Cyberpunk 2077: Terminator Build | T-800 LMG Tank (2.5)

Welcome to the best Terminator Build for Cyberpunk 2077 (Patch 2.5). A T-800 doesn’t take cover and doesn’t run. It walks straight at you with a light machine gun, finishes the job with a shotgun and its metal fists, and when it goes down, it gets back up. That is exactly how this build plays: an iconic LMG, a shotgun with gun-bash damage, Gorilla Arms, armor chrome everywhere and a Second Heart for the moment you should be dead. Some players call it a T-800 build, an LMG tank build or a heavy weapons build.

The Terminator Build combines the Wild Dog LMG, Bloody Maria, Gorilla Arms, Second Heart and the Chrome Compressor: walk through bullets with Rara Avis and Chitin, refill the LMG on every kill, turn every gun-bash into +800% damage with Rip and Tear, rip heavy machine guns off their turrets, and come back to life when your Health hits 0.

You can find more builds here on the Cyberpunk 2077 Builds Database page.

Table of Contents for the Terminator Build:

• Build Overview & How To Play
  • How I Fight Like The Terminator
  • Rip and Tear Explained (Shotgun + Gun-Bash)
  • How Second Heart Works (I’ll Be Back)
  • How To Rip Turrets Off For A Minigun
• Attributes
• Perks (Skills)
• Cyberware
• Weapons
• Terminator Outfit
  • Terminator 2 Easter Egg
• Skill Progression
• Leveling Tips
  • Perfect Start
  • How to make Money
  • Upgrade Weapons
  • How Gear Scaling Works
  • How to get Perk Points Fast
  • Dogtown Consumables
• Terminator Build FAQ

Strengths and Weaknesses list for the Terminator Build:

More Heavy Builds: Want to fight with nothing but your fists? Read my Gorilla Arms Build. For an LMG with a Sandevistan, my Adam Smasher Build, and for double barrels, my Double Barrel Shotgun Build.

Cyberpunk 2077 Terminator Build Overview & How To Play

I play this Cyberpunk 2077: Terminator Build slow and unstoppable. I scan the room, walk in with the Wild Dog and keep the trigger down. Every kill refills the magazine, and Rara Avis, Chitin and Adrenaline Rush soak up whatever comes back. No dodging, no stealth, no slow motion.

When someone gets close, the shotgun comes out, and every shotgun hit turns my next gun-bash into +800% damage. When a group surrounds me, I holster and use the Gorilla Arms: a ground slam, a charged punch that knocks everyone down, and a finisher that throws an enemy into his friends. And if my Health still hits 0, Second Heart brings me back at full Health. I’ll be back.

Before the iconics: The Wild Dog comes at the end of Phantom Liberty, so I use the Defender until then. It is a common LMG from weapon vendors. Any shotgun from a weapon vendor works until Bloody Maria. The Gorilla Arms unlock at level 10, and Second Heart at level 30.

No Phantom Liberty?: The Wild Dog, the MA70 HB x-MOD2, the Dezerter, the Alabai, Rara Avis, Chitin, the Leeroy Ligament System and the Relic perks come from Phantom Liberty. Without it, I use the Defender as my LMG, the Bionic Joints in place of Rara Avis, Subdermal Armor in place of Chitin and Reinforced Tendons in the Legs slot. The Gorilla Arms have no shockwave without the Relic perks, but Quake and Savage Sling still work. Bloody Maria, Second Heart, the Chrome Compressor and the turret HMGs are all in the base game.

How I Fight Like The Terminator

This is how almost every fight goes for me:

1. Scan first: The Kiroshi “The Oracle” Optics highlights every enemy within 19.5 m, even behind cover, plus cameras, turrets and traps, for 60 seconds. That is my Terminator HUD.
2. Walk in shooting: The Wild Dog gets faster and crits more the longer I hit. Like a Feather removes the LMG movement penalty, Bullet Ballet keeps the spread tight while I walk, and Dread strips their Armor.
3. Never reload: Onslaught refills 20% of the Wild Dog’s ammo on every LMG kill, so in a big fight the 150 rounds rarely run out. If they do, the Wild Dog’s Quick Melee deals massive damage while it is empty.
4. Shotgun up close: Bloody Maria for anyone who gets close. Every shotgun hit sets up a +800% gun-bash with Rip and Tear, and the gun-bash sets up a +100% shotgun shot. How the loop works.
5. Fists for groups: Holster and the Gorilla Arms come out. Quake slams the ground and staggers everyone around me, Ripple Effect gives +15% Health per enemy hit, and a charged Strong Attack knocks them all down with Jailbreak and Limiter Removal.
6. Throw them: Finisher: Savage Sling restores 200% Health, or I hold the button to throw the enemy into his friends.
7. Get back up: If my Health still hits 0, Second Heart brings me back at full Health. How Second Heart works.

Ammo: LMGs use Rifle Ammo and shotguns use Shotgun Ammo, so the two never fight over the same pool. Turret HMGs come loaded. Lucky Day gives +25% crafting components from looting, so I craft Rifle Ammo before big fights.

Rip and Tear Explained (Shotgun + Gun-Bash)

Rip and Tear is the Body capstone for shotguns, and it turns the shotgun and its Quick Melee Attack (the gun-bash) into one combo:

1. Shoot: Hit an enemy with the shotgun. Your next Quick Melee Attack deals +800% damage.
2. Bash: Hit an enemy with that Quick Melee Attack. Your next shotgun shot deals +100% damage.
3. Repeat: Shoot, bash, shoot, bash. Every step buffs the next one.

