Cyberpunk 2077 has a wide cast of characters that can show either the worst or the best sides of the people who live in Night City. While some of these characters show up for side jobs and only in pivotal moments, some others accompany you as friends or even lovers.
As you reach the end of the questline involving River Ward, the hardened cop with a heart of gold, you can go through several choices that culminate in an opportunity for V to find romance, in one of the most heartfelt relationships you can have in the game.
Updated September 20, 2023, by Santi Leguiza: We've overhauled this guide to enhance readability and ensure that all of the information is accurate.
How To Unlock
To unlock the 'Following the River' side job, you must save River's nephew Randy during the quest 'The Hunt' and express your interest in River during the final conversation of that quest. Following that, he should call you after a few in-game days, inviting you to have a meal with him, his sister, and her two kids.
Dinner And Video Games
Once you arrive at Joss' house, River will task you with stirring some of his homemade Jambalaya, and then sending you inside to get some rice. You'll find Joss here, and you can speak with her about Randy to know more about his current state, before collecting the rice for River.
River will then ask if you two can have a conversation, and will start telling you the story of how his parents passed away.
You can interrupt this story by telling him he doesn’t have to speak about such personal issues - this will not harm your chances of romancing him.
Eventually, the kids will ask you to play a VR game with them, and he will ask you to let the kids win. This minigame will involve shooting some stationary objectives, and it'll be quickly interrupted by their mom calling everyone for dinner.
At one point during the family dinner, the kids will start to poke fun at V and River maybe being a couple, and you can choose to flirt with River here.
Water Tower Conversation
As the dinner comes to an end, River will lead you to the top of the water tower, which will involve opening a locked door and climbing for a bit. Once you're up there, he will give you his Iconic revolver Crash, and during this conversation, it'll be very important to choose your dialogue carefully if you want to romance the former police officer.
Keep in mind that you will only be able to romance River if your V has a female appearance.
Choose these dialogue options to romance River and unlock the intimate scene.
- 'Your pistol?'.
- 'That a pick-up line?'.
- 'Your decision doesn't matter here, choose any of the three'.
- 'I can see what you're doin'.
- 'Just don't fall in love'.
- '[Kiss]'
With that, a cutscene with River will begin no matter what you do, but if you shoot down his advances, it won't be intimate and the two of you will spend a night just getting drunk.
The Next Morning
If you choose not to sleep with River, there will be a brief and funny conversation, and the quest will end. But if you did romance River, this is your chance to consolidate your relationship by picking the option to kiss him again and telling him that you enjoy his company.
If you want this to be nothing more than a one-night stand, explain to River that it was purely physical, and the romance will end right there.
Following The River Quest Rewards
The rewards for finishing this mission will vary depending on the outcome, and they're the following items:
- 'Crash' Unique revolver.
- 'Big Trouble In Heywood' game box memorabilia for your apartment.
- River's Tank Top equipment (only if you romance him).