Cyberpunk 2077: Talia Yang Build | Edgerunners II (Patch 2.31)

Welcome to the best Talia Yang Build for Cyberpunk 2077 (Patch 2.31), inspired by the pink-haired newcomer from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2. Talia was raised in Night City’s corporate towers and then hardened by Maelstrom into a chrome-obsessed merc who fights up close with razor-sharp claws on the backs of her hands. So this build does exactly that: Mantis Blades, a Berserk operating system, and more chrome than your body should be able to handle.

The Talia Yang Build combines BioDyne Berserk, Mantis Blades and Edgerunner into a Maelstrom berserker: 50% damage reduction, +40% Crit Chance, free blade combos and 30 metre leaps that refill your Adrenaline with every limb you take off.

Table of Contents for the Talia Yang 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
• Talia Yang Character Creation

Strengths and Weaknesses list for the Talia Yang Build:

If you want a Mantis Blade Build with Sandevistan and Camo, please read the Oda Mantis Blades Build.

Cyberpunk 2077 Talia Yang Build Overview

This Cyberpunk 2077: Talia Yang Build is a pure close-quarters berserker. The loop is simple: pop a health item to fill the Adrenaline, hit Berserk, and leap from enemy to enemy with the Mantis Blades. While Berserk runs I take half damage, my health can’t drop below 25%, every blade attack is free, and BioDyne’s crit bonuses scale with my 20 Reflexes. Every dismemberment feeds my Adrenaline back through Bloodlust, every finisher heals me, and Edgerunner lets me run far more chrome than my capacity allows.

Attributes – Talia Yang Build

Distributing Attributes correctly for the Talia Yang 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 Talia Yang Build’s Attributes are spread out between Body, Reflexes, Technical Ability and Cool. Intelligence stays at 3. Talia lets her chrome do the thinking.

Talia Yang Start Attributes

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

Attribute	Points	Description
Intelligence	None	N/A
Technical Ability	+1	Unlocks Glutton for War for an extra health item charge, and is the first step toward All Things Cyber at 9.
Reflexes	+3	Reflexes is the core of the build. Unlocks Slippery and gets you close to Dash and Lead and Steel at 9.
Cool	None	N/A
Body	+3	Unlocks Painkiller and the whole health regen row.

Max Level Attributes

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

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

Flexible points: Cool only needs 15 for Deadeye and the other revolver perks, but the extra points still pull their weight. Every Cool point adds +1.25% Crit Damage, and Pain Editor scales with Cool too. Here is a small trick for an even bigger chrome budget: Renaissance Punk gives +4 Cyberware Capacity for every Attribute at 4 or higher, so moving a single point from Cool into Intelligence gets you another +4 capacity.

Perks – Talia Yang Build Cyberpunk 2077

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

• Reflexes
• Body
• Technical Ability
• 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.

Perk Order: This build uses all 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, the Blade, Berserk and Adrenaline perks come first, and the Cool revolver perks can wait until the end.

Reflexes Perks

The Reflexes Perk-Tree is the heart of this build. The middle is movement and the right side is Blades, which covers the Mantis Blades. A few cheap perks on the bottom row also help with the backup revolver. Max it out to 20.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

Slippery opens up both the movement and the Blades branch. The rest is cheap quality of life.

Perk	Description
Slippery	The faster you move, the harder you are to hit. It also unlocks Dash and Lead and Steel.
Multitasker	Shoot while sprinting, sliding and vaulting. Handy when Doom Doom comes out between Berserks.
Muscle Memory	Reload while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.
Power Slide	Longer slides.
Parkour!	Faster vaulting and climbing.

Level 9 Perks

Dash in the middle and the start of the Blades branch on the right.

Perk	Description
Dash	Rank 1 cuts dodge and dash stamina cost, rank 2 unlocks the Dash itself.
Mad Dash	+100% dash range toward enemies. Together with Seeing Double it unlocks Flash and Thunderclap.
Can’t Touch This	+100% mitigation chance while dashing.
Mean Streak	+40% stamina when you neutralize an enemy while dashing. Berserk makes blade attacks free, but dashing still costs stamina.
Steady Grip	Shoot while dashing, so the backup revolver still works on the move.
Lead and Steel	Lower stamina cost for Blade attacks, then the ability to block incoming bullets with your blades. The gateway to the whole Blades branch.
Seeing Double	Required for Flash and Thunderclap, along with Mad Dash. It also adds damage and stun chance to counterattacks.
Bullet Deflect	While your stamina is above 33%, blocked bullets fly back to wherever you aim. With Slaughterhouse, deflected bullets also apply Bleeding.
Flash and Thunderclap	Strong Attacks automatically leap at enemies within range, even from midair, with up to +100% damage the further you leap. This is how Talia closes the gap on anyone with a gun.