Let your Stamina drop: This build gets stronger as Stamina runs out. Skullcracker adds up to +200% Quick Melee damage at 0 Stamina, Spontaneous Obliteration adds Crit Chance, the second rank of Die! Die! Die! improves weapon handling, and Don’t Stop Me Now adds Mitigation Chance and Strength. So I keep shooting and bashing instead of waiting for the bar to refill.

Tip: The Wild Dog gets the same idea from its iconic ability: when the magazine is empty, its Quick Melee deals massive damage. If an enemy is in my face while I am out of ammo, I bash first and reload later. Solo level 45 adds +25% Quick Melee damage on top.

How Second Heart Works (I’ll Be Back)

Second Heart is the reason this build is called the Terminator. When your Health reaches 0, it restores +100% Health instead of letting you die.

1. It triggers on its own: Nothing to press. Your Health hits 0 and comes right back to full. It may not activate in some situations, such as falling from extreme heights.
2. Cooldown: 200 seconds. Cyborg cuts that by 15% while every cyberware slot is filled, and this build fills every one.
3. Kills bring it back faster: The Axolotl cuts the cooldown of all cyberware by 7.5% every time you neutralize an enemy. In a big fight, Second Heart is ready again long before 200 seconds.
4. Back on your feet, keep going: After it triggers, I heal on top with the Blood Pump and Savage Sling, and Adrenaline Rush fills the yellow bar again.

Two more lives: Second Heart is only the last line. The Reflex Tuner slows time by 60% when my Health drops below 25%, and the Biomonitor uses a health item for me below 50%. Most of the time, I never get to 0.

How To Rip Turrets Off For A Minigun

In Terminator 2, the T-800 walks out of Cyberdyne with a minigun. In Cyberpunk 2077, I rip one off an enemy turret: the Mk. 31 HMG is a Militech heavy machine gun with a 200-round magazine.

1. Find a mounted turret: Gang hideouts, Militech sites and Dogtown checkpoints often have a heavy machine gun turret on a tripod. The Oracle highlights them within 39 m.
2. Take it off the mount: Walk up to the turret and use the prompt to rip it off. You carry it like any other gun.
3. Walk and shoot: Heavy machine guns normally slow you down, but Like a Feather removes the movement penalty for shotguns, LMGs and HMGs.
4. Drop it when it is empty: When the 200 rounds are gone, I drop it and go back to the Wild Dog.

Ripping turrets off their mounts also levels the Solo skill tree. The Mechatronic Core adds +40% damage against turrets that are still on their mount.

Attributes – Terminator Build

Distributing Attributes correctly for the Terminator 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 Terminator Build’s main Attributes are Body for the LMG, the shotgun, the Gorilla Arms and Health, and Technical Ability for the health items, grenades and chrome. Cool goes up for its Crit Damage bonus, Reflexes for Dash and Air Dash, and Intelligence stays at 3.

Terminator Build Start Attributes

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

Attribute	Points	Description
Body	+4	Unlocks Painkiller, Comeback Kid and the health regen row, and gets you closer to Die! Die! Die! and Like a Feather at 9.
Technical Ability	+2	Unlocks Glutton for War, First Aid and Transfusion for better health items.
Reflexes	+1	Unlocks Slippery and Multitasker, so you can shoot while sprinting.
Cool	None	N/A until later. It goes to 20 for the Crit Damage bonus.
Intelligence	None	N/A

Max Level Attributes

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

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

Why these numbers: Body goes to 20 for Rip and Tear, Onslaught, Pain to Gain and Savage Sling, and every Body point adds +2 Max Health, +2 Health through Rara Avis, +0.5% Gorilla Arms damage and +10% Health Regen through Chitin. Technical Ability goes to 20 for Edgerunner. Cool has no perks in this build, but every Cool point adds +1.25% Crit Damage, so 20 Cool is +25% Crit Damage on every bullet, plus more headshot damage through the Shock Absorber and Visual Cortex Support. Reflexes sits at 18: Air Dash only needs 15, but every extra point adds +0.5% Crit Chance. Body, Technical Ability, Cool and Reflexes are all at 9 or higher, so Renaissance Punk gives +16 Cyberware Capacity.

Why Intelligence stays at 3: A Terminator doesn’t hack. Nothing in the Intelligence tree helps an LMG, a shotgun or the Gorilla Arms, and Renaissance Punk already counts four Attributes. Self-ICE in the Frontal Cortex blocks the enemy netrunners instead.

Perks – Terminator Build Cyberpunk 2077

In this section of the Cyberpunk 2077 Terminator 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.

Perk Order: The bold perks are the core of the build, so pick them up before the non-bold ones. While you are leveling, rush Body to 9 for Die! Die! Die! and Like a Feather. Technical Ability to 9 comes next for All Things Cyber and Renaissance Punk, then Body to 15 for Adrenaline Rush, Skullcracker and Quake, and Technical Ability to 15 for License to Chrome and Built Different. Reflexes goes to 9 for Dash and to 15 for Air Dash, and Cool goes to 9 for Renaissance Punk along the way. Rip and Tear, Onslaught, Pain to Gain, Savage Sling and Edgerunner come last, since they need 20.

