Cyberpunk 2077 allows players to pursue a spectrum of play styles. From being a brute to being the ultimate Netrunner, there is no wrong way to play through CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077, aside from playing on last-generation consoles. This guide will help you make the best Netrunner (hacker) build. Cyberpunk 2077 does let you allocate some stats at the beginning of the game, but you won't truly become the ultimate hacker unless you play like one too.

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Creating the Ultimate Netrunner build is no easy feat, but it can be rewarding if you stick to it. It can be slightly confusing to Quickhack, level up, and find the best upgrades. Moreover, it can be challenging to figure out what helps you become a better Netrunner. Fortunately, you can find the information for all of that below.

Updated June 24, 2023, by Sean Murray: Hacking the world of Cyberpunk 2077 remains as potent today as it did when the game first launched. That's why we've refreshed this guilde to be a bit shorter and given it better formatting to make it easier to build the ultimate hacker.

Building The Best Netrunner

You may think that building the best Netrunner means forgoing other skills or abilities unrelated to hacking. While you want to focus your build on hacking, it cannot be your only skill. You need skills like Cool, Reflex, and Body to survive Night City.

Unfortunately, Cyberpunk 2077 is not quite as accommodating as it advertised it would be. There are a lot of situations where players must be stealthy, forced into firefights, or forced to fight enemies they can not quite reach with their fists — this applies to Cyberpunk 2077's hacker builds as well.

So having a backup method of damage is necessary and makes for a better build. Going for a melee-versed Netrunner seems a bit counterintuitive, though there are some ways to pull it off. That said, why not carry around a revolver and put some points into Cool just in case? Additionally,

Netrunners mostly sneak around waiting for RAM to respawn anyway, so it only makes sense to invest some skill points into stealth. When constructing your ultimate hacker, think about the unexpected situations you will encounter. Balancing your skills will go a long way in increasing your effectiveness as a hacker.

Why You Should Farm Access Points

It is important to start collecting access points as you explore Night City. Doing so will let V build up a massive collection of Components and Eddies that they can then turn into Cyberware and Quickhacks. As mentioned, your hacker build does not stop after you assign skill points to the character creator. In Night City, you have to buy your talent.

Access Points are everywhere in Cyberpunk, and with the perk Extended Network Interface, these Access Points appear on the map. So always hack these, and try to get as many sequences as possible.

Additionally, several Perks increase the number of resources gained from this activity. If you make this a habit, you will have less trouble trying to scrape together cash in the late game.

How The Breach Protocol Hacking Mini-Game Works

The mini-game at each access point is called Breach Protocol. It is confusing at first, but it is simple once you understand how it works. Essentially, there are three codes on the right of the screen (V1, V2, and V3). The V3 code will always pay out the most rewards, so always target that code.

There is a timer in this game, but it does not start until you make your first move. So take your time before you start punching in the code.

Say the code for V3 is 55 - BD - 1C, the code for V2 is BD - 1C, and the code for V1 is E9 - 55. And in the right corner, you see you have four moves total before you get locked out. In the top row for the matrix, you spot E9, and below it is 55. If you press E9 and then 55, you will solve V1.

But then you also notice BD to the right or left of 55. If you press 55, you then also solve V2. You have one move left, but fortunately, there is a 1C above or below the 55. You then solve all three codes and get the maximum reward. That is the idea behind the puzzle.

Unfortunately, solving all three is sometimes difficult or virtually impossible. Rest assured that if you solve at least one of the three codes underneath the max amount of moves, you will get a reward.

Here are a few tips to always remember about breach protocol:

• Aim for two lines. It is not easy (especially early on) to get all three. Go from the third line, complete it, move on to trying for the second line, and so on.
• Buffer is part of V's Cyberdeck, so the better that is, the more wiggle room players have to get all three Sequences.
• Clicking the first number/letters starts the timer.
• Generate a new puzzle by backing out before it starts and going back in. If players want to get all three every time, this is the best (but most tedious) method.