Level 15 Perks

Blade finishers on the right and Air Dash in the middle.

Perk	Description
Finisher: Bladerunner	Lower stamina cost and +20% attack speed with Blades, then the Blade Finisher itself. Finishers deal massive damage, restore health and make you invincible during the animation. Max it out.
Flash of Steel	+25% movement speed and attack speed for 6 seconds after every finisher.
Opportunist	Bleeding, staggered, stunned or blinded enemies are more susceptible to finishers. Slaughterhouse makes everything bleed.
Going the Distance	Doubles your finisher range.
Air Dash	Lower dash stamina cost, faster dashes, then the ability to dash in midair.
Aerial Acrobat	Better midair control between leaps.
Aerodynamic	Much higher mitigation strength while in midair. With all the leaping, you spend a lot of time up there.

Skip: the SMG and Assault Rifle perks on the left side. Air Kerenzikov also sits behind that branch, so save those points.

Level 20 Perks

Reflexes is at 20, so we take two capstones.

Perk	Description
Slaughterhouse	All attacks, counterattacks and deflected bullets apply Bleeding, which increases dismemberment chance and makes enemies more susceptible to finishers. More dismemberments also mean more Adrenaline from Bloodlust.
Tailwind	Air dashes cost no stamina, and air dashes and double jumps restore stamina.

Body Perks

The Body Perk-Tree is maxed out at 20. The middle branch gives us health regen and Adrenaline Rush, and a short trip through the left branch unlocks Bloodlust, the perk that ties this whole build together.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The full health regen row.

Perk	Description
Painkiller	Unlocks passive health regeneration during combat.
Comeback Kid	The lower your health, the faster you regenerate. Berserk keeps you above 25% health, which is right where Comeback Kid is strongest.
Dorph-head	A burst of mitigation chance right after using a health item.
Speed Junkie	More health regen while sprinting.
Army of One	More health regen for each nearby enemy. Talia is always surrounded.

Level 9 Perks

One path perk on the left side.

Perk	Description
Die! Die! Die!	A shotgun and machine gun perk that we only take as the path to Bloodlust. Max it out to unlock Spontaneous Obliteration.

Level 15 Perks

Adrenaline Rush, the perks attached to it, and the two path perks that lead to Bloodlust.

Perk	Description
Adrenaline Rush	+35 max health, +20% to all health regen, then Adrenaline Rush itself. Health items now also give Adrenaline equal to 30% of your max health, shown as a yellow second health bar.
Calm Mind	A 3 second delay before Adrenaline starts decaying. Your Adrenaline lasts long enough to carry you into Berserk.
Unstoppable Force	Immunity to movement penalties, knockdown and blinding while Adrenaline Rush is active.
Juggernaut	+20% movement speed and +10% damage while Adrenaline Rush is active.
Spontaneous Obliteration	Another shotgun and machine gun perk that we take as the path to Bloodlust. Max it out to unlock Rush of Blood.
Rush of Blood	Faster reloads with shotguns and machine guns right after a dismemberment. It is the second requirement for Bloodlust.
Bloodlust	While Adrenaline Rush is active, every dismemberment of a nearby enemy gives +50 Adrenaline. It needs both Juggernaut and Rush of Blood. Berserk blocks health items, so this is how I keep my Adrenaline topped up during Berserk.

Level 20 Perks

One capstone that feeds the health item loop.

Perk	Description
Pain to Gain	While Adrenaline Rush is active, every kill recharges your health item by 20%. Your next health item, and with it your next Adrenaline, comes back faster.

Technical Ability Perks

The Technical Ability Perk-Tree does two jobs here. The middle branch makes our chrome stronger and lets us run more of it, and the left branch gives us more health item charges, which means more Adrenaline. Max it out to 20 for Edgerunner.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The health item perks on the left side.

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 used only one charge.
Transfusion	+30% health from the final charge of your health item.

