Best Cyberpunk 2077 builds for Update 2.1

Rishabh Sabarwal
Cyberpunk 2077 builds guide

Cyberpunk 2077’s latest update pushed the game’s combat further with refined mechanics that offer players a more immersive and comfortable experience. Here are the best builds you can try out in the game’s 2.1 update.

The introduction of the 2.1 update alongside the Phantom Liberty expansion added new dimensions to Cyberpunk 2077, drawing players to explore Night City’s streets with newly available skills.

Whether you are a Cyberpunk veteran or a newcomer to the dystopian world, you have more options to experiment with attributes, skills, and perks to find your best character build. So, to give you a head start, here are some of the finest builds in Cyberpunk 2077’s Update 2.1.

Best Solo build

Solo Slammer Build in Cyberpunk 2077
The best Solo build lets you smash your enemies ruthlessly.

The Solo build is one of the most powerful builds in Cyberpunk 2077, allowing you to destroy enemies with heavy melee weapons and firearms that make you a formidable opponent. With the upgraded skills and attributes introduced in 2.0, you can now utilize new cyberware mods and gain access to new perks.

You can absorb massive amounts of damage as a Solo and charge into combat. Additionally, you can utilize explosives to eliminate enemies and take advantage of your high health bar. And, what’s more, the 2.1 update has added a ton of quality-of-life changes to the movement that has buffed melee builds substantially.

Here is how you must distribute your points and equip weapons and cyberware in order to construct a Solo build for the Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 update:

  • Attribute Points: 20 Body, 20 Reflexes, 20 Technical Ability, 9 Intelligence and 12 Cool.
  • Perks Required: Rip and Tear, Onslaught, Pain to Gain, Quake, Wrecking Ball, Adrenaline Rush, Painkiller, Die-Die-Die! and Spontaneous Obliteration.
  • Finishers Required: Savage Sling.
  • Cyberware Mods Required: Gorilla Arms, BioDyne Berserk, and Titanium Bones.
  • Weapons Recommended: Sasquatch’s Hammer, Gold Plated Baseball Bat, and Budget Arms Carnage Shotgun.

You can head over to the Solo Build Planner to learn more about this build and how you can distribute your Perk and Attribute points in the game.

Best Ninja build

Ninja Build in Cyberpunk 2077
The best Ninja build in update 2.1 lets you slash your way past enemies swiftly.

The Ninja build is one of the fastest builds in Cyberpunk 2077, enabling you to slash your way through enemies when speed is of the essence. With the newly added stealth skills and reflex attributes introduced in update 2.0, you can unleash V’s inner samurai in Night City to dodge and quickly slay enemies in style.

With the Ninja build active, you can use your hacking skills in conjunction with stealthy melee combat for a lethal and evasive approach.

Here is how you must distribute your points and equip weapons and cyberware in order to construct a Ninja build for Cyberpunk 2077 2.1:

  • Attribute Points: 9 Body, 20 Reflexes, 9 Technical Ability, 14 Intelligence and 20 Cool.
  • Perks Required: Dash, Slaughterhouse, Lead and Steel, Opportunist, Tailwind, Sharpshooter, Killer Instinct, Ninjutsu, Vanishing Act, and Style over Substance.
  • Finishers Required: Bladerunner.
  • Cyberware Mods Required: Kerenzikov, Microrotors, and Arasaka Mk. 4 (in case you want to use quickhacks) or QianT “Warp Dancer” Sandevistan Mk.5 (for slowing time).
  • Weapons Recommended: Errata Thermal Katana, Seraph Pistol with Suppressor, and Psalm 11:6 Assault Rifle with Suppressor.

You can head over to the Ninja Build Planner to learn more about this build and how you can distribute your Perk and Attribute points in the game.

Best Netrunner build

Netrunner Build in update 2.0
The best Netrunner build will let you defeat enemies using quickhacks.

Being a Netrunner in Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City is among the game’s best builds. It enables you to incapacitate enemies from a greater distance while hiding in the shadows. Simply use your hacking skills to employ malicious quickhacks against foes and flaunt your netrunning abilities in the game.

Being a Netrunner can grant you up to 30 additional Cyberdeck RAM slots and the ability to deploy multiple quickhacks against a single enemy. Additionally, you can now control vehicles and use them to crush your foes.

What’s more, the new Feen-X Cyberware is essential for players who burn through their RAM in fights. It’s a new addition in the 2.1 update, and the fact that it grants players 250% increased RAM regen will let you spam much more often.

Once your enemies are weakened, use your cyberware implants to close in for a lethal strike.