Perk Points: This build uses all 80 Perk Points at level 60: 38 in Body, 31 in Technical Ability and 11 in Reflexes.

Body Perks

The Body Perk-Tree is the heart of this build. The left branch is for the LMG and the shotgun, the middle branch is health regen and Adrenaline Rush, and the right branch is for Blunt Weapons, which includes the Gorilla Arms. We take almost all of it. Max it out to 20.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The health regen row, plus Fury Road for the car chases.

Perk	Description
Painkiller	Unlocks passive health regeneration during combat.
Comeback Kid	+4% Health Regen for each percent of missing Health. The lower your health, the faster you regenerate.
Army of One	+10% Health Regen for each nearby enemy. This build always has enemies nearby.
Speed Junkie	+100% Health Regen while sprinting.
Dorph-head	Using the Blood Pump or a health item gives you a big boost to Mitigation Chance for 1 second.
Fury Road	+50% collision damage to enemy vehicles and their occupants, -50% damage to your own vehicle, and no damage to you as an occupant. For the T2 truck chase moments.

Level 9 Perks

The gun branch on the left and the start of the Blunt branch on the right. The gun perks work with shotguns, LMGs and HMGs.

Perk	Description
Die! Die! Die!	Faster Stamina regen, then better weapon handling the lower your Stamina gets. It opens the whole gun branch.
Like a Feather	No movement speed penalty with shotguns, LMGs and HMGs. The Terminator walk, at full speed.
Bullet Ballet	-50% bullet spread while moving. I shoot the Wild Dog on the move, so this keeps it on target.
Don’t Stop Me Now	More Mitigation Chance and Mitigation Strength when your Stamina is low. Rip and Tear drains Stamina fast.
Wrecking Ball	-15% Stamina cost for Blunt attacks, then the ability to barrel into enemies while sprinting and blocking, with a chance to knock them down. The Terminator walks through people.
Breakthrough	-100% enemy Armor for 7 seconds after a Strong Attack with a Blunt Weapon. One Gorilla Arms Strong Attack and the target has no Armor left.
Fly Swatter	-40% incoming ranged damage while blocking with Blunt Weapons. Block with the Gorilla Arms and walk toward the shooters.

Level 15 Perks

Adrenaline Rush in the middle, Obliterate and Skullcracker on the left, Quake on the right.

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.
Calm Mind	A 3 second delay before Adrenaline starts decaying.
Unstoppable Force	Immunity to movement penalties, knockdown and blinding while Adrenaline Rush is active. Nothing stops the walk.
Bloodlust	While Adrenaline Rush is active, dismembering a nearby enemy gives you extra Adrenaline. Bloody Maria takes limbs off all the time.
Spontaneous Obliteration	More Crit Chance as your Stamina drains, +10% damage against nearby enemies, then Obliterate: a chance to instantly kill and dismember enemies at low Health.
Rush of Blood	Much faster reload for 1 second after dismembering an enemy. The shotgun is ready again right away.
Close-quarters Carnage	A higher chance to Obliterate enemies with ranged attacks at close range.
Dread	Ranged attacks strip enemy Armor, and dismemberment spreads the effect to nearby enemies. Works with the LMG and the shotgun.
Skullcracker	Quick Melee damage rises as your Stamina drops, up to +200% at 0 Stamina. It stacks with Rip and Tear. Rip and Tear explained.
Quake	-15% Stamina cost and +20% attack speed with Blunt Weapons, then Quake: slam the ground to damage and stagger everyone around you, with a chance of knockdown. It also works from midair as a Superhero Landing, and has a 10 second cooldown.
Aftershock	+30 Stamina for each enemy hit by Quake.
Ripple Effect	+15% Health for each enemy hit by Quake. One slam into five enemies refills most of the health bar.

Level 20 Perks

Body is at 20, so we take four capstones.

Perk	Description
Rip and Tear	+800% damage for the next Quick Melee Attack after you shoot an enemy with a shotgun, and +100% damage for the next shotgun shot after a Quick Melee hit. Shoot, bash, repeat. How the loop works.
Onslaught	+20% ammo refill after neutralizing an enemy with an LMG. The Wild Dog keeps going as long as enemies keep dying.
Pain to Gain	While Adrenaline Rush is active, every kill gives +20% health item recharge. Together with Glutton for War and Health Freak, I almost never run out of heals.
Finisher: Savage Sling	A Blunt finisher on enemies at low Health that restores 200% Health. Hold the button to throw the enemy instead, killing him and damaging the enemies where he lands.

Technical Ability Perks

The Technical Ability Perk-Tree keeps the chrome running. The left branch gives us health items and grenades, and the middle branch handles the cyberware and leads to Edgerunner. We skip the Tech weapon branch on the right. Max it out to 20.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

The health item perks on the left, and Gearhead for vehicle weapons.

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.
Gearhead	Vehicle-mounted weapons deal +25% damage and lock on faster. Fury Road for the collisions, Gearhead for the guns.

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.
Field Medic	15% faster health item use in combat.
Demolitions Surplus	+1 grenade charge, and much faster grenade recharge outside of 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 saves about 32 capacity in this build. Max it out.
Renaissance Punk	+4 Cyberware Capacity for each Attribute at 9 or higher. Body, Technical Ability, Cool and Reflexes all count, so that is +16 capacity.
Driver Update	Every cyberware gets an additional stat modifier.
Chipware Connoisseur	When you upgrade cyberware, you can choose between two stat modifiers, and from Tier 3 between three.
Lucky Day	+25% crafting components from looting. The Wild Dog eats a lot of Rifle Ammo, and this pays for crafting more.
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 the grenade perks on the left, chrome in the middle.