Level 9 Perks

The Cyberware perks in the middle, plus faster health item recharges on the left.

Perk	Description
All Things Cyber	+10% to all cyberware stat modifiers and -20% Cyberware Capacity cost for Integumentary System and Skeleton chrome. Max it out.
Driver Update	Adds a secondary stat modifier to all cyberware.
Renaissance Punk	+4 Cyberware Capacity for each Attribute at 4 or higher.
Chrome Constitution	-5% incoming damage while all your Integumentary System and Skeleton slots are filled.
Health Freak	Faster health item recharge, then an instant partial recharge after every kill. Max it out.
Field Medic	Use health items 15% faster in combat, so you are back to slashing sooner.
Borrowed Time	If you are below 25% health and out of health item charges, your next kill instantly recharges a health item. That is one more Adrenaline refill right when you need it.

Tip: when you upgrade cyberware, temporarily take Chipware Connoisseur so you get two stat modifier options instead of one, then refund it when you are done.

Level 15 Perks

Armor, an extra Skeleton slot, and the Cellular Adapter.

Perk	Description
License to Chrome	+10% to all cyberware stat modifiers, +40 armor and an extra Skeleton slot. Max it out.
Built Different	Unlocks the Cellular Adapter for your Integumentary System. You can install the Cellular Adapter without it, but you won’t get its bonuses.
Extended Warranty	+15% duration for all cyberware effects, so Berserk lasts longer.
Cyborg	-15% cooldowns for all cyberware while every slot is filled, which means a faster Berserk.

Skip: Ambidextrous. A second Hands slot needs to be filled for Cyborg to work, and no Hands cyberware is worth the extra capacity on a blade build.

Level 20 Perks

One capstone.

Perk	Description
Edgerunner	Exceed your Cyberware Capacity by up to 50 points at -0.5% max health per point. While you are over capacity, kills have a chance to trigger Fury: +10% damage, +30% crit chance and +50% crit damage. Talia is obsessed with chrome, so I always run this build over capacity.

Cool Perks

The Cool Perk-Tree is only here for the backup revolver. Talia doesn’t sneak, so we skip the stealth branch in the middle and take the gun branch on the left for our Doom Doom weapon. Cool sits at 18, which covers everything up to level 15.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

We don’t use any level 4 perks. They are all stealth perks.

Level 9 Perks

Focus and the perks around it.

Perk	Description
Focus	+10% headshot and weakspot damage, then Focus mode. When you aim at full stamina, shooting costs no stamina for 2.5 seconds, and you lose 40 stamina when it ends. It opens the whole revolver branch.
Head to Head	Neutralizing an enemy with a ranged attack while Focus is active resets its duration.
Deep Breath	Slows time by 25% for you and enemies while Focus is active.
No Sweat	Every enemy you neutralize while Focus is active lowers the stamina Focus costs you when it ends.
Rinse and Reload	Your next reload is much faster after you neutralize an enemy while aiming, stacking twice. Doom Doom only holds 6 rounds, so this matters.

Level 15 Perks

Deadeye and the perks that branch off it.

Perk	Description
Deadeye	+10% headshot and weakspot damage, -25% stamina cost for shooting, then Deadeye mode. Above 85% stamina you get +20% headshot and weakspot damage and no bullet spread, which cancels out Doom Doom’s extra spread.
Quick Draw	+30% swap speed to pistols and revolvers, and +30% stamina when you swap in combat. Blades away, Doom Doom out, with stamina to spare.
California Reaper	+30% stamina after neutralizing an enemy with a ranged headshot or weakspot hit, so you have stamina for your blades again.
High Noon	When Deadeye is active, a headshot or weakspot kill makes your next reload much faster and slows time while you reload.
Long Shot	When Deadeye is active, your shots deal full damage regardless of distance.

Level 20 Perks

We don’t use any level 20 perks. Cool sits at 18.

Intelligence Perks

We leave Intelligence at 3 and spend nothing here.

Relic Perks (Phantom Liberty DLC)

The Relic skill tree only exists if you own Phantom Liberty. This build uses the Mantis Blades branch and the Vulnerabilities branch. The Optical Camo branch does nothing for Talia, so skip it.