Here is how you must distribute your points and equip weapons and cyberware in order to construct a Netrunner build for the Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 update:

  • Attribute Points: 17 Body, 20 Reflexes, 20 Technical Ability, 20 Intelligence and 4 Cool.
  • Perks Required: Edgerunner, License to Chrome, All Things Cyber, Hack Queue, Queue Mastery, Embedded Exploit, Overclock, Carhacker and Dash.
  • Finishers Required: Livewire.
  • Cyberware Mods Required: Ex-Disk, RAM Upgrade, NetWatch Netdriver Mk.5, Smart Link, and Monowire. Feen-X is also worth considering.
  • Weapons Recommended: Errata Thermal Katana, Divided We Stand Assault Rifle, Nekomata Sniper Rifle, Kongou Pistol, and Prototype: Shingen Mark V SMG.

You can head over to the Netrunner Build Planner to learn more about this build and how you can distribute your Perk and Attribute points in the game.

David Martinez’s Edgerunner build

David's Sandevistan Build
David’s Edgerunner build is one of the most overpowered in the game.

Are you looking to unleash your inner Edgerunner and amp up the chrome? This build, inspired by David Martinez from the Cyberpunk Edgerunners anime, will allow you to become the most chromed mercenary in Night City, giving Adam Smasher the jitters.

With the upgraded perks and attributes introduced in Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.0, you can now unleash the full power of Sandevistan and become a Night City legend in a blaze of glory. However, with tremendous power comes even greater dangers.

Update 2.1 also restricts the number of cyberware implants you can install to prevent you from becoming a cyberpsycho like David and maintains V’s physical fitness to fight for their survival.

Here is how you must distribute your points and equip weapons and cyberware in order to construct a David Martinez build for the Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 update:

  • Attribute Points: 20 Body, 19 Reflexes, 19 Technical Ability, 3 Intelligence and 20 Cool.
  • Perks Required: Edgerunner, License to Chrome, Pain to Gain, Rip, and Tear, Air Dash, Nerves of Tungsten Steel, Run N Gun, and All Things Cyber.
  • Finishers Required: Savage Sling.
  • Cyberware Mods Required: Zetatech Sandevistan, Gorilla Arms, Newton Module, Kiroshi “Cockatrice” Optics, Microrotors, Blood Pump, Dense Marrow and Reinforced Tendons.
  • Weapons Recommended: M-10AF Lexington Pistol, DB-2 Satara Shotgun, O’Five Sniper Rifle and Guts Shotgun.

You can head over to the David Martinez Build Planner to learn more about this build and how you can distribute your Perk and Attribute points in the game.

Lucy’s Netrunner build

Lucy's Netrunner Build
Lucy’s Netrunner build is amazing if you like to deep dive in the net.

In Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Lucy’s netrunning abilities are more than just a tool – they’re evidence of her ingenuity, resourcefulness, and willpower. She is a digital maverick who deftly moves through cyberspace, exposing secrets, fighting corpos, and forming relationships that prove pivotal to the plot.

With the update 2.0 upgraded perks and abilities, you can be a ruthless netrunner and create your own build to hack your way through the game and be a legend like Alt Cunningham once was.

Here is how you must distribute your points and equip weapons and cyberware in order to construct a Lucy’s Netrunner build for the Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 update:

  • Attribute Points: 15 Body, 20 Reflexes, 15 Technical Ability, 15 Intelligence and 16 Cool.
  • Perks Required: Eye in the Sky, Hack Queue, Queue Acceleration, Overclock, Embedded Exploit, Optimization, Stuntjock, Dash, All Things Cyber, License to Chrome, Health Freak, Focus, Deadeye, Ninjutsu and Killer Instinct.
  • Finishers Required: Livewire.
  • Cyberware Mods Required: NetWatch Netdriver Mk.5, Smart Link, Monowire, Lynx Paws, Microrotors, Synaptic Accelerator, Self ICE and RAM Upgrade.
  • Weapons Recommended: Unity Pistol, Black Unicorn Katana and Guillotine SMG

You can head over to the Lucy Build Planner to learn more about this build and how you can distribute your Perk and Attribute points in the game.

Jackie Welles mercenary build

Jackie Welles from Cyberpunk 2077 2.1
Remember your Choomba Jackie by using this build.

Jackie is a mercenary from the neighborhood of Heywood in Night City. He is honorable, faithful, and charming. His charisma, street smarts, and fighting abilities all come together to form his character.

Jackie is there to offer encouragement and companionship as V’s trusted companion and colleague on numerous quests. A sad turn of events occurs, and V’s adventure reaches a turning point as Jackie meets his tragic end, impacting the storyline and the emotions of Cyberpunk 2077 players.

However, with the update 2.1, you can tailor your attributes and perks to become your Choomba in no time.

