It’s been said often enough, but these three years since Cyberpunk 2077 have been excruciatingly long for fans and the development team. Numerous updates have been released, adding new features and fixes, but following Update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty, it seemed like support for the first-person action RPG was well and truly over.
That is, until CD Projekt RED confirmed Update 2.1, also launching on December 5th alongside the Ultimate Edition for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. It promised some “hotly anticipated” gameplay elements, which is an understatement based on the developer’s recent Twitch stream. Here are the ten biggest things you need to know about the update, though beware of spoilers for the base game’s story. This isn’t everything in the update, so expect other surprises when it goes live.
Metro System
Remember the very first cinematic trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 from E3 2018? The one that showcased V riding the metro as it looked out over the futuristic city? Once thought impossible, CD Projekt RED has confirmed the addition of the metro system with Update 2.1. After completing the heist at Konpeki Plaza in the story, the player will receive a text message informing them that the metro is now open.
There are 19 unique metro stations to visit, separated into five lines – a big step down compared to the map seen in the 2018 trailer, but it’s far preferable to nothing. You can either fast travel instantly between locations using the metro or ride on it in real-time, observing fellow passengers and the city, keeping track of the stations and changing lines to reach your destination. It’s possible to skip ahead whenever you get your fill of journeying, but fans will want to stick around for unique interactions and dialogue between passengers.
Listening to Music While Walking
So you like exploring the city outside of vehicles but want to be able to listen to your favorite music? Cue the Radioport, which allows listening to Night City’s radio stations while on foot. There are some limitations – it won’t play during conversations and switches off automatically in sequences with scripted music, so don’t count on dubbing some of the more serious moments with some of the crazier tracks. Nevertheless, for those who prefer exploring on foot, this is an excellent new feature that ensures they always have Night City Radio’s sick beats at hand.
New Motorcycles and a Special Porsche 911
For those seeking new vehicles, a special version of Johnny Silverhand’s Porsche 911 – with sleek logos for his band Samurai – is also coming in the update. It requires a “secret” to unlock, which may also involve a quest, so it’s best to wait for the update to drop more and delve into it first-hand. There are also five new motorcycles from existing brands to pick up and run around.
Motorcycle Tricks and Throwable Weapons
Even if you never really messed around with motorcycles, you might want to try them out in update 2.1. There are all kinds of new tricks to pull off, from flips and wheelies to leaning while riding (especially on the highway between Wellsprings and Japantown, which will be fully functional and populated with traffic).
Players can also use throwables like knives and axes while on a motorcycle, no longer being limited to guns and melee weapons while riding around. How often players will use this when they’re escaping from cops as opposed to playing “pin the knife on the random NPC” at high speeds remains to be seen, but it’s good news for someone.
Car Chases With Gangs
The gangs of Night City are very interesting, and any opportunity to further interact with them outside of the story, especially on the streets, is welcome. So, how about some actual substantial consequences for killing members of certain gangs? If you went ahead and did this (say during a quest), they may suddenly appear on the road while you’re driving, seeking revenge.
Escaping or taking them down is necessary, but you can expect various triggers for these chases based on the decisions made throughout the game. It adds another layer of immersion to the game and showcases the fallout of your actions. Interestingly, there are also cases in certain Gigs where, after stealing a car that’s part of the objective, enemies will pursue you, resulting in a car chase.
Replayable Races
Have you ever enjoyed the car races and wished more were replayable? That’s another aspect of Update 2.1. After finishing Claire Russell’s quests, you can then replay other races. While it should be fun for veteran players, newcomers are encouraged to try them out, since wins grant discounts on vehicles purchased through Auto Fixer. Whether you fancy a better ride or want to complete your vehicle collection, these discounts provide a nice edge.
Boss Fight Improvements
Speaking of edge, Adam Smasher is getting some quality-of-life changes with this update. The Arasaka head of security is presented as a big deal in the story but is quite the pushover during the boss fight. Recognizing this – and seeing the reception to him in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners – CD Projekt RED is improving the fight in many ways. Adam Smasher is much more aggressive and employs Sandevistan to move around at high speeds, just like in the anime. If you haven’t fought him yet and wonder what the big deal is, hopefully, these changes will present a bigger challenge.
New Accessibility Features
Building on the accessibility features added in previous patches, the update adds even more options. Everything is relocated to a new Accessibility tab in the Settings menu for easier navigation. Larger fonts for specific text are being implemented, including stats and database entries to loading screen tips “most” of the tooltips, and there’s also an option to turn off the timer in the Breach Protocol hacking mini-game.
You can also increase the size of the HUD, remove Chromatic Aberration and Lens Distortion from it and even cut out decorative elements for a cleaner look. An option to turn cycling to arm cyberware on or off when cycling through your equipped weapons is also available at long last.
DualSense Support on PC
If you have a DualSense controller and want to experience all of its functions on PC, then good news – support is also coming in Update 2.1. Of course, you can adjust the intensity of the adaptive triggers in the accessibility settings or turn them off altogether if you only care about haptic feedback. Either way, it’s a good way for PC players to experience the same functionality as on PS5 without owning the console.
No New Game Plus
While Update 2.1 looks and sounds incredible, one highly requested feature will remain absent when it goes live: New Game Plus. As global community director Marcin Momot told fans on Twitter, it’s “not something in our plans.” Never say never and all that jazz, especially since CD Projekt RED claimed Update 2.0 was the last major content update, and here we are. To reiterate, however, it’s not coming in next week’s update or at all for the foreseeable future.
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