Relic Perks

Perk	Description
Jailbreak	Unlocks new abilities for Arm cyberware. For the Mantis Blades, dismembering an enemy or performing a finisher charges your next leap. Hold Strong Attack for a charged leap with +30 metres of reach that deals massive damage in a wide slash and dismembers whatever it kills. Take this first.
Spatial Mapping	All Mantis Blades leaps cripple enemies and increase your dismemberment chance against them. More dismemberments, more Adrenaline.
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.
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.

Cyberware for the Talia Yang Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Over capacity on purpose: Talia is all chrome, so this is where the build comes to life. With Edgerunner you can go up to 50 points over your Cyberware Capacity, and every point over capacity raises your chance to trigger Fury on a kill. The price is max health, which is why Epimorphic Skeleton is in the Skeleton slot.

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
BioDyne Berserk	The core of the build. At Tier 5++: 50% damage reduction for 11 seconds, and your health can’t drop below 25%, with a 35 second cooldown. Melee attacks cost no stamina, plus +30% attack speed, +20% Crit Chance and +100% Crit Damage while it is active. Attuned to Reflexes: +1% Crit Chance during Berserk per Reflexes point, so another +20% at 20 Reflexes. When it ends, you get +25% health for every enemy you neutralized. You can’t use health items and you are limited to melee weapons while it runs. That’s why I always pop a health item for Adrenaline right before I activate it.
Militech Berserk (Alternative)	The alternative. You are invulnerable to damage instead of taking half damage, with +30% attack speed, +20% movement speed and up to +50% damage at low health. It is the safer pick, but it has no crit bonuses and you need level 30 to buy it. BioDyne is available from level 10.

Location of items:

• BioDyne Berserk: Any Ripperdoc from level 10.
• Militech Berserk: Iconic, sold by all Ripperdocs after level 30, and also awarded through a Phantom Liberty ending.

Frontal Cortex

Cyberware	Description
Axolotl	Iconic Newton Module. Cuts the cooldown of all your cyberware on every kill, so Berserk comes back much faster in big fights.
Mechatronic Core	+40% damage against drones, robots, mechs and turrets. Berserk locks you into melee, and drones are the one thing your blades can’t always reach.
Self-ICE	Automatically negates an enemy quickhack. Netrunners are the biggest threat to a build that can’t hack back.

Location of items:

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

Face

Cyberware	Description
Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics	+35% Crit Chance. Talia’s face is covered in chrome, and stacked with BioDyne Berserk this pushes your crit chance through the roof.

Location of items:

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

Arms

Cyberware	Description
Mantis Blades	Talia’s claws come out of the backs of her hands, and the Mantis Blades are the closest thing to them in the game. Physical damage with a 20% Bleeding chance. Attuned to Reflexes: +0.5% damage with the blades per Reflexes point, so +10% at 20 Reflexes. They count as Blades, so all the Reflexes Blade perks apply, including Finisher: Bladerunner. With Jailbreak, finishers and dismemberments charge a 30 metre leap attack, and Spatial Mapping makes every leap cripple its target.
Thermal Mantis Blades	Thermal damage with a 20% Burn chance, attuned to Body instead of Reflexes. Talia has 20 Body as well, so this works just as well if you like the glowing look.
MaxTac Mantis Blades	A Special variant with a 20% Bleeding chance and a Damage over Time stat on top of the melee damage.

[TBD after the premiere: match the Mantis Blades variant to the color of Talia’s claws in the show.]

Location of items:

• Mantis Blades: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with quality scaling by level.
• Thermal Mantis Blades: Sold by Ripperdocs across Night City, with availability scaling to your level and Street Cred.
• MaxTac Mantis Blades:
  • Drops from MaxTac Melissa Rory if you kill her at the end of the gig ‘Bullets‘ before leaving.
  • Is left as a gift in V’s apartment by Mr. Hands after the pro-NUSA/Yoko Tsuru path through the Phantom Liberty ending.

Hands

Cyberware	Description
Ballistic Coprocessor	Better ricochets with Power weapons like Doom Doom, for only 2 capacity. Mostly it fills the Hands slot, so Cyborg stays active.

Location of items:

• Ballistic Coprocessor: Ripperdoc, level 10

Skeleton

Cyberware	Description
Epimorphic Skeleton	+13% Max Health. Edgerunner takes some of your health away, and this gives it back.
Dense Marrow	+24% melee damage at the cost of +20% melee stamina cost. During Berserk your melee attacks cost no stamina at all, so the downside barely matters.
Spring Joints	+16% Mitigation Strength. Mitigation scales better than armor on a melee build.