Jackie Welles’ mercenary build for the Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 update:

  • Attribute Points: 20 Body, 20 Reflexes, 20 Technical Ability, 3 Intelligence and 18 Cool.
  • Perks Required: Painkiller, Die! Die! Die!, Wrecking Ball, Spontaneous Obliteration, Adrenaline Rush, Quake, Bloodlust, Ripple Effect, Glutton for War, Health Freak, All Things Cyber, Pyromania, License to Chrome, Slippery, Dash and Air Dash
  • Finishers Required: Savage Sling
  • Cyberware Mods Required: Militech Berserk, Kiroshi “The Oracle” Optics, Adrenaline Booster, Blood Pump, Microrotors, Reinforced Tendons, Mechatronic Core, Newton Module, Thermal Gorilla Arms, Bionic Joints, Dense Marrow, Epimorphic Skeleton and Nano Plating.
  • Weapons Recommended: Guts Shotgun, Bloody Maria Shotgun, and Alabai firearm.

You can head over to Jackie’s Build Planner to learn more about this build and how you can distribute your Perk and Attribute points in the game.

Johnny Silverhand’s gunslinger build

Johnny Silverhand from Cyberpunk 2077 2.1
Become Night City’s legendary rockstar with this build.

Johnny, a legendary rocker and rebel from yesteryear, inhabits V’s mind via digital consciousness, resulting in a dynamic and intricate interaction. The Cyberpunk universe’s anti-establishment ideal is personified by Johnny who is also the ex-lead singer of the legendary band Samurai and an outspoken critic of the vast corporations that control Night City.

As V navigates the dystopian Night City, his digital presence provides commentary, criticism, and insights and is sometimes at odds with the player. A multi-layered figure with a history of rebellion against the repressive system, Johnny’s tale is unveiled through encounters and flashbacks, illuminating his character traits and the influence he had on Cyberpunk 2077 canon.

If you’d also like Chippin’ In like Johnny once did, we’ve got the perfect build for you with update 2.1.

Johnny Silverhand’s gunslinger build for the Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 update:

  • Attribute Points: 20 Body, 18 Reflexes, 20 Technical Ability, 3 Intelligence and 20 Cool.
  • Perks Required: Focus, Deadeye, Nerves of Tungsten Steel, Glutton for War, All Things Cyber, Health Freak, License to Chrome, Painkiller, Die! Die! Die!, Adrenaline Rush, Quickdraw, Comeback Kid, Spontaneous Obliteration, Don’t Stop Me Now, Pain to Gain, Parkour!, Can’t Touch This and Steady Grip.
  • Finishers Required: None
  • Cyberware Mods Required: Militech “Apogee” Sandevistan, Kiroshi “The Oracle” Optics, Ballistic Coprocessor, Shock Absorber, Blood Pump, Clutch Padding, Reinforced Tendons, Kerenzikov Boost System, Toxic Gorilla Arms, Kinetic Frame, Reflex Tuner, Kerenzikov, Defenzikov and Subdermal Armor.
  • Weapons Recommended: Guts Shotgun, Malorian Arms pistol, Ol’ Reliable revolver, and Rosco revolver.

You can head over to Johnny’s Build Planner to learn more about this build and how you can distribute your Perk and Attribute points in the game.

Adam Smasher build

Adam Smasher from Cyberpunk 2077 Edgerunners
Become the ultimate Cybernetic individual with this build.

Cyberpunk 2077’s Adam Smasher personifies the corporate-driven savagery and cruelty of Night City as an ominous and frightening enemy. Smasher, an intimidating and substantially enhanced individual, is an obedient enforcer for the Arasaka Corporation.

His cybernetic abilities and fighting skills make him a dangerous enemy, and his loyalty to Arasaka complicates the game’s main conflict even further. However, if you’d like a taste of ultimate chrome in Night City like Smasher, here’s a build for you to use in update 2.1.

Adam Smasher’s build for the Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 update:

  • Attribute Points: 20 Body, 20 Reflexes, 20 Technical Ability, 3 Intelligence, and 18 Cool.
  • Perks Required: Painkiller, Die! Die! Die!, Wrecking Ball, Quake, Adrenaline Rush, Onslaught, Pain to Gain, Bloodlust, Juggernaut, Glutton for War, All Things Cyber, License to Chrome, Pyromania, License to Chrome, Edgerunner, Doomlauncher, Slippery, Dash, Air Dash and Multitasker.
  • Finishers Required: None
  • Cyberware Mods Required: Zetatech Sandevistan, Kiroshi “Doomsayer” Optics, Ballistic Coprocessor, Shock Absorber, Blood Pump, Heal on Kill, Fortified Ankles, Mechatronic Core, Self ICE, Projectile Launch System, Epimorphic Skeleton, Scar Coalescer, Universal Booster, Carapace and Adrenaline Converter.
  • Weapons Recommended: Defender, Wild Dog and MA70 HB LMGs.

You can head over to Smasher’s Build Planner to learn more about this build and how you can distribute your Perk and Attribute points in the game.

Now you’re up to date with the best builds you can use in Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.1. You can also check out the best Phantom Liberty builds or all the skills in Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.1 and how you can level them up.