Perk	Description
Pyromania	Faster health item and grenade recharge, a bigger explosion radius for grenades, then Pyromania stacks when your explosions hit enemies.
Friendlier Fire	+50% resistance to damage and effects from your own explosions. Grenades at close range hurt you a lot less.
Heat Shield	Every Pyromania stack gives you Mitigation Chance. Grenade first, then walk in.
Burn This City	At 6 Pyromania stacks, the stacks are used up to instantly give you a grenade charge back, and their bonuses stay active for 1 more second.
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 next to the Shock Absorber.
Cyborg	-15% cooldown for all cyberware while every cyberware slot is filled. This build fills every one, so Second Heart comes back faster.
Built Different	Unlocks the Cellular Adapter for the Integumentary System, which you can then buy and install at any Ripperdoc.
Extended Warranty	+15% duration for all cyberware effects. The Reflex Tuner and the Blood Pump 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 23 points over, see the Cyberware section.

Skip: The Tech weapon branch (Bolt, Shock Value, Chain Lightning) does nothing for the Wild Dog or Bloody Maria, since both are Power weapons.

Reflexes Perks

The Reflexes Perk-Tree is only here for movement. We take the movement branch in the middle for Dash and Air Dash. A Terminator doesn’t dodge, but Mad Dash gets me into shotgun range fast. Reflexes goes to 18.

Perk Prioritization: Prioritize perks in bold.

Level 4 Perks

Slippery and the movement row.

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. With Like a Feather, I sprint with the LMG and keep firing.
Muscle Memory	Reload while sprinting, sliding and vaulting.

Level 9 Perks

Dash and everything behind it.

Perk	Description
Dash	Rank 1 cuts dodge and dash Stamina cost, rank 2 unlocks the Dash itself.
Can’t Touch This	+100% Mitigation Chance while dashing.
Steady Grip	Shoot while dashing.
Mad Dash	+100% Dash range toward enemies. The fastest way into shotgun and Gorilla Arms range.

Level 15 Perks

Air Dash, for Superhero Landings with Quake.

Perk	Description
Air Dash	Lower dash Stamina cost, faster dashes, then the ability to dash in midair. Jump, Air Dash over the group and come down with Quake.

Cool Perks

We don’t spend any perk points in Cool. It goes to 20 for the Attribute bonus: every Cool point adds +1.25% Crit Damage, so that is +25% Crit Damage on every bullet. Cool at 9 or higher also counts for Renaissance Punk, and the Shock Absorber, Visual Cortex Support and the Reflex Tuner each get +0.2% headshot and weakspot damage per Cool point.

Intelligence Perks

We leave Intelligence at 3 and spend nothing here.

Relic Perks (Phantom Liberty DLC)

The Relic tree only exists if you own Phantom Liberty, and it runs on Relic points rather than attribute levels. I take four perks: two to turn the Gorilla Arms into crowd control, and two to make every bullet hit harder.

Perk	Description
Jailbreak	Unlocks new abilities for all Arm cyberware. For the Gorilla Arms, every attack now charges them, and a fully charged Strong Attack deals massive damage and creates a shockwave that staggers everyone nearby.
Limiter Removal	The shockwave from a charged Gorilla Arms attack now knocks down all enemies within range. One charged punch and the whole group is on the floor.
Vulnerability Analytics	Shows Vulnerabilities on enemy armor and cyberware during combat. Hitting one gives 100% Crit Chance and +25% Armor Penetration, and destroying it sets off an EMP blast in a 3 metre radius. A 150-round LMG finds them fast.
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.

The other Relic points: I leave them unspent. Launch Capacity Override, Data Tunneling and Spatial Mapping are for the Projectile Launch System, the Monowire and the Mantis Blades, and Emergency Cloaking and Sensory Protocol are for stealth with Optical Camo.

Cyberware for the Terminator Build in Cyberpunk 2077

No Sandevistan, no Berserk, all armor: The Chrome Compressor turns the Operating System slot into +70 Cyberware Capacity, and that capacity goes into the endoskeleton: Rara Avis and the Epimorphic Skeleton under the skin, Chitin and the ProxiShield on top, and Second Heart for the moment it all fails. Every slot is filled, so Cyborg and Chrome Constitution are always on.

Cyberware Capacity: At level 60 you have 201 Cyberware Capacity, plus 15 from the Engineer skill tree, 16 from Renaissance Punk and 70 from the Chrome Compressor, so 302 in total. Everything marked bold or without a note below costs about 325 at Tier 5++, already including the -20% from All Things Cyber on the Skeleton and Integumentary System.

That is about 23 points over, and Edgerunner lets you go up to 50 over. It costs -0.5% Max Health per point, so about -12% Max Health. The Epimorphic Skeleton, Rara Avis, Chitin and Adrenaline Rush give a lot more than that back. Edgerunner needs 20 Technical Ability, so until you have it, use Subdermal Armor in place of Chitin. That brings you down to about 289, inside the limit.

Once you have collected Capacity Shards, you don’t lose any Max Health at all. I explain it in With all Capacity Shards below.