Rara Avis is a strong armor option for the third slot if you have the capacity to spare.

Location of items:

• Epimorphic Skeleton: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 30.
• Dense Marrow: Any Ripperdoc from level 10.
• Spring Joints: Any Ripperdoc.

Nervous System

Cyberware	Description
Stabber	+20% Crit Chance with Blades for only 12 capacity. One more layer on top of BioDyne and the Cockatrice Optics.
Neofiber	More Mitigation Chance and Mitigation Strength, so you simply take less damage between Berserks.
Adreno-Trigger	Iconic Adrenaline Converter: +30% movement speed for a long window when entering combat. Talia is always the first one in.
Deep-field Visual Interface (Alternative to Adreno-Trigger)	Alternative to the Adreno-Trigger. Its main effect works at range, but the Cool attunement adds +1% Crit Damage per Cool point, so +18% at 18 Cool. It costs a lot of capacity, which Edgerunner covers.

Location of items:

• Stabber: Any Ripperdoc from level 10.
• Neofiber: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 20.
• Adreno-Trigger: Iconic, Phantom Liberty Dogtown Ripperdoc, level 35
• Deep-field Visual Interface: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdoc (Phantom Liberty DLC).

Circulatory System

Cyberware	Description
Heal-On-Kill	+7.5% health on every kill. It is cyberware and not an item, so it keeps working during Berserk.
Isometric Stabilizer	-20% stamina cost for all attacks, plus -0.5% to all stamina costs per Reflexes point. At 20 Reflexes that’s a huge cut for your dashes and everything you do outside of Berserk.
Adrenaline Booster	+25% stamina whenever you neutralize an enemy with a melee weapon.
Second Heart (Alternative to Adrenaline Booster)	Brings you back with full health when your health hits 0, with a 200 second cooldown. Swap it in for the Adrenaline Booster on very hard difficulties.

Location of items:

• Heal-On-Kill: Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.
• Isometric Stabilizer: Sold by Ripperdocs across Night City, with availability scaling to your level and Street Cred.
• Adrenaline Booster: Any Ripperdoc.
• Second Heart: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 30.

Integumentary System

Cyberware	Description
Cellular Adapter	A huge chunk of Armor that stays cheap on capacity thanks to All Things Cyber. Attuned to Technical Ability. Per point: +1% explosion resistance, +0.5% Tech weapon damage, +0.5% health item recharge speed and +0.5% grenade recharge speed. At 20 Technical Ability that is +20% explosion resistance and +10% faster health item recharge, which keeps the Adrenaline loop going. Requires the Built Different perk to give its bonuses.
Peripheral Inverse	Iconic ProxiShield: up to -45% damage from enemies within 3 metres, tapering off to nothing at 6 metres. Talia fights inside that range all the time.
Pain Editor	-7% all incoming damage, plus a bit more for every Cool point.
Countershell (Alternative to Pain Editor)	+50% Mitigation Chance for 4 seconds whenever you lose 35% health within 3 seconds. Only 12 capacity, and it saves you exactly when burst damage hits.

Location of items:

• Cellular Adapter: Any Ripperdoc, after unlocking the Built Different perk.
• Peripheral Inverse: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.
• Pain Editor: Ripperdoc from level 30.
• Countershell: Any Ripperdoc.

Legs

Cyberware	Description
Reinforced Tendons	Double jump. Every double jump gives stamina back with Tailwind, and Flash and Thunderclap lets you leap at enemies straight out of the air.
Leeroy Ligament System (Alternative to Reinforced Tendons)	Iconic: +20% movement speed. Take it if you would rather stay on the ground.

Location of items:

• Reinforced Tendons: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 10.
• Leeroy Ligament System: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.

Weapons for the Talia Yang Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Talia fights with her claws, so the Mantis Blades are the main weapon of this build, and Berserk locks you into melee while it runs anyway. For everything else, like drones or a sniper on a rooftop, I carry one backup gun with a Maelstrom history.

• Reflexes Blade perks like Finisher: Bladerunner and Slaughterhouse boost the Mantis Blades.
• Cool revolver perks like Focus and Deadeye boost Doom Doom.

