Cyberpunk 2077’s Sequel Could Share Love with Best Feature of Smart Weapons

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home March 4, 2025 52 Views 6 Min Read
Cyberpunk 2077's Sequel Could Share Love with Best Feature of Smart Weapons



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As gaming audiences reflect on Cyberpunk 2077, now free of major bugs and other existential issues, most agree that one of its greatest strengths is its build variety. Unlike The Witcher 3, CD Projekt Red’s previous game, Cyberpunk 2077 offers a wealth of unique options for progression and specialization, making for a surprisingly deep, nuanced, and rewarding action-RPG experience.

Amidst a sea of unique and varied weapons, perks, special abilities, and cyberware upgrades, Cyberpunk 2077‘s smart weapons stand out as particularly intriguing. Weapons that fall under the “smart” umbrella have advanced targeting features, able to lock-on to enemies and even wrap around cover, making them a good response to defensive maneuvers. As one might expect, smart weapons typically lack the raw firepower of more traditional guns and even some melee weapons, but they make up for this through their versatility. These benefits aren’t easily won, though, as players need to invest in specific hand cyberware, taking up a full cyberware slot, if they wish to make use of smart weapons’ advanced targeting.

Cyberpunk 2077 V in a Crowd

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Cyberpunk 2077: Project Orion’s Bold Ambitions Could Put it in an Arms Race with GTA 6

According to a recent job listing from CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel could be upping its ambition, going toe-to-toe with the likes of GTA.

Project Orion Should Expand Cyberpunk 2077’s Approach to Smart Weapons and Cyberware

Cyberpunk 2077: Gear Requirements Breed Specialization, Which Breeds Build Variety

It’s not hard to access the cyberware required to use smart weapons; it will probably be among the first implants most players install. But using this implant requires sacrifice, as it occupies one of Cyberpunk 2077‘s precious cyberware slots. With so few slots available, dedicating one to a single weapon type represents a major investment and commitment.

But this is what makes investing in, and elevating, a smart weapons build satisfying. If there were no trade-off, then working toward such a build wouldn’t be rewarding, since it wouldn’t be crafted by the player, but rather handed to them from the outset. By the same token, rejecting the smart weapon implant in favor of something else, something that could benefit a different playstyle, instills the cyberware system and gear grind with a sense of player agency. It’s these fundamental design strengths, which are mirrored in countless other RPGs, that help make Cyberpunk 2077‘s build-crafting so rewarding. CD Projekt Red could take this concept and run with it come Project Orion, Cyberpunk‘s code-named sequel.

It’s important to note that players aren’t barred from using smart weapons if they don’t have the requisite cyberware implant. They just can’t utilize its advanced features.

Cyberware Gatekeeping Shouldn’t Be Limited to Just Smart Weapons in Project Orion

All told, there are six different weapon categories in Cyberpunk 2077, encompassing both melee weapons and firearms. They are distinct from each other through unique features or attributes:

  • Power: conventional firearms
  • Smart: guided targeting systems
  • Tech: chargeable blasts
  • Blunt (melee): heavy, slow, and non-lethal attacks
  • Blades (melee): quick, low-damage, lethal attacks
  • Throwable (melee): self-explanatory

While specific gear and perks can enhance the effectiveness of any of these weapon types, none of them have the equivalent of smart weapons’ cyberware synergy. Thus, Project Orion‘s build-crafting options could be expanded by linking weapon-specific benefits or abilities to pieces of cyberware. For instance, perhaps tech or power weapons could have an alternate firing mode that can only be utilized if the player has a particular piece of cyberware installed.

However such a theoretical mechanic would manifest in Project Orion, its benefit would be defined by its deepening of its predecessor’s build variety. Locking features or abilities behind cyberware is restrictive, but such restrictions are what make build-crafting satisfying and deep. Therefore, implementing more cyberware-centric weapon abilities should be viewed as an opportunity for player expression.

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