Important: Priority Cyberware is marked in bold.

• Operating System (Most Important)
• Frontal Cortex
• Face
• Arms
• Hands
• Skeleton
• Nervous System
• Circulatory System
• Integumentary System
• Legs
• With all Capacity Shards

Operating System

Cyberware	Description
Chrome Compressor	+70 Cyberware Capacity at Tier 5++, and it costs no capacity itself. No Sandevistan and no Berserk. The Terminator doesn’t need slow motion, and Berserk would lock out the LMG and the shotgun. The capacity bonus grows with its tier, so upgrade it early.

Location of items:

• Chrome Compressor: Iconic, sold by Ripperdocs across Night City, with availability scaling with your level and Street Cred.

Frontal Cortex

Cyberware	Description
Axolotl	-7.5% cooldown for all cyberware every time you neutralize an enemy. Second Heart comes back much faster in a big fight.
Self-ICE	Automatically negates an enemy quickhack, with a 20 second cooldown. This build can’t hack back, so it is my answer to enemy netrunners.
Mechatronic Core	+40% damage against drones, robots, mechs and turrets. A Terminator that kills machines. Only 5 capacity.

Location of items:

• Axolotl: Iconic, from Regina Jones after the gig Last Call, also sold by Dogtown Ripperdocs and found in airdrops.
• Self-ICE: Sold by any Ripperdoc after level 20.
• Mechatronic Core: Sold by Ripperdocs, with quality scaling as you level.

Face

Cyberware	Description
Kiroshi “The Oracle” Optics	After a scan, it highlights enemies within 19.5 m, including behind cover, cameras and turrets within 39 m, and explosives and traps within 29 m, for 60 seconds. It is attuned to Body, with +0.5 Health per point. My Terminator HUD.
Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics (With Shards)	+35% Crit Chance for every bullet. It replaces The Oracle once you have Capacity Shards.

Location of items:

• Kiroshi “The Oracle” Optics: Sold by Ripperdocs from level 30, with quality scaling by level.
• Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs from level 35 (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.

Arms

Cyberware	Description
Gorilla Arms	Metal fists that count as Blunt Weapons, so Quake, Breakthrough, Fly Swatter and Savage Sling all work with them. Jailbreak charges them with every attack, and a charged Strong Attack sends out a shockwave. Limiter Removal makes it knock everyone down. +6 to Body Attribute checks, and 20% Bleeding chance. Attuned to Body: +0.5% damage per point, so +10% at 20 Body.

Update 2.5 added Glamdocs, so you can now give the Gorilla Arms a chrome endoskeleton look. Visit one of the 5 Glamdocs (spray paint icon on the map) once you have them installed.

Location of items:

• Gorilla Arms: Any Ripperdoc from level 10, with quality scaling by level.

Hands

Cyberware	Description
Shock Absorber	-24% recoil, and every Cool point adds +0.2% headshot and weakspot damage, so +4% at 20 Cool. The Wild Dog gets faster the longer you hold the trigger, and this keeps it on target.
Ballistic Coprocessor	Increased ricochet chance with Power weapons, +35% ricochet damage and a preview of the ricochet path. The Wild Dog and Bloody Maria are both Power weapons. Only 2 capacity.
Immovable Force (With Shards)	-35% recoil and -25% bullet spread on every gun. It replaces the Shock Absorber once you have Capacity Shards.

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.
• Immovable Force: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.

Skeleton

Cyberware	Description
Rara Avis	+40% Armor, and +2 Health per Body point, so +40 Health at 20 Body. The endoskeleton.
Epimorphic Skeleton	+13% Max Health. It gives back what Edgerunner takes.
Titanium Bones	+62% Carrying Capacity for all the loot, and the cheapest way to fill the third slot for Chrome Constitution.

License to Chrome gives you the third Skeleton slot. Fill all three for Chrome Constitution.

Location of items:

• Rara Avis: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.
• Epimorphic Skeleton: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 30.
• Titanium Bones: Sold by any Ripperdoc, with quality scaling as you level.

Nervous System

Cyberware	Description
Neofiber	+11% Mitigation Chance and +11% Mitigation Strength, so you simply take less damage while you walk through the fight. Attuned to Reflexes: +0.1% Crit Chance per point.
Visual Cortex Support	More Crit Chance the farther you are from the enemy, up to +30% at 30 m. The Wild Dog does most of its work at range, before the shotgun comes out.
Reflex Tuner	Slows time by 60% for 4.5 seconds when your Health drops below 25%, with a 35 second cooldown. Time to heal or finish the last guy before Second Heart has to save you. Only 5 capacity.

Location of items:

• Neofiber: Any Ripperdoc after level 20.
• Visual Cortex Support: Sold by any Ripperdoc, with quality scaling as you level.
• Reflex Tuner: Sold by Ripperdocs, with quality scaling as you level.

Circulatory System

Cyberware	Description
Second Heart	+100% Health when your Health reaches 0, with a 200 second cooldown. It may not activate in some situations, such as falling from extreme heights. Cyborg cuts the cooldown by 15%, and the Axolotl takes another 7.5% off with every kill. I’ll be back. How Second Heart works.
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. Both hands stay on the LMG.

Location of items:

• Second Heart: Any Ripperdoc upon reaching level 30.
• Blood Pump: Ripperdocs from level 10.
• Biomonitor: Sold by Ripperdocs, with quality scaling as you level.

