WhenCyberpunk 2077launched back in December 2020, CD Projekt Red’s action-RPG made news headlines for all the wrong reasons. Despite attaining commercial success, the game was littered with technical issues, particularly on PS4 and Xbox One. To exacerbate the situation, multiple class-action lawsuits were also filed against the publisher for allegedly making fraudulent claims about the quality ofCyberpunk 2077during its marketing campaign. With that timeline in mind, many players likely assumed there was a decent chance that things would never fully be fixed.
Fast-forward 14 months, though, andCyberpunk 2077and CD Projekt Red are back in the news once again. In an attempt to correct past mistakes, the Warsaw-based studio has just released the game’s 1.5 patch update. Beyond being designed to address the complaints and issues that players ran into during its initial launch period,Cyberpunk 2077is now also available onPS5 and Xbox Series X/Sfollowing the update. Keeping the game’s complex history and new, current generation versions in mind, it’s perhaps unsurprising that there’s an extensive list of content for fans to explore as a result of the patch.
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Cyberpunk 2077’s New Fixes
The majority ofCyberpunk 2077’s Patch 1.5is dedicated to fixes that make the game’s UI, mechanics, and other features function like they should have at launch. So much so that it could take players weeks to see each in action. Fixed mission progression and the removal of T-posing NPCs and clipping are just the tip of a substantial list. Combat is arguably the department that’s been renovated the most, though. Issues that prevented enemy AI from aiding their comrades in battle, even if they’d witnessed them die, have been stamped out. These fixes, in addition to more general combat balancing, have had the knock-on effect of making the game play more like it was originally envisioned.
Due to the long list of issues that plaguedCyberpunk 2077when it first launched, some of the fixes that have been implemented could be perceived as new content. Back in 2020, the game’s enemy AI and pedestrian NPCs were criticized by fans for not being particularly intelligent.Cyberpunk 2077’s 1.5 Patch tackles both of these groups in ways that fundamentally alter the content of the game. In general the enemies that V runs into are now more nuanced and capable fighters. Beyond taking cover and implementing tactics, hostile factions will behave uniquely from one another. In terms ofNight City’s other NPCs, they too will act more appropriately when faced with danger and can even engage the player in combat when provoked.
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Cyberpunk 2077’s New Driving Model
Thanks to an extensively redesigned driving model, players might find themselves bumping into NPC pedestrians less frequently followingCyberpunk 2077’s newest patch. Beyond remodeling the clutch, gearbox, and engine characteristics of every vehicle in the game, a new ABS braking system has been implemented to consistently improve drivability, handling, and stability across the board. Headlining the game’s new driving model is theall new Burn Out Mode, which adds more simulation-style mechanics to the experience. Players can now subsequently heat up their tires in order to enact a drag-race style launch, whilst also initiating easier to control brake stands, donuts, and drifts.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Balance Changes
When it comes fixes, it should be noted that CD Projekt Red has gone beyond just fixing what was already in place. The studio has also takenCyberpunk 2077’s relaunch as an opportunityto balance and expand other parts of the experience. Aspects like the game’s Cyberware mechanics have been tweaked in an attempt to make them more enjoyable. Cooldowns are now properly displayed by the ‘Blood Pump’ Cyberware for example, while activating ‘Berserk’ doubles V’s stamina instead of extending it infinitely. The character’s ‘Evasion’ stat has also been jettisoned from the experience in order to achieve similar results, with ‘Mitigation Chance’ and ‘Mitigation Strength’ being introduced in its place.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Perk system is another area that has been tinkered with heavily, as many individual Perks having been moved within the skill tree for starters.Six Perks like ‘Bloodswell’ and ‘Epimorphosis’have even been redesigned to make them more relevant. In order to keep the experience fulfilling, 5 brand-new Perks have also been thrown to the mix, often at the expense of less useful ones. The ‘Commando’ Perk, for example, which allowed the player to be undetectable underwater, has been replaced by ‘Looking Sharp,’ which blinds enemies that V has hit in the head with the game’s updated throwing knives.
The economy ofCyberpunk 2077’s Night City sandboxhasn’t been exempt from the balancing treatment, either. In addition to earning more loot and rewards from the game’s extensive list of missions and side-quests, players will now experience decreased prices from the city’s vendors. It should be noted that CD Projekt Red’s balancing attempts have been rounded out by the fact that the game’s Easy mode is now slightly more challenging.
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Cyberpunk 2077’s Additional Content
Considering how much time has passed sinceCyberpunk 2077launched, some fans likely assumed that the game’s return would be accompanied by new DLC content. While the colossal effort that was needed to make the game more playable has prevented CD Projekt Red from creating a true expansion, Patch 1.5 does add some smaller-scale features to the mix. None of these are story-based like long-term fans of the game are probably craving, though. The closest the studio gets to implementing this sort of content is through new interactions and messages withCyberpunk 2077’s romanceable characters, and the option to sleep at their apartments.
Four new apartments are also rentable by V through a one-time fee on the EZEstates website. These range from a cheap option found within the map’s Northside region all the way to amore affluent Corpo Plaza-based apartment. All the new property additions can be decorated in unique ways, as can the game’s older pre-existing ones. What’s more, CD Projekt Red has made each of the game’s properties more useful from a more general gameplay perspective as well. Completing actions like showering or resting in an apartment’s bed will now lead to V’s stats being temporarily buffed. Resting in a bed, for example, will give the protagonist the ‘Refreshed’ status condition that activates a +20% XP boost.
How players express themselves duringCyberpunk 2077’s gritty narrativehas been expanded too. Beyond new photo mode options and the ability to customize V’s appearance via mirrors found in the game’s apartments, CD Projekt Red has added two brand-new weapon options. At Wilson’s 2nd Amendment store, players will now be able to buy the Darra Polytechnic Umbra, a power assault rifle, and the Budget Arms Guillotine submachine gun. If these powerful new weapons weren’t enough, several attachments have been added into the mix in an effort to improveCyberpunk 2077’s established arsenal. Four new weapon scopes are subsequently available, alongside 10 new muzzle brakes for handguns, assault rifles, and submachine guns. These additions, alongside some much-needed UI quality of life changes, should make gunplay more enjoyable.
Cyberpunk 2007’s Technical Updates
Despite the necessity to address the issues thatCyberpunk 2077launched with, in many ways the game’s current generation ports are what fans are going to be talking about the most. While the graphical fidelity, effects, and performance stability of every incarnation of the game has been improved by Patch 1.5, thePS5 and Xbox Series Xhave access to graphic modes that are missing on the other consoles. Performance Mode ensures smooth 60fps gameplay, while Ray Tracing Mode alternatively adds its titular feature to the mix alongside improved shadows and a 30fps frame-rate. As an added bonus, current generation console and PC owners can uncover exclusive secrets within Night City that were previously impossible to implement.
Even though it’s fair to say that CD Projekt Red has had a strained relationship with Sony in recent years, thanks toCyberpunk 2077’s temporary removal from the PlayStation store, the PS5 port of the game still features elements that fans have come to expect from titles on the platform.Full DualSense support tops the billingin terms of new features, with the controller’s haptic triggers being a factor in the experience alongside support for its built-in speaker. 3D audio is now available via compatible headsets and speakers within the PS5 version of the game for the first time as well.
Cyberpunk 2077is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
