CD Projekt Red hasn’t given up on Cyberpunk 2077 quite yet, and they are trying their damnest to revive it. The 2.0 update promises a complete overhaul of the flawed game. Alongside this comes the Phantom Liberty update, adding new missions, perks, characters, and weapons to the already-packed game. The expansion takes place alongside the current quest, adding a new ending and some new options to play with, something the game desperately needed. However, is it a good idea to start a whole new character for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, or should you just continue where you left off?
A whole new character?
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty gives a few options for the latest expansion of the game. It is possible to start with your old character as long as you’re before the point of no return and have completed the Transmission quest. You can also play only the expansion. This begins with a character at level 20 and starts the game with preassigned perks after finishing the character creator. As a final option, you can begin again and wait until the end of Act One to be invited to Dogtown in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.
Use your old character
CD Projekt Red
I was used to the character I had in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. I didn’t want to have to go through the whole rigmarole of creating a new character in the game. Therefore, I decided to start my old game back up. I loaded up the save that had a total of about 45 hours in it just before the point of no return, cracked my fingers, and tried to remember the controls.
Honestly, remembering how everything worked was really tricky. There are a lot of mechanics in the game, and relearning the complex systems I had set up was a chore. However, with the new perk system, I was able to completely reassign my points. This was a great way to get to grips with the new system and really focus a build for the Phantom Liberty expansion.
I’m not sure I would recommend your old character as the best option for playing Phantom Liberty. Although you will have all your old weapons and a tricked-out skill tree which is nice. However, To really make the most of the expansion, it would be nice to have an empty arsenal. Then you can have an excuse to really get your teeth into all the new guns and augmentations.
Skip ahead in Phantom Liberty
If you don’t want to put yourself through the whole base game before you unlock Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, then you can start the game just before the events. You will be dropped into the game sometime after Act One with a level 20 character. Then you must distribute your perk points and create your character before embarking on the new Phantom Liberty expansion.
This seems to me to be the best option. It isn’t necessary to play through the whole game again. Now you can just enjoy the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion with a fresh character. I think this encourages not only exploration of the new guns but a whole new build for perks and cyberware.
CD Projekt Red
A fresh character for Phantom Liberty
If you haven’t played the game yet, I would suggest going back and beginning from the beginning. You will get the context you need, be properly introduced to the world of Cyberpunk 2077, and get a more immersive experience. In my opinion, despite its flaws, the base game is significantly better than the expansion. You would be doing it a disservice not experiencing it fully.
Starting with a fresh character will let you choose new life paths, create a whole new character, and completely build from the ground up. By the time Act One ends and Phantom Liberty begins, you will be perfectly in tune with your character.
This option is the ideal choice for anyone starting out in the game for the first time.