Integumentary System

Cyberware	Description
Chitin	An extremely durable shell under your skin, plus +10% Health Regen for every Body point, so +200% at 20 Body, on top of Painkiller, Comeback Kid and Adrenaline Rush.
ProxiShield	The closer an attacking enemy is, the less damage he deals: -20% at 3 m, tapering off to 0% at 6 m. That is exactly where the shotgun and the Gorilla Arms fight.
Cellular Adapter	A lot of Armor for only 10 capacity, plus explosion resistance and faster health item and grenade recharge for every Technical Ability point. It only shows up at Ripperdocs once you have the Built Different perk.
Subdermal Armor (Before Edgerunner)	A big chunk of Armor for only 5 capacity. It holds the slot until you have Edgerunner.

Location of items:

• Chitin: Iconic, Dogtown Ripperdocs (Phantom Liberty DLC), also found in Dogtown airdrops.
• ProxiShield: Sold by Ripperdocs, with quality scaling as you level.
• Cellular Adapter: Any Ripperdoc once you have the Built Different perk.
• Subdermal Armor: You get it during the intro quest The Ripperdoc, and Ripperdocs sell better versions as you level.

Legs

Cyberware	Description
Leeroy Ligament System	+20% movement speed. The Terminator walk, just faster.
Reinforced Tendons (Early Game)	Double jump. A second jump into a Superhero Landing with Quake. I use it until I have the Leeroy Ligament System.

Location of items:

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

With all Capacity Shards

Capacity Shards permanently raise your Cyberware Capacity by +2, +3, +4 or +6 each, depending on their tier. They drop from enemies, police scanner activities and airdrops until you have them all: 60 capacity from the base game and 14 more from Phantom Liberty. With all of them and the Chrome Compressor, you have 376 Cyberware Capacity, and 426 with Edgerunner.

The main loadout costs about 325, so you are under capacity and Edgerunner doesn’t cost any Max Health anymore. There is room for two upgrades:

• Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics: +35% Crit Chance on every bullet. You lose the highlighting through cover, but by then the crits are worth more.
• Immovable Force: -35% recoil and -25% bullet spread, so the Wild Dog stays on target even at full fire rate.

That brings the total to about 368 of 376, still under capacity. If you want Edgerunner’s Fury state, you can go over again, but every point over costs Max Health.

Weapons for the Terminator Build in Cyberpunk 2077

An LMG, a shotgun and two metal fists: The Wild Dog does the damage at range, Bloody Maria takes over up close, and the Gorilla Arms handle groups. Whenever I see a turret, I rip the HMG off it.

• Body perks like Like a Feather, Bullet Ballet and Onslaught boost LMGs, and Like a Feather works with HMGs too.
• Body perks like Rip and Tear, Spontaneous Obliteration and Dread boost shotguns.
• Body perks like Quake, Breakthrough and Finisher: Savage Sling boost Blunt Weapons, and the Gorilla Arms count as Blunt Weapons.
• LMGs use Rifle Ammo, and shotguns use Shotgun Ammo. Turret HMGs come loaded.

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

My loadout:

Item	Description
Wild Dog (Main)	My main weapon. An iconic Constitutional Arms Power LMG with a 150-round magazine. Repeated hits increase its fire rate and Crit Chance, and when it is empty, its Quick Melee deals massive damage. How to get the Wild Dog.
Bloody Maria (Shotgun)	My shotgun. More knockdown, Bleeding and dismemberment, and every enemy you take a limb off gives you faster reloads and more Crit Chance. Rip and Tear, Rush of Blood, Dread and Bloodlust all work with it. How to get Bloody Maria.
Mk. 31 HMG (From Turrets)	My minigun (From Turrets only). A Militech heavy machine gun with a 200-round magazine that I rip off enemy turrets. Like a Feather removes its movement penalty. How to rip turrets off.

Grenades: Any explosive grenade. The T-800 carries a grenade launcher in Terminator 2, so I throw a lot of them. Explosions build Pyromania stacks, Heat Shield turns those stacks into Mitigation Chance, and Burn This City gives you a charge back at 6 stacks.

Health item: MaxDOC MK.5 for the big instant heal. The Biomonitor uses it for you below 50% Health.

Best LMGs for a Terminator Build

Every LMG here works with Like a Feather, Bullet Ballet and Onslaught. These are my top 3, from best to worst:

1. Wild Dog (Power, Phantom Liberty): The best LMG for a Terminator Build. 150 rounds, more fire rate and Crit Chance the longer you hit, and massive Quick Melee damage when it is empty. It drops from Kurt Hansen at the end of Phantom Liberty. How to get it.
2. MA70 HB x-MOD2 (Power, Phantom Liberty): The best LMG for accuracy. Its iconic modifier greatly improves handling, so it stays on target during long bursts. It sits inside a crashed helicopter in Dogtown. How to get it.
3. Defender (Power): The best LMG for the early game. An 80-round Constitutional Arms LMG that any weapon vendor can sell you. It carries the build until the iconics. How to get it.

Heavy machine guns: HMGs like the Mk. 31 come from enemy turrets. I rip them off the mount and drop them when they are empty. How to rip turrets off.