Breach Protocol is essential for those who want to maximize their Cyberpunk hacker build. Sure, it is an annoying mini-game at times, but the rewards and experience you gain from completing these puzzles are worthwhile.

Plus, you can even apply area effects by completing these puzzles. There is an entire skill tree dedicated to Breach Protocol. This skill tree lets players build up a wide variety of Breach Protocol Daemons. For instance, one reduces Physical Resistance, one blinds everyone connected to the network, and another can shut down all the cameras and turrets.

But, most importantly, it is free to use! So using Breach Protocol at every possible chance is an easy way to level up the Quickhacking skill.

Become The Best Netrunner: Learn How To Quickhack

Quickhacks are the primary weapon of a skilled Netrunner. You can equip Quickhacks in your cyberdeck and use them while using your scanner.

You will also have a cyberdeck with a limited amount of RAM. Every Quickhack uses some RAM to work. If you do not have enough RAM, you cannot use that Quickhack. RAM will recover over time.

There are five types of Quickhacks you should know if you want to be a Netrunner:

Combining Quickhacks with certain Special Abilities/Legendary Passives is key to becoming a powerful Netrunner.

Quickhacks like Whistle or Request Backup make it easy to gather everyone in one area. Once that happens, V can unleash one simple Contagion, and a whole group of enemies is gone in a flash. It makes the player feel like they're going around carrying biohazard WMDs in their head.

Related: Cyberpunk 2077 Complete Easter Egg Guide

Level Up Skill Progression By Hacking Everything

Skill Progression in Cyberpunk 2077 works similarly to other popular RPGs such as Skyrim, where the more V performs activities related to a skill, the quicker it levels up. Every floodlight turned on and every vending machine V hacks leads to getting their Quickhacking skill higher.

That is great because there are a lot of incredibly beneficial passive skills in the Quickhacking progression tree.

Find Every Ripperdoc Location To Discover High-Rarity Cyberdecks And Quickhacks

You should go around and take note of what all the available Ripperdocs have in stock. There are a few reasons why you expend the time and effort to do this:

• Many Ripperdocs carry Cyberdecks of varying rarities.
• Each Cyberdeck has specific qualities that work better with different builds.
• There is a significant difference in utility between Uncommon and Rare Quickhacks, so grabbing these as early as possible makes V feel stronger.
• One Ripperdoc becomes significantly cheaper to shop at after a side quest.

Once you know where to buy specific rare pieces of Cyberware, you will have a better idea of what type of Netrunner you want to be.

The Best Hacking Perks In The Quickhacking Tree

There are specific perks that are better within the Quickhacking Tree, especially early on. These perks, in particular, can make a difference within the first ten levels of the game. Some of those perks include:

Being able to regenerate RAM in combat is sort of the foundation of a Netrunner build, so make sure to max out these Perks ASAP.

The Best Legendary Passives For Netrunner Builds

On top of regular Quickhacks are Legendary Quickhacks. These also have passive bonuses as long as that Quickhack is in your Cyberdeck.

The fan-favorite seems to be Legendary Ping since it lets people hack enemies through walls. The Ping Quickhack is very powerful, but it can become even more powerful if you pair it with another Legendary Quickhack.

For example, if you pair Legendary Ping with Legendary Sonic Shock, you can quickly disconnect enemies from the network with your ping.

Unlocking Epic/Legendary Quickhack Crafting

It does not seem like players realize how early they can start crafting the most overpowered Quickhacks. Spoiler alert — it's pretty dang early.

The Rare Crafting Perk becomes available at 12 Attribute Points, while the Epic variant opens up only 4 Attribute Points later. And, because players can start the game with 6 Points in Intelligence, they can get both of these perks by Level 10 if they focus or, at worst, by level 15.

But before you do that, you must collect components to craft these Quickhacks. You can collect crafting components by searching containers, dissembling items, and buying them from vendors. You can also find the crafting tab in the pause menu.

By doing so, you can turn a build from something useless into one of Cyberpunk's overpowered Quickhack builds.

NEXT: Cyberpunk 2077 Complete Guide And Walkthrough