s own sniper rifle, with increased reload speed and a custom silencer. It is not a reward you can buy or loot; she gives it to you after one of her quests, “Riders on the Storm,” so make sure you don’t fail that quest.

• Prerequisites: Riders on the Storm starts with a call from Panam after Life During Wartime.
• Where: The Aldecaldos camp in the Badlands.
• How to Get It: Finish Riders on the Storm. The morning after the storm, talk to Panam on the porch of the farmhouse. She walks you to her bike and gives you the Overwatch.
• What to Do: Rescue Saul from the Wraith camp, drive Panam and Saul through the storm, and fix the breaker and the fusebox at the farmhouse.
• Note: Don’t keep Panam waiting for more than 24 hours and don’t drive off somewhere else with her in the car. If the quest fails, the Overwatch is gone too.

Sparky (Iconic Power Sniper Rifle) – How To Get It

A Grad modded by the Scavs. Every headshot emits electric bolts, and this build lives on headshots, so that is pretty much every shot. It has no silencer, so I use it once stealth is already gone.

• Prerequisites: Phantom Liberty DLC, and Dogtown has to be unlocked.
• Where: Terra Cognita, in the south of Dogtown, at the Increased Criminal Activity on the map. Look for the pavilion with the spaceship on its roof.
• How to Get It: Clear out the Scavengers in and around the building, then loot the Sparky from the armory inside.
• What to Do: Most of the Scavs are inside, so this fight is closer than this build likes. Turn on Optical Camo and pick them off one by one.
• Note: If the armory is still locked after the fight, the key comes from the Arasaka drone in the area.

O’Five (Iconic Power Sniper Rifle) – How To Get It

The O’Five fires explosive rounds that set enemies alight, and the more enemies burning at once, the faster it reloads and the higher your Crit Chance climbs. When a whole group stands close together, I swap to it, light them up and swap back to the Overwatch to move.

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

Borzaya (Iconic Power Sniper Rifle) – How To Get It

The Borzaya is the iconic version of the Grad and part of the Techtronika weapon series that was banned over humanitarian concerns. It fires explosive rounds, very similar to the O’Five, and hitting an enemy affected by its Burn always deals Crit Damage. Like the O’Five, you can’t dash or sprint while it is drawn.

• Where: Golden Pacific, Dogtown (Phantom Liberty DLC).
• How to Get It: It appears in an airdrop near the Brave Atlas after completing Lucretia My Reflection.
• What to Do: Loot the airdrop before the Barghest or Scavengers get to it. A rooftop nearby is the perfect spot to clear them first.
• Note: If you miss it, you can buy it from Herold Lowe at the EBM Petrochem Stadium.

Gear for the Sniper 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, Spring Joints, the Kinetic Frame and Adrenaline Rush.

For a sniper I like a dark coat and a hood, so I blend in with the rooftops. Pure looks, but it feels right.

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: Sniper Build you want to focus on Headhunter, Engineer and Shinobi. Headhunter is the big one: every headshot, sniper rifle kill and crouched kill levels it. It gives +10% headshot damage at level 10 and another +15% at 30, no weapon sway while crouched at 20, faster crouch walking and crouch-sprinting at 50, and Optical Camo charge back on stealth kills at 60. Engineer gives you the extra Cyberware Capacity this build counts on, and Shinobi comes naturally from dashing from one rooftop to the next.

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.

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.

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.

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 Sniper Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Here are a few general leveling tips for the Sniper 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, it’s time to get chromed up.
   1. Dynalar Sandevistan (Operating System): Sold from level 10. Slow motion for your headshots until the Militech “Apogee” unlocks at level 40.
   2. Reinforced Tendons (Legs): Allow you to double jump
   3. Kerenzikov (Nervous System): Slows Time by 60% for 2s.
   4. Synaptic Accelerator (Nervous System): Slows time by 20% for 2s when enemy detection reaches 50%.
   5. 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 Sniper 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.

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.

Related Cyberpunk 2077 Content

• Cyberpunk 2077 Builds Database