Best Shotguns for a Terminator Build

Every shotgun here works with Rip and Tear, Spontaneous Obliteration and Dread. These are my top 3, from best to worst:

1. Bloody Maria (Power): The best shotgun for Rip and Tear. More knockdown, Bleeding and dismemberment, and every dismemberment triggers Rush of Blood, Dread and Bloodlust. Finish all of El Capitan’s gigs in Santo Domingo, then his side job Ride Captain Ride, and it shows up in your stash. How to get it.
2. Dezerter (Power, Phantom Liberty): The best shotgun for tanking. A double barrel with extreme firepower, and every kill engulfs you in flames that give you movement speed and Mitigation Chance. You get it by sparing Leon Rinder in Dogtown. How to get it.
3. Alabai (Power, Phantom Liberty): The best shotgun for long fights. 15 rounds before you reload, and burning pellets that set enemies on fire. Shots at burning enemies always crit. How to get it.

More double barrels: If you like the Dezerter, my Double Barrel Shotgun Build is built around it.

Wild Dog (Iconic Power LMG) – How To Get It

“This dog’s got a big appetite. Don’t forget to feed it.” Kurt Hansen’s LMG, and the heart of this build.

• Prerequisites: Phantom Liberty DLC, played up to the main mission Firestarter.
• Where: The escape from the stadium at the end of Firestarter.
• How to Get It: Help Reed capture Songbird. Kurt Hansen and his Barghest soldiers try to stop you on the way out, and that starts a boss fight with him. After he dies, loot his body for the Wild Dog and the Bald Eagle pistol.
• What to Do: When Hansen drops to 1% Health, complete the knife finisher prompt to also get his iconic knife, Fang.
• Note: If you side with Songbird, there is no fight with Hansen. Herold Lowe at the EBM Petrochem Stadium sells the iconic weapons you missed, so check his stock.

MA70 HB x-MOD2 (Iconic Power LMG) – How To Get It

“It’s time to bring out the big guns.” An iconic version of the MA70 HB with much better handling.

• Prerequisites: Phantom Liberty DLC, with Dogtown unlocked.
• Where: A crashed helicopter in Dogtown, near the Luxor High Wellness Spa fast travel point, in the middle of the zero-shaped part of the highway.
• How to Get It: From the fast travel point, head northeast, go under the overhang and slide down the overhangs. Push aside the metal sheet on the side of the helicopter, and the LMG is right in front of you.
• Note: It is easy to walk past. If you don’t see the helicopter, look down from the highway.

Defender (Power LMG) – How To Get It

A common Constitutional Arms LMG with an 80-round magazine, and my LMG until the Wild Dog.

• Prerequisites: None. It is available from Act 1.
• Where: Weapon vendors all over Night City, and as random loot from heavy enemies who carry LMGs.
• How to Get It: Buy it from any weapon vendor that has it in stock, or pick it up from a heavy enemy.
• Note: Weapon quality scales with your level, so buy a new one or upgrade it at the crafting bench as you level up.

Bloody Maria (Iconic Power Shotgun) – How To Get It

“As mean throughout all Night City as it is on the streets of Santo.” El Capitan’s thank-you for a lot of work in Santo Domingo, and my shotgun when the fight gets close.

• Prerequisites: Finish all of El Capitan’s gigs in Santo Domingo. That unlocks his side job Ride Captain Ride.
• Where: Santo Domingo, where Muamar “El Capitan” Reyes is the fixer.
• How to Get It: Finish Ride Captain Ride. Bloody Maria shows up in your stash afterward. Claim it from the stash to finish the quest.
• Note: It takes a while to finish every gig in Santo Domingo, so use any regular shotgun from a weapon vendor until then.

Dezerter (Iconic Power Double Barrel Shotgun) – How To Get It

“Faultless as far as murder weapons go.” You get the Dezerter by letting a man live, so read this before you walk into Rinder’s room.

• Prerequisites: Phantom Liberty DLC. Finish the main mission You Know My Name, which unlocks the gig The Man Who Killed Jason Foreman in the Longshore Stacks.
• Where: Investigate the crime scene, then follow the marker to Rinder’s hideout and fight your way to his room.
• How to Get It: Spare Rinder and make the deal. Exhaust his dialogue, then threaten his life. He gives you his dogtags and the location of a supply cache, and you tell your client he is dead.
• Next: The deal unlocks the side job Addicted to Chaos. Follow it to Rinder’s garage, open it with the code 1975 and take the Dezerter from the cache.
• Note: If you kill Rinder, there is no cache. Herold Lowe at the EBM Petrochem Stadium sells the Dezerter in that case.

Alabai (Iconic Power Shotgun) – How To Get It

“Responds to only one command: Sic ’em.” A Techtronika shotgun with burning pellets and 15 rounds in the magazine.

• Prerequisites: Phantom Liberty DLC, with Dogtown unlocked.
• Where: Dogtown airdrops. Watch for the airdrop notification and race the other gangs to the crate.
• How to Get It: Loot it from an airdrop. Some airdrops need platforming or a breach, and you may need a few drops before it shows up.
• Note: If it doesn’t drop for you, Herold Lowe at the EBM Petrochem Stadium sells it.

Terminator Outfit: How to Get It 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, the Epimorphic Skeleton, Chitin, the ProxiShield and Adrenaline Rush.