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

Item	Description
Doom Doom	Dum Dum’s iconic revolver from Maelstrom. Fires 3 explosive rounds per shot with a higher dismemberment chance, at the cost of more spread and recoil. Perfect for a Maelstrom berserker, and close-range dismemberments feed Bloodlust.
Chaos	The iconic pistol of Royce, the Maelstrom boss from The Pickup. Crit chance, damage type and status effect are randomized after every reload, which suits a Maelstrom merc just fine.

Doom Doom (Iconic Revolver)

Known for turning enemies into unrecognizable piles of flesh. Three explosive rounds per shot make it the best answer to drones and anyone hiding behind cover between Berserks.

• Prerequisites: Dum Dum has to survive The Pickup, so side with Maelstrom. That’s what Talia would do anyway.
• Where: The Totentanz club in northern Watson, during the side job Second Conflict from Kerry Eurodyne’s questline.
• How to Get It: Knock out or kill Dum Dum, and he drops it.
• What to Do: Search his body before you leave the club.
• Note: If you miss it, you can buy it from Herold Lowe at the EBM Petrochem Stadium in Dogtown.

Chaos (Iconic Pistol)

A weapon that’s easy to fall in love with, but difficult to trust. It is a Tech pistol, so you can charge it for a powerful shot.

• Prerequisites: Act 1, main job The Pickup, and you have to fight Maelstrom instead of siding with them.
• Where: The All Foods plant in Northside, Watson.
• How to Get It: Royce drops it when he dies during The Pickup.
• What to Do: Loot his body after the fight.
• Note: Herold Lowe at the EBM Petrochem Stadium in Dogtown also sells it, but only if Royce died in The Pickup.

Gear for the Talia Yang 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 BioDyne Berserk, the Cellular Adapter, Peripheral Inverse and Adrenaline Rush.

If you want to replicate Talia’s look, the closest you can get is with the following cosmetics:

• Head: [TBD after the premiere]
• Face: [TBD after the premiere]
• Outer Torso: [TBD after the premiere]
• Inner Torso: [TBD after the premiere]
• Legs: [TBD after the premiere]
• Feet: [TBD after the premiere]

Until then, go for a Maelstrom feel: dark leather, red accents and as much visible chrome as possible.

Note: Mods already do exist that replicate her look.

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: Talia Yang Build you want to focus on Solo, Shinobi and Engineer. Solo is the big one here: at level 60, Berserk raises the enemy health threshold for finishers by 30%, finishers heal you 50% more, and Berserk lasts 30% longer. Shinobi helps your blades and movement, and Engineer level 30 gives free Cyberware Capacity. Mantis Blades level Shinobi rather than Solo, so use the Solo activities listed below to get it to 60. Doom Doom levels Headhunter on the side, which adds headshot damage for the revolver.

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.

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.

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 Talia Yang Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Here are a few general leveling tips for the Talia Yang 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. BioDyne Berserk (Operating System): Sold from level 10, and the core of the Talia Yang Build.
   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 Talia Yang 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.

Talia Yang Character Creation in Cyberpunk 2077

[IMAGE NEEDED: Cyberpunk-2077-Talia-Yang-Character-Creation.webp | 1280×720 | character creator with pink hair]

Lifepath: Corpo. Talia was raised in Night City’s corporate towers before Maelstrom got hold of her, so Corpo is the only lifepath that fits. It only changes your prologue and dialogue options, not your stats.

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

• Voice Tone: Feminine
• Skin Tone: [TBD]
• Skin Type: [TBD]
• Hairstyle: [TBD]
• Hair Color (pink): [TBD]
• Eyes: [TBD]
• Eye Color: [TBD]
• Eyelash Color: [TBD]
• Nose: [TBD]
• Mouth: [TBD]
• Jaw: [TBD]
• Ears: [TBD]
• Cyberware (Talia has heavy facial chrome): [TBD]
• Facial Scars: [TBD]
• Facial Tattoos: [TBD]
• Piercings: [TBD]
• Teeth: [TBD]
• Eye Makeup: [TBD]
• Eye Makeup Color: [TBD]
• Lip Makeup: [TBD]
• Lip Makeup Color: [TBD]
• Cheek Makeup: [TBD]
• Blemishes: [TBD]
• Nails: [TBD]
• Nail Color: [TBD]
• Body Tattoos: [TBD]
• Body Scars: [TBD]

Related Cyberpunk 2077 Content

• Cyberpunk 2077 Builds Database