For the look, I go for the T-800 from Terminator 2: black leather, dark sunglasses and biker boots. These are the pieces:

• Face: Polycarbonate Sport Sunglasses
  • Location: The clothing vendors in Rancho Coronado and Arroyo, Santo Domingo.
• Outer Torso: Hardened Leather Rockerjack
  • Location: The clothing vendor in West Wind Estate, Pacifica. The Rockerjack with Anti-Puncture Mesh is a good backup, and you find it at the NCPD Assault in Progress activities in Downtown and Charter Hill.
• Inner Torso: Any plain black T-shirt
  • Location: Most clothing vendors sell plain T-shirts.
• Legs: Synth-Leather Pants (Glossy Umber or Chrome-Frost)
  • Location: Jinguji in Downtown, or Avante in Corpo Plaza, City Center. Update 2.5 added them.
• Feet: Icon America Blackout Salvage Utility Boots
  • Location: Ded Zed in Northside, the secondhand vendor at the trailer park in the Badlands, or the fashion store in West Wind Estate, Pacifica. Update 2.5 added them.

Clothing vendors rotate their stock, so if an item isn’t there, skip 24 hours and check again. West Wind Estate sells both the jacket and the boots, so I start there.

The motorcycle: The T-800 needs a bike. I ride the Kusanagi. With Fury Road, crashing into enemy cars hurts them and not you, and Gearhead adds +25% damage to vehicle-mounted weapons.

Chrome arms: Update 2.5 added Glamdocs, so your Gorilla Arms can show the endoskeleton. Visit one of the 5 Glamdocs (spray paint icon on the map) to give them a new look. It is cosmetic only.

Terminator 2 Easter Egg in Cyberpunk 2077

Night City has its own version of the truck chase through the drainage canal from Terminator 2:

1. Go to Arroyo, in the middle of Santo Domingo.
2. Find the raised road that runs along the big drainage channel.
3. On the road, you find a dead man, a destroyed robot and a huge truck.

This time the story ends the other way around: the truck made it, and the heroes didn’t. Loot the scene, there are some useful weapons lying around.

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: Terminator Build you want to focus on Solo, Engineer and Shinobi. Solo is the big one: every LMG, shotgun, HMG and Gorilla Arms kill levels it, and so does ripping turrets off their mounts. At level 20 the Gorilla Arms get +20% damage and attack speed, at level 40 you get +10% Crit Chance within 5 metres, at level 45 +25% Strong and Quick Melee damage on top of Rip and Tear, and at level 50 +25% Health after every Finisher. Engineer levels with grenade kills, crafting and upgrades. It gives the extra Cyberware Capacity this build counts on, +15% health item effectiveness at level 45 and +30% to all cyberware stat modifiers at level 50. Shinobi comes along with the dashing.

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/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 Terminator Build in Cyberpunk 2077

Here are a few general leveling tips for the Terminator 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. Gorilla Arms (Arms): Sold from level 10. Quake and Wrecking Ball work with them as soon as you have the perks.
   2. Reinforced Tendons (Legs): Allow you to double jump, which sets up Superhero Landings with Quake later.
   3. Shock Absorber (Hands): Sold from level 10. Less recoil for the LMG.
   4. Second Heart (Circulatory System): Sold from level 30, so save some eddies for it. Your extra life.
   5. Synaptic Accelerator (Nervous System): Slows time by 20% for 2s when enemy detection reaches 50%.
   6. 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 Terminator 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.

Cyberpunk 2077 Terminator Build FAQ

How do I make a Terminator build in Cyberpunk 2077?

Max out Body and Technical Ability, use an LMG and a shotgun with the Body gun perks, install Gorilla Arms and Second Heart, and fill the Operating System slot with the Chrome Compressor for more armor chrome. How I fight.

What is the best LMG in Cyberpunk 2077?

For this build, the Wild Dog: 150 rounds, more fire rate and Crit Chance the longer you hit, and massive Quick Melee damage when it is empty. The Defender is the best early LMG. See my LMG ranking.

How do I get the Wild Dog in Cyberpunk 2077?

In the Phantom Liberty mission Firestarter, help Reed capture Songbird. Kurt Hansen fights you during the escape from the stadium, and the Wild Dog drops from his body. Full walkthrough.

How does Rip and Tear work?

Shoot an enemy with a shotgun and your next Quick Melee Attack deals +800% damage. Hit an enemy with a Quick Melee Attack and your next shotgun shot deals +100% damage. Rip and Tear explained.

What does Second Heart do in Cyberpunk 2077?

It restores +100% Health when your Health reaches 0, with a 200 second cooldown. Cyborg and the Axolotl make that cooldown a lot shorter. How Second Heart works.

Can you rip turrets off in Cyberpunk 2077?

Yes. Walk up to a mounted turret and rip the heavy machine gun off it. Like a Feather removes the movement penalty, and you drop it once it is empty. How to rip turrets off.

Is there a Terminator Easter egg in Cyberpunk 2077?

Yes. On the raised road along the drainage channel in Arroyo, Santo Domingo, you find a dead man, a destroyed robot and a huge truck, a nod to the Terminator 2 canal chase. Where to find it.

Can I play the Terminator Build without Phantom Liberty?

Yes. Use the Defender as your LMG, Bionic Joints in place of Rara Avis, Subdermal Armor in place of Chitin and Reinforced Tendons in the Legs slot. You lose the Relic perks, so the Gorilla Arms have no shockwave, but Bloody Maria, Second Heart and the Chrome Compressor are all in the base game.

Related Cyberpunk 2077 Content

• Cyberpunk 2077 